mailcow vs piler
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?
mailcow
Dockerized full-stack mail server suite
VS
piler
Email archiving system with full-text search
| Feature | mailcow | piler |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 6,144 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,245 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2016 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace | Mimecast, Barracuda Archiver |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is mailcow or piler better?
mailcow is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider piler if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are mailcow and piler free and open-source?
Yes. mailcow is licensed under GPL-3.0 and piler under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mailcow and piler with Docker?
mailcow: yes. piler: check the project docs for container support.