SnappyMail vs mailcow
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?
SnappyMail
Lightweight, fast and modern webmail client
VS
mailcow
Dockerized full-stack mail server suite
| Feature | SnappyMail | mailcow |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 6,144 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,670 | ★ 13,245 |
| First released | 2021 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Gmail, Outlook Web | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is SnappyMail or mailcow better?
Neither is universally better. mailcow has the larger community, while SnappyMail is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are SnappyMail and mailcow free and open-source?
Yes. SnappyMail is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and mailcow under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SnappyMail and mailcow with Docker?
SnappyMail: yes. mailcow: yes.