Claws Mail vs Kontact
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?
Claws Mail
Lightweight and fast GTK email client
VS
Kontact
Integrated personal information manager for KDE
| Feature | Claws Mail | Kontact |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Groupware |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2001 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Outlook | Microsoft Outlook |
Why pick each one
Choose Claws Mail if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Kontact if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C++
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Claws Mail or Kontact better?
Claws Mail is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Kontact if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Claws Mail and Kontact free and open-source?
Yes. Claws Mail is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kontact under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Claws Mail and Kontact with Docker?
Claws Mail: check the project docs for container support. Kontact: check the project docs for container support.