Collabora Online vs Mail-in-a-Box
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?
Collabora Online
Self-hosted online office suite based on LibreOffice
VS
Mail-in-a-Box
Turn a fresh server into a working mail server
| Feature | Collabora Online | Mail-in-a-Box |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document Management | Mail Servers |
| License | MPL-2.0 | CC0-1.0 |
| Language | Shell | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,316 | ★ 15,385 |
| First released | 2015 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Google Docs, Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Collabora Online or Mail-in-a-Box better?
Mail-in-a-Box is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Collabora Online if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Collabora Online and Mail-in-a-Box free and open-source?
Yes. Collabora Online is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Mail-in-a-Box under CC0-1.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Collabora Online and Mail-in-a-Box with Docker?
Collabora Online: yes. Mail-in-a-Box: check the project docs for container support.