mailcow vs Apache SpamAssassin
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
Apache SpamAssassin
Rule-based and Bayesian anti-spam mail filter
| Feature | mailcow | Apache SpamAssassin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 6,144 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,245 | ★ 341 |
| First released | 2016 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace | Proprietary spam filtering appliances |
Why pick each one
Choose Apache SpamAssassin if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is mailcow or Apache SpamAssassin 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 Apache SpamAssassin free and open-source?
Yes. mailcow is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Apache SpamAssassin under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mailcow and Apache SpamAssassin with Docker?
mailcow: yes. Apache SpamAssassin: check the project docs for container support.