# Portainer vs Stalwart Mail Server

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

| | Portainer | Stalwart Mail Server |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 | 78/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 44 in Container Management | #2 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 38 737 ✓ | 15 462 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +188 | +678 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 | 30 ✓ |
| Latest release | 2.45.3 · 21 Oct 2026 | v1.0.0 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Zlib | AGPL-3.0-only AND LicenseRef-SEL |
| Main language | Typescript | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Stalwart Mail Server scores 78/100 against 77/100 for Portainer, so it is the safer default.

Stalwart Mail Server ships more often: 30 stable releases in the past year, against 21 for Portainer.

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

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

## Details

- [Portainer](https://selfhost.directory/project/portainer) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/portainer.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/portainer-vs-stalwart-mail-server