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 Google Workspace
Mailcow lands on Depends, and Google Workspace lands on Worth it.
Google Workspace
Worth it
Confidence: High
Buy if you want the cheap, familiar default productivity suite . 900,000+ companies already run on it.
| Compare | Mailcow | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | Self-hosters and homelab users | Small businesses and solo founders |
| Who it's not for | Teams with no Linux/Docker admin capacity | Orgs already standardized on Microsoft 365 |
| Privacy | Pattern of CVEs 2024-2026 including RCE, SSTI, XSS, and auth bypass; fine if patched fast, risky if neglected. | Platform security is strong; public findings center on misconfiguration, phishing/OAuth abuse, and third-party tools . not core Workspace CVEs. |
| Support quality | Community forum and docs only; quality unverified | Trustpilot 1.3/5; 'ghost company' complaints |
| Public sentiment | Users praise its completeness but warn it is resource-hungry and overkill for simple needs.² | Users rate the tools highly but consistently knock the support experience.13 |
| Biggest gotcha | "Free" isn't free: expect $170-400/yr VPS plus hours of admin time⁴ | Existing customers reported 29% price increases . budget for hikes at renewal. |
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 Google Workspace when
- Small businesses and solo founders
- Docs-heavy collaborative teams
- Startups (discounted via Google for Startups)
- Nonprofits and schools
When Google Workspace is not a fit
- Orgs already standardized on Microsoft 365
- Buyers who need hands-on support without paying extra
- Solo users who just need custom email . a cheap host is enough
- Privacy-first teams avoiding Google's ecosystem
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
- Google Workspace official siteworkspace.google.comofficial
- Google Workspace pricing pageworkspace.google.comofficial
- Gartner Peer Insights reviewsgartner.comreview
- Findstack review . 4.6/5, 39,427 ratingsfindstack.comreview
- Trustpilot reviews . 1.3/5trustpilot.comreview
- SoftwareAdvice reviews . 4.7/5softwareadvice.com.aureview