SOGo vs Horde Groupware
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted groupware options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
SOGo
Scalable groupware server with webmail, calendar and contacts
VS
Horde Groupware
Archived
PHP groupware suite with webmail and calendaring
| Feature | SOGo | Horde Groupware |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 9 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Groupware | Groupware |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Objective-C | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,165 | ★ 242 |
| First released | 2009 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Exchange |
What are SOGo and Horde Groupware?
SOGo
SOGo is a fully featured, scalable groupware server offering shared calendars, address books, and webmail. It is fully compatible with Microsoft Outlook via ActiveSync and with CalDAV/CardDAV clients.
- CalDAV and CardDAV support
- Microsoft ActiveSync compatibility
- Shared calendars and contacts
- Integrated AJAX webmail
Horde Groupware
Horde Groupware is a collaboration suite built on the Horde framework that combines webmail, calendar, address book, tasks, and notes. It is a long-running PHP groupware project for teams.
- Webmail with calendar
- Shared address books
- Tasks and notes
- Modular Horde framework
SOGo vs Horde Groupware: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Horde Groupware's repository is archived and no longer developed, while SOGo is actively maintained. SOGo is written in Objective-C, while Horde Groupware is built with PHP. Horde Groupware is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for SOGo. Horde Groupware is the more established project (first released 2003), while SOGo arrived in 2009. SOGo has the considerably larger community, at 2,165 GitHub stars versus 242. SOGo lists first-class Docker deployment; Horde Groupware does not.
Why pick each one
Choose SOGo if…
- Strong Outlook compatibility
- Scales to many users
Watch out for
- Complex initial setup
- Requires separate mail server
Choose Horde Groupware if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is SOGo or Horde Groupware better?
Neither is universally better. SOGo has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are SOGo and Horde Groupware free and open-source?
Yes. SOGo is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Horde Groupware under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SOGo and Horde Groupware with Docker?
SOGo: yes. Horde Groupware: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, SOGo or Horde Groupware?
Horde Groupware has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for SOGo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.