Stacks / Email
Medium
Mailflare / Stalwart
Apex mail you run. Mailflare is the Cloudflare Workers mailbox already on the office stack; Stalwart is the all-in-one IMAP/JMAP/SMTP server.
The problem
Gmail for work is Google Workspace Business Starter at $7/user/month billed yearly. Consumer Gmail is free and not yours. Mailflare gives you mail and calendar on Workers; Stalwart is a real mail server (IMAP, JMAP, SMTP, CalDAV, CardDAV) you host.
Replaces
Gmail
Estimated SaaS saved
$1,380
per year, small team, before lock-in
Start on RailwayStalwart wants a public IP, MX, and a volume — a VPS or a Railway service with DNS you control. Mailflare stays on Cloudflare (see the Mailflare office stack). Do not put two MX stories on the same hostname.
The stack
Cost table
| You stop paying | Typical / year | Self-host instead |
|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace Business Starter (5) | $420 | Mailflare on Workers or Stalwart |
| Workspace + Calendly-style extras | $1,380 | Mailflare office stack if you also need calendar sync |
Agent setup prompt
Replace hosted Gmail with mail you run. Pick Mailflare (Cloudflare Workers, already documented on the Mailflare office stack) or Stalwart (https://stalw.art) as a full IMAP/JMAP/SMTP server. - One MX story per hostname. Resend or Stalwart outbound on a send. subdomain if apex MX stays on Mailflare. - Persist Stalwart data on a volume. Do not expose the admin without auth. - Write AGENT_PROMPT.md. Point at the Mailflare office stack if they also need calendar + booking.
Also as markdown: /stacks/stalwart-mail.md
FAQ
- Mailflare or Stalwart?
- Mailflare if you already live on Cloudflare and want mail + calendar + a booking page. Stalwart if you want a classic mail server (IMAP clients, JMAP, CalDAV) on a box you SSH into.
- Is this the office stack?
- Related. /replace/google-workspace is the full office (Mailflare + synct + genoffice). This page is Gmail only.