iRedMail vs Stalwart Mail Server (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Stalwart Mail Server grades higher than iRedMail: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Stalwart Mail Server grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
iRedMail
Open-source mail server installer for Linux and BSD
Stalwart Mail Server
Open-source mail and collaboration server written in Rust
Which one is for you
Pick iRedMail if
- Fits if you want to build your own mail server in one go on Linux or BSD
- Works for admins who will look after backups, DNS and updates
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need the full admin panel: iRedAdmin-Pro is $499 a year for one server, $250 to renew
- Skip it if you want support, as the Pro licence does not include support for iRedMail itself
- Not for you if you run Windows or macOS servers
- Watch out: the Enterprise Edition price was not readable on the site
- Watch out: SOGo is missing on some newer Linux releases
Pick Stalwart Mail Server if
- Fits if you run mail for a company and want a modern single-binary server
- Works for admins who want multi-tenancy and are fine paying per mailbox
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted service, as the cloud edition is listed for 2027
- Not for you if you have fewer than 25 mailboxes on Enterprise
- Skip it if you don't want to run and update a server
- Watch out: the monthly-billing rate isn't shown and prices switch between euros and dollars
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAiRedMailWeak | 2.2GPAStalwart Mail ServerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe installer is free, but self-hosted is a C. The fuller admin panel iRedAdmin-Pro is $499 for 1 year per server, then $250 a year to renew, and sales are final. | CCommunity is free if you host it. Enterprise is $2.40 a mailbox a year, but you pay for at least 25 mailboxes, which is $60 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe installer and a basic admin panel are free with unlimited domains, mailboxes and lists. You need your own server. | BThe full server is free to run under the AGPL, plus a 30-day trial of Enterprise. You need your own server. |
| Features | CInstalls the stack with webmail, groupware, antispam and antivirus and lets you pick backends. The full admin panel and Enterprise Edition cost extra. | BMail and collaboration in one server, with spam filtering, encryption at rest and clustering. The listing shows no gap in the job. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You run the server yourself on a supported Linux or BSD release, so a D. | DYou install, configure and update the server yourself, in either edition. |
| Platforms and integrations | DLinux and BSD servers only. SOGo is not available on some releases such as CentOS Stream, Rocky and Alma 10. | CA web admin and standard protocols, with Sieve, LDAP and OpenID Connect. No apps of its own. |
| Best for | a free Linux or BSD mail server installer | a mail and collaboration server in Rust |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: iRedMail and Stalwart Mail Server. How we grade
Price against what you get
iRedMail starts at $20.83 a month when paid by the year and scores 1.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Stalwart Mail Server starts at $0.20 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
Stalwart Mail Server scores higher and starts $20.63 a month lower. Of the other email apps on the chart, 97 score higher than iRedMail for less, and 12 score higher than Stalwart Mail Server for less.
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
Where they differ
- Stalwart Mail Server also covers file sharing and dMARC.
At a glance
| iRedMail | Stalwart Mail Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $499 for a 1-year iRedAdmin-Pro license, $250 per year to renew | $2.40 per mailbox / year, billed annually (25-mailbox minimum) |
| Free plan | iRedMail itself is free and open source, with a free basic web admin panel. | Community edition: the full mail server under AGPL-3.0, free to run on your own infrastructure. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day trial of the Enterprise edition with full access to Enterprise features. |
| Web | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | iRedMail | Stalwart Labs |
| Price read from | iredmail.org | stalw.art |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
iRedMail
- The iRedAdmin-Pro license covers one server, and support for iRedMail itself is not included.
- Runs on supported Linux and BSD releases; SOGo is not available on some of them (CentOS Stream, Rocky and Alma 10).
- The site recommends Enterprise Edition for new servers; its per-mailbox or per-server price was not readable.
Stalwart Mail Server
- Prices are shown in euros or dollars through a toggle; billing can be annual or monthly, and the monthly rate is not shown.
- Enterprise has a 25-mailbox minimum, and deployments above 100,000 mailboxes are quoted.
- Stalwart Enterprise Cloud, the hosted service, is listed as available in 2027, with interest registration only.
- You run and update the server yourself in either edition.
Key features
iRedMail
- Full stack installer
- Installs and configures the mail server components in a few minutes, per the site.
- Webmail and groupware
- Roundcube webmail and SOGo groupware, which adds CalDAV, CardDAV, tasks and ActiveSync.
- Antispam and antivirus
- SpamAssassin, ClamAV, SPF, DKIM, greylisting, whitelisting and blacklisting are listed.
- Choice of backends
- Accounts can be stored in OpenLDAP, MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL.
- Unlimited accounts
- The site says there is no limit on domains, users, mailing lists or admins.
- Enterprise Edition
- A separate edition with Active Directory replication, domain admins, throttling and two-factor authentication.
Stalwart Mail Server
- Mail and collaboration in one server
- JMAP, IMAP and POP3 for mail, SMTP for delivery, plus calendars, contacts and file storage over CalDAV, CardDAV and WebDAV.
- Built-in spam and phishing filtering
- A statistical classifier, public blocklists, sender reputation and AI-driven analysis run inside the server.
- Sender authentication and transport security
- Handles DKIM, SPF, DMARC and ARC, plus DANE, MTA-STS and TLS reporting, with automatic certificate renewal over ACME.
- Encryption at rest
- Mailboxes can be encrypted with the user's own S/MIME certificate or OpenPGP key.
- Clustering
- Runs as a single node or as a cluster across regions.
- Enterprise multi-tenancy
- The Enterprise edition isolates tenants with their own accounts, domains, quotas and branding, for hosting many customers.
Plans
iRedMail
iRedMail$0
Open-source installer with unlimited domains, mailboxes and mailing lists.
iRedAdmin-Pro, 1 year$499
per server, for a 1-year license
Full admin panel, SQL or LDAP edition. Renews at $250 per year; sales are final.
iRedAdmin-Pro, 2 years$699
per server, for a 2-year license
Same panel; renew before expiry for the third year.
iRedAdmin-Pro, 3 years$899
per server, for a 3-year license
Same panel; renew before expiry for the fourth year.
Stalwart Mail Server
Community$0
Free AGPL-3.0 edition you host yourself, with the same protocols and core mail features as Enterprise.
Enterprise$2.40
per mailbox / year, billed annually, 25 to 499 mailboxes
Adds multi-tenancy, branding, archiving and telemetry. Rate falls to $2.04 at 500 and $1.74 at 1,000 mailboxes.
Ways to pay less
iRedMail
- Other savings
5% off two licenses, 10% off four
The iRedAdmin-Pro order page gives 5% off when buying 2 licenses and 10% off when buying 4.
Stalwart Mail Server
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, iRedMail or Stalwart Mail Server?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Stalwart Mail Server is cheaper to start with: $0.20 a month when paid by the year, against $20.83 a month when paid by the year for iRedMail. iRedMail starts at $499 for a 1-year iRedAdmin-Pro license, $250 per year to renew, and Stalwart Mail Server starts at $2.40 per mailbox / year, billed annually (25-mailbox minimum).
Which has a free plan, iRedMail or Stalwart Mail Server?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both iRedMail and Stalwart Mail Server have a free plan.
Which platforms do iRedMail and Stalwart Mail Server run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only iRedMail lists a Linux app and only Stalwart Mail Server lists a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.