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 |