Mail-in-a-Box vs emailwiz
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Mail-in-a-Box
Turn a fresh server into a working mail server
VS
emailwiz
Script to deploy a full Postfix/Dovecot mail server
| Feature | Mail-in-a-Box | emailwiz |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 25 · At risk |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | CC0-1.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, one-click | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,418 | ★ 2,166 |
| First released | 2014 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace |
What are Mail-in-a-Box and emailwiz?
Mail-in-a-Box
Mail-in-a-Box is an easy-to-deploy bundle that turns a clean Ubuntu server into a complete mail and web server. It automates DNS, webmail, contacts, calendar, and antispam setup.
- One-command full mail setup
- Automatic DNS and TLS
- Roundcube webmail and Nextcloud contacts
- Built-in admin dashboard
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
Mail-in-a-Box vs emailwiz: key differences
Mail-in-a-Box is written in Python, while emailwiz is built with Shell. Licensing differs — CC0-1.0 for Mail-in-a-Box versus GPL-3.0 for emailwiz. Mail-in-a-Box is the more established project (first released 2014), while emailwiz arrived in 2019. Mail-in-a-Box has the considerably larger community, at 15,418 GitHub stars versus 2,166.
Why pick each one
Choose Mail-in-a-Box if…
- Very beginner-friendly
- Opinionated, complete stack
Watch out for
- Limited customization
- Dedicated server required
Choose emailwiz if…
- Fast to deploy
- Transparent shell script
Watch out for
- No webmail included
- Limited customization
Frequently asked questions
Is Mail-in-a-Box or emailwiz better?
Mail-in-a-Box is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider emailwiz if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Mail-in-a-Box and emailwiz free and open-source?
Yes. Mail-in-a-Box is licensed under CC0-1.0 and emailwiz under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mail-in-a-Box and emailwiz with Docker?
Mail-in-a-Box: check the project docs for container support. emailwiz: check the project docs for container support.