Dovecot Pigeonhole vs Docker Mailserver
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?
Dovecot Pigeonhole
Sieve mail filtering engine for Dovecot
VS
Docker Mailserver
Production-ready, config-driven mail server in a container
| Feature | Dovecot Pigeonhole | Docker Mailserver |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | MIT |
| Language | C | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 95 | ★ 18,682 |
| First released | 2008 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Gmail filters | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 |
Why pick each one
Choose Dovecot Pigeonhole if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Docker Mailserver if…
- Reproducible, version-controllable config
- Lightweight
Frequently asked questions
Is Dovecot Pigeonhole or Docker Mailserver better?
Neither is universally better. Docker Mailserver has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dovecot Pigeonhole and Docker Mailserver free and open-source?
Yes. Dovecot Pigeonhole is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Docker Mailserver under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dovecot Pigeonhole and Docker Mailserver with Docker?
Dovecot Pigeonhole: check the project docs for container support. Docker Mailserver: yes.