Dovecot Pigeonhole vs Mailspring
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
Mailspring
Cross-platform desktop email client
| Feature | Dovecot Pigeonhole | Mailspring |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 95 | ★ 17,730 |
| First released | 2008 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Gmail filters | Outlook, Apple Mail |
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 Mailspring if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 17.7k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Dovecot Pigeonhole or Mailspring better?
Mailspring is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Dovecot Pigeonhole if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Dovecot Pigeonhole and Mailspring free and open-source?
Yes. Dovecot Pigeonhole is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Mailspring under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dovecot Pigeonhole and Mailspring with Docker?
Dovecot Pigeonhole: check the project docs for container support. Mailspring: check the project docs for container support.