Gmail (Google Workspace) vs Roundcubemail
Gmail (Google Workspace) and Roundcubemail are both email server software. Gmail (Google Workspace) is a commercial product from Google. Roundcubemail is open source under GPL-3.0, with 7.3k GitHub stars.
Which to pick
- Pick Gmail (Google Workspace) when
- A business wants reliable hosted email with strong spam filtering and works mostly in the browser.
- Pick Roundcubemail when
- You run an IMAP server and need a dependable webmail front end.
Side by side
Business email on your own domain using Gmail, with spam filtering, shared calendars and admin controls through Google Workspace.
A browser-based IMAP webmail client with address book, folders, filters and plugins, widely bundled with hosting control panels.
Moving away later is a chore, and shared mailboxes and delegation are weaker than in Exchange.
A frequent target for attacks, so it must be kept patched.
Production-ready (both)
Cloud service and mobile app
Self-hosted server
Not published
PHP and JavaScript
Closed source, sold by Google
Open source, GPL-3.0 (strong copyleft)
Closed source: you use it under the maker's terms and cannot change or resell the code.
Use inside your business is unrestricted, but anything you distribute that includes it must be released under the same license.
90k Wikipedia readers a month on phones
7.3k GitHub stars
Not known
Established: started 14 years ago, latest release 1.7.5.
Other comparisons
More email servers and webmail
Both sides were judged on 2026-11-03 from makers' descriptions, Wikipedia, READMEs and GitHub data. License, age and popularity lines are worked out directly.