A Free Email Server For Synology

Synology is a very popular NAS used by many individuals and organizations. Often administrators want to run an email server on their Synology NAS device. This page discusses available options and their pros and cons when running an email server on Synology.

Available Options

The Synology's Package Center contains an email server called Synology MailPlus Server, which is based on Postfix. Users can install this server right from Synology DSM.

Alternatively, you could use Xeams on Synology, which can be downloaded from this page.

Comparing MailPlus Server with Xeams

There are several differences between MailPlus server and Xeams. Some of them are listed below.

Feature MailPlus Xeams Details
Cost (20 users) $80/month Free The Community edition for Xeams is free for unlimited users. Synology offers a free tier for 5 users.
Support Email,Forums Phone, Email and Forums
Mode Stand-alone Stand-alone, Firewall and/or Hybrid Xeams can work either as a stand-alone email server or can sit in front of your corporate server to filter spam.
User Accounts Integrated with OS Independent of the OS When using MailPlus, every user who needs an email will get an account at the OS level, giving them access to other services on the NAS. Users in Xeams are not tied to the OS.
Hardware Migration Only to another Synology To any other machine or NAS Since MailPlus is tightly integrated with the OS, it cannot be used on any other hardware. You can install Xeams on the other hardware and move its configuration, including emails.
Branding/White Labeling Not available Available Put your company's name on the interface giving your clients a personal touch.
Technology Based on Postfix Designed from ground up
Message Archiving Not available Available Search emails you received years ago within seconds with fully customizable message archiving.
Spam Filtering Based on Rspamd Built-in Xeams has extensive spam filtering capabilities that is fully configurable.
Detecting Malicious Activities Limited Extensive Several logs and alerts exist in Xeams that can block malicious IP addresses and alert administrators.
Quarantine Reports None Available Users can get multiple reports in a day containing a list of messages that were quarantined.
Live Monitor Not available Included
Reports Daily report Several reports Xeams includes detail reports showing daily, monthly, yearly and many others
Plugins Not available Several plugins Click here for the list of plugins available in Xeams

Summary

Although MailPlus is a good choice for an email server on Synology, Xeams offers an excellent alternative with several features missing in many email servers and spam filters. Moreover, Xeams is not tied to any operating system or hardware, giving you most flexibility if you decide to migrate to a different hardware or cloud.