SnappyMail vs SOGo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SOGo grades higher than SnappyMail: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
SnappyMail grades higher on ease of use. SOGo grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick SnappyMail if
- Fits if you already run an IMAP server and want a light web front end for it
- Works for hosts who like open-source software and are happy to run PHP themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a mail server, because it sends and receives nothing on its own
- Not for you if you don't have a server, since there is no hosted version in the listing
- Too light for anyone who wants calendars, tasks or team sharing built in
- Watch out: it needs PHP 8.2 or newer with the mbstring extension
- Watch out: Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy don't work with it
Pick SOGo if
- Fits if you run mail for an organisation and want webmail with shared calendars
- Works for admins who already run IMAP and database servers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to run a server, as it gives you no hosted mailbox
- Skip it if you want production builds without paying, since those need a support contract
- Watch out: support contracts are priced in euros, 500 to 7,500 a year
- Watch out: the price list is dated September 2024
How we grade them
| 1.8GPASnappyMailWeak | 2.2GPASOGoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree under the AGPL-3.0 licence, but only if you host it, and that needs a PHP server. Self-hosted free is a C for value, not an A. | CFree only if you host it yourself, which needs a mail server and a database. Production builds need a support contract from 500 euros a year. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree outright, no plan limits. The catch is that you need your own server first, so it is a B and not an A. | CThe software is free to download, but the free route is nightly builds that the project calls untested. |
| Features | DIt does the webmail job fully: IMAP, OpenPGP, plugins. It is a smaller job though, since it sends and receives nothing without a separate mail server. | BWebmail, calendars, contacts, ActiveSync and Outlook and Thunderbird support, and the listing shows no gap in the groupware job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It needs PHP 8.2+ and the mbstring extension, so install and upgrades fall on you. | DYou install it and wire it to your own mail and database servers. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only. The listing names no apps and no integrations, and Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy are not supported. | BA web interface, plus ActiveSync, Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Calendar connections. There's no desktop app of its own. |
| Best for | a self-hosted webmail page for your IMAP server | groupware you run yourself |
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: SnappyMail and SOGo. How we grade
Price against what you get
SnappyMail has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SOGo has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
SOGo scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other email apps on the chart, none scores higher than SnappyMail for less, and none scores higher than SOGo 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
- SOGo also covers calendar.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostableEmail client
At a glance
| SnappyMail | SOGo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license; you run it on your own PHP server. | The software is free to download and run yourself, with community support through a mailing list. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | SnappyMail (open-source project) | Alinto |
| Price read from | github.com | sogo.nu |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
SnappyMail
- It is a webmail front end only; you still need a separate mail server to send and receive mail.
- Needs PHP 8.2 or newer and the mbstring extension, per the GitHub readme.
- Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy are not supported.
SOGo
- It is software to install: you supply the mail and database servers, and it provides no hosted mailbox.
- Production-build package repositories require a paid support contract from Alinto; free users get nightly builds.
- Nightly builds are described as untested and not recommended for production use.
- Support contracts are priced in euros per year: 500, 1,500, 5,000 or 7,500, per a price list dated September 2024.
Key features
SnappyMail
- Light page weight
- The project site says the mobile page boots with roughly 138 KB of download using Brotli compression.
- No database needed
- The GitHub readme lists simple installation and upgrades, and says no database is required.
- OpenPGP support
- The readme says the fork ships OpenPGP.js v5 and has much better PGP support than the RainLoop code it came from.
- Plugins
- Features such as password change are built as plugins, and plugins can be loaded as .phar files.
- Broad IMAP support
- The readme lists support for many more IMAP standards than the original RainLoop client.
- Live demo
- A demo of the client is published on the project site.
SOGo
- Web interface for mail and groupware
- An AJAX-based interface for email, shared calendars and address books across an organization.
- Standards-based sync
- Supports CalDAV, CardDAV and GroupDAV, with IMAP and SMTP for mail, so many native clients can connect.
- ActiveSync for phones
- iPhone, Android and Windows Phone devices can sync email, contacts, events and tasks through Microsoft ActiveSync.
- Outlook and Thunderbird support
- Outlook works through the free CalDAV Synchronizer plugin. Thunderbird has SOGo Connector and Integrator extensions.
- Built for large deployments
- The site says SOGo has run in production with thousands of users and focuses on scalability and open standards.
- Paid support tiers
- Yearly Alinto contracts cost 500 to 7,500 euros and add production repositories, incident tickets and response times.
Plans
SnappyMail
Free$0
Open source under AGPL-3.0. You host it yourself on a server running PHP 8.2 or newer.
SOGo
Community$0
Free software you host yourself, with nightly builds, mailing-list help and documentation. No official releases or bug fixes.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, SnappyMail or SOGo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both SnappyMail and SOGo are free to use.
Which has a free plan, SnappyMail or SOGo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both SnappyMail and SOGo 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.