MailpilevsStalwart Mail Server
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Mailpile | Stalwart Mail Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 55/100 | 78/100 |
| Rank in category | #43 of 106 in Email | #2 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 8 810 | 15 462 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +-6 | +678 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 31 |
| Latest release | — | v1.0.1 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0-only AND LicenseRef-SEL |
| Main language | Python | Rust |
Which one should you pick?
Stalwart Mail Server scores 78/100 against 55/100 for Mailpile, so it is the safer default.
Stalwart Mail Server ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Mailpile.
If you want the quickest setup, Stalwart Mail Server is easier to run; Mailpile needs more configuration.
Stalwart Mail Server is growing faster right now (+678 stars in 30 days).
Mailpile details →Stalwart Mail Server details →
Swap a project
Keep Mailpile, compare it with
Keep Stalwart Mail Server, compare it with