alps vs WildDuck
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?
alps
Simple and extensible web-based email client
VS
WildDuck
Scalable IMAP and POP3 mail server with REST API
| Feature | alps | WildDuck |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | EUPL-1.2 |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 700 | ★ 2,107 |
| First released | 2020 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Gmail | Microsoft Exchange, Gmail |
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 WildDuck better?
Neither is universally better. WildDuck has the larger community, while alps is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are alps and WildDuck free and open-source?
Yes. alps is licensed under MIT and WildDuck under EUPL-1.2. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run alps and WildDuck with Docker?
alps: check the project docs for container support. WildDuck: yes.