mailcow Hosting in Germany
We install, migrate and operate mailcow as a mail and groupware platform - including SOGo, DNS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, spam filtering, backups, updates and monitoring.
About the technology
Own email operations from DNS to recovery
mailcow combines SMTP, IMAP, webmail/groupware, spam filtering, antivirus and administration. Successful mail operations additionally depend on DNS, reverse DNS, IP reputation, certificates, storage, queues and effective abuse protection.
We install new mailcow systems, take over existing environments and migrate domains and mailboxes. Updates, backups, monitoring, DNS checks and technical incident response can be bundled as a continuous managed service.
mailcow for email, calendars and contacts
Domains and mailboxes
Administer mailboxes, aliases, lists, quotas and domains in a controlled way.SOGo groupware
Provide webmail, calendars, contacts and supported synchronisation paths.Spam and malware filtering
Configure and monitor Rspamd, ClamAV and policies around your mail flow.SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Configure DNS authentication, reverse DNS and transport encryption correctly.Migration and clients
Move mailboxes, domains, DNS, Outlook, mobile and other clients in a controlled process.Backup and monitoring
Monitor mail data, configuration, databases, queues, certificates and resources.Migration and takeover
Assess existing data and configuration, migrate them in a test run and move to managed operations through a controlled cutover.Identity and secure access
Secure SSO, roles, administrative paths and external access for the application and existing infrastructure.Backup and recovery
Back up all stateful components consistently and document the recovery path for the agreed scope.Updates, monitoring and operations
Monitor and update the application and its technical dependencies and operate them under the agreed service level.
Operations beyond installation
Operate mailcow as a complete mail service
DNS, SMTP, IMAP, groupware, filtering, storage and user administration are maintained together because faults anywhere can affect communication.
Mail platform
Operate mailcow components, Docker, proxy and certificates.Mail flow and DNS
Control SMTP, IMAP, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and PTR.Accounts and protection
Implement mailboxes, quotas, MFA, spam and abuse protection.Maintenance and recovery
Own updates, monitoring, backups and restart.
Area
Ownership of mail technology and communication
WZ-IT operates the technical service; account use, content, legal retention and approvals remain within the organisation.
| Area | Responsibility | Scope and boundaries |
|---|---|---|
| mailcow and infrastructure | WZ-IT | Installation, hardening, updates, monitoring and technical maintenance. |
| DNS and deliverability technology | WZ-IT | SPF, DKIM, DMARC, PTR, TLS and relevant mail-flow checks. |
| Backups and restore | WZ-IT | Back up agreed components and test recovery in a controlled way. |
| Domains, accounts and quotas | Shared | WZ-IT implements approved structures and administrative processes. |
| Content and account use | Customer | Lawful use, password hygiene and business communication. |
| Migration and archiving | Optional WZ-IT service | Mailbox migration, journaling and separate archives are planned by project. |
Hosting & operations
How much does mailcow hosting cost?
We combine the right compute size with ongoing operations, backups, monitoring and a service level appropriate for the criticality of mailcow. High availability and recovery targets are designed separately where needed.
Hosting for mailcow in Germany: GDPR-compliant operations
- One managed standard application included
- .de domain included or your own domain or subdomain via CNAME
- German data centres with ISO 27001 and BSI C5, no US clouds
- 99.9 % standard availability per month
- Regular updates, CVE monitoring and prioritised patches for critical vulnerabilities
- Central logs with immutable retention
- Daily backup with 7-day retention
- 5 TB outbound traffic per workload and month
- 24/7 proactive monitoring
- Five service levels, 24/7 P1 response with Production or Critical
- Personal technical contact
Instance sizes and monthly prices
- XS · 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe SSD
- €99.90 in total
- S · 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe SSD
- €129.90 in total
- M · 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe SSD
- €159.80 in total
- L · 8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe SSD
- €219.80 in total
- XL · 16 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe SSD
- €329.80 in total
- Additional storage per 50 GB
- +€4.99
All prices are net and exclude statutory VAT. The offers are addressed to businesses. All on-premises options
Other options
Try it free for 7 daysRequest a test instance
We set up a test instance for you, usually on the next business day. No payment details required. After seven days it is deleted unless you continue.
