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Mailcow vs Mailu

Mailcow and Mailu both land on Depends.

Mailcow

mailcow.email

Depends
Confidence: Medium

Buy if you're a self-hoster or small org that wants mail sovereignty, can run Docker, and will patch regularly.

Read the full report

Mailu

mailu.io

Depends
Confidence: Medium

Mailu is a solid free choice only for hands-on self-hosters with Docker and DNS skills who accept deliverability battles and patching duties.

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Mailcow versus Mailu
CompareMailcowMailu
VerdictDependsDepends
Best forSelf-hosters and homelab usersDocker-savvy self-hosters
Who it's not forTeams with no Linux/Docker admin capacityBusinesses needing guaranteed email uptime and deliverability
PrivacyPattern of CVEs 2024-2026 including RCE, SSTI, XSS, and auth bypass; fine if patched fast, risky if neglected.Actively maintained with published advisories, but a critical CVSS 9.8 CVE hit recent versions in 2026.
Support qualityCommunity forum and docs only; quality unverifiedNo support evidence in sources
Public sentimentUsers praise its completeness but warn it is resource-hungry and overkill for simple needs.²Reddit users mostly compare Mailu against Mailcow and Stalwart, report rough setup experiences, and some migrate away.14
Biggest gotcha"Free" isn't free: expect $170-400/yr VPS plus hours of admin time⁴Self-hosted mail often lands in spam; expect ongoing deliverability battles

Pick Mailcow when

  • Self-hosters and homelab users
  • Privacy- and sovereignty-focused small orgs
  • Admins comfortable with Docker
  • Teams escaping Google Workspace

When Mailcow is not a fit

  • Teams with no Linux/Docker admin capacity
  • Businesses where email downtime is unacceptable
  • Solo users who just need an inbox
  • Anyone unwilling to manage IP reputation and patching

Pick Mailu when

  • Docker-savvy self-hosters
  • Privacy-focused individuals
  • Homelab tinkerers
  • Small orgs wanting full mail control

When Mailu is not a fit

  • Businesses needing guaranteed email uptime and deliverability
  • Non-technical teams wanting email that just works
  • Anyone without server admin and DNS skills
  • Orgs requiring vendor SLAs or compliance support

Sources

  1. Do you run MailCow now? : r/selfhostedreddit.com
    review
  2. selfhosted mailservers: mailcow, mailinabox, mailureddit.com
    review
  3. Mailcow vs Postal vs Stalwartmailflowauthority.com
    review
  4. Mailcow TCO vs $49 Managed (2026)justemails.app
    news
  5. Mailcow: My Self-Hosted Email Server vs Google Workspacewebnestify.cloud
    review
  6. Remote Code Execution in Mailcow (SonarSource)sonarsource.com
    security
  7. CVE-2026-40874: Auth Bypasssentinelone.com
    security
  8. Google Safe Browsing flags mailcow pagesgithub.com
    security
  9. mailcow: dockerized on GitHubgithub.com
    official
  10. Self-Hosting Email Servers (Privacy Guides)privacyguides.org
    review
  11. Mailu . official sitemailu.io
    official
  12. Mailu on GitHubgithub.com
    official
  13. Mailu managed hosting . Elest.ioelest.io
    official
  14. Struggling to get Mailu running . Redditreddit.com
    review
  15. Migrating from Mailu to Mailcow . Redditreddit.com
    review
  16. Mailcow / Mailu / Stalwart experiences . Redditreddit.com
    review