Mautic vs Mailchimp: Self-Hosted Marketing Power
Quick Verdict
Mautic gives you everything Mailchimp does — and more — without per-subscriber pricing. If you’re paying Mailchimp $100+/month for marketing automation, Mautic does the same job on a $5/month VPS. The trade-off is setup complexity and self-maintenance. For anyone comfortable with Docker, that trade-off is worth it.
Overview
Mailchimp (now owned by Intuit) is the most popular email marketing platform. Free tier up to 500 contacts, paid plans from $13/month scaling with subscriber count. Known for its user-friendly interface but increasingly expensive as lists grow.
Mautic is a self-hosted, open-source marketing automation platform. It matches Mailchimp’s email features and adds marketing automation, lead scoring, landing pages, and CRM integration — all running on your own server with no per-subscriber fees.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Mautic (Self-Hosted) | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Email campaigns | Yes | Yes |
| Marketing automation | Yes (visual builder) | Yes (paid plans) |
| Landing pages | Yes | Yes (paid plans) |
| Contact forms | Yes | Yes |
| Lead scoring | Yes | No |
| A/B testing | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic content | Yes | Yes (limited) |
| Subscriber segmentation | Advanced filters | Tag/segment based |
| CRM integration | Salesforce, SugarCRM, API | Limited integrations |
| Transactional email | Yes | Via Mandrill (separate product) |
| SMS campaigns | Yes (via plugins) | Yes (US only, paid) |
| Open/click tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Custom reporting | Yes | Yes (paid plans) |
| API | REST | REST |
| GDPR tools | Built-in | Built-in |
| Subscriber limit | Unlimited (your hardware) | Tiered by plan |
| Monthly cost (10K contacts) | $0 (self-hosted) | $100+/month |
| Monthly cost (50K contacts) | $0 (self-hosted) | $350+/month |
| Data ownership | Full — your server | Intuit’s servers |
Cost Comparison
This is where self-hosting wins decisively. Mailchimp’s pricing scales with subscriber count:
| Subscribers | Mailchimp Standard | Mautic (Self-Hosted) |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | Free (limited) | $5/month VPS |
| 2,500 | $45/month | $5/month VPS |
| 10,000 | $100/month | $5/month VPS |
| 25,000 | $230/month | $5-10/month VPS |
| 50,000 | $350/month | $10-20/month VPS |
| 100,000 | $700+/month | $20-40/month VPS |
Note: Self-hosted email sending requires an SMTP relay (Amazon SES at ~$0.10/1000 emails, or Mailgun, Postmark, etc.). Even with relay costs, self-hosting is dramatically cheaper at scale.
Annual savings with 25K subscribers: ~$2,700/year by switching from Mailchimp to Mautic.
Installation Complexity
Mailchimp: sign up, verify email, start sending. Zero infrastructure.
Mautic: deploy via Docker Compose (4 containers — web, worker, cron, MySQL), configure SMTP relay, set up the installer wizard, configure cron jobs for campaign processing. The official Docker setup uses three containers from the same image differentiated by DOCKER_MAUTIC_ROLE.
Mautic requires more initial effort, but the Docker Compose deployment is well-documented and works reliably. Budget 30-60 minutes for first-time setup including SMTP configuration.
Winner: Mailchimp — zero setup. But Mautic’s setup is a one-time cost that pays for itself immediately.
Performance and Resource Usage
Mailchimp handles infrastructure for you — no server management, automatic scaling, guaranteed deliverability.
Mautic on a VPS with 2 GB RAM handles lists up to ~50,000 contacts comfortably. For larger lists, increase RAM and tune MySQL. Email throughput depends on your SMTP relay, not Mautic itself.
| Metric | Mautic | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB (small lists) | N/A (SaaS) |
| Recommended RAM | 2-4 GB | N/A |
| Email throughput | Limited by SMTP relay | High (managed) |
| Deliverability | Your reputation + relay | Mailchimp’s reputation |
Deliverability note: Mailchimp’s shared infrastructure means your deliverability depends on other users’ behavior too. With Mautic + a dedicated SMTP relay, you control your own sender reputation.
Use Cases
Choose Mautic If…
- Your subscriber list exceeds 5,000 contacts (cost savings become significant)
- You need full data ownership and GDPR compliance on your terms
- You want marketing automation features without enterprise pricing
- Lead scoring and CRM integration matter to your workflow
- You’re comfortable with Docker and basic server management
- You don’t want Intuit analyzing your subscriber data
Choose Mailchimp If…
- Your list is under 500 contacts and you want zero maintenance
- You need polished, pre-built email templates with drag-and-drop editing
- Deliverability management is something you’d rather not think about
- You’re a non-technical user who needs to send newsletters occasionally
- Integration with Shopify, WordPress, or other Mailchimp-native plugins matters
Final Verdict
Mautic is the right choice for anyone with a growing email list and basic Docker skills. The cost savings alone justify the switch — $100+/month for Mailchimp becomes $5-10/month for a VPS plus pennies per email through SES. You get more features (lead scoring, advanced automation, landing pages) and full data ownership.
Mailchimp still makes sense for very small lists or non-technical users who value convenience over cost and control. But the moment your list hits 2,500+ contacts, Mailchimp’s pricing becomes hard to justify when Mautic exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to migrate from Mailchimp to Mautic?
Export your Mailchimp subscribers as CSV and import into Mautic. Subscriber data transfers cleanly. Campaign templates need to be recreated — Mautic uses a different templating system. Automation workflows must be rebuilt manually.
Does Mautic handle deliverability as well as Mailchimp?
Deliverability depends more on your SMTP relay than the sending platform. Using a reputable relay like Amazon SES or Mailgun with proper SPF/DKIM/DMARC configuration gives you deliverability comparable to Mailchimp.
Can Mautic replace Mailchimp’s landing page builder?
Yes. Mautic includes a landing page builder with templates and custom HTML support. It’s less polished than Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop builder but fully functional.
Is Mautic harder to maintain than Mailchimp?
Yes. You manage updates, backups, server security, and SMTP configuration. With Docker, updates are docker compose pull && docker compose up -d. Budget 30 minutes/month for maintenance.
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