SHSelfHostIndex

Stalwart Mail Server vs Group-Office

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — 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 GR Group-Office Web-based groupware and CRM with email and calendar
FeatureStalwart Mail ServerGroup-Office
CategoryMail ServersGroupware
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageRustPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, bare-metaldocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 14,059★ 275
First released20202003
ReplacesMicrosoft Exchange, Google WorkspaceMicrosoft 365, Google Workspace

Why pick each one

Choose Stalwart Mail Server if…

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

Choose Group-Office if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in PHP
Group-Office details

Frequently asked questions

Is Stalwart Mail Server or Group-Office 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 Group-Office free and open-source?

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

Can I run Stalwart Mail Server and Group-Office with Docker?

Stalwart Mail Server: yes. Group-Office: yes.

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