SHSelfHostIndex

Maddy Mail Server vs Nextcloud

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?
MA Maddy Mail Server Composable, all-in-one mail server in Go VS NE Nextcloud Self-hosted content collaboration and file sync platform
FeatureMaddy Mail ServerNextcloud
CategoryMail ServersFile Sync & Storage
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageGoPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcedocker, bare-metal, snap
GitHub stars★ 6,060★ 36,362
First released20192016
ReplacesGoogle Workspace, Microsoft 365Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft 365

Why pick each one

Choose Maddy Mail Server if…

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

Choose Nextcloud if…

  • Feature-rich and extensible
  • Active development and large community
  • Integrates calendar, contacts and office
Nextcloud details

Frequently asked questions

Is Maddy Mail Server or Nextcloud better?

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

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

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

Can I run Maddy Mail Server and Nextcloud with Docker?

Maddy Mail Server: yes. Nextcloud: yes.

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