Dovecot 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
Secure, high-performance IMAP and POP3 server
VS
Mailspring
Cross-platform desktop email client
| Feature | Dovecot | Mailspring |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,233 | ★ 17,730 |
| First released | 2002 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange | Outlook, Apple Mail |
Why pick each one
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 or Mailspring better?
Mailspring is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Dovecot if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Dovecot and Mailspring free and open-source?
Yes. Dovecot is licensed under MIT and Mailspring under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dovecot and Mailspring with Docker?
Dovecot: yes. Mailspring: check the project docs for container support.