SHSelfHostIndex

Courier Mail Server 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?
CO Courier Mail Server Integrated mail server with IMAP, POP, and webmail VS SO SOGo Scalable groupware server with webmail, calendar and contacts
FeatureCourier Mail ServerSOGo
CategoryMail ServersGroupware
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguageCObjective-C
Setup difficultyHardHard
Min. RAM512 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 13★ 2,143
First released20002009
ReplacesMicrosoft ExchangeMicrosoft Exchange, Microsoft 365

Why pick each one

Choose Courier Mail Server if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Written in C
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Courier Mail Server details

Choose SOGo if…

  • Strong Outlook compatibility
  • Scales to many users
SOGo details

Frequently asked questions

Is Courier Mail Server 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 Courier Mail Server and SOGo free and open-source?

Yes. Courier Mail Server is licensed under GPL-3.0 and SOGo under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Courier Mail Server and SOGo with Docker?

Courier Mail Server: check the project docs for container support. SOGo: yes.

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