
Overview
Mailu is a simple but full-featured mail server delivered as a set of Docker images, including IMAP/SMTP, webmail, antispam, antivirus, and an admin interface. It supports multiple domains, aliases, and user management with a clean web admin. It is a self-hosted alternative to Gmail / Google Workspace for running personal or organizational mailboxes. Deployment is via Docker Compose with a config generator.
Where it falls short of Gmail / Google Workspace
- No calendar/contacts groupware bundled by default
- Requires correct DNS, PTR, and IP reputation to deliver reliably
- Focused on mailboxes, not newsletters or marketing campaigns
- Upgrades occasionally require manual migration steps
We list the gaps honestly so you can decide if the trade-off is worth owning your data.
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[](https://openreplace.com/mailu)Similar open-source projects
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