mailcow vs meli
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
meli
Terminal email client with a modern interface
| Feature | mailcow | meli |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 6,144 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,245 | ★ 877 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace | Mutt, NeoMutt |
Why pick each one
Choose meli if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is mailcow or meli 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 mailcow and meli free and open-source?
Yes. mailcow is licensed under GPL-3.0 and meli under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mailcow and meli with Docker?
mailcow: yes. meli: check the project docs for container support.