Best Self-Hosted Newsletter Platforms

Quick Picks

Use Case	Best Choice	Why
Best overall	Listmonk	Fast, clean UI, handles millions of subscribers, single Go binary + PostgreSQL
Best Mailchimp replacement	Keila	Closest to the Mailchimp workflow — visual editor, automation, built-in analytics
Best for marketing automation	Mautic	Full-stack marketing platform — campaigns, lead scoring, landing pages, CRM integration
Best legacy workhorse	phpList	Battle-tested over 20 years, handles massive lists, extensive plugin ecosystem
Best for mailing lists	GNU Mailman	Purpose-built for discussion lists with archives, moderation, and reply threading

Our Recommendation

Listmonk is the best self-hosted newsletter platform for the vast majority of people. It is fast, resource-efficient, dead simple to deploy, and handles everything from a 500-subscriber personal blog newsletter to a multi-million subscriber operation without breaking a sweat. The UI is clean and modern, the templating system is powerful, and it connects to any SMTP provider you throw at it. If you are migrating off Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or Substack and you want something that just works, start with Listmonk.

If you need visual drag-and-drop email building and Mailchimp-style automation flows, look at Keila. If you need a full marketing automation suite with lead scoring, landing pages, and CRM integration, Mautic is the right tool — but it is significantly heavier. phpList and Mailman serve niche roles: phpList for organizations with legacy PHP infrastructure, and Mailman for actual mailing list discussions (not newsletters).

Full Feature Comparison

Feature	Listmonk	Keila	Mautic	phpList	GNU Mailman
Primary use	Newsletters	Newsletters	Marketing automation	Newsletters	Mailing lists
Language	Go	Elixir	PHP	PHP	Python
Web UI	Modern, fast	Clean, Mailchimp-like	Full dashboard	Functional, dated	Admin panel + Postorius
Visual email editor	Markdown + HTML	Drag-and-drop MJML	Drag-and-drop builder	HTML + plugins	Plain text / HTML
API	REST API, full-featured	REST API	REST API, extensive	REST API	REST API (Core + Postorius)
Template system	Go templates, powerful	MJML-based	Twig templates	Custom engine	Minimal
Automation / drip	Transactional API	Basic sequences	Advanced multi-step flows	Scheduled campaigns	Digest mode only
Analytics	Open/click tracking	Open/click/unsubscribe	Full funnel analytics	Open/click tracking	Bounce tracking
Bounce handling	Built-in (POP/IMAP)	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in (LMTP)
Unsubscribe	One-click, per-list	One-click	One-click	One-click	One-click
Docker support	Official Compose	Official Compose	Community images	Community images	Official Compose
Multi-user / roles	Admin users	Multi-user + roles	Full RBAC	Admin + super admin	List owners + moderators
Segmentation	SQL-based, flexible	Tag and behavior-based	Advanced contact segments	Attribute-based	None
SMTP flexibility	Any external SMTP	Any external SMTP	Any external SMTP + built-in	Any SMTP, direct send	MTA integration (Postfix)
Resource usage	~50 MB RAM	~200 MB RAM	~512 MB+ RAM	~128 MB RAM	~150 MB RAM

The Full Ranking

1. Listmonk — Best Overall

Listmonk is a high-performance, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager written in Go. It ships as a single binary backed by PostgreSQL and handles millions of subscribers without flinching. The web UI is fast and uncluttered — managing lists, writing campaigns, and reviewing analytics all feel responsive even on modest hardware.

Listmonk uses Go’s html/template engine for email composition, which means you write templates in HTML with template tags. There is no drag-and-drop visual editor — if that is a dealbreaker, look at Keila. What you get instead is speed and control: campaigns send fast (multi-threaded SMTP workers), subscriber imports are near-instant, and the SQL-based segmentation lets you build any query you can imagine.

The transactional API is solid for triggered emails (welcome sequences, password resets). Bounce handling works over POP3 or IMAP. You can connect any external SMTP relay — Amazon SES, Mailgun, Postmark, or your own Postfix server.

Docker Compose for Listmonk

services:
  listmonk:
    image: listmonk/listmonk:v6.0.0
    container_name: listmonk_app
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "9000:9000"
    environment:
      # Database connection
      - LISTMONK_db__host=listmonk_db
      - LISTMONK_db__port=5432
      - LISTMONK_db__user=listmonk
      - LISTMONK_db__password=CHANGE_ME_strong_password
      - LISTMONK_db__database=listmonk
      - LISTMONK_db__ssl_mode=disable
      # App config
      - LISTMONK_app__address=0.0.0.0:9000
      # Auto-create admin user on first start (change these)
      - LISTMONK_ADMIN_USER=admin
      - LISTMONK_ADMIN_PASSWORD=CHANGE_ME_admin_password
    volumes:
      - listmonk-uploads:/listmonk/uploads
    networks:
      - listmonk
    depends_on:
      listmonk_db:
        condition: service_healthy

  listmonk_db:
    image: postgres:17-alpine
    container_name: listmonk_db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=listmonk
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=CHANGE_ME_strong_password
      - POSTGRES_DB=listmonk
    volumes:
      - listmonk-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    networks:
      - listmonk
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U listmonk"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 6

volumes:
  listmonk-data:
  listmonk-uploads:

networks:
  listmonk:

