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listmonk

listmonk.app

Free plan Open source WebWindowsmacOSLinuxAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.7 #1 of 21 in Mailing List Management Software

What it is

listmonk is a free, open-source, self-hosted manager for newsletters and one-way mailing lists. It supports single- and double-opt-in subscriber lists, SQL-expression segmentation and management of millions of subscribers. Built-in analytics cover campaign performance, bounces and top links. Email templates can use Go expressions and functions, and can be built with a drag-and-drop editor, WYSIWYG editor, Markdown, HTML or plain text. For campaign delivery, listmonk runs multithreaded email queues across multiple SMTP connections and supports throughput and sliding-window rate limits. Its API sends transactional messages from predefined templates, including through messenger interfaces for email, SMS and WhatsApp. Campaign messages can also go as JSON to messenger web services for delivery through services such as SMS or FCM. Dashboard features are available through REST-like HTTP APIs using JSON, with BasicAuth or authorization tokens. Authentication includes OIDC single sign-on, and user and list roles support granular permissions. The software offers binaries for Linux, macOS, Windows and other operating systems, plus a Docker image. Running listmonk requires PostgreSQL version 12 or later.

Spec sheet

What it does
listmonk is a self-hosted newsletter, one-way mailing-list and transactional-message manager delivered as a single binary.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Product
listmonk is a self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager for one-way mailing lists.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Free plan
YesRead 22 Sep 2026 · listmonk.app
API
All dashboard features are available through REST-like HTTP APIs using JSON, with BasicAuth or authorization tokens.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Integrations
Messenger web services can receive campaign messages as JSON for delivery through services such as SMS or FCM.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Analytics
Built-in analytics cover campaign performance, bounces, and top links.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
API documentation
An automatically generated OpenAPI/Swagger specification is provided.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Architecture
The application uses a Go backend, a Vue/Buefy frontend and PostgreSQL as its only runtime database dependency.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Authentication
The product includes OIDC single sign-on, granular roles and permissions, and API tokens.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Authentication and roles
It supports OIDC single sign-on and user and list roles with granular permissions.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Campaign analytics
Built-in analytics cover campaign performance, bounces and top links.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Deployment options
Official instructions cover binaries, Docker Compose, source builds and a community Kubernetes Helm chart.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Email templates
Templates support Go expressions and functions, a drag-and-drop builder, a WYSIWYG editor, Markdown, HTML, and plain text.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
External integration
External systems can synchronize subscribers through APIs, CSV import or direct access to simple subscriber and list tables.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Independent technical assessment
Doolpa describes listmonk as a single Go binary backed by PostgreSQL with no separate worker, Redis or message broker.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doolpa.com
Infrastructure requirement
Running listmonk requires a PostgreSQL database, version 12 or later.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Installation requirement
Binary installation requires a PostgreSQL database version 12 or newer.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Latest release
The homepage identifies version 6.2.0 as released on 26 June 2026.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Launch date
Product Hunt lists listmonk as launched in 2019.Read 15 Oct 2026 · producthunt.com
Limit: automation
Doolpa says the product lacks visual journey and marketing-automation flows, requiring scripting or external tooling for those workflows.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doolpa.com
Limit: deliverability responsibility
Doolpa says operators must handle deliverability, IP warming, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and sender reputation themselves.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doolpa.com
Limit: setup complexity
Doolpa identifies a steep setup curve for non-technical users because deployment involves infrastructure and database administration.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doolpa.com
Limit: SQL segmentation
Doolpa reports that SQL-first segmentation is powerful but unsuitable for operators who expect a visual segment builder.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doolpa.com
Maker company funding
Zerodha’s technology blog says the company has never raised external funding and has remained profitable year over year.Read 15 Oct 2026 · zerodha.tech
Maker role
Zerodha identifies Dr. Kailash Nadh as its CTO and the person behind the company’s technology and products.Read 15 Oct 2026 · zerodha.com
Messenger extensibility
HTTP messenger endpoints can deliver SMS, FCM and other non-email campaigns, with community implementations for services including AWS Pinpoint, Mailersend, Novu, FCM and Resend.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Nightly-build warning
The documentation says nightly builds are untested and may contain bugs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Open source
The software is free and open source under the AGPLv3 license.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Open-source licence
The project is free software licensed under AGPLv3.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Operating systems
The download page offers 64-bit binaries for Darwin, FreeBSD, Linux, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and Windows, as well as a Docker image.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Praise: cost and ownership
Doolpa praises the free AGPL model, self-hosting and avoiding per-subscriber fees for technical teams.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doolpa.com
Praise: ease of use
Product Hunt reviewers describe listmonk as intuitive, easy to use and capable for newsletters and campaigns.Read 15 Oct 2026 · producthunt.com
Privacy controls
Subscribers can export or erase their data through privacy features documented as aimed at GDPR compliance.Read 15 Oct 2026 · nadh.in
Project popularity
The GitHub repository shows about 23.8k stars, 2.7k forks and AGPL-3.0 licensing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Public API
Dashboard capabilities are exposed through JSON REST-like HTTP APIs supporting BasicAuth and authorization tokens.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Rating on Product Hunt
5.0 out of 5 from 3 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · producthunt.com
SDKs
The documentation lists community clients and integrations for Python, PHP, Go, Ruby, Node.js, Java/Kotlin, Laravel, Nuxt, Terraform, WordPress, Ghost and n8n, while warning they are unofficial.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Security reporting
Security vulnerabilities are requested through GitHub security advisories, and some issues such as CSV formula injection are explicitly excluded from the project's security scope.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Segmentation
Subscribers can be queried and segmented with SQL expressions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Sending
The software provides multithreaded email queues across multiple SMTP connections, with throughput and sliding-window rate limits.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Sending performance
The homepage describes multithreaded multi-SMTP queues, rate limiting and a production campaign exceeding seven million emails with peak RAM of 57 MB.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Subscriber scale
Its homepage says it can manage millions of subscribers across single- and double-opt-in lists.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Subscribers
It supports single- and double-opt-in lists and says users can manage millions of subscribers and segment them with SQL expressions.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Supported binaries
The homepage offers 64-bit downloads for Darwin, FreeBSD, Linux, NetBSD, OpenBSD and Windows.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Template editors
Email content can be authored with a drag-and-drop builder, WYSIWYG editor, Markdown, raw HTML or plain text.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Template language
Templates support Go expressions and more than 100 Sprig utility functions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Transactional messages
Its API can send transactional messages using predefined templates, including through messenger interfaces for email, SMS, and WhatsApp.Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Transactional messaging
A transactional API sends arbitrary messages using saved templates.Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app

