SHSelfHostIndex

PostfixAdmin 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?
PO PostfixAdmin Web interface for managing Postfix mail domains VS ST Stalwart Mail Server Modern all-in-one mail server in a single binary
FeaturePostfixAdminStalwart Mail Server
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseGPL-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguagePHPRust
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 1,251★ 14,059
First released20032020
ReplacescPanel EmailMicrosoft Exchange, Google Workspace

Why pick each one

Choose PostfixAdmin if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
  • Written in PHP
PostfixAdmin details

Choose Stalwart Mail Server if…

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

Frequently asked questions

Is PostfixAdmin or Stalwart Mail Server better?

Neither is universally better. Stalwart Mail Server has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are PostfixAdmin and Stalwart Mail Server free and open-source?

Yes. PostfixAdmin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Stalwart Mail Server under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run PostfixAdmin and Stalwart Mail Server with Docker?

PostfixAdmin: yes. Stalwart Mail Server: yes.

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