Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

mailcow VS Roundcube

Compare mailcow VS Roundcube and see what are their differences

mailcow logo mailcow

An open source mailserver suite.

Roundcube logo Roundcube

Web-based IMAP email client
  • mailcow Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-24
  • Roundcube Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-18

mailcow features and specs

  • Comprehensive Feature Set
    Mailcow offers a wide range of features including an easy-to-use web interface, spam filtering, virus protection, calendar and contact synchronization, and more. It is an all-in-one solution for managing email services.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, Mailcow allows users to audit the code, customize it to their needs, and contribute to its improvement. This provides more control and transparency compared to proprietary solutions.
  • Docker-based Deployment
    Mailcow uses Docker containers for its various services, making it easier to deploy, scale, and maintain. Docker containers also help isolate services, enhancing security and performance.
  • Active Community and Support
    Mailcow has an active community and good documentation, which can be very helpful for troubleshooting and getting the most out of the system. Community support often compensates for the lack of formal customer service.
  • Security Features
    Mailcow includes many built-in security features such as Let's Encrypt SSL, DKIM, DMARC support, and automatic updates, ensuring a secure email environment.

Possible disadvantages of mailcow

  • Complexity
    While Docker simplifies deployment, the initial setup and configuration can be complex and time-consuming, especially for users not familiar with Docker or email server management.
  • Resource Intensive
    Mailcow can be resource-intensive, requiring significant CPU, memory, and storage resources to run efficiently. Smaller servers or low-spec hardware may struggle to handle the load.
  • Learning Curve
    Due to its comprehensive feature set, there can be a steep learning curve to fully understand and utilize all of Mailcow's capabilities. It may require time and effort to master.
  • Lack of Professional Support
    As an open-source project, Mailcow relies on community and volunteer support rather than professional customer service. This can be a drawback if immediate or guaranteed support is needed.
  • Regular Maintenance Required
    Running your own mail server, even with a solution like Mailcow, requires regular maintenance and updates to ensure security, performance, and reliability. This adds administrative overhead.

Roundcube features and specs

  • Open Source
    Roundcube is free and open-source software, allowing for extensive customization and improvements by the community.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    It offers a modern and intuitive webmail interface that is easy to use for users of all technical levels.
  • Extensibility
    Roundcube supports plugins, enabling the addition of new features and functionalities tailored to specific needs.
  • Security
    The platform includes multiple security features such as built-in protection against XSS and CSRF attacks, ensuring a safer email experience.
  • Localization
    It supports multiple languages, making it accessible to users globally.

Possible disadvantages of Roundcube

  • Dependency on External Email Server
    Roundcube requires an external email server to function, which may be a drawback for users seeking an all-in-one solution.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running Roundcube can be resource-intensive, impacting the performance of low-end servers.
  • Complex Setup
    Initial installation and configuration can be complex, requiring technical expertise and familiarity with server management.
  • Limited Mobile Support
    Roundcube's interface is not fully optimized for mobile devices, which may affect the user experience on smartphones and tablets.
  • Maintenance
    Regular updates and maintenance are necessary to ensure security and functionality, which can be time-consuming.

Analysis of Roundcube

Overall verdict

  • Roundcube is a solid choice for those looking for a customizable and reliable webmail solution. Its open-source nature makes it a preferred option for developers and organizations seeking a cost-effective and adaptable solution.

Why this product is good

  • Roundcube is a popular web-based email client known for its user-friendly interface and rich feature set. It is an open-source application, which allows customization and flexibility for various use cases. With a robust plugin environment, Roundcube can be extended to fit specific needs, and it supports standards-compliant email protocols such as IMAP. Additionally, its responsive design ensures accessibility across different devices.

Recommended for

    Roundcube is recommended for small to medium-sized organizations, educational institutions, and individuals looking for a versatile and user-friendly webmail client. It is especially suitable for those who require an open-source solution that can be tailored to specific needs through plugins and custom development.

mailcow videos

Install a mail server on Linux in 10 minutes - docker, docker-compose, mailcow

Roundcube videos

Siteground Webmail Review: Login Access Email Account and Roundcube Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Roundcube Webmail 2018 Review, Free Download For Windows

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to mailcow and Roundcube)
Email
56 56%
44% 44
Self-hosted Email
69 69%
31% 31
Email Clients
38 38%
62% 62
SMTP Server
51 51%
49% 49

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare mailcow and Roundcube

mailcow Reviews

The BEST Email Hosting Providers for Small Business in 2021
Mailcow also provides the necessary communication standards, integration with anti-virus software, anti-spam, firewall, etc. Furthermore, Mailcow stores the data on a hidden server somewhere in Germany and they have a growing base of users. The data center of their servers is operated on 100% green electricity. Installing this easy-to-use email service takes several steps....
20+ Options for hosting our own mail server
mailcow.github.io/mailcow-dockerized-docs The integrated mailcow UI allows administrative work on your mail server instance as well as separated domain administrator and mailbox user access. Mailcow forum. Gitrepo.
Source: dev.to
15 Best Email Hosting for Small Business (2019)
MailCow is open-source docker based email server suite. It is a collection of containers linked in one bridged network. Each container represent a single application, such as Dovecot, Memcached, MySQL, PHP, Postfix, Nginx, etc. MailCow provides a web user interface to manage the mail server and email accounts.