Plans and prices

Self-hosted Free Free and open source; requires a PostgreSQL database Read 4 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app
Self-hosted listmonk Free single binary · PostgreSQL database required · unlimited subscribers, lists and campaigns stated Read 15 Oct 2026 · listmonk.app

Every listmonk plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free and open source under AGPLv3.
  • Segments subscribers with SQL expressions.
  • Supports multiple template formats and editors.
  • Dashboard features are available through HTTP APIs.
  • Offers OIDC single sign-on and granular roles.

Limits

  • Requires self-hosting.
  • Requires PostgreSQL version 12 or later.
  • Designed for one-way mailing lists.

Who it suits

listmonk suits teams that want to host their own one-way mailing-list and newsletter system and can run PostgreSQL 12 or later.

listmonk in depth

Read the full write-up

listmonk is open-source software for managing one-way newsletters and mailing lists. It suits operators who want control over subscriber data, campaign delivery and API workflows; its value depends on being willing to run the service and its database.

Its combination of SQL-based segmentation, flexible templates and sending controls is unusually capable for a free tool. The trade-off is practical: PostgreSQL 12 or later and self-managed infrastructure are requirements, not optional extras.

Overview

Released under the AGPLv3 license, listmonk brings list management, campaign sending and analytics into a self-hosted application. Single- and double-opt-in options accommodate different signup workflows, while SQL expressions let operators define subscriber segments with precision. The project says it can manage millions of subscribers, which makes it relevant to large lists as well as teams with more specialized segmentation needs.

That flexibility comes with operational responsibility. You provide the PostgreSQL database and manage the deployment, so listmonk is a poor fit for organizations seeking a hosted service that handles infrastructure for them.

Key features

Campaign analytics cover performance, bounces and top links. These give operators useful feedback on delivery and engagement, though listmonk remains a tool for managing campaigns rather than a substitute for the infrastructure that sends them.

