SHSelfHostIndex

Stalwart Mail Server vs phpList

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 PH phpList Newsletter and email marketing with advanced management of
FeatureStalwart Mail ServerphpList
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageRustPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, bare-metalbare-metal
GitHub stars★ 14,059★ 864
First released20202025
ReplacesMicrosoft Exchange, Google Workspace—

Why pick each one

Choose Stalwart Mail Server if…

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

Choose phpList if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • Written in PHP
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
phpList details

Frequently asked questions

Is Stalwart Mail Server or phpList 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 phpList free and open-source?

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

Can I run Stalwart Mail Server and phpList with Docker?

Stalwart Mail Server: yes. phpList: check the project docs for container support.

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