Self-Hosted Mailchimp Alternatives for Newsletters & Email Marketing

These self-hosted Mailchimp alternatives let you run your own lists and campaigns. Mailchimp's free plan only covers audiences under 250 contacts, and paid plans are priced by contact count (Mailchimp pricing, checked 2026-10-26), so the bill grows with your list. Compare the picks below; most also need an SMTP or API sending provider.

Compare the top picks

Run your own lists, campaigns and automations instead of paying per contact. Most of these tools still need an email sending provider (SMTP or an API like Amazon SES) to deliver mail. Every license below was checked against the project repo.

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Quick comparison

NameLicenseLanguageDocker?Last commit
listmonkAGPL-3.0GoYes2026-10-23
MauticGPL-3.0PHPSee docs2026-10-23
KeilaAGPL-3.0ElixirYes2026-10-24
SendportalMITPHPSee docs2026-10-22
phpListAGPL-3.0PHPYes2026-10-19
GhostMITTypeScriptSee docs2026-10-26
DittofeedMITTypeScriptYes2026-10-12
PlunkAGPL-3.0TypeScriptYes2026-10-25

License, stars and last commit checked against the GitHub API and repo files on 2026-10-26.

Listings

listmonk

High-performance self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager

AGPL-3.0 · OSIGoDocker★ 23,985 as of 2026-10-26

AGPL-3.0 per GitHub license metadata and README.

Pros
  • Single Go binary with an official Docker Compose file
  • Fast and lightweight for large lists
Cons
  • You need your own SMTP provider to send
  • Fewer automation features than Mautic
WebsiteSourceDeploy on RepoCloud

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-23 · Last verified: 2026-10-26

Mautic

Open-source marketing automation platform

GPL-3.0 · OSIPHP★ 10,851 as of 2026-10-26

LICENSE.txt: GPL v3 (bundled third-party components under compatible licenses). GitHub reports NOASSERTION.

Pros
  • Campaigns, segments, landing pages and lead scoring
  • Large community project
Cons
  • Heavier PHP/MySQL stack to run
  • Steeper learning curve than a simple newsletter tool
WebsiteSourceDeploy on RepoCloud

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-23 · Last verified: 2026-10-26

Keila

Open-source newsletter tool and Mailchimp alternative

AGPL-3.0 · OSIElixirDockerHosted option★ 2,249 as of 2026-10-26

AGPL-3.0 per GitHub license metadata and README.

Pros
  • Official Docker image and sample Compose file
  • Simple campaign and contact management
Cons
  • Smaller community than listmonk or Mautic
  • You need an SMTP or sending provider
WebsiteSourceDeploy on RepoCloud

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-24 · Last verified: 2026-10-26

Sendportal

Self-hosted email marketing on Laravel

MIT · OSIPHP★ 2,181 as of 2026-10-26

MIT per GitHub license metadata.

Pros
  • MIT license
  • Integrates with Amazon SES, Postmark, SendGrid, Mailgun and Mailjet (per README)
Cons
  • Laravel/PHP app to maintain
  • Smaller feature set than Mautic
WebsiteSource

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-22 · Last verified: 2026-10-26

phpList

Long-running open-source newsletter manager

AGPL-3.0 · OSIPHPDockerHosted option★ 877 as of 2026-10-26

AGPL-3.0 per GitHub license metadata.

Pros
  • Mature project with a plugin system
  • Docker images published (phplist/phplist)
Cons
  • Older interface
  • PHP stack to maintain
WebsiteSource

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-19 · Last verified: 2026-10-26

Ghost

Publishing platform with built-in newsletters and paid memberships

MIT · OSITypeScriptHosted option★ 55,611 as of 2026-10-26

MIT per GitHub license metadata.

Pros
  • Blog, newsletter and memberships in one tool
  • MIT license, very active project
Cons
  • A publishing platform, not a general campaign tool
  • Self-hosted bulk newsletters need Mailgun (only supported bulk provider per Ghost docs)
WebsiteSourceDeploy on RepoCloud

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-26 · Last verified: 2026-10-26

Dittofeed

Open-source customer messaging and journey automation

MIT · OSITypeScriptDocker★ 3,024 as of 2026-10-26

MIT per GitHub license metadata. README: a separately licensed closed-source codebase adds features like multi-tenancy, embedding and white-labeling.

Pros
  • Journeys and segments for lifecycle email
  • Docker Compose self-host guide
Cons
  • Aimed at product/lifecycle messaging more than newsletters
  • Some features live in a closed-source edition
WebsiteSourceDeploy on RepoCloud

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-12 · Last verified: 2026-10-26

Plunk

Open-source email platform for transactional and marketing email

AGPL-3.0 · OSITypeScriptDockerHosted option★ 5,545 as of 2026-10-26

AGPL-3.0 per GitHub license metadata and README.

Pros
  • Transactional, marketing and automations in one app
  • Docker image for self-hosting
Cons
  • Younger project with a smaller community
  • You still need an email sending provider configured
WebsiteSourceDeploy on RepoCloud

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-25 · Last verified: 2026-10-26

Not listed (and why)

How to choose

FAQ

Do I still need an email provider if I self-host?

Usually yes. Self-hosted tools manage lists and campaigns, but reliable delivery needs SMTP or a sending API (for example Amazon SES, Mailgun or Postmark). Ghost, for instance, supports Mailgun for bulk newsletters on self-hosted installs.

Are these really open source?

Yes, all listed tools use OSI-approved licenses (AGPL-3.0, GPL-3.0 or MIT). Some vendors also sell hosted plans or closed-source add-ons, which we note on each card.

Why is Mailtrain not listed?

Its GitHub repository is not archived, but the last commit on the default branch was on 2022-12-11, so we do not recommend it for new installs.

“Deploy on RepoCloud” buttons appear only where RepoCloud has a page for that app (6 of 8 listings here). “Website” and “Source” links are not affiliate links.

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