Looking to send out newsletters, but don’t want to fork out money for Mailchimp and similar tools? Listmonk lets you create and send self hosted newsletters to your audience. It’s obviously free, but what else does Listmonk have going for it?
Let’s take a detailed look at Listmonk.
What is Listmonk and who is it for?
Listmonk is an open-source newsletter and mailing list manager that you install and run on your own server. It’s designed to send bulk campaigns quickly, handle large subscriber lists, and give you full control without paying for a SaaS email platform.
It’s best suited for developers, technical teams, and organizations that want a self-hosted alternative to services like Mailchimp. It’s a strong option if you need scalability, customization, and data ownership, but are comfortable managing the hosting and setup yourself.
Top Listmonk features
Listmonk has a unique feature set that makes it useful for businesses and marketers who want to launch newsletters with no budget. Here are some of the most notable Listmonk features:
- Open-source and self-hosted – Run it on your own server for full control and no recurring SaaS costs.
- High-performance email sending – Handles bulk campaigns with multi-threaded queues and rate limiting for millions of emails.
- Advanced subscriber management – Supports single or double opt-in, SQL-based segmentation, and large lists.
- Flexible templating – Create dynamic emails with Go templates, variables, and conditional logic.
- Analytics and reporting – Track opens, clicks, bounces, and export data for deeper insights.
- Transactional messages – Send API-triggered emails alongside newsletters for a complete email solution.
- Multi-user access and roles – Manage teams with role-based permissions and API tokens.
- Media management – Store and serve images or assets through S3-compatible storage.
- Privacy and data control – Subscribers can export, blocklist, or delete their own data easily.
- Active community and AGPL license – Backed by contributors and transparent development.
Listmonk pricing explained
Listmonk is completely free because it’s an open-source project. There are no subscription fees, per-email costs, or hidden charges. You simply download it, install it on your own server, and run it under the terms of its AGPLv3 license.
The only “cost” involved is your own infrastructure and maintenance. That means you’ll need to pay for hosting (for example, a VPS or dedicated server), configure an SMTP relay or transactional email provider if you don’t want to rely on your own mail server, and handle updates yourself.
In short, pricing for Listmonk comes down to your server expenses and optional third-party email delivery service costs, but the software itself is free to use.
Insights from real Listmonk customers
There aren’t many reviews on Listmonk online, aside from a few Redditors praising its low costs and barrier to entry. But we took the tool for a spin to give you some of the biggest issues with Listmonk ourselves.
Listmonk is a powerful tool, but like any self-hosted platform, it comes with some trade-offs worth keeping in mind. The biggest consideration is that it requires technical expertise to install, configure, and maintain. You’ll need to be comfortable managing a PostgreSQL database, setting up an SMTP relay, and keeping the server secure and up to date. For non-technical teams, this can be a major barrier.
Another limitation is that it doesn’t include a visual drag-and-drop editor. Instead, campaigns are created with HTML, Markdown, or Go templating. This works well for developers, but it can be a hurdle if you’re used to polished visual editors like those in Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign.
On the campaign side, automation features are limited compared to full marketing suites. Listmonk handles bulk sending and transactional emails beautifully, but you won’t find advanced workflow builders or onboarding sequences built in. Reporting also tends to be basic, with aggregate stats for opens, clicks, and bounces, but fewer options for detailed breakdowns.
Users also note that the interface, while functional, is still evolving. It’s not as slick as mainstream SaaS tools, and you may occasionally encounter missing conveniences or need to troubleshoot quirks yourself. Finally, because it’s self-hosted, you’re taking on all infrastructure responsibilities, from updates and backups to scaling and deliverability management. There’s no vendor to call if things go wrong.
In short, Listmonk is excellent if you want full control and zero licensing costs, but it may feel heavy for non-technical teams or anyone looking for polished automation and ready-made workflows.
The best alternatives to Listmonk as a mailing list manager
Sending out newsletters doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, and there are plenty of alternatives to Listmonk that do a similar job for a small fee. Here are some of the better options in the market.
Woodpecker
Woodpecker is a powerful cold-email tool created for sales teams, recruiters, and agencies that need deliverability-focused outreach with automation, personalization, and campaign control baked in. It includes domain warm-up, inbox rotation, AI writing help, and email sequencing, so your messages land in real inboxes and get real responses.
