aerc vs Roundcube
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | aerc | Roundcube |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,300 | ★ 7,189 |
| First released | 2019 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Gmail, Outlook | Gmail, Outlook Web |
What are aerc and Roundcube?
aerc
aerc is an email client for the terminal designed for power users, with support for multiple accounts, embedded terminal, and a tab-based workflow. It handles IMAP, Maildir, JMAP, and notmuch backends.
- Terminal email client
- Multiple account support
- IMAP, JMAP, and notmuch
- Embedded terminal viewer
Roundcube
Roundcube is a widely used, browser-based IMAP webmail client with a clean interface and a strong plugin ecosystem. It is commonly bundled with self-hosted mail servers.
- Full-featured IMAP webmail
- Extensive plugin system
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Address book and folder management
aerc vs Roundcube: key differences
Aerc is written in Go, while Roundcube is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for aerc versus GPL-3.0 for Roundcube. Aerc is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Roundcube. Roundcube is the more established project (first released 2008), while aerc arrived in 2019. Roundcube has the considerably larger community, at 7,189 GitHub stars versus 3,300. Roundcube lists first-class Docker deployment; aerc does not.
Why pick each one
Choose aerc if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (3.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Roundcube if…
- Mature and stable
- Widely supported
Watch out for
- Default UI feels dated
- Webmail only, needs a mail server
Frequently asked questions
Is aerc or Roundcube better?
Roundcube is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider aerc if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are aerc and Roundcube free and open-source?
Yes. aerc is licensed under MIT and Roundcube under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run aerc and Roundcube with Docker?
aerc: check the project docs for container support. Roundcube: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, aerc or Roundcube?
aerc has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Roundcube. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.