Fetchmail vs mailcow
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?
Fetchmail
Remote mail retrieval and forwarding utility
VS
mailcow
Dockerized full-stack mail server suite
| Feature | Fetchmail | mailcow |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 6,144 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 13,245 |
| First released | 1996 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Gmail import | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace |
Why pick each one
Choose Fetchmail if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Fetchmail 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 Fetchmail and mailcow free and open-source?
Yes. Fetchmail is licensed under GPL-2.0 and mailcow under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fetchmail and mailcow with Docker?
Fetchmail: check the project docs for container support. mailcow: yes.