SHSelfHostIndex

Stalwart Mail Server vs Sieve Editor

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 SI Sieve Editor Graphical editor for Sieve mail filtering scripts
FeatureStalwart Mail ServerSieve Editor
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageRustJavaScript
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, bare-metalbinary, source
GitHub stars★ 14,059★ 889
First released20202012
ReplacesMicrosoft Exchange, Google WorkspaceGmail filters

Why pick each one

Choose Stalwart Mail Server if…

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

Choose Sieve Editor if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Written in JavaScript
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Sieve Editor details

Frequently asked questions

Is Stalwart Mail Server or Sieve Editor better?

Neither is universally better. Stalwart Mail Server has the larger community, while Sieve Editor is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Stalwart Mail Server and Sieve Editor free and open-source?

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

Can I run Stalwart Mail Server and Sieve Editor with Docker?

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

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