# Mailcow vs The-One-File

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Mailcow | The-One-File |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 52/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 106 in Email | #18 of 34 in Network Management |
| GitHub stars | 13 715 ✓ | 548 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +205 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 ✓ | 10 |
| Latest release | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | TOFV-2.0 · 7 Jun 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | JavaScript | HTML |

## Which one should you pick?

Mailcow scores 77/100 against 52/100 for The-One-File, so it is the safer default.

Mailcow ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 10 for The-One-File.

If you want the quickest setup, The-One-File is easier to run; Mailcow needs more configuration.

Mailcow is growing faster right now (+205 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Mailcow](https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow.md)
- [The-One-File](https://selfhost.directory/project/the-one-file) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/the-one-file.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mailcow-vs-the-one-file