alps vs Roundcube
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?
| Feature | alps | Roundcube |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 700 | ★ 7,118 |
| First released | 2020 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Gmail | Gmail, Outlook Web |
Why pick each one
Choose alps if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is alps or Roundcube better?
Roundcube is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider alps if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are alps and Roundcube free and open-source?
Yes. alps is licensed under MIT and Roundcube under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run alps and Roundcube with Docker?
alps: check the project docs for container support. Roundcube: yes.