Key features
- Deliverability safeguards such as free email warm-up, inbox rotation, adaptive sending, and a deliverability monitor help ensure your outreach doesn’t end up in spam folders.
- Condition-based campaigns and A/B testing enable tailored drip sequences and up to five versions per campaign for smarter follow-ups.
- AI assistance offers an AI email writer and interest tagging to help draft messages quickly and prioritize replies that matter.
- Personalization tools include sending in the prospect’s timezone, spintax, snippets, and snippet‑based conditions for dynamic content.
- Advanced add‑ons include LinkedIn outreach automation, two‑way sync with CRMs like HubSpot and Pipedrive, API access, and Webhooks at $20/month extra.
- Agency panel (for $27/month per client) gives features like separate databases, centralized billing, client audits, and view‑only access for clients.
Main downsides and considerations
- Key features come with add‑on costs: for example, API integrations, LinkedIn automation, extra warm‑ups, and agency panel all cost more.
- For teams handling many clients or needing affordability at scale, total costs can grow rapidly with add-ons and usage.
Pricing:
- Starter plan starts at $29/month per slot, which covers up to 500 prospects, 6,000 emails, two warm‑ups, and chat support—billed annually; monthly rates may vary.
- Growth plan is about $84/month per slot, unlocking 3,000 prospects, 36,000 emails, 8 warm‑ups, A/B testing, advanced automation, and live support.
- Scale plan at $188/month per slot handles 10,000 prospects, 120,000 emails, 20 warm‑ups, unlimited personalization, team collaboration, and high-priority support.
- Max plan runs up to $9,999/month per slot and offers unlimited sending, workflows, deliverability tools, AI optimization, and a dedicated account manager.
- Free trial lets you test the platform for 7 days or 50 contacted prospects, whichever comes first, with full feature access.
Why it’s better than Listmonk
Woodpecker gives you a polished, deliverability-first cold email engine with automation, personalization, AI writing tools, and optional LinkedIn integration. Listmonk, while excellent for self-hosted newsletters, lacks these tailored outreach workflows, warm-up checks, and automation capabilities.
Get started with Woodpecker for free today.
Keila
Keila is a self-hosted, open-source newsletter platform built in Europe, designed for users who want full control over their email campaigns, privacy-first analytics, and no vendor lock-in. You can run it on your own servers via Docker or use their cloud-hosted option, with strong data protection and a visual editor for ease of use.
Key features
- Open source with self-hosting and EU hosting options gives you full control and data privacy without proprietary lock-in.
- Block editor, Markdown, MJML, and plain text templates let you choose between user-friendly visual tools or code-based flexibility.
- Personalization via Liquid templating and segmentation helps you target your lists using custom data fields and a visual segment builder.
- Form builder with double opt-in and captcha protection allows you to create signup forms with spam protection to maintain list quality.
- Analytics that respect privacy give you insights into opens, clicks, and conversions while allowing tracking to be disabled.
- Comprehensive API and Zapier support (in private beta) enable you to connect with other tools and automate workflows.
- Live campaign stats and EU-based infrastructure provide additional peace of mind for privacy-conscious users.
- Active development under AGPLv3 license ensures transparency, community involvement, and steady improvements.
Main downsides and considerations
Because it is mostly self-hosted, it requires technical setup. You will need Docker knowledge and an SMTP service or provider like AWS SES.
Some advanced features like automation flows, image handling, or transactional messaging are still limited or being developed.
It doesn’t have a polished template library. While customization is strong, the out-of-the-box design options are simpler compared to SaaS platforms.
The cloud-hosted option has monthly fees, and there is no free plan, though pricing is competitive.
Support is community-driven, so dedicated customer service is not guaranteed.
Pricing:
- The self-hosted version is free, with only your server and email delivery costs to consider.
- Cloud-hosted plans start at about €8 per month for 2,000 emails, unlimited contacts, and unlimited projects. Higher tiers reach €256 per month for 250,000 emails with the same feature set.
