Cozy vs EGroupware
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted groupware options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Cozy | EGroupware |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 77 · Good |
| Category | Groupware | Groupware |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,270 | ★ 297 |
| First released | 2016 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace | Microsoft 365, Google Workspace |
What are Cozy and EGroupware?
Cozy
Cozy is a personal cloud platform that bundles file storage, contacts, calendar, notes, and connectors for importing data from external services into one self-hosted home. It is built around a portable per-user stack.
- Personal cloud server
- Contacts and calendar sync
- App connector ecosystem
- File storage included
EGroupware
EGroupware is a browser-based groupware suite that includes calendar, address book, email, project management, and file sharing. It supports CalDAV, CardDAV, and ActiveSync for client synchronization.
- Integrated calendar, mail and contacts
- Project management and timesheets
- CalDAV/CardDAV and ActiveSync
- Video conferencing module
Cozy vs EGroupware: key differences
Cozy is written in Go, while EGroupware is built with PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Cozy versus GPL-2.0 for EGroupware. EGroupware is the more established project (first released 2003), while Cozy arrived in 2016. Cozy has the considerably larger community, at 1,270 GitHub stars versus 297.
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
Choose EGroupware if…
- Broad feature set
- Long-established project
Watch out for
- Interface feels dated
- Many modules to configure
Frequently asked questions
Is Cozy or EGroupware better?
Neither is universally better. Cozy has the larger community, while EGroupware is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Cozy and EGroupware free and open-source?
Yes. Cozy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and EGroupware under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cozy and EGroupware with Docker?
Cozy: yes. EGroupware: yes.