SHSelfHostIndex

Stalwart Mail Server vs Forward Email

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?
ST Stalwart Mail Server Modern all-in-one mail server in a single binary VS FO Forward Email Privacy-focused encrypted email for everyone
FeatureStalwart Mail ServerForward Email
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseAGPL-3.0BUSL-1.1
LanguageRustJavaScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, bare-metaldocker
GitHub stars★ 14,059★ 1,655
First released20202026
ReplacesMicrosoft Exchange, Google Workspace—

Why pick each one

Choose Stalwart Mail Server if…

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

Choose Forward Email if…

  • Released under the BUSL-1.1 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
  • Written in JavaScript
Forward Email details

Frequently asked questions

Is Stalwart Mail Server or Forward Email 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 Stalwart Mail Server and Forward Email free and open-source?

Yes. Stalwart Mail Server is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Forward Email under BUSL-1.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Stalwart Mail Server and Forward Email with Docker?

Stalwart Mail Server: yes. Forward Email: yes.

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