Afterlogic DAV vs mailcow
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?
Afterlogic DAV
CalDAV and CardDAV server for Afterlogic WebMail
VS
mailcow
Dockerized full-stack mail server suite
| Feature | Afterlogic DAV | mailcow |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 6,144 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2 | ★ 13,245 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange Web Access | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace |
Why pick each one
Choose Afterlogic DAV if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Afterlogic DAV or mailcow better?
Neither is universally better. mailcow has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Afterlogic DAV and mailcow free and open-source?
Yes. Afterlogic DAV is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and mailcow under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Afterlogic DAV and mailcow with Docker?
Afterlogic DAV: check the project docs for container support. mailcow: yes.