ListmonkvsEmailOctopus

Listmonk vs EmailOctopus

Free self-hosted vs budget-friendly managed

TL;DR

Listmonk is completely free but requires self-hosting. EmailOctopus is the cheapest managed option starting at $24/month for 5k contacts. Both prioritize affordability. Listmonk for technical users wanting maximum savings. EmailOctopus for budget-conscious users wanting ease.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

True Cost
Listmonk wins

Listmonk: $0 software + ~$10 hosting + ~$5 SMTP = ~$15/month. EmailOctopus: $45/month at 10k contacts. Listmonk is cheaper, but the gap isn't as dramatic as "free vs paid" suggests.

Technical Barrier
EmailOctopus wins

Listmonk requires Docker, server management, and SMTP configuration. EmailOctopus requires an email address. For non-technical users, EmailOctopus removes all friction.

Feature Set
EmailOctopus wins

EmailOctopus has basic automation, landing pages, and A/B testing. Listmonk has none of these. Both are simpler than Mailchimp, but EmailOctopus offers more marketing features.

Free Tier

EmailOctopus offers 2,500 subscribers free forever (with limitations). Listmonk is unlimited but requires self-hosting. Both have entry points for budget users.

Scale Cost
Listmonk wins

At 100k subscribers: Listmonk stays ~$20/month. EmailOctopus is ~$260/month. The cost difference compounds dramatically at scale.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

Listmonk
$0/month

Free forever. Only pay for hosting (~$10/mo) and SMTP.

Visit Listmonk
EmailOctopus
$45/month

Pro plan. Core email features, landing pages.

Visit EmailOctopus
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, native Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Listmonk
EmailOctopus
Sequenzy
Cost & Hosting
Software Cost
Free
$45/month at 10k
$49/month at 10k
Free Tier
Always free
2,500 subscribers
Trial only
Hosting
Self-hosted
Fully managed
Fully managed
Hidden Costs
Hosting + SMTP
Minimal
None
Email Features
Email Builder
HTML templates
Simple drag-and-drop
Good builder
Templates
BYO templates
Basic selection
Clean templates
A/B Testing
Analytics
Basic opens/clicks
Good
Good
Marketing Features
Automation
Basic
Event-based
Landing Pages
Forms
Basic embed
Segmentation
Basic lists
Basic
Event-based
Technical
Setup Effort
Docker required
Sign up and start
Sign up and start
Maintenance
Your responsibility
Handled for you
Handled for you
Data Ownership
100% yours
Their servers
Their servers
Support
Community
Email support
Founder support

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Listmonk if you...
  • Technical users maximizing savings
  • High-volume senders
  • Privacy-focused organizations
  • Simple newsletter only use cases
Choose EmailOctopus if you...
  • Budget-conscious non-technical users
  • Small businesses needing landing pages
  • Nonprofits (20% discount)
  • Those wanting simplicity with some features
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies with Stripe billing
  • Teams needing payment-triggered emails
  • Companies wanting SaaS-specific automation
  • Founders preferring subscription lifecycle features

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Focused Features

Neither Listmonk nor EmailOctopus is built for SaaS. Sequenzy offers native Stripe integration and subscription lifecycle automation specifically for SaaS companies.

Similar Pricing to EmailOctopus

At 10k contacts, Sequenzy is $49/month vs EmailOctopus $45/month. Small premium for SaaS-specific features that EmailOctopus lacks.

Behavioral Automation

Listmonk has no automation. EmailOctopus has basic automation. Sequenzy offers event-based behavioral automation designed for SaaS user journeys.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Listmonk and EmailOctopus both serve budget-conscious email marketers, but with different tradeoffs. Listmonk is free but requires self-hosting. EmailOctopus is paid but managed and easy. Both reject the premium pricing of Mailchimp and focus on delivering value.

The Real Cost Comparison

Listmonk total cost: ~$15/month (VPS + SMTP). EmailOctopus at 10k: $45/month. Actual difference: ~$30/month.

The "free vs paid" framing is misleading. Listmonk has hidden costs. EmailOctopus is straightforward. At small scale, the savings are modest. At large scale (100k+ contacts), Listmonk's fixed costs create substantial savings.

Technical Reality

EmailOctopus: Create account, verify domain, start sending. Maybe 30 minutes to first campaign.

Listmonk: Install Docker, deploy container, configure PostgreSQL, set up SMTP provider, manage ongoing server maintenance.

If Docker is unfamiliar territory, EmailOctopus is the pragmatic choice. If you're comfortable with containers, Listmonk's savings are worth the effort.

Feature Comparison

EmailOctopus offers: email builder, basic automation, landing pages, A/B testing, forms, decent analytics.

Listmonk offers: campaigns, list management, HTML templates, basic analytics.

EmailOctopus has more features. Listmonk is deliberately minimal. Both are simpler than Mailchimp, but EmailOctopus offers more marketing tools.

Free Tier Comparison

EmailOctopus: 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/month, limited features. Listmonk: Unlimited everything, but requires self-hosting.

For testing or very small lists, EmailOctopus's managed free tier is convenient. For unlimited free usage, Listmonk wins if you can self-host.

Automation Capabilities

EmailOctopus has basic automation. Drip sequences, simple triggers, nothing fancy. Good enough for welcome sequences.

Listmonk has zero automation. No sequences, no triggers, nothing. Just manual campaign sends.

If you need any automation at all, Listmonk isn't an option.

For Nonprofits

EmailOctopus offers 20% lifetime discount for nonprofits. Already the budget option, now 20% cheaper. Unless the nonprofit has technical staff comfortable with Docker, EmailOctopus makes sense.

For SaaS Companies

Neither is built for SaaS. No Stripe integration. Limited behavioral tracking. For subscription businesses needing payment-aware automation, consider Sequenzy. Similar cost to EmailOctopus with SaaS-specific features.

Making the Choice

Choose Listmonk if you're technical, want maximum savings, and only need basic newsletters. Choose EmailOctopus if you want affordability without self-hosting hassle. For SaaS companies needing subscription lifecycle features, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Listmonk total: ~$15/month (hosting + SMTP). EmailOctopus: $45/month at 10k contacts. Real difference is ~$30/month, not $45. At higher volumes, Listmonk savings grow.

Yes. 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/month. Limited features but functional. Better than most free tiers. Listmonk is better if you can self-host.

Basic automation. Drip sequences and simple triggers. Nothing complex. More than Listmonk (which has none) but less than Mailchimp.

EmailOctopus offers 20% lifetime discount for nonprofits. Already budget-friendly, now even cheaper. Unless the nonprofit has technical staff for Listmonk.

Reliability depends on your SMTP provider and server setup, not the software. With proper configuration, Listmonk is equally reliable.

Yes, basic landing page builder included. Listmonk has no landing page feature. For lead magnets, EmailOctopus helps.

Both scale well technically. Cost-wise, Listmonk scales much better. At 100k contacts, Listmonk saves over $2,800/year compared to EmailOctopus.

Yes. EmailOctopus focuses on core email features without Mailchimp's complexity. Easier to learn, fewer overwhelming options.

Export subscribers from EmailOctopus. Set up Listmonk with Docker. Import subscribers. Configure SMTP. Recreate templates in HTML. Note that automation sequences won't transfer.

Export subscribers from Listmonk. Import into EmailOctopus. Recreate templates using their builder. Set up automations you couldn't do in Listmonk. Update forms to EmailOctopus embeds.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com