Cozy vs Citadel
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted groupware options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Cozy
Personal cloud platform with contacts and calendar
VS
Citadel
All-in-one groupware, mail and collaboration server
| Feature | Cozy | Citadel |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Groupware | Groupware |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,272 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2016 | 1987 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace | Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365 |
Why pick each one
Choose Cozy if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Cozy or Citadel better?
Neither is universally better. Cozy has the larger community, while Citadel is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Cozy and Citadel free and open-source?
Yes. Cozy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Citadel under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cozy and Citadel with Docker?
Cozy: yes. Citadel: check the project docs for container support.