MailcowvsZulip
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Mailcow | Zulip | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 106 in Email | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 13 715 | 26 134 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +205 | +184 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 | 6 |
| Latest release | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Python |
Which one should you pick?
Zulip scores 82/100 against 77/100 for Mailcow, so it is the safer default.
Mailcow ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Zulip.
If you want the quickest setup, Zulip is easier to run; Mailcow needs more configuration.
Mailcow details →Zulip details →
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