# Mailcow vs ZPan

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

| | Mailcow | ZPan |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 56/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 106 in Email | #8 of 11 in Cloud Storage |
| GitHub stars | 13 715 ✓ | 2 080 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +205 ✓ | +2 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 ✓ | 10 |
| Latest release | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | v2.9.0 · 30 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| 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 56/100 for ZPan, so it is the safer default.

Mailcow ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 10 for ZPan.

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

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