Citadel vs SOGo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted groupware options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Citadel
All-in-one groupware, mail and collaboration server
VS
SOGo
Scalable groupware server with webmail, calendar and contacts
| Feature | Citadel | SOGo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Groupware | Groupware |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | Objective-C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 100 | ★ 2,143 |
| First released | 1987 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365 |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Citadel or SOGo better?
Neither is universally better. SOGo has the larger community, while Citadel is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Citadel and SOGo free and open-source?
Yes. Citadel is licensed under GPL-3.0 and SOGo under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Citadel and SOGo with Docker?
Citadel: check the project docs for container support. SOGo: yes.