Cyrus IMAP vs Dovecot
A side-by-side comparison of Cyrus IMAP and Dovecot — pricing, license, deployment, and where each tool wins.
Cyrus IMAP
cyrusimap.org
Email (IMAP/POP3), contacts and calendar server.
Dovecot
dovecot.org
IMAP and POP3 server written primarily with security in mind.
| Feature | Cyrus IMAP | Dovecot |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Model | Open-source | Open-source |
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Category | Communication - Email - Mail Delivery Agents | Communication - Email - Mail Delivery Agents |
| Self-hosted | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Free tier | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
Pick Cyrus IMAP if…
- ✓You prefer Cyrus IMAP's feature set or ecosystem fit.
Pick Dovecot if…
- ✓You prefer Dovecot's feature set or ecosystem fit.
Switch from Cyrus IMAP → Dovecot
4–16hmedium risk
Plan a sprint — 4-16 engineering hours, run in parallel for a week.
Export from Cyrus IMAP: CSV, JSON
1 things to watch
- ⚠Manual data review recommended
Switch from Dovecot → Cyrus IMAP
4–16hmedium risk
Plan a sprint — 4-16 engineering hours, run in parallel for a week.
Export from Dovecot: CSV, JSON
1 things to watch
- ⚠Manual data review recommended