Request a test instance →Bring Your Own InfrastructureInstallation on Your Infrastructure
Installation on your own infrastructure · On-premise or in your cloud · Control over data location and access · Custom configuration · Complete documentation · Initial setup & configuration · Optional support and maintenance contract
Request a proposal →On-premises optionRun mailcow on hardware at your organisation
As an alternative to managed hosting in the data centre, WZ-IT provides the hardware, configures mailcow, and handles hardening, monitoring, updates, backup and technical support. Access can be limited to the internal network or enabled through VPN and existing identities.
View WZ-IT App Node →Sizing and deployment
Size mailcow around mailboxes, volume and recovery
Mailbox count, storage growth, message rate, spam scanning, groupware use, backup windows and retention determine resources and operating cost.
| Usage scenario | Technical starting point | Key factors |
|---|---|---|
| Small organisation | Dedicated mail server | A manageable number of domains, mailboxes and storage profiles. |
| Many mailboxes or groupware use | Performance and storage assessment | Memory, I/O, search, synchronisation and backup are considered. |
| Large data migration | Migration assessment | Source, data volume, delta sync, DNS and cutover are designed. |
| Critical communication | Operations assessment | Recovery, replacement service, queues, response and communication are defined. |
- The calculator covers an operated standard mailcow server. Mailboxes, storage, migration, backup target, DNS access, provider, higher response tiers and archiving needs are added after technical discovery.
Sizing and deployment
mailcow operating models
A mail server requires a suitable static IP, controllable reverse DNS, clean network paths and sufficient local storage.
WZ-IT managed mail server
Dedicated mailcow environment with a suitable provider and managed operations.Your suitable cloud
Only where mail ports, PTR, IP reputation and provider policies fit.On-premise
Possible with suitable redundant connectivity, IP and operating design.Hybrid with archive or relay
Connect mail to external gateways, archiving or internal directories.
Target architecture
Protect mail flow, identity and backup separately
Public mail endpoints are hardened while administration, backups and optional directory or archive services use separate access paths.
Users, senders and recipients
SMTP, IMAP, webmail, calendars, contacts and supported clients.
DNS, TLS and mail endpoints
MX, PTR, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and protected client access.
Accounts and policies
Mailboxes, aliases, MFA, quotas and administrative roles.
mailcow: dockerized
Mail transfer, IMAP, SOGo, filters, antivirus and administration.
Mail data and databases
Performant persistent storage with capacity monitoring.
DNS, relay and archive
External dependencies and optional compliance services.
Monitoring and backup
Queues, delivery, certificates, blocklists, resources and recovery.
Recovery is not invented during an outage. DNS changes, certificates, mail queues, data state and client behaviour are included in restart documentation.
Role in the overall system
Related services for mailcow
This page covers installation and the agreed platform operations for mailcow. Custom code, the access layer and special confidentiality requirements remain clearly separated responsibilities that can be added when needed.
Support custom code and integrations
Keep custom extensions, interfaces and dependencies controlled, updated and supportable.
View service Secure accessConnect users, sites and systems
Add identity-based access and private network paths as a separate operational layer.
View service Operate confidentiallyAssess Section 203 requirements separately
For professional secrecy holders, define contractual, access and infrastructure requirements in a dedicated operating model.
View serviceThree relevant adjacent paths instead of a long list of further products.
View the overall systemFrequently asked questions about mailcow hosting
Answers about migration, deliverability, backup, archiving and continuous operations.
- mailcow Hosting with WZ-IT starts at €99.90 net per month. It includes a dedicated size XS instance (2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe SSD), updates, daily backups with 7 days of retention, 24/7 monitoring, 5 TB of outbound traffic and a first response to critical incidents by the end of the next business day. Larger instances and higher service levels cost extra; the configurator shows the total price.
- The entry level is a dedicated size XS instance with 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe SSD for €99.90; it suits lightweight applications as well as test and development environments. Size S with 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe SSD costs €129.90. We check which size mailcow needs in production before provisioning. Size M (4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe SSD) costs an extra €29.90 excl. VAT, L (8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe SSD) an extra €89.90 excl. VAT and XL (16 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe SSD) an extra €199.90 excl. VAT, each per month. Additional storage costs €4.99 excl. VAT per 50 GB and month.
