DavMail vs Open Event Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted calendar & contacts options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
DavMail
POP/IMAP/SMTP/Caldav/Carddav/LDAP exchange gateway allowing users to
VS
Open Event Server
Self-hosted event management and ticketing backend
| Feature | DavMail | Open Event Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Calendar & Contacts | Calendar & Contacts |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 751 | ★ 3,006 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | — | Eventbrite, Sched |
Why pick each one
Choose DavMail if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in Java
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Open Event Server if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is DavMail or Open Event Server better?
Neither is universally better. Open Event Server has the larger community, while DavMail is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are DavMail and Open Event Server free and open-source?
Yes. DavMail is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Open Event Server under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DavMail and Open Event Server with Docker?
DavMail: check the project docs for container support. Open Event Server: yes.