| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Mail Server Software | 7.8 (#20) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Deployment | The download page offers source tarballs and official pre-built Docker images. | Kolab is packaged as containers that can run on one host or be distributed across a larger environment. |
| Intended users | Dovecot Pro is described as built for carrier and enterprise-scale email infrastructure, including telcos and hosting providers. | Kolab describes itself as a solution for companies and families that need to work and communicate together while retaining control over their data. |
| Protocols | The download page lists IMAP, POP3, and LMTP protocol packages. | Kolab supports ActiveSync, IMAP, SMTP, CalDAV and CardDAV for synchronizing email, calendars and tasks. |
| Security | Dovecot describes a multi-process architecture that isolates tasks to limit the impact of a vulnerability in one component. | The feature page lists PGP, two-factor authentication, DKIM/DMARC and spam protection among its email security features. |
