Stalwart Mail Server Review, Pricing & Features

Stalwart is a free, open-source mail and collaboration server combining JMAP, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, CalDAV, CardDAV, and WebDAV. Self-hosted and Rust-powered.

Category
Developer Tools
Pricing
open-source with paid enterprise edition, from Free (Community edition); Enterprise from about 2 euros per mailbox per year
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2022
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
APIOpen SourceSelf-Hosted

What Is Stalwart Mail Server

Stalwart Mail Server is an open-source, self-hosted mail and collaboration platform that consolidates the protocols a modern email deployment needs into a single Rust-based server. Rather than stitching together separate software for SMTP, IMAP, and calendaring, Stalwart bundles JMAP, IMAP4, POP3, SMTP, ManageSieve, CalDAV, CardDAV, and WebDAV support in one codebase.

The project is maintained by Stalwart Labs, a company founded in 2022 and based in London, United Kingdom. It targets administrators and organizations who want full control over their email infrastructure without depending on legacy tools like Postfix and Dovecot, or on third-party hosted inboxes.

Key Features

Stalwart supports modern JMAP clients as well as traditional IMAP and POP3 clients, so it works with both contemporary apps and legacy mail software. Built-in DKIM, DMARC, SPF, and ARC support handle message authentication out of the box, with automated DKIM key rotation on a configurable schedule.

Administration is handled through a web-based dashboard covering account, domain, and configuration management, with real-time monitoring and live tracing for troubleshooting. Multi-tenant architecture allows operators to set per-user and per-tenant storage quotas, and integrated DNS management connects directly to providers such as Cloudflare, Route 53, and Google Cloud DNS for automated record management. ACME-based TLS certificate renewal and full Sieve scripting (including every IANA-registered extension) round out the administrative toolset.

Pricing

Stalwart is free and open source under its Community edition, which includes the core mail server functionality. An Enterprise edition adds premium features, management tooling, and support, licensed per mailbox at roughly 2 euros per mailbox per year for smaller deployments (25 to 499 mailboxes), with the per-mailbox rate decreasing at higher volumes (down to about 0.89 euros per mailbox at 50,000-plus mailboxes). Sponsors contributing at certain monthly tiers on the project's funding page also receive Enterprise licensing and support access.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Consolidates SMTP, IMAP, POP3, JMAP, CalDAV, CardDAV, and WebDAV into one server instead of many separate tools
  • Free and open source Community edition with an active GitHub project
  • Modern Rust codebase built for performance and memory safety
  • Strong built-in email authentication (DKIM, DMARC, SPF, ARC) reduces reliance on add-on tools
  • Automated DNS and TLS certificate management reduces manual admin overhead

Cons

  • Self-hosting email requires ongoing operational responsibility for deliverability, security, and uptime
  • Enterprise features and premium support require a paid license
  • Newer project (founded 2022) with a smaller long-term track record than legacy mail servers like Postfix or Dovecot
  • Migrating from an existing mail stack requires planning around DNS, DKIM keys, and client reconfiguration

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Stalwart Mail Server free to use

Yes. The Community edition is free and open source. A paid Enterprise edition exists for organizations that want premium support and additional management features, billed per mailbox.

What protocols does Stalwart support

Stalwart supports JMAP, IMAP4rev2, IMAP4rev1, POP3, SMTP, ManageSieve, CalDAV, CardDAV, and WebDAV in a single server.

Is Stalwart self-hosted or a hosted service

Stalwart is designed to be self-hosted. Organizations run it on their own servers or infrastructure rather than subscribing to a hosted inbox service.

What programming language is Stalwart written in

Stalwart is written in Rust, which the project cites as contributing to its performance, security, and memory safety.

Who maintains Stalwart Mail Server

Stalwart is developed by Stalwart Labs, a company founded in 2022 and based in London, United Kingdom, with an active open-source community on GitHub, Discord, and Matrix.

Does Stalwart support DKIM and DMARC out of the box

Yes. Stalwart includes built-in support for DKIM, DMARC, SPF, and ARC, including automated DKIM key rotation.

Can Stalwart replace Postfix and Dovecot

Stalwart is designed as an all-in-one replacement for the typical Postfix plus Dovecot combination, handling both SMTP delivery and IMAP or JMAP mailbox access in one server.

Does Stalwart support multiple domains and tenants

Yes. Stalwart has a multi-tenant architecture with per-user and per-tenant quotas, making it suitable for hosting mail for multiple organizations or domains.

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