# Mailcow vs umbrel

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

| | Mailcow | umbrel |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 52/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 106 in Email | #9 of 22 in Home Server |
| GitHub stars | 13 715 ✓ | 434 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +205 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 ✓ | 4 |
| Latest release | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | v2.0.0 · 2 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | JavaScript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Mailcow scores 77/100 against 52/100 for umbrel, so it is the safer default.

Mailcow ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 4 for umbrel.

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)
- [umbrel](https://selfhost.directory/project/umbrel) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/umbrel.md)

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