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.
| Feature | afew | Sieve Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 75 · Good | 60 · Good |
| 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 | ★ 342 | ★ 892 |
| First released | 2011 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Gmail filters | Gmail filters |
What are afew and Sieve Editor?
afew
afew is an automatic tagging tool for the notmuch email system, applying filters and rules to newly delivered mail so a self-hosted mail setup keeps messages organized into virtual folders.
- Automatic tagging for notmuch
- Rule-based mail filtering
- Virtual folder organization
Sieve Editor
The Sieve Editor is a cross-platform graphical application for creating and editing Sieve mail filters on any ManageSieve-capable server. It lets users of self-hosted mail servers manage server-side filtering without editing scripts by hand.
- Graphical Sieve filter editor
- Works with ManageSieve servers
- Cross-platform desktop app
afew vs Sieve Editor: key differences
Afew is written in Python, while Sieve Editor is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — ISC for afew versus AGPL-3.0 for Sieve Editor. Afew is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Sieve Editor. Sieve Editor has the considerably larger community, at 892 GitHub stars versus 342.
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.
Which is lighter on resources, afew or Sieve Editor?
afew has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Sieve Editor. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.