Mailcow
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're a self-hoster or small org that wants mail sovereignty, can run Docker, and will patch regularly.
Comparison
Mailcow vs Stalw
Mailcow and Stalw both land on Depends.
Stalw
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Strong fit if you have ops skills and want a free, all-in-one self-hosted mail stack.
| Compare | Mailcow | Stalw |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Self-hosters and homelab users | Self-hosters |
| Who it's not for | Teams with no Linux/Docker admin capacity | Non-technical teams without a sysadmin |
| Privacy | Pattern of CVEs 2024-2026 including RCE, SSTI, XSS, and auth bypass; fine if patched fast, risky if neglected. | Known 2026 denial-of-service vulnerabilities; advisories disclosed openly and a public security page exists. |
| Support quality | Community forum and docs only; quality unverified | No evidence reviewed |
| Public sentiment | Users praise its completeness but warn it is resource-hungry and overkill for simple needs.² | Self-hosting communities praise it warmly, but large-scale review data is essentially absent. |
| Biggest gotcha | "Free" isn't free: expect $170-400/yr VPS plus hours of admin time⁴ | Guess: email migration and IP reputation take weeks; plan deliverability warm-up.³ |
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 Stalw when
- Self-hosters
- Privacy-focused small orgs
- Teams replacing hosted Gmail with owned infra
- Open-source-first shops
When Stalw is not a fit
- Non-technical teams without a sysadmin
- Anyone wanting hosted Gmail simplicity
- Businesses that can't manage IP reputation and deliverability
- One-person shops that just need working email
Sources
- Do you run MailCow now? : r/selfhostedreddit.comreview
review
- Mailcow vs Postal vs Stalwartmailflowauthority.comreview
- Mailcow TCO vs $49 Managed (2026)justemails.appnews
- Mailcow: My Self-Hosted Email Server vs Google Workspacewebnestify.cloudreview
- Remote Code Execution in Mailcow (SonarSource)sonarsource.comsecurity
- CVE-2026-40874: Auth Bypasssentinelone.comsecurity
- Google Safe Browsing flags mailcow pagesgithub.comsecurity
- mailcow: dockerized on GitHubgithub.comofficial
- Self-Hosting Email Servers (Privacy Guides)privacyguides.orgreview
- Stalwart Mail & Collaboration Serverstalw.artofficial
- Pricing | Stalwart Labsstalw.artofficial
- Compare editions | Stalwart Labsstalw.artofficial
- Product security pagestalw.artofficial
- stalwartlabs/stalwart on GitHubgithub.comofficial
- Deploy & Host Stalwart Mail Server . Railwayrailway.comofficial