iRedMail vs DAViCal
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
iRedMail
Free, full-featured mail server solution
VS
DAViCal
Server for sharing calendars and address books via DAV
| Feature | iRedMail | DAViCal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Groupware |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Shell | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,835 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2007 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace | Google Calendar, Microsoft Exchange |
Why pick each one
Choose DAViCal if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is iRedMail or DAViCal better?
Neither is universally better. iRedMail has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are iRedMail and DAViCal free and open-source?
Yes. iRedMail is licensed under GPL-3.0 and DAViCal under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run iRedMail and DAViCal with Docker?
iRedMail: check the project docs for container support. DAViCal: yes.