- No. WZ-IT does not limit the number of users. How many users can work smoothly at the same time depends on usage and the chosen instance size XS to XL.
- mailcow Hosting can be cancelled monthly, with no minimum term and 30 days' notice to the end of the month.
- In German data centres operated by a German provider, without US clouds. The data centres are ISO 27001 certified and BSI C5 attested.
- We provide a production instance within a few business days. For a trial, we set up a test instance, usually on the next business day; it runs free of charge for 7 days and without payment details.
- Yes. One .de domain is included with every hosting plan. Alternatively, connect your own domain or subdomain with a CNAME record.
- Yes. We plan inventory, test migration, delta synchronisation, DNS cutover, client changes and rollback according to the source system.
- No provider can guarantee acceptance by external recipients. We configure authentication and mail flow correctly, monitor reputation and errors and resolve technical delivery issues.
- Within the agreed managed scope we back up mail data, databases and configuration with defined retention. Restore scope and test interval are specified in the proposal.
- No. Binding retention, immutability, search and deletion policies need a separate archiving system with business and legal approval.
- Certain identity and provisioning paths can be integrated, but they must fit the deployed mailcow version, directory and expected client behaviour. We assess this specifically.
Knowledge
More about mailcow
Matching solutions for your project
- AuthentikOpen-source identity and access management system
- KeycloakOpen-source identity and access management
- WazuhOpen-source security platform for threat detection, compliance monitoring, and incident response
- EGroupwareGerman groupware for email, calendars, tasks, CRM and collaborative office documents.
- OX App SuiteEmail, calendar, contacts and tasks as integrated groupware for sovereign workplace environments.
- NextcloudSelf-hosted cloud storage and collaboration platform
Reviews & projects
Client feedback and projects worldwide
WZ-IT moved our studio infrastructure from decentralised individual devices to a central platform: every site is securely connected via VPN, new devices are onboarded automatically and an entire site is provisioned from a template, without manual steps on location. What impressed me most is the breadth and depth of their knowledge: Timo and Robin are not a typical IT provider who sets up a server and leaves. The two of them think their way into highly complex infrastructure and software topics, work through every requirement we put in front of them, and build networking, provisioning and operations so that everything fits together in the end. WZ-IT is an excellent partner for complex software, network and architecture projects.
Steve KirchnerManaging Director, nextGYM GmbH
International
Built in Germany's Ruhr Valley. Running worldwide.
WZ-IT designs, develops and operates infrastructure and software for clients in Germany and internationally. We deliver projects remotely and continue supporting them in ongoing operations after go-live.
Selected projects
- LiveRemote access platform for distributed water treatment plantsABCO Water Systems · Australia · Secure Access & OT
- 81%AWS migration with substantially lower operating costsEVA Real Estate · UAE · Cloud exit & infrastructure
- 98%Provision new sites in minutes instead of hoursnextGYM GmbH · Germany · Automation & IoT
Read client reviews
- Secure your Proxmox & backup setup
- Modernize your infrastructure - sovereign
- Plan a sovereign open-source stack
- Integrate a local AI solution
- Modernize your legacy software
- Cut cloud cost - up to −81%
- Build a high-availability Proxmox cluster
- Virtualize with Managed Proxmox
- Design an open-source AI architecture
- Get collaboration fully managed
- Ship your prototype to production
- Connect sites and clusters securely
Hosting & operations
Enquire about hosting and operations for mailcow
Briefly describe the current state and objective for mailcow. We assess infrastructure, integration, and ongoing operations.
- Straight with Timo and Robin - no sales team, no pitch
- An honest take, including when we are not the right fit
- Concrete next steps for infrastructure, software or AI
No risk: worst case, you leave with a clearer understanding of your project than before.
WZ-IT's advice on our Azure migration was technically sound and completely non-binding right from the intro call - we took away a great deal.
Jakob ÖschlbergerInno7 GmbH
WZ-IT's advice on our Azure migration was technically sound and completely non-binding right from the intro call - we took away a great deal.