# Mailcow vs unleash

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

| | Mailcow | unleash |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 75/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 106 in Email | #1 of 8 in Feature Flags |
| GitHub stars | 13 715 | 13 914 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +205 ✓ | +88 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 | 16 |
| Latest release | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 | v8.3.1 · 29 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Mailcow scores 77/100 against 75/100 for unleash, so it is the safer default.

If you want the quickest setup, unleash 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)
- [unleash](https://selfhost.directory/project/unleash) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/unleash.md)

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