mailcow vs WildDuck
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
mailcow
Dockerized full-stack mail server suite
VS
WildDuck
Scalable IMAP and POP3 mail server with REST API
| Feature | mailcow | WildDuck |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | EUPL-1.2 |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 6,144 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,498 | ★ 2,108 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace | Microsoft Exchange, Gmail |
What are mailcow and WildDuck?
mailcow
mailcow is a complete, Docker-based mail server solution that bundles Postfix, Dovecot, Rspamd, SOGo, and a modern web UI. It makes running a full-featured mail server with antispam and webmail straightforward.
- Complete Docker mail stack
- Rspamd antispam built in
- SOGo webmail and ActiveSync
- Modern management UI with API
WildDuck
WildDuck is a modern, scalable mail server providing IMAP, POP3, and a full REST API for managing mailboxes. It stores messages in MongoDB and is designed for clustered, highly available deployments.
- IMAP and POP3
- Full REST API
- MongoDB storage
- Designed for scale
mailcow vs WildDuck: key differences
Both projects are written in JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for mailcow versus EUPL-1.2 for WildDuck. WildDuck is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 6,144 MB for mailcow. Mailcow has the considerably larger community, at 13,498 GitHub stars versus 2,108.
Why pick each one
Choose mailcow if…
- All components preconfigured
- Active community
Watch out for
- Substantial RAM requirements
- Many containers to manage
Choose WildDuck if…
- API-driven management
- Horizontally scalable
Watch out for
- Requires MongoDB
- Complex to operate
Frequently asked questions
Is mailcow or WildDuck better?
mailcow is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider WildDuck if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are mailcow and WildDuck free and open-source?
Yes. mailcow is licensed under GPL-3.0 and WildDuck under EUPL-1.2. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mailcow and WildDuck with Docker?
mailcow: yes. WildDuck: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, mailcow or WildDuck?
WildDuck has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 6,144 MB for mailcow. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.