# netgoat vs Stalwart Mail Server

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

| | netgoat | Stalwart Mail Server |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 44/100 | 78/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #20 of 24 in Reverse Proxy | #2 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 905 | 15 462 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +678 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 30 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | v1.0.0 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0-only AND LicenseRef-SEL |
| Main language | Go | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Stalwart Mail Server scores 78/100 against 44/100 for netgoat, so it is the safer default.

Stalwart Mail Server ships more often: 30 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for netgoat.

If you want the quickest setup, Stalwart Mail Server is easier to run; netgoat needs more configuration.

Stalwart Mail Server is growing faster right now (+678 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [netgoat](https://selfhost.directory/project/netgoat) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/netgoat.md)
- [Stalwart Mail Server](https://selfhost.directory/project/stalwart-mail-server) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/stalwart-mail-server.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/netgoat-vs-stalwart-mail-server