mailcow vs UK2
In short: UK2 wins on privacy, UK2 wins on price, and UK2 wins on features. The full comparison is below, last checked 25 October 2026.
Should you pick mailcow or UK2?
- mailcow is the better pick if you want a free plan before you pay anything; calendar and contacts in the same account; and open-source apps anyone can check.
- UK2 is the better pick if you want your mail kept in the United Kingdom.
| Feature | mailcow | UK2 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | Not rated | 3.0 |
| Privacy | Not rated | 2.5 |
| Price | Not rated | 3.5 |
| Features | Not rated | 3.5 |
| Cheapest plan | Open source Free | Web hosting From £3.99 a month (£1 for the first month), web hosting with a 10 GB mailbox |
| Free plan | Yes, open source | No |
| Storage | Not confirmed | 10 GB |
| Your own domain | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| End-to-end encryption | No | No |
| Company based in | Germany | United Kingdom |
| Your data is kept in | Your own server | United Kingdom |
| Founded | Unknown | 1998 |
| Free trial | Free to download | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Funded by advertising | No | No |
| Works in any mail app | ✓ IMAP and SMTP | ✓ IMAP and SMTP |
| Calendar and contacts | ✓ Yes | No |
| Aliases | Yes | Yes |
| Open-source apps | ✓ Yes | No |
| Sign up without ID | No | No |
| White label | Unknown | Unknown |
| Reader offer | None | None |
| Last checked | 25 October 2026 | 25 October 2026 |
Want to add another? Open this in the compare tool.
The key differences
- Cheapest plans: mailcow Open source, Free. UK2 Web hosting, From £3.99 a month (£1 for the first month), web hosting with a 10 GB mailbox.
- For free, mailcow gives you a free plan (open source), and UK2 no free plan.
- mailcow comes with storage not confirmed and UK2 with 10 GB of storage.
- Your mail is stored in Your own server with mailcow, and in the United Kingdom with UK2.
- mailcow is based in Germany and UK2 in the United Kingdom, so different privacy laws apply.
Questions people ask
Do mailcow and UK2 work with my own domain?
Yes, both do. mailcow: Yes. UK2: Yes.
Where do mailcow and UK2 keep my email?
mailcow keeps it in Your own server. UK2 keeps it in the United Kingdom.
Recent price changes
I haven't seen either change its price since I started checking on 25 October 2026.
The latest headlines: mailcow news · UK2 news.
Not sold on either? Try these
- mailbox.org4.5 out of 5 overall
- Tuta Business4.0 out of 5 overall
- Proton Mail for Business4.0 out of 5 overall
mailcow vs mailbox.org · UK2 vs mailbox.org · mailcow vs Tuta Business · UK2 vs Tuta Business · mailcow vs Proton Mail for Business · UK2 vs Proton Mail for Business
Switching between them
Whichever you choose, the move follows the same steps. Pick your two providers for the steps.