Modoboa vs emailwiz
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Modoboa | emailwiz |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 25 · At risk |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | ISC | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,538 | ★ 2,166 |
| First released | 2010 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace, cPanel Email | Google Workspace |
What are Modoboa and emailwiz?
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
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
Modoboa vs emailwiz: key differences
Modoboa is written in Python, while emailwiz is built with Shell. Licensing differs — ISC for Modoboa versus GPL-3.0 for emailwiz. Emailwiz is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Modoboa. Modoboa is the more established project (first released 2010), while emailwiz arrived in 2019. Modoboa lists first-class Docker deployment; emailwiz does not.
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 emailwiz if…
- Fast to deploy
- Transparent shell script
Watch out for
- No webmail included
- Limited customization
Frequently asked questions
Is Modoboa or emailwiz better?
Neither is universally better. Modoboa has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Modoboa and emailwiz free and open-source?
Yes. Modoboa is licensed under ISC and emailwiz under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Modoboa and emailwiz with Docker?
Modoboa: yes. emailwiz: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Modoboa or emailwiz?
emailwiz has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Modoboa. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.