# docker-mailserver review (2026): is it any good? > Self-hosted mail server packaged as a Docker container Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. docker-mailserver is an open-source, full mail server (SMTP, IMAP, LDAP, antispam and antivirus) that runs inside a single container. It bundles Postfix and Dovecot with Rspamd, Fail2Ban and Sieve filtering, and is configured through files and environment variables. - **Category:** Email Apps - **Made by:** docker-mailserver community - **Website:** https://docker-mailserver.github.io/docker-mailserver/latest - **Runs on:** Linux - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you want a settings page, because setup is by files, variables and the command line. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, docker-mailserver is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free and open source under the MIT license; you run the container yourself. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Open source under the MIT license. Run it on your own Docker host. | Read from https://github.com/docker-mailserver/docker-mailserver on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with docker-mailserver before buying. ## Key features - **All-in-one container:** The GitHub project describes a production-ready, full-stack mail server running inside a container. - **Postfix and Dovecot:** The documentation names Postfix as the MTA and Dovecot as the MDA. - **Spam and malware filtering:** Rspamd and Fail2Ban are documented, along with DKIM, DMARC and SPF setup. - **Account provisioning:** Accounts can come from files or from an LDAP service, and OAuth2 authentication is documented. - **Sieve filtering:** Email filtering with Sieve is documented, plus a forward-only mode with LDAP. ## Good for - Technical users who want a mail server managed as config files - Self-hosters already running Docker ## Worth knowing - Configuration is done through files, environment variables and command-line tooling, per the documentation. - Setup and upkeep, including DNS, TLS certificates and deliverability, are on you. - Support comes from the community and documentation, not a paid plan. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 1.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. docker-mailserver puts Postfix, Dovecot, Rspamd and Sieve filtering into one container, under the MIT licence. You configure it with files, environment variables and the command line, and DNS, certificates and deliverability are all yours. - **Value for money: C.** Free under MIT, but it only runs on a Docker host you look after, so self-hosted free is a C. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Free outright, no plan limits. You need your own Docker host, so a B and not an A. - **Features: C.** SMTP, IMAP, antispam, antivirus, Sieve and account provisioning in one container. It does the server job but the listing shows no web admin panel or webmail. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record. Configuration is by files, environment variables and command-line tools, per its own docs, so a D. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Linux and Docker only. It connects through Postfix, Dovecot, Rspamd, Fail2Ban and ClamAV and has no apps. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from docker-mailserver's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among email apps - docker-mailserver's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 2 of the 122 other email apps we grade, and level with 8. - It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 69 of 122) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - docker-mailserver has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/email ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** docker-mailserver is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 112 of the 122 other email apps grade higher. - You could not: A real app for Linux. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Postfix, Dovecot and Rspamd among them. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Postfix, Dovecot, Rspamd, Fail2Ban, ClamAV **Tags:** Open source, Self-hostable ## Alternatives - [mailcow](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailcow): Dockerized open-source mail server with a web admin UI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/docker-mailserver-vs-mailcow) - [Mailu](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailu): Free Docker-based mail server with webmail and admin UI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/docker-mailserver-vs-mailu) - [Stalwart Mail Server](https://toolgpa.com/tools/stalwart): Open-source mail and collaboration server written in Rust. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/docker-mailserver-vs-stalwart) - [Mail-in-a-Box](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mail-in-a-box): Free script that turns a cloud server into your own mail server. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/docker-mailserver-vs-mail-in-a-box) - [Modoboa](https://toolgpa.com/tools/modoboa): Open-source mail server with a web admin panel and webmail. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/docker-mailserver-vs-modoboa) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://docker-mailserver.github.io/docker-mailserver/latest - https://docker-mailserver.github.io/docker-mailserver/latest/introduction/ - https://github.com/docker-mailserver/docker-mailserver Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/docker-mailserver Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).