MailcowvsSunshine
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Mailcow | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 | 84/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 106 in Email | #2 of 22 in Remote Desktop |
| GitHub stars | 13 713 | 42 735 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +215 | +1 259 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 | 85 |
| Latest release | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 | v2026.1028.25602 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | C |
Which one should you pick?
Sunshine scores 84/100 against 77/100 for Mailcow, so it is the safer default.
Sunshine ships more often: 85 stable releases in the past year, against 16 for Mailcow.
If you want the quickest setup, Sunshine is easier to run; Mailcow needs more configuration.
Sunshine is growing faster right now (+1 259 stars in 30 days).
Mailcow details →Sunshine details →
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