Best Self-Hosted Mailchimp Alternatives (2026)
The best self-hosted Mailchimp alternatives in 2026 are EazyEmailer, Listmonk, Sendy, Mautic, Maillayer and MailCheap. All let you send through a low-cost service like Amazon SES instead of paying per subscriber. Listmonk is the best free option, Mautic the most powerful automation, and EazyEmailer, Sendy and Maillayer the simplest paid options.
Why look for a self-hosted Mailchimp alternative?
Mailchimp and similar tools price by contact count, so the bill grows with your list even if you send less. Self-hosted tools let you pay a sending service per email, often $0.10 per 1,000 on Amazon SES. See the math in How much does it cost to send 1 million emails?
Comparison at a glance
Prices and features checked on each vendor's site on 31 October 2026.
| Tool | Pricing model | Sends through | Setup effort | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EazyEmailer | One-time licence, $30 | Amazon SES | Low | Founders who want a simple dashboard on SES |
| Listmonk | Free, open source | Any SMTP, including SES | Medium | Technical teams that want free and flexible |
| Sendy | One-time licence | Amazon SES | Medium (PHP hosting) | Long-time SES users who like a proven tool |
| Mautic | Free, open source | Any SMTP | High | Marketing teams needing complex automation |
| Maillayer | Lifetime licence | Several providers | Low | Developers wanting a Resend-style dashboard |
| MailCheap | Open source; hosted plans also sold | Its own infrastructure when hosted | Low (hosted) | Newsletter writers leaving beehiiv |
1. EazyEmailer
A self-hosted email marketing app built on Amazon SES, with no monthly or per-subscriber fees. You deploy it, connect SES and manage contacts and campaigns from one dashboard. It costs $30 once, with the full source code and free updates. Contacts live in groups and import from CSV, campaigns go out as plain text or HTML templates, and a contacts API lets your app add people automatically.
Choose it if: you want SES pricing without building or maintaining a complex tool.
2. Listmonk
A fast, free, open-source newsletter and mailing-list manager distributed as a single binary. It supports large lists, templates and multiple SMTP servers.
Choose it if: you're comfortable with self-hosting and want zero licence cost.
3. Sendy
One of the oldest SES-based newsletter apps, sold as a one-time licence and run on PHP hosting.
Choose it if: you want a mature tool with a long track record and don't mind a dated interface.
4. Mautic
A full open-source marketing automation platform with campaigns, segments, forms and lead scoring.
Choose it if: you need serious automation and have the time to run a heavier app.
5. Maillayer
A newer self-hosted platform positioned as a Resend alternative, covering campaigns, sequences and transactional API, with multiple providers.
Choose it if: you're a developer who wants transactional and marketing email in one dashboard.
6. MailCheap
A newsletter platform built as a cheaper alternative to beehiiv, priced per email sent. It is open source and also offered as a hosted service.
Choose it if: you run a newsletter and prefer a hosted service with low prices.
How do I choose?
- Want free and technical? Listmonk
- Want heavy automation? Mautic
- Want simple, paid, on SES? EazyEmailer or Sendy
- Want hosted but cheap? MailCheap
Whichever you pick, set up authentication and warm up first; see Self-hosted email marketing: the complete guide.
FAQ
What is the cheapest Mailchimp alternative?
Listmonk is free software. Your only costs are a server and the sending service, such as about $0.10 per 1,000 emails on SES.
Can I import my Mailchimp list?
Yes. Export contacts as CSV, including unsubscribed and cleaned contacts, then import them and keep unsubscribes suppressed.
Will my deliverability get worse?
Not if you authenticate your domain and warm it up. Amazon SES's shared IPs have good reputations.
Do self-hosted tools have email templates?
Most do. Check each tool's editor before you buy.