emailwiz vs mailcow
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
mailcow
Dockerized full-stack mail server suite
| Feature | emailwiz | mailcow |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 25 · At risk | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Shell | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 6,144 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,166 | ★ 13,498 |
| First released | 2019 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace |
What are emailwiz and mailcow?
emailwiz
emailwiz is a shell script that automatically configures a complete, secure email server with Postfix, Dovecot, Spamassassin, and DKIM on a Debian or Ubuntu system. It targets quick, opinionated setups.
- One-script mail server setup
- Postfix, Dovecot and SpamAssassin
- Automatic DKIM and TLS
- Opinionated, secure defaults
mailcow
mailcow is a complete, Docker-based mail server solution that bundles Postfix, Dovecot, Rspamd, SOGo, and a modern web UI. It makes running a full-featured mail server with antispam and webmail straightforward.
- Complete Docker mail stack
- Rspamd antispam built in
- SOGo webmail and ActiveSync
- Modern management UI with API
emailwiz vs mailcow: key differences
Emailwiz is written in Shell, while mailcow is built with JavaScript. Emailwiz is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 6,144 MB for mailcow. Mailcow is the more established project (first released 2016), while emailwiz arrived in 2019. Mailcow has the considerably larger community, at 13,498 GitHub stars versus 2,166. Mailcow lists first-class Docker deployment; emailwiz does not.
Why pick each one
Choose emailwiz if…
- Fast to deploy
- Transparent shell script
Watch out for
- No webmail included
- Limited customization
Choose mailcow if…
- All components preconfigured
- Active community
Watch out for
- Substantial RAM requirements
- Many containers to manage
Frequently asked questions
Is emailwiz or mailcow better?
Neither is universally better. mailcow has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are emailwiz and mailcow free and open-source?
Yes. emailwiz is licensed under GPL-3.0 and mailcow under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run emailwiz and mailcow with Docker?
emailwiz: check the project docs for container support. mailcow: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, emailwiz or mailcow?
emailwiz has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 6,144 MB for mailcow. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.