Afterlogic WebMail Lite vs WildDuck
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Afterlogic WebMail Lite | WildDuck |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 59 · Fair | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | EUPL-1.2 |
| Language | Shell | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 362 | ★ 2,108 |
| First released | 2010 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Gmail, Outlook Web | Microsoft Exchange, Gmail |
What are Afterlogic WebMail Lite and WildDuck?
Afterlogic WebMail Lite
Afterlogic WebMail Lite is a free, open-source webmail client that provides a clean front-end for any IMAP and SMTP mail server. It supports contacts and basic email management.
- Clean responsive webmail UI
- Contacts management
- Works with any IMAP server
- Free open-source edition
WildDuck
WildDuck is a modern, scalable mail server providing IMAP, POP3, and a full REST API for managing mailboxes. It stores messages in MongoDB and is designed for clustered, highly available deployments.
- IMAP and POP3
- Full REST API
- MongoDB storage
- Designed for scale
Afterlogic WebMail Lite vs WildDuck: key differences
Afterlogic WebMail Lite is written in Shell, while WildDuck is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Afterlogic WebMail Lite versus EUPL-1.2 for WildDuck. Afterlogic WebMail Lite is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for WildDuck. Afterlogic WebMail Lite is the more established project (first released 2010), while WildDuck arrived in 2017. WildDuck has the considerably larger community, at 2,108 GitHub stars versus 362.
Why pick each one
Choose Afterlogic WebMail Lite if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Shell
Watch out for
- Pro edition gates advanced features
- Webmail only
Choose WildDuck if…
- API-driven management
- Horizontally scalable
Watch out for
- Requires MongoDB
- Complex to operate
Frequently asked questions
Is Afterlogic WebMail Lite or WildDuck better?
Neither is universally better. WildDuck has the larger community, while Afterlogic WebMail Lite is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Afterlogic WebMail Lite and WildDuck free and open-source?
Yes. Afterlogic WebMail Lite is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and WildDuck under EUPL-1.2. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Afterlogic WebMail Lite and WildDuck with Docker?
Afterlogic WebMail Lite: yes. WildDuck: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Afterlogic WebMail Lite or WildDuck?
Afterlogic WebMail Lite has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for WildDuck. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.