Cypht vs WildDuck
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?
Cypht
Lightweight webmail aggregator for many accounts
VS
WildDuck
Scalable IMAP and POP3 mail server with REST API
| Feature | Cypht | WildDuck |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | EUPL-1.2 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,672 | ★ 2,107 |
| First released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Gmail, Outlook Web | Microsoft Exchange, Gmail |
Why pick each one
Choose Cypht if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Cypht or WildDuck better?
Neither is universally better. WildDuck has the larger community, while Cypht is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Cypht and WildDuck free and open-source?
Yes. Cypht is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and WildDuck under EUPL-1.2. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cypht and WildDuck with Docker?
Cypht: yes. WildDuck: yes.