Cozy vs Horde Groupware
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
Horde Groupware
PHP groupware suite with webmail and calendaring
| Feature | Cozy | Horde Groupware |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Groupware | Groupware |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,272 | ★ 243 |
| First released | 2016 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace | Microsoft Exchange |
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 Horde Groupware if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Cozy or Horde Groupware better?
Neither is universally better. Cozy has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Cozy and Horde Groupware free and open-source?
Yes. Cozy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Horde Groupware under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cozy and Horde Groupware with Docker?
Cozy: yes. Horde Groupware: check the project docs for container support.