# Mailcow vs rustmailer

> Two self-hosted [Email projects](https://selfhost.directory/email), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Mailcow | rustmailer |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 44/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 106 in Email | #81 of 106 in Email |
| GitHub stars | 13 713 ✓ | 514 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +215 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 ✓ | 9 |
| Latest release | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | 1.7.6 · 16 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | JavaScript | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Mailcow scores 77/100 against 44/100 for rustmailer, so it is the safer default.

Mailcow ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for rustmailer.

If you want the quickest setup, rustmailer is easier to run; Mailcow needs more configuration.

Mailcow is growing faster right now (+215 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Mailcow](https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow.md)
- [rustmailer](https://selfhost.directory/project/rustmailer) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/rustmailer.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mailcow-vs-rustmailer