# Piler vs Stalwart Mail Server

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

| | Piler | Stalwart Mail Server |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 49/100 | 79/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #61 of 106 in Email | #2 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 356 | 15 479 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 | +676 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 31 ✓ |
| Latest release | piler-1.4.9 · 17 Jun 2026 | v1.0.1 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0-only AND LicenseRef-SEL |
| Main language | PHP | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Stalwart Mail Server scores 79/100 against 49/100 for Piler, so it is the safer default.

Stalwart Mail Server ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for Piler.

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

Stalwart Mail Server is growing faster right now (+676 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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