Jellyfin vs Stalwart Mail

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureJellyfinStalwart Mail
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-2.0free
LanguageC#
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, binarydocker, one-click
GitHub stars★ 55,528
First released20182023
ReplacesPlex, Emby

Why pick each one

Choose Jellyfin if…

  • No subscription or account needed
  • Active community development
  • Wide client support
Jellyfin details

Choose Stalwart Mail if…

  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • One-click install on common self-host platforms
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Stalwart Mail details

Frequently asked questions

Is Jellyfin or Stalwart Mail better?

Neither is universally better. Jellyfin has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Jellyfin and Stalwart Mail free and open-source?

Yes. Jellyfin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Stalwart Mail under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Jellyfin and Stalwart Mail with Docker?

Jellyfin: yes. Stalwart Mail: yes.

Related comparisons