mailcow vs Mailu (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, mailcow grades higher than Mailu: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
mailcow 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.
Which one is for you
Pick mailcow if
- Fits if you want to run your own mail for a domain or two and know Docker
- Works for admins who want webmail and calendars from one install
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to look after a server
- Skip it if you want guaranteed help, as support is community best-effort
- Watch out: the key pair for stored mail sits in a Docker volume you must back up
- Watch out: managed mailcow comes from Servercow, whose prices we did not read
Pick Mailu if
- Fits if you want your own mail server in Docker and no groupware
- Works for admins who like plain compose files
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want calendars and contacts, since the project says it avoids groupware
- Skip it if you don't want to run the server, DNS and backups
- Watch out: support is the community and contributors, and no paid plan exists
- Watch out: the docs are versioned, so make sure you read the one for your version
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAmailcowFair | 2.0GPAMailuFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree software, but you rent and run the server, so it's a C by our rule. | CFree to run yourself, with a server to provide. The docs ask for 1 GB of memory, or 3 GB with antivirus. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe software is free with nothing held back. Paid support is a separate subscription from Servercow. | BThe whole server is free software, with no paid plan. You provide the machine and the upkeep. |
| Features | BA full mail stack with web admin, SOGo webmail, groups, shared resources, two-factor sign-in and mailbox migration. The listing shows no gap in the job. | CStandard mail, webmail, an admin panel, spam filtering and security options. The project says it avoids groupware, so calendars and contacts are missing. |
| Ease of use | DYou run Docker, DNS records, TLS and backups of the volumes yourself. | DYou run Docker or Kubernetes, DNS records and TLS yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web admin and webmail, with Outlook, Thunderbird, Keycloak, Nextcloud and Roundcube connections. No apps of its own. | CWeb admin and webmail, with Docker, Kubernetes and Let's Encrypt. No apps of its own. |
| Best for | a mail server in Docker | a simple Docker mail server |
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: mailcow and Mailu. How we grade
Price against what you get
mailcow has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Mailu has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
mailcow scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other email apps on the chart, none scores higher than mailcow for less, and none scores higher than Mailu 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
- mailcow also covers calendar.
- Mailu also covers dMARC.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostableEmail client
At a glance
| mailcow | Mailu | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The software is free to run on your own server, with best-effort community support. | The whole mail server is free software; you provide the server, domain and upkeep. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | The Infrastructure Company GmbH | Mailu project |
| Price read from | docs.mailcow.email | mailu.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
mailcow
- You run the server yourself: DNS records, TLS, backups of the Docker volumes and updates are yours to manage.
- Official support is community-driven and best-effort; paid support is a separate subscription sold by Servercow.
- Stored mail is compressed and encrypted, and the key pair sits in a Docker volume that must be backed up.
- A managed mailcow is sold by Servercow, whose pages are in German and whose prices were not read here.
Mailu
- You provide and maintain the server, DNS records, TLS and backups yourself.
- The project says it aims to avoid groupware features, so calendars and contacts are not part of the core.
- Support is from the community and contributors; no paid plan appears on the site.
- The documentation is versioned, so check you are reading the version you run.
Key features
mailcow
- Complete mail stack in containers
- Postfix, Dovecot, Rspamd spam filtering, optional ClamAV scanning, an Unbound resolver and automatic Let's Encrypt certificates.
- Web admin interface
- Create domains and mailboxes, manage aliases, DKIM and ARC keys, allow and block lists, quarantine and per-user spam scores.
- SOGo webmail and sync
- SOGo provides the webmailer plus CalDAV and CardDAV, with ActiveSync device support.
- Groups and shared resources
- Groups with distribution lists, send-as permissions, shared mailboxes and shared calendars.
- Sign-in and two-factor options
- Login through Keycloak, LDAP or Active Directory, or OIDC, plus TOTP, Yubikey OTP and WebAuthn.
- Mailbox migration
- Built-in imapsync jobs pull or migrate mail from remote mailboxes, including Microsoft 365 and Google over OAuth2.
Mailu
- Standard mail server
- IMAP, SMTP and submission with auto-configuration profiles for mail clients.
- Webmail and admin interface
- Includes web access to mail and an admin interface with global admins, per-domain delegation, announcements and quotas.
- User mail features
- Aliases, domain aliases, auto-reply, auto-forward, fetched accounts, ManageSieve and full-text search of attachments.
- Security options
- Enforced TLS, DANE, MTA-STS, Let's Encrypt, outgoing DKIM, an antivirus scanner and blocking of malicious attachments.
- Spam filtering
- Auto-learning, greylisting, DMARC and SPF checks and anti-spoofing.
- Compose and Kubernetes setups
- Documented Docker Compose and Kubernetes installs, a RESTful API and a command line for administration.
Plans
mailcow
mailcow: dockerized$0
Free open-source software you host yourself; community support is voluntary and carries no guarantee.
Mailu
Mailu$0
Free software you host yourself. The docs list 1 GB of memory without antivirus or 3 GB with it.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, mailcow or Mailu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both mailcow and Mailu are free to use.
Which has a free plan, mailcow or Mailu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both mailcow and Mailu have a free plan.
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.