mailcow vs Roundcube vs Stalwart Mail Server
mailcow, Roundcube, Stalwart Mail Server compared on license, free-edition limits, deployment and project health. Change a project below to compare something else.
| mailcow | Roundcube | Stalwart Mail Server | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Email Servers | Email Servers | Email Servers |
| License | GNU General Public License v3.0Open source (OSI) | GNU General Public License v3.0 or laterOpen source (OSI) | GNU Affero General Public License v3.0Open source (OSI) |
| Free edition | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Some features paywalled |
| Deployment | Self-hosted · Cloud | Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Self-hosting setup | Multi-service setup | Needs a database | Not assessed |
| SSO / SAML | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Role-based access control | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free |
| Audit logs | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Multi-user / teams | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free |
| Backups and restore | Free | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| API access | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free |
| Support SLA | Paid | Not confirmed | Paid |
| GitHub stars | 14k | 7.2k | 15k |
| Last release | Oct 6, 2026 | Sep 6, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 |
| Alternative to | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 | Gmail | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 |
In short
- mailcow is licensed GNU General Public License v3.0 (open source (osi)). Free edition: not confirmed.
- Roundcube is licensed GNU General Public License v3.0 or later (open source (osi)). Free edition: not confirmed.
- Stalwart Mail Server is licensed GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (open source (osi)). Free edition: some features paywalled.
Each project page lists the official sources behind these answers. Where the official pages do not say, the table shows “Not confirmed”.