DavMail
POP/IMAP/SMTP/Caldav/Carddav/LDAP exchange gateway allowing users to use any mail/calendar client with an Exchange server, even from the internet or behind a firewall through Outlook Web Access.
DavMail vs Dovecot
Two self-hosted Communication - Email - Mail Delivery Agents apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| DavMail | Dovecot | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | POP/IMAP/SMTP/Caldav/Carddav/LDAP exchange gateway allowing users to use any mail/calendar client with an Exchange server, even from the internet or behind a firewall through Outlook Web Access. | IMAP and POP3 server written primarily with security in mind. |
| GitHub stars | 773 | 1,278 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 637 | 2.2k |
| Last activity | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-04 |
| Latest release | – | 2.4.5 (2026-08-28) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT, LGPL-2.1 |
| Language / platform | Java | C, deb |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU | ~512 MB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $10/mo | $3.5/mo |
| Categories | Communication - Email - Mail Delivery Agents, Calendar & Contacts | Communication - Email - Mail Delivery Agents |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Dovecot is more popular on GitHub: 1.3k stars vs 773 for DavMail.
- Dovecot had more commits in the last 12 months (2,181 vs 637).
- Dovecot publishes GitHub releases (latest 2.4.5); no GitHub release was found for DavMail.
- DavMail is licensed under GPL-2.0, Dovecot under MIT, LGPL-2.1.
- DavMail is written in Java; Dovecot in C.
- Deployment options listed upstream: DavMail: none listed; Dovecot: deb.
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for Dovecot (~512 MB server) than DavMail (~2 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: Dovecot leads on GitHub popularity and commit activity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is DavMail or Dovecot more popular?
Dovecot has more GitHub stars (1,278 vs 773 for DavMail, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, DavMail or Dovecot?
Dovecot had more commits over the last 12 months (2,181 vs 637). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-02 for DavMail and 2026-11-04 for Dovecot. Our health labels: DavMail is “Active”, Dovecot is “Active”.
What licenses do DavMail and Dovecot use?
DavMail: GPL-2.0. Dovecot: MIT, LGPL-2.1.
Can I run DavMail and Dovecot with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Dovecot
IMAP and POP3 server written primarily with security in mind.
Browse all self-hosted Communication - Email - Mail Delivery Agents apps.