Cyrus IMAP vs DAViCal
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?
Cyrus IMAP
Scalable IMAP and POP server for large deployments
VS
DAViCal
Server for sharing calendars and address books via DAV
| Feature | Cyrus IMAP | DAViCal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Groupware |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 641 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 1994 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange | Google Calendar, Microsoft Exchange |
Why pick each one
Choose DAViCal if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Cyrus IMAP or DAViCal better?
Neither is universally better. Cyrus IMAP has the larger community, while DAViCal is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Cyrus IMAP and DAViCal free and open-source?
Yes. Cyrus IMAP is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and DAViCal under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cyrus IMAP and DAViCal with Docker?
Cyrus IMAP: check the project docs for container support. DAViCal: yes.