Start the stack:

docker compose up -d

Access the web UI at http://your-server:9000. Log in with the admin credentials you set in the environment variables. Configure your SMTP relay under Settings > SMTP and send a test email before launching your first campaign.

Pros:

• Extremely fast — handles millions of subscribers on modest hardware
• Clean, modern web UI with responsive design
• Powerful SQL-based subscriber segmentation
• Multi-threaded sending with configurable concurrency
• Built-in bounce processing (POP3/IMAP)
• Transactional email API for triggered sends
• Subscriber import/export via CSV
• Minimal resource footprint (~50 MB RAM idle)
• Active development — v6.0.0 released January 2026 with 2FA and email password reset

Cons:

• No visual drag-and-drop email editor (HTML + Go templates only)
• No built-in automation sequences (use the transactional API or an external trigger)
• Limited role-based access (admin users only, no granular permissions)
• Single-language UI (English, though community translations exist)

Best for: Anyone who wants a fast, reliable, no-nonsense newsletter platform. Personal blogs, developer newsletters, company announcements, high-volume transactional email.

Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Listmonk

2. Keila — Best Mailchimp Replacement

Keila is an Elixir-based newsletter tool that feels like a self-hosted Mailchimp. It has a visual drag-and-drop email editor built on MJML, contact segmentation with tags and behavioral filters, basic automation sequences, and built-in analytics with open/click tracking. The UI is polished and approachable — non-technical team members can use it without training.

Keila runs on the BEAM VM (Erlang/Elixir), which gives it excellent concurrency handling. It uses PostgreSQL for storage. Setup requires Docker Compose with a Postgres container and the Keila app. SMTP configuration supports any external relay.

Pros:

• Visual drag-and-drop email editor (MJML-based, responsive output)
• Mailchimp-like workflow that non-technical users understand
• Contact segmentation with tags and interaction-based filters
• Built-in analytics dashboard
• Multi-user support with role-based permissions
• Clean, modern interface
• Newsletter archive feature (added in v0.18.0)

Cons:

• Smaller community than Listmonk or Mautic
• Fewer integrations and plugins
• Higher resource usage than Listmonk (~200 MB RAM)
• Less battle-tested at very high subscriber counts
• Release cadence has slowed (v0.18.0 in January 2025)

Best for: Teams migrating from Mailchimp who want a visual editor and familiar workflow without the monthly bill. Marketing teams that need a tool their non-technical colleagues can use.

Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Keila

3. Mautic — Best for Marketing Automation

Mautic is not just a newsletter tool — it is a full open-source marketing automation platform. Email campaigns are one piece of a larger system that includes landing page creation, form builders, lead scoring, contact lifecycle stages, multi-channel campaigns (email + SMS + push), CRM integrations, and detailed funnel analytics. If you need Marketo or HubSpot capabilities without the five-figure annual contract, Mautic is the only serious self-hosted option.

Mautic is PHP-based and runs on MySQL/MariaDB with either Apache or Nginx. The Docker setup is more involved than Listmonk or Keila — you are deploying a full LAMP stack. Resource requirements are significantly higher (512 MB RAM minimum, 1-2 GB recommended). The v7.0.0 release (January 2026) brought Symfony 7.3 and PHP 8.4 support.

Pros:

• Full marketing automation — campaigns, lead scoring, landing pages, forms
• Advanced multi-step drip campaigns with conditional branching
• Drag-and-drop email builder
• Contact lifecycle management with CRM integration
• Multi-channel: email, SMS, web notifications, social
• Extensive plugin marketplace
• Large community (backed by Acquia/Mautic Inc.)
• Detailed funnel and attribution analytics

Cons:

• Heavy — 512 MB to 2 GB RAM depending on usage
• Complex setup and configuration
• PHP/MySQL stack requires more maintenance than Go or Elixir alternatives
• Steeper learning curve (this is an enterprise tool)
• Cron jobs required for campaign processing and email queue
• Can feel sluggish on underpowered servers

Best for: Businesses that need marketing automation, not just newsletters. Lead nurturing, multi-step drip campaigns, landing pages, contact scoring. If “send a newsletter” is your entire requirement, Mautic is overkill.

Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Mautic

4. phpList — Legacy Workhorse

phpList has been sending newsletters since 2000. It is not pretty, but it is reliable and battle-tested at scale. Organizations with hundreds of thousands of subscribers have run phpList for years without issues. It handles bounce processing, throttled sending, subscriber management, and basic analytics. The plugin system extends functionality for templating, SMTP routing, and subscriber data management.

phpList runs on PHP + MySQL — the same stack that powers WordPress. If your server already runs PHP applications, phpList drops in with minimal overhead.

Pros:

• 20+ years of production use — extremely stable
• Handles large subscriber lists (tested to 500K+)
• Extensive plugin ecosystem
• Built-in bounce processing and throttled sending
• Attribute-based subscriber segmentation
• Low resource usage (~128 MB RAM)
• Active open-source community

Cons:

• Dated UI — functional but not modern
• No official Docker image (community-maintained options exist)
• No visual drag-and-drop editor without plugins
• Limited API compared to newer alternatives
• PHP/MySQL stack feels heavy compared to Go-based tools
• Documentation is adequate but not exceptional

Best for: Organizations already running PHP infrastructure that need a proven, stable newsletter system. High subscriber counts where reliability matters more than aesthetics.

Read our full guide: How to Self-Host phpList

5. GNU Mailman — Best for Discussion Lists

GNU Mailman is fundamentally different from the other tools on this list. It is a mailing list manager, not a newsletter platform. Mailman handles discussion lists where subscribers reply to each other, with moderation, archiving (via HyperKitty), and threading. Think IETF working groups, open-source project lists, and university department communications — not marketing campaigns.

Mailman 3 consists of three components: Mailman Core (the engine), Postorius (the web admin UI), and HyperKitty (the web archive). It integrates with Postfix or Exim as the MTA. The Docker setup uses the official maxking/mailman-docker images.

Pros:

• Purpose-built for discussion lists with reply threading
• HyperKitty web archive with search
• Sophisticated moderation tools (held messages, bans, content filters)
• Postfix/Exim integration for reliable delivery
• DKIM, SPF, and DMARC handling built into the MTA layer
• Established project with decades of mailing list heritage

Cons:

• Not designed for marketing newsletters or campaigns
• No visual email editor — discussion lists are plain text or basic HTML
• Complex setup (three separate components + MTA configuration)
• Requires Postfix or Exim knowledge
• No analytics beyond basic delivery stats
• No segmentation, automation, or drip campaigns

Best for: Organizations that need actual mailing lists — discussion groups, announcement lists with reply capability, community forums via email. If you want to send a one-way newsletter, use Listmonk instead.

Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Mailman

Delivery: The Part That Actually Matters

Self-hosting a newsletter platform is easy. Getting your emails into inboxes instead of spam folders is the hard part. Every tool on this list can connect to an external SMTP relay, and you should use one. Sending directly from your server IP will land in spam at Gmail and Outlook unless you have a pristine IP reputation and perfect DNS configuration.

Recommended SMTP relays for self-hosted newsletter platforms:

• Amazon SES — $0.10 per 1,000 emails. Best value at scale.
• Postmark — excellent deliverability, $1.25 per 1,000 emails. Best for transactional + newsletter combo.
• Mailgun — $0.80 per 1,000 emails after the free tier. Good API.
• Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — 300 free emails/day. Good for small lists.

Regardless of which SMTP relay you use, configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domain. Every platform on this list supports custom SMTP, so the relay choice is independent of the newsletter tool.

How We Evaluated

We assessed each platform on five criteria:

1. Ease of deployment — How fast can you go from zero to sending? Docker Compose setup complexity, dependency count, first-run experience.
2. Sending performance — Throughput at scale, multi-threaded sending, queue management, bounce handling.
3. UI and editor quality — Is the interface modern? Can non-technical users compose emails? Template system power.
4. Resource efficiency — RAM and CPU footprint at idle and under load. Self-hosting should not require a dedicated server for a newsletter tool.
5. Community and maintenance — Is the project actively maintained? How large is the community? How responsive are maintainers to issues?

Listmonk scored highest overall because it is the strongest on criteria 1, 2, and 4, and competitive on 3 and 5. Keila wins on editor quality. Mautic wins on feature breadth but loses on simplicity and resources.

Related

• How to Self-Host Listmonk
• How to Self-Host Keila
• How to Self-Host Mautic
• How to Self-Host phpList
• How to Self-Host GNU Mailman
• Listmonk vs Keila
• Listmonk vs Mautic
• Mautic vs Mailchimp
• Self-Hosted Alternatives to Mailchimp
• Self-Hosted Alternatives to Substack
• Best Self-Hosted Email Servers
• Docker Compose Basics
• Reverse Proxy Explained