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MDaemon Simple Secure Email Review

Depends

Should I use MDaemon Simple Secure Email?

Email server and email security insights from MDaemon Technologies, an expert in email server and email gateway software. - blog.mdaemon.com

· 1 month ago

Buy if you have IT staff and want cheap, controlled, self-hosted email instead of Microsoft 365. Skip if you have no mail server admin — hosted Gmail or M365 is far less work.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources; cost savings figures are vendor marketing, not independent audits.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo independent support evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

Self-hosted license (vendor claim)

~$2,307/yr for a team incl. AntiVirus + ActiveSync

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed

Best for

  • SMBs with in-house IT
  • Windows shops
  • Teams escaping M365 price hikes
  • Privacy- or compliance-driven on-prem needs

Not for

  • Teams without a dedicated mail server admin
  • Small teams wanting zero-maintenance email
  • Anyone unwilling to patch within days of advisories
  • Startups — hosted Workspace/M365 is simpler

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

$2,307 vs $25,200 comparison excludes server hardware, Windows licenses, and admin salaries — verify total cost first.

high

Patch fast: XSS flaws recur; unpatched webmail exposes your users.

medium

Running your own mail server means deliverability, migration, and high availability are your problem.

low

Best anti-spam strength leans on add-ons like SecurityGateway and the Spamhaus feed.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Vendor claims $2,307/yr vs $25,200 for a comparable Microsoft 365 team
  • MDaemon Email Server earns top G2 Winter email software rankings
  • Long-term users report easy spam management and years of trouble-free use
  • Built-in 2FA, data leak prevention, archiving, anti-spoofing, and antivirus options
  • Positioned as an Exchange/M365 alternative with ActiveSync support

Cons

  • Self-hosted: you own uptime, backups, patching, and admin time
  • 2024 XSS vulnerability (CVE-2024-11182) in unpatched versions
  • Headline savings are vendor math; TCO not independently verified
  • Windows-only server limits Linux/Mac-first shops
  • Repeat XSS advisories (2019, 2021, 2024) demand patching discipline

Sources & method

- 8 sources - Actively patched and security-focused, but a recurring CVE history means you must apply updates promptly.

official x2review x4security x2
  • CVE-2024-11182 — XSS in MDaemon Email Server, Cross-site scripting flaw fixed in later versions; exploit risk in unpatched installs.
  • SMTP Smuggling spoofing attack, Dec 2023 technique could smuggle unauthenticated spoofed email; vendor addressed via forum guidance.
  • CVE-2019-8984 — multiple XSS vulnerabilities, Reported and patched in 2019.
  • WinRAR path traversal affecting ClamAV on Windows, Vendor flagged CVE-2025-8088 impact on ClamAV-based scanning in Windows deployments.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • ~$2,307/yr for a team incl. AntiVirus + ActiveSync

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Undercuts M365 per vendor math; perpetual licensing
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Reviewers call it easy and user-friendly
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Full mail server plus built-in security tooling
  • Support quality. No independent support evidence found
  • Security posture: 3/5. Security-focused but recurring XSS CVEs
  • Top-ranked G2 badge G2 Winter 2022 email software
  • $2,307/yr Vendor cost claim vs $25,200 for M365 Business Standard
  • Self-hosted Deployment Windows email server + SecurityGateway
  • CVE-2024-11182 Recent CVE XSS, fixed in later versions

Pricing

Self-hosted license (vendor claim)

~$2,307/yr for a team incl. AntiVirus + ActiveSync

  • MDaemon Email Server, self-hosted on Windows
  • Vendor comparison vs $25,200/yr M365 Business Standard
  • SecurityGateway available as separate email gateway

Security

Actively patched and security-focused, but a recurring CVE history means you must apply updates promptly.

  • CVE-2024-11182 — XSS in MDaemon Email ServerCross-site scripting flaw fixed in later versions; exploit risk in unpatched installs.⁷
  • SMTP Smuggling spoofing attackDec 2023 technique could smuggle unauthenticated spoofed email; vendor addressed via forum guidance.
  • CVE-2019-8984 — multiple XSS vulnerabilitiesReported and patched in 2019.⁸
  • WinRAR path traversal affecting ClamAV on WindowsVendor flagged CVE-2025-8088 impact on ClamAV-based scanning in Windows deployments.

What users say

Long-time reviewers praise easy spam management and reliability, and G2 badges consistently rank it near the top of email software.

“MDaemon Email Server has made it much easier for us to manage spam and overall”
G2 review
“I used for many years and never had problems with it.”
Spiceworks community
“MDaemon Mail Server, easy to use”
Capterra review

Companies that use it

  • Erath County (TX) government office
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; cost savings figures are vendor marketing, not independent audits.

Capable self-hosted Exchange alternative for SMBs with admins; too much operational burden for small teams.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources; cost savings figures are vendor marketing, not independent audits.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. MDaemon Email Server Pros and Cons — G2g2.com
    review
  2. Reviews of MDaemon Email Server — Capterracapterra.com
    review
  3. MDaemon Email Server — Spiceworks communitycommunity.spiceworks.com
    review
  4. MDaemon Email Server — Software Advicesoftwareadvice.com.au
    review
  5. MDaemon vs Microsoft 365 cost comparisonfacebook.com
    official
  6. MDaemon blogblog.mdaemon.com
    official
  7. CVE-2024-11182 — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  8. SSD Advisory — MDaemon multiple XSSssd-disclosure.com
    security

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