Cyrus IMAP vs listmonk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Cyrus IMAP
Scalable IMAP and POP server for large deployments
VS
listmonk
Self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager
| Feature | Cyrus IMAP | listmonk |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 641 | ★ 22,670 |
| First released | 1994 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange | Mailchimp, Sendinblue |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Cyrus IMAP or listmonk better?
listmonk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Cyrus IMAP if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cyrus IMAP and listmonk free and open-source?
Yes. Cyrus IMAP is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and listmonk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cyrus IMAP and listmonk with Docker?
Cyrus IMAP: check the project docs for container support. listmonk: yes.