Why it’s better than Listmonk for some users
Keila adds a visual editor, built-in form builder, privacy-focused analytics, and EU hosting options while keeping the open source flexibility. This makes it more approachable than Listmonk for teams that want control but also an easier user experience.
Mailtrain
Mailtrain is an open-source, self-hosted newsletter application built on Node.js and MySQL (or MariaDB), designed for people who want to control their email campaigns without relying on hosted platforms. It handles large subscriber lists, supports automation and segmentation, and lets you keep your data wherever you prefer.
Key features
- Self-hosted and open source give you full control over your data and infrastructure, with no subscription fees.
- Large list and subscriber management lets you import CSVs, use custom fields and tags, and manage lists for millions of addresses.
- Segmentation and triggers allow sending targeted campaigns based on list rules or automating sends via RSS or behavioral triggers.
- Template editors and GPG support include WYSIWYG editors, MJML templates, HTML code option, and the ability to send encrypted emails.
- Campaign analytics deliver tracking for opens, clicks per link, bounce handling, and custom reports.
- Multiple sending options integrate with SMTP providers, Amazon SES, SendGrid, Postfix, ZoneMTA, and let you configure throttling.
- Multi-user access and permissions enable team collaboration with selectable user roles and sharing.
- Hierarchical namespaces suit enterprise-like setups for agencies or organizational branches.
Main downsides and considerations
Mailtrain requires technical setup and hosting management, and you must configure your own SMTP or email relay. The user interface is basic and less polished than commercial tools.
It has fewer integrations and lacks advanced automation flows and visual builders. Rolling your own deliverability strategy is also needed. You’ll need to monitor IP reputation, configure ports, and manage blacklists yourself. Community support is available, but professional SLAs are not.
Pricing
Mailtrain itself is completely free under an open source license. Your only costs are hosting and mail delivery setup. For example, running it on a modest VPS may cost around $20–$26 per month, regardless of how many subscribers you manage.
Why it’s better than Listmonk for some users
Mailtrain offers more built-in automation options and WYSIWYG template tools along with advanced list segmentation and encryption support, making it a solid choice for teams that need structured workflows and a richer interface compared to Listmonk’s developer-focused minimal setup.
Sendportal
SendPortal is an open-source, self-hosted email marketing platform built on Laravel, designed for developers and teams who want full control over their email campaigns with a polished interface. It acts as a control center for managing newsletters by integrating with services like Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, or Mailjet for sending emails on your terms.
Key features
- Unlimited everything: supports unlimited users, subscribers, segments, messages, and workspaces, so your marketing can scale without restrictions.
- Subscriber and list management lets you import or update contacts via CSV or API and slice and dice your lists using custom-defined segments.
- Campaign creation offers a simple template editor to build campaigns that you can send to the entire list or specific segments.
- Message tracking and analytics include automatic tracking of sends, opens, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes for each campaign.
- Multiple workspaces support helps you manage different teams or clients under one installation, ideal for agencies.
- Beautiful and intuitive interface makes managing your campaigns enjoyable and fast.
- Powerful REST API allows integration with external systems and tools for seamless automation.
- Open-source under MIT license backed by the Laravel community: code is transparent, customizable, and free to use.
Main downsides and considerations
SendPortal offers many advantages, but you will need some technical setup skills. Installation on your own server or Docker is required, and it’s not as user-friendly as a hosted SaaS platform.
The built-in template editor is functional but more basic compared to drag-and-drop builders. There is minimal onboarding guidance after setup. You also need to configure your own email service provider for sending emails, since SendPortal doesn’t handle sending directly.
Pricing:
- The self-hosted version is free under the MIT license.
- Your main costs are hosting and the email provider you connect—for example you may need to pay for Amazon SES, SendGrid or similar.
Why it’s better than Listmonk for some users
SendPortal combines open-source control with a cleaner user interface and easy campaign creation all while supporting multiple workspaces and powerful segmentation. It strikes a balance between developer flexibility and usability, without the need for visual builders or workflows—making it an approachable step up from Listmonk for tech-savvy teams.
Conclusion
A newsletter is a solid way to get in touch with your potential audience, but it takes an audience to get started. If you don’t already have an audience, there are many tools that can do a better job. For example, Woodpecker gives you all the tools for deliverability, personalization, and targeted outreach.