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.
New check
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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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