iRedMail vs emailwiz
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | iRedMail | emailwiz |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 25 · At risk |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Shell | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,844 | ★ 2,166 |
| First released | 2007 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace | Google Workspace |
What are iRedMail and emailwiz?
iRedMail
iRedMail is a shell-script-driven mail server deployment that sets up Postfix, Dovecot, antispam, and webmail on major Linux and BSD systems. It supports OpenLDAP, MySQL, or PostgreSQL backends.
- Automated full mail stack install
- LDAP, MySQL or PostgreSQL backends
- SpamAssassin and ClamAV
- Roundcube and SOGo webmail
emailwiz
emailwiz is a shell script that automatically configures a complete, secure email server with Postfix, Dovecot, Spamassassin, and DKIM on a Debian or Ubuntu system. It targets quick, opinionated setups.
- One-script mail server setup
- Postfix, Dovecot and SpamAssassin
- Automatic DKIM and TLS
- Opinionated, secure defaults
iRedMail vs emailwiz: key differences
Both projects are written in Shell. Emailwiz is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for iRedMail. IRedMail is the more established project (first released 2007), while emailwiz arrived in 2019.
Why pick each one
Choose iRedMail if…
- Works on many distros
- Long-standing project
Watch out for
- Admin panel features gated in pro edition
- Script-based, less reproducible
Choose emailwiz if…
- Fast to deploy
- Transparent shell script
Watch out for
- No webmail included
- Limited customization
Frequently asked questions
Is iRedMail or emailwiz better?
Neither is universally better. emailwiz has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are iRedMail and emailwiz free and open-source?
Yes. iRedMail is licensed under GPL-3.0 and emailwiz under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run iRedMail and emailwiz with Docker?
iRedMail: check the project docs for container support. emailwiz: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, iRedMail or emailwiz?
emailwiz has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for iRedMail. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.