Mailu vs Modoboa
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Mailu | Modoboa |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | ISC |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,524 | ★ 3,538 |
| First released | 2016 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace, cPanel Email |
What are Mailu and Modoboa?
Mailu
Mailu is a free mail server distributed as a set of Docker images, providing a complete stack with antispam, webmail, and admin interface. It aims to be simpler and lighter than other mail suites.
- Composable Docker images
- Built-in antispam and antivirus
- Roundcube and SnappyMail webmail
- Admin UI and REST API
Modoboa
Modoboa is a mail hosting and management platform that provides a clean web interface on top of Postfix and Dovecot. It includes antispam, webmail, calendar, and DNS health checks.
- Modern mail administration UI
- Amavis and Rspamd antispam
- Built-in webmail and calendar
- DNSBL and configuration health checks
Mailu vs Modoboa: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Mailu versus ISC for Modoboa. Modoboa is the more established project (first released 2010), while Mailu arrived in 2016. Mailu has the considerably larger community, at 7,524 GitHub stars versus 3,538.
Why pick each one
Choose Mailu if…
- Lighter than mailcow
- Kubernetes support
Watch out for
- Fewer features than larger suites
- Manual DNS configuration
Choose Modoboa if…
- Friendly management interface
- Good monitoring features
Watch out for
- Installer can be finicky
- Multiple components to maintain
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailu or Modoboa better?
Neither is universally better. Mailu has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mailu and Modoboa free and open-source?
Yes. Mailu is licensed under MIT and Modoboa under ISC. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mailu and Modoboa with Docker?
Mailu: yes. Modoboa: yes.