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mailcow

Free, open-source mail server suite in Docker containers with webmail, spam filtering and a web admin panel, for people who self-host email.

Our take: mailcow saves you from wiring Postfix, Dovecot and spam filtering together by hand, and the admin UI is friendly for a self-hosted tool.

Best forSelf-hosted email servers
ReviewedPricing: Free
7.1 out of 105 criteria · see breakdown
Try mailcowFree (self-hosted); hosted from EUR 8.90/mo gross

mailcow is a free, open-source mail server suite (GPL-3.0) that runs Postfix, Dovecot, Rspamd, ClamAV and SOGo webmail in Docker, managed from a web panel. It is for admins who want to host their own email on a Linux VM with at least 6 GiB of RAM. Self-hosting costs nothing; the maintainer's hosted plans start at EUR 8.90 a month.

The bottom line

The pick for admins who want a full-featured mail server for free and can run Linux and Docker.

Our score

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team. Hover a facet to focus it; click to pin.Tap a facet to focus it.

What it is, and why we rate it

One line each. Open a row for detail.

What it really isA free, preassembled Docker mail server with groupware and a web admin panel.
Our takemailcow saves you from wiring Postfix, Dovecot and spam filtering together by hand, and the admin UI is friendly for a self-hosted tool.
You still own the hard parts of email: IP reputation, DNS records, backups and updates. Size the server for 6 GiB of RAM and plan for monitoring.
Why we rate itIt bundles a complete, maintained mail stack with groupware and a web UI at no license cost.
The catchHeavy RAM needs and full responsibility for deliverability and upkeep.

Best / not good for

Best for
  • Sysadmins comfortable with Linux and Docker
  • Small businesses that want data on their own server
  • Homelab users hosting several domains
Not good for
  • Teams with no Linux skills
  • Hosts limited to LXC or OpenVZ containers
Trade-offs

Friction report

Trade-offs to know before signing up.

  1. Time to value
    Hours: prepare a VM, set DNS records, clone the repo, generate the config and start the containers.
  2. Scale breakpoint
    Growth is limited by your server; when upkeep becomes a burden, the next step is paid support or managed hosting.
  3. Walled garden
    Low: open source, standard IMAP, SMTP and POP3, so mail can move to any other server.
Still a fit?
If none of these block you, start on the free plan.
Try mailcow

mailcow costs: self-hosted, hosted and support

OptionPriceWhat you get
Self-hosted mailcow: dockerizedFree (GPL-3.0)Full mail stack on your own server; community forum and Telegram help
Shared mailcow (Servercow)From EUR 8.90/mo1 domain, 20 mailboxes, up to 50 GB, self-service support
Managed mailcow (Servercow)From EUR 54.90/moDedicated server, clean IPs, up to 500 GB, developer support
Support Ticket (L1)EUR 45.90/mo3 tickets per quarter, response within 1 day
Support Emergency (L4)EUR 430 one-time120 minutes phone and remote help, response within 2 hours

From mailcow's GitHub repository and the Servercow mailcow page, checked 4 October 2026. Servercow prices are gross and include 19% German VAT.

Minimum server requirements

ItemRequirement
CPU1 GHz
RAM6 GiB plus 1 GiB swap (default config)
Disk20 GiB, not counting email
Architecturex86_64 or ARM64
VirtualizationFull VM (KVM, ESX, Hyper-V); no OpenVZ, Virtuozzo or LXC

From the mailcow documentation, checked 4 October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is mailcow free to use?

Yes. mailcow: dockerized is open source under GPL-3.0 and free to self-host. Paid extras exist: hosted mailcow from EUR 8.90 a month and support packages from EUR 45.90 a month, both gross prices from Servercow (checked 4 October 2026).

What is mailcow used for?

Running your own email server. It handles sending and receiving mail, spam and virus filtering, webmail, calendars and contacts for one or many domains, all managed from a web panel.

What are mailcow's system requirements?

The docs list a 1 GHz CPU, 6 GiB RAM plus 1 GiB swap, 20 GiB disk before email, and x86_64 or ARM64. It needs full virtualization such as KVM, ESX or Hyper-V; OpenVZ, Virtuozzo and LXC are not supported.

Can mailcow run without Docker?

The official project is built for Docker and Docker Compose; its name, mailcow: dockerized, reflects that. The install guide assumes Docker on a supported Linux distribution.

Is mailcow the best self-hosted email server?

It is one of the most complete free options. Mailu is lighter on memory, and SmarterMail suits teams that want a commercial product on Windows Server or Linux. Pick mailcow if you want groupware included and can give it 6 GiB of RAM.

mailcow alternatives

Other self-hosted or developer email options:

Showing 1–3 of 3
Sources checked October 4, 2026: mailcow homepage, mailcow GitHub repository, mailcow system requirements, Servercow mailcow hosting and support.

Conversion Gems independently reviews every tool.

Tags

#SelfHosted#MailServer#OpenSource#Docker

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