SHSelfHostIndex

Maddy Mail Server vs Stalwart Mail Server

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?
MA Maddy Mail Server Composable, all-in-one mail server in Go VS ST Stalwart Mail Server Modern all-in-one mail server in a single binary
FeatureMaddy Mail ServerStalwart Mail Server
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageGoRust
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcedocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 6,060★ 14,059
First released20192020
ReplacesGoogle Workspace, Microsoft 365Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace

Why pick each one

Choose Maddy Mail Server if…

  • Drastically simpler than traditional stacks
  • Low resource use
Maddy Mail Server details

Choose Stalwart Mail Server if…

  • Single modern binary
  • Strong security defaults
Stalwart Mail Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is Maddy Mail Server or Stalwart Mail Server better?

Neither is universally better. Stalwart Mail Server has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Maddy Mail Server and Stalwart Mail Server free and open-source?

Yes. Maddy Mail Server is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Stalwart Mail Server under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Maddy Mail Server and Stalwart Mail Server with Docker?

Maddy Mail Server: yes. Stalwart Mail Server: yes.

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