afew vs Sieve Editor
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
afew
Initial tagging script for the notmuch mailer
VS
Sieve Editor
Graphical editor for Sieve mail filtering scripts
| Feature | afew | Sieve Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | ISC | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 344 | ★ 889 |
| First released | 2011 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Gmail filters | Gmail filters |
Why pick each one
Choose afew if…
- Released under the ISC license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Sieve Editor if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is afew or Sieve Editor better?
Sieve Editor is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider afew if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are afew and Sieve Editor free and open-source?
Yes. afew is licensed under ISC and Sieve Editor under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run afew and Sieve Editor with Docker?
afew: check the project docs for container support. Sieve Editor: check the project docs for container support.