Alternatives · Email

Modoboa alternatives

As of Nov 13, 2026, the highest-graded Modoboa alternative is mailcow (2.4 GPA). It's also the best free one.

Modoboa compared with 6 alternatives: mailcow, Mailu, Mail-in-a-Box, iRedMail, Stalwart Mail Server and 1 more.

Modoboa is free to use. All 6 alternatives are free or have a free plan.

Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from

At a glance

Tool	Price	Free plan	Runs on
ModoboaThis tool	Free	Free	Web
mailcow	Free	Free	Web
Mailu	Free	Free	Web
Mail-in-a-Box	Free	Free	Web
iRedMail	Free plan · from $499/yr	Yes	Linux
Stalwart Mail Server	Free plan · from $2.40/yr	Yes	Web
docker-mailserver	Free	Free	Linux

Price against what you get

Modoboa has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. None of the 6 alternatives on this chart both scores higher and starts lower.

mailcow scores higher without starting lower.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

The best score at each price
Has a free plan
No free plan

The full chart of email apps, and the best at every price

How each one differs from Modoboa

mailcow
Dockerized open-source mail server with a web admin UI
- mailcow is free.
Suits: Admins who want a ready-made self-hosted mail server for a few domains
mailcow vs Modoboa mailcow pricing and details
Mailu
Free Docker-based mail server with webmail and admin UI
- Mailu is free.
- Mailu also covers dMARC.
- Mailu does not cover calendar, which Modoboa does.
Suits: Self-hosters who want a lean mail server without groupware extras
Mailu vs Modoboa Mailu pricing and details
Mail-in-a-Box
Free script that turns a cloud server into your own mail server
- Mail-in-a-Box is free.
Suits: Individuals and small groups who want to run their own mail service
Mail-in-a-Box vs Modoboa Mail-in-a-Box pricing and details
iRedMail
Open-source mail server installer for Linux and BSD
- iRedMail starts at $499 for a 1-year iRedAdmin-Pro license, $250 per year to renew.
- iRedMail also lists a Linux app.
- iRedMail lists no web app, which Modoboa has.
Suits: Admins who want a self-run mail server without per-mailbox fees
iRedMail vs Modoboa iRedMail pricing and details
Stalwart Mail Server
Open-source mail and collaboration server written in Rust
- Stalwart Mail Server starts at $2.40 per mailbox / year, billed annually (25-mailbox minimum).
- Stalwart Mail Server also covers file sharing and dMARC.
Suits: Self-hosters who want one program instead of a separate MTA, spam filter and calendar server
Stalwart Mail Server vs Modoboa Stalwart Mail Server pricing and details
docker-mailserver
Self-hosted mail server packaged as a Docker container
- docker-mailserver is free.
- docker-mailserver also lists a Linux app.
- docker-mailserver lists no web app, which Modoboa has.
- docker-mailserver does not cover calendar and email client, which Modoboa does.
Suits: Technical users who want a mail server managed as config files
docker-mailserver vs Modoboa docker-mailserver pricing and details

Limits worth knowing in Modoboa

You run and maintain the server yourself, including DNS and deliverability.
Paid help is offered separately: installation from EUR 150 and issue assistance from EUR 120, per the site.
Features are funded partly through sponsoring campaigns with euro targets.

Modoboa pricing and details

Common questions

What are the alternatives to Modoboa?

The alternatives to Modoboa in this directory are mailcow, Mailu, Mail-in-a-Box, iRedMail, Stalwart Mail Server and docker-mailserver. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Modoboa.

Is there a free alternative to Modoboa?

Yes. mailcow, Mailu, Mail-in-a-Box and docker-mailserver are free to use. iRedMail and Stalwart Mail Server have a free plan alongside paid ones.

Which Modoboa alternatives work on Linux?

The Modoboa listing does not include a Linux app. iRedMail and docker-mailserver list one.

When were these prices checked?

Every listing on this page was checked on Nov 13, 2026, against the pages it cites. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

How this page was made

Where any alternative here is in our top three email apps, the best for most people is the highest placed of them: the top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades. Otherwise the page names the highest-graded alternative in the same category as Modoboa, the one its listing names first winning a tie. The best free one is the highest-graded alternative that is free or has a free plan (a free trial does not count), with its catch quoted from its listing where the listing states a short one. The GPA is the average of our five grades for each tool.
The alternatives are the tools Modoboa’s listing names as its closest substitutes, and the tools whose listings name Modoboa.
Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing, which names the pages they were read from.
The differences are worked out from those listings.
The chart sets each tool’s starting price against our own grades for features, ease of use and platforms.

Read the method All email apps

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