mailcow vs Sieve Editor
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
Sieve Editor
Graphical editor for Sieve mail filtering scripts
| Feature | mailcow | Sieve Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 6,144 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,245 | ★ 889 |
| First released | 2016 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace | Gmail filters |
Why pick each one
Choose Sieve Editor if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is mailcow or Sieve Editor better?
Neither is universally better. mailcow has the larger community, while Sieve Editor is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are mailcow and Sieve Editor free and open-source?
Yes. mailcow is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Sieve Editor under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mailcow and Sieve Editor with Docker?
mailcow: yes. Sieve Editor: check the project docs for container support.