Mail-in-a-Box 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?
FeatureMail-in-a-BoxStalwart Mail Server
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseCC0-1.0AGPL-3.0
LanguagePythonRust
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, one-clickdocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 15,385★ 14,059
First released20142020
ReplacesGoogle Workspace, Microsoft 365Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace

Why pick each one

Choose Mail-in-a-Box if…

  • Very beginner-friendly
  • Opinionated, complete stack
Mail-in-a-Box details

Choose Stalwart Mail Server if…

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

Frequently asked questions

Is Mail-in-a-Box or Stalwart Mail Server better?

Mail-in-a-Box is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Stalwart Mail Server if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Mail-in-a-Box and Stalwart Mail Server free and open-source?

Yes. Mail-in-a-Box is licensed under CC0-1.0 and Stalwart Mail Server under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Mail-in-a-Box and Stalwart Mail Server with Docker?

Mail-in-a-Box: check the project docs for container support. Stalwart Mail Server: yes.

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