Dovecot vs SmarterMail
Dovecot
dovecot.org
SmarterMail
smartertools.comSide by side
| Figure | Dovecot | SmarterMail |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $41.67/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 5 |
| Spec score · Email Server Software | 7.8 (#14) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Spec score · Mail Server Software | 7.8 (#20) | 8.0 (#14) |
| Deployment | The download page offers source tarballs and official pre-built Docker images. | SmarterMail is available for Linux and Windows and has a Docker version; the download page lists supported Linux distributions and Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025+. |
| Intended users | Dovecot Pro is described as built for carrier and enterprise-scale email infrastructure, including telcos and hosting providers. | SmarterTools describes SmarterMail as suitable for enterprises, businesses, web hosts, and ISPs, while Professional is aimed at smaller companies or individuals. |
| Security | Dovecot describes a multi-process architecture that isolates tasks to limit the impact of a vulnerability in one component. | The product includes spam filtering and enterprise-level antivirus, with Message Sniffer available as an integration. |
Plans
SmarterMail
- SmarterMail FreeFree
- SmarterMail High Availability — Hub$150 a month
- SmarterMail High Availability — Node$250 a month
- SmarterMail Professional (50 mailboxes)$500 a year
- SmarterMail Enterprise (50 mailboxes)$700 a year
In their own words
SmarterMail
SmarterMail has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.