ruddervsStalwart Mail Server
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| rudder | Stalwart Mail Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 55/100 | 79/100 |
| Rank in category | #4 of 8 in Configuration Management | #2 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 719 | 15 473 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 | +670 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 31 |
| Latest release | 9.1.4 · 7 Aug 2026 | v1.0.1 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0-only AND LicenseRef-SEL |
| Main language | Scala | Rust |
Which one should you pick?
Stalwart Mail Server scores 79/100 against 55/100 for rudder, so it is the safer default.
Stalwart Mail Server ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for rudder.
If you want the quickest setup, Stalwart Mail Server is easier to run; rudder needs more configuration.
Stalwart Mail Server is growing faster right now (+670 stars in 30 days).
rudder details →Stalwart Mail Server details →
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