Roundcube Reviews

Top 15 Self-hosted open-source free web-based email clients
RoundCube features LDAP connection, address book management, IDNA and SMTPUTF8 support, share/ global IMAP folders, import/ export options, threaded message listing and more.
Source: medevel.com
15 Best iRedMail Alternatives 2021
Roundcube also offers many of the functions you can find on iRedMail including message searching, folder manipulation, multiple sender identities, support for the external SMTP server, import/export, and unlimited messages and users.
Top 10 Webmail Clients in 2021
RoundCube RoundCube Webmail is a PHP webmail client that will work with a MySQL or Postgres database. One appealing feature it brings is the ability to skin the application-style user interface using XHTML and CSS 2. The app is a multi-language IMAP client whose features include MIME support, address book, editable folder search and spelling check, and it works in your web...
Source: www.plesk.com
5 open source webmail clients for browser-based email
I really like Horde's mobile UI, and the mail client was pretty easy to install separate from the rest of it. SquirrelMail and RoundCube are challenging to use on a mobile device. RoundCube has a supposed mobile plugin but I could not get it to work.
Source: opensource.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, mailcow should be more popular than Roundcube. It has been mentiond 87 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

mailcow mentions (87)

  • Mox – modern, secure, all-in-one email server
    > Wow... Having just gone through a 20+ hour byzantine nightmare of setting up postfix & dovecot Did you do this by hand / manually, or use a 'pre-canned' solution like: * https://mailcow.email * https://workaround.org. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Ask HN: Replacement for Rackspace SMTP Hosting?
    I've been running mailcow for a long time to _receive_ mail. Sending was hit and miss. For a long time I could relay through my ISP, but that got me into delivery problems as well. Now I've been relaying through Mail.baby/Interserver for 18 months or so and it works great. $1/mo base fee + usage. With the <100 mails me and my family send that adds up to $1.01/mo. https://mailcow.email/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Ask HN: Replacement for Rackspace SMTP Hosting?
    If you had a server around, considering just setting up https://mailcow.email/ it's super easy and straigforward. Everything is in docker compose. `docker compose up` and you go. If you want a hosted SMTP for your own single domain, and volume is low, consider just using AWS SES. I run betterdev.link with it, send about 20k email per months and pay around $2 If finally you want some nice and easy UI to use for... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • A SpamAssassin Surprise
    You could go with https://mailcow.email, it's pretty easy to setup and keep up to date. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • European Alternatives
    > Which different provider did you go with? I actually fell back to Gmail for the time being - I just don't like to "advertise" any Google product for known reasons, even though Gmail is a quite solid product, sorry about the confusion - but that's my temporary solution. I am planning to either give Migadu a try or host my own mail provider. (I have seen some good feedback about https://mailcow.email). - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
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Roundcube mentions (16)

  • Proton Mail says Outlook for Windows is Microsoft's new data collection service
    I have tried several, and liked none of them. I'm currently on Geary, but it's lacking in functionality, and it has things like search results being a bit different upon each of my searches. Starred messages cannot be shown on top. Eyeroll. I think Evolution and Thunderbird are the top contenders, and of the self-hosted ones, Roundcube. https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Geary https://roundcube.net/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Universal Inbox / Email Client
    You could try a standalone email client like Mozilla's Thunderbird, or if you're experienced running a web server, you could check out something like Roundcube. I suppose you could even run it locally if you're familiar with PHP and/or Docker. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Thunderbird 115 Supernova Preview: The New Folder Pane
    What I really miss is a "web companion" for Thunderbird, basically something like https://roundcube.net/ or https://www.horde.org/apps/webmail, but a bit more powerful and with better UX. I'd like to use a Google Addressbook within such app, for example (there is a completely outdated plug-in for RoundCube). Another important thing would be powerful and fast search. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • I Want To Serve My Email Locally From My Linux Server With a Web-Based Interface
    Alternatively if you want to keep what you have I wouldn't recommend using the SoGO even though it's the nicest and most modern option. Mainly because it's a full groupware client and will require a lot of configuration. Instead using Roundcube is probably your best option. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Selfhosted webmail client for teams
    Roundcube might fit the bill for you. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing mailcow and Roundcube, you can also consider the following products

Mail-in-a-box - Mail-in-a-Box provides webmail and an IMAP/SMTP server for use with mobile devices and desktop mail software and also includes contacts and calendar synchronization.

Zimbra - Zimbra is trusted by over 500 million users to increase productivity with a complete set of collaboration tools while maintaining total control over security and privacy.

iRedMail - A fully fledged, free email server solution, an open source project (GPL v2).

Rainloop - RainLoop is a web based email client.

Modoboa - Modoboa is a mail hosting and management platform including a modern and simplified Web User Interface.

SOGo - SOGo is groupware server with a focus on scalability and open standards.

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