Roundcube
Browser-based IMAP client with an application-like user interface.
Best self-hosted Communication - Email - Webmail Clients software in 2026
Webmail clients.
We track 4 open-source, self-hosted Communication - Email - Webmail Clients apps. 3 of them had commits in the last 90 days, 0 can run with Docker, and the most common licenses are GPL-3.0 (1), LGPL-2.1 (1), AGPL-3.0 (1). The most-used languages are PHP. Below are the top picks by GitHub stars, followed by every app ranked by stars weighted by maintenance health.
Alternatives to GmailAlternatives to Outlook.comAlternatives to Proton MailAlternatives to FastmailAlternatives to Zoho Mail
Top 3 by GitHub stars
| # | App | Stars | Health | Last activity | License | Language | Docker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roundcube | 7.3k | Active | 2026-11-09 | GPL-3.0 | PHP, deb | – |
| 2 | Cypht | 1.8k | Active | 2026-11-09 | LGPL-2.1 | PHP | – |
| 3 | SnappyMail | 1.7k | Active | 2026-11-10 | AGPL-3.0 | PHP | – |
- Roundcube — Browser-based IMAP client with an application-like user interface.
- Cypht — Feed reader for your email accounts.
- SnappyMail — Simple, modern, lightweight & fast web-based email client (fork of RainLoop).
Head-to-head comparisons
All 4 self-hosted Communication - Email - Webmail Clients apps
Ranked by GitHub stars weighted by maintenance health.
Cypht
Feed reader for your email accounts.
SnappyMail
Simple, modern, lightweight & fast web-based email client (fork of RainLoop).
SquirrelMail
Another browser-based IMAP client.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best self-hosted Communication - Email - Webmail Clients software in 2026?
By GitHub stars, the most popular self-hosted Communication - Email - Webmail Clients apps are Roundcube (7,265 stars), Cypht (1,790 stars), SnappyMail (1,748 stars). Popularity is only one signal: also check maintenance health, license and whether it fits your setup.
How many self-hosted Communication - Email - Webmail Clients apps are actively maintained?
3 of the 4 apps listed had commits in the last 90 days; for 1 we have no repository activity data.
Which licenses do self-hosted Communication - Email - Webmail Clients apps use?
The most common licenses in this category are GPL-3.0 (1 apps), LGPL-2.1 (1 apps), AGPL-3.0 (1 apps).
How much does it cost to self-host Communication - Email - Webmail Clients software?
The software itself is free to download. Based on our rough hardware estimates, the cheapest suitable VPS plan starts at about $5/month (median $5/month across apps in this category). Several light apps can share one server.
Figures from GitHub and Docker Hub as of 2026-11-15; hosting costs are rough estimates.