Modoboa vs Mox
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Modoboa | Mox |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | ISC | MIT |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,538 | ★ 5,868 |
| First released | 2010 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace, cPanel Email | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 |
What are Modoboa and Mox?
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
Mox
Mox is a modern mail server written in Go that provides SMTP, IMAP, and automatic TLS in a single binary. It is designed for easy, secure self-hosting with sensible defaults.
- Single binary mail server
- Automatic TLS and DNS guidance
- Built-in spam filtering
- Quickstart wizard for setup
Modoboa vs Mox: key differences
Modoboa is written in Python, while Mox is built with Go. Licensing differs — ISC for Modoboa versus MIT for Mox. Mox is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Modoboa. Modoboa is the more established project (first released 2010), while Mox arrived in 2023.
Why pick each one
Choose Modoboa if…
- Friendly management interface
- Good monitoring features
Watch out for
- Installer can be finicky
- Multiple components to maintain
Choose Mox if…
- Very easy to deploy
- Strong modern defaults
Watch out for
- Young project
- No webmail included
Frequently asked questions
Is Modoboa or Mox better?
Mox is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Modoboa if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Modoboa and Mox free and open-source?
Yes. Modoboa is licensed under ISC and Mox under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Modoboa and Mox with Docker?
Modoboa: yes. Mox: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Modoboa or Mox?
Mox has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Modoboa. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.