Maddy Mail Server 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 | Maddy Mail Server | emailwiz |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 25 · At risk |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,091 | ★ 2,166 |
| First released | 2019 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace |
What are Maddy Mail Server and emailwiz?
Maddy Mail Server
Maddy is a single-process mail server written in Go that replaces Postfix, Dovecot, and several other components. It is designed to be simple to configure while remaining flexible.
- Single binary replaces full stack
- SMTP, IMAP and submission in one
- Simple unified configuration
- Built-in DKIM and TLS management
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
Maddy Mail Server vs emailwiz: key differences
Maddy Mail Server is written in Go, while emailwiz is built with Shell. Maddy Mail Server is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for emailwiz. Maddy Mail Server has the considerably larger community, at 6,091 GitHub stars versus 2,166. Maddy Mail Server lists first-class Docker deployment; emailwiz does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Maddy Mail Server if…
- Drastically simpler than traditional stacks
- Low resource use
Watch out for
- Fewer features than mature stacks
- Smaller community
Choose emailwiz if…
- Fast to deploy
- Transparent shell script
Watch out for
- No webmail included
- Limited customization
Frequently asked questions
Is Maddy Mail Server or emailwiz better?
Neither is universally better. Maddy 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 emailwiz free and open-source?
Yes. Maddy Mail Server is licensed under GPL-3.0 and emailwiz under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Maddy Mail Server and emailwiz with Docker?
Maddy Mail Server: yes. emailwiz: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Maddy Mail Server or emailwiz?
Maddy Mail Server has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for emailwiz. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.