Mailspring vs Nextcloud Mail
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?
Mailspring
Cross-platform desktop email client
VS
Nextcloud Mail
IMAP webmail client integrated into Nextcloud
| Feature | Mailspring | Nextcloud Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,730 | ★ 1,014 |
| First released | 2017 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Outlook, Apple Mail | Gmail |
Why pick each one
Choose Mailspring if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 17.7k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Nextcloud Mail if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailspring or Nextcloud Mail better?
Neither is universally better. Mailspring has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mailspring and Nextcloud Mail free and open-source?
Yes. Mailspring is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Nextcloud Mail under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mailspring and Nextcloud Mail with Docker?
Mailspring: check the project docs for container support. Nextcloud Mail: check the project docs for container support.