Sending uses multithreaded email queues across multiple SMTP connections, with throughput controls and sliding-window rate limits. This gives operators ways to tune delivery pace across connections, but also means delivery depends on the SMTP services they configure and maintain.

Template options range from Go expressions and functions to a drag-and-drop builder, WYSIWYG editor, Markdown, HTML and plain text. The breadth serves both custom, logic-driven messages and visual editing workflows. The API exposes dashboard features through JSON over REST-like HTTP endpoints, using BasicAuth or authorization tokens. It can also send transactional messages from predefined templates, including through email, SMS and WhatsApp messenger interfaces. Messenger web services can receive campaign messages as JSON for delivery through services such as SMS or FCM.

OIDC single sign-on and granular user and list roles help teams control access. The combination is useful where multiple people operate lists, although deployment and administration remain the user's responsibility.

Pricing

listmonk's self-hosted plan costs nothing. It includes free, open-source software, but requires a PostgreSQL database; the price does not remove the work of providing and operating the deployment. There are no paid tiers or seat, subscriber or sending quotas stated for this plan. The project says it can manage millions of subscribers, but that is not a promise of infrastructure capacity supplied with the software.

There is no hosted plan in the stated offering. Choose listmonk when avoiding software fees and retaining deployment control matter more than having a provider run the service; choose a hosted alternative if you want a service with a defined free subscriber or sending allowance instead.

Platforms

The product is available as a web application and supports API use, with self-hosted deployment across Linux, macOS and Windows among the stated platforms. Its download page also offers 64-bit binaries for Darwin, FreeBSD, Linux, NetBSD, OpenBSD and Windows, plus a Docker image. PostgreSQL 12 or later is required, so platform compatibility does not remove the need to provision and maintain a database.

Who it's for

listmonk is best for technically capable operators who want to run their own newsletter system, need SQL-defined subscriber segments, or want to integrate campaigns and transactional messages through APIs. Its roles and OIDC support also make it a plausible option for teams that need differentiated access.

It is not the right choice for a reader who wants a managed mailing service, turnkey infrastructure or a simple setup without database administration. The software is free; the operational commitment is not.

Pros and cons

Pros: Free, AGPLv3-licensed software combines subscriber management, campaign analytics and API access without a stated subscriber cap.

Pros: SQL-expression segmentation and support for millions of subscribers suit large or finely segmented lists.

Pros: Flexible templates, SMTP queue controls and transactional messaging support a range of sending workflows.

Cons: Self-hosting and PostgreSQL 12 or later put deployment, database and maintenance work on the operator.

Cons: Sending controls do not supply SMTP service; operators must configure the connections and delivery infrastructure themselves.

Alternatives

Curated is worth considering for readers who prefer a hosted tool with a free allowance of 1,500 subscribers and a paid monthly tier for 1,501–2,500 subscribers at $39 a month. Substack is a different option for readers who want a free-to-start newsletter platform with no platform fees, tiers or contracts, rather than self-hosted software.

Sympa is another free, self-hosted choice, but its setup calls for administrator-managed mail, database and web-server components. Email Fast may suit readers who want a hosted free plan that never expires, with 2,500 emails per month, unlimited contacts and subscribers, and one sending domain; its free messages include “Sent with Email Fast.”

phpList offers a Forever Free plan with 300 messages and unlimited subscribers, making its stated allowance more explicit for readers comparing free sending limits. Audienceful is a hosted alternative with a free plan for 1,000 contacts, one team collaborator and one automated journey; its Essentials plan costs $29 a month billed yearly.

Dada Mail is another option for readers considering a self-hosted mailing-list tool. Mailtrain is also free and self-hosted, with a recommended minimum of 2 vCPU and 4096 MB RAM for its v2 plan.

For broader comparisons, see Newsletter Platforms and Email Marketing Software.

Verdict

Choose listmonk if you want a free, open-source system you can operate yourself and value SQL segmentation, flexible messaging and API control. Its defining advantage is the breadth of capability without a software fee; its defining cost is the PostgreSQL-backed deployment you must manage. If that responsibility is a deal-breaker, choose a hosted alternative instead.

Verdict

listmonk provides broad mailing-list, campaign and API capabilities for operators managing their own deployment. Its PostgreSQL requirement and self-hosted model are central setup considerations.

Where Specifiction places it

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