iRedMail 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?
iRedMail
Free, full-featured mail server solution
VS
WildDuck
Scalable IMAP and POP3 mail server with REST API
| Feature | iRedMail | WildDuck |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | EUPL-1.2 |
| Language | Shell | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,835 | ★ 2,107 |
| First released | 2007 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace | Microsoft Exchange, Gmail |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is iRedMail or WildDuck better?
Neither is universally better. WildDuck has the larger community, while iRedMail is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are iRedMail and WildDuck free and open-source?
Yes. iRedMail is licensed under GPL-3.0 and WildDuck under EUPL-1.2. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run iRedMail and WildDuck with Docker?
iRedMail: check the project docs for container support. WildDuck: yes.