Apache James vs SOGo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Apache James
Enterprise mail server and SMTP/IMAP platform
VS
SOGo
Scalable groupware server with webmail, calendar and contacts
| Feature | Apache James | SOGo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Groupware |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Objective-C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,037 | ★ 2,143 |
| First released | 2003 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange | Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365 |
Why pick each one
Choose Apache James if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache James or SOGo better?
Neither is universally better. SOGo has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Apache James and SOGo free and open-source?
Yes. Apache James is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SOGo under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache James and SOGo with Docker?
Apache James: yes. SOGo: yes.