ListmonkvsMailerLite

Listmonk vs MailerLite

Free self-hosted vs affordable managed platform

TL;DR

Listmonk is free, open-source, and self-hosted. MailerLite is an affordable managed platform starting at $10/month. Listmonk saves money but requires technical skills. MailerLite costs money but is easy to use. Different approaches for different priorities.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Cost Structure
Listmonk wins

Listmonk is free but you pay for hosting (~$10/month) and SMTP. MailerLite costs $39/month at 10k subscribers. Annual savings with Listmonk are real but modest at this scale. At higher volumes, Listmonk savings compound.

Ease of Use
MailerLite wins

MailerLite is designed for non-technical users. Drag-and-drop editor, visual automation, templates. Listmonk requires Docker knowledge and HTML templates. For most users, MailerLite is dramatically easier.

Feature Set
MailerLite wins

MailerLite offers automation, landing pages, website builder, forms, e-commerce integration. Listmonk sends newsletters. Period. No automation, no landing pages. Feature gap is significant.

Data Control
Listmonk wins

With Listmonk, your subscriber data stays on your server. Complete ownership. With MailerLite, data is on their infrastructure. For privacy-focused users, Listmonk's self-hosted model wins.

Scalability Cost
Listmonk wins

At 100k subscribers: Listmonk still ~$20/month total. MailerLite jumps to $289/month. The cost difference grows dramatically at scale. High-volume senders save substantially with Listmonk.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

Listmonk
$0/month

Free forever. Hosting (~$10/mo) and SMTP costs only.

Visit Listmonk
MailerLite
$39/month

Growing Business plan. Includes automation and landing pages.

Visit MailerLite
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, native Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Listmonk
MailerLite
Sequenzy
Cost & Hosting
Software Cost
Free
$39/month at 10k
$49/month at 10k
Free Plan
Always free
1,000 subscribers
Trial only
Hosting
Self-hosted (Docker)
Fully managed
Fully managed
Maintenance
Your responsibility
They handle it
They handle it
Email Features
Email Builder
HTML templates
Drag-and-drop
Good builder
Templates
BYO templates
Large library
Clean templates
A/B Testing
Analytics
Basic
Comprehensive
Good
Marketing Features
Automation
Visual workflows
Event-based
Landing Pages
Popups & Forms
Basic
Advanced
Website Builder
E-commerce
Basic
Stripe only
Technical
API
REST API
REST API
REST API
Technical Skill Needed
Docker knowledge
None
None
Data Ownership
100% yours
Their servers
Their servers
Support
Community
24/7 email/chat
Founder support

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Listmonk if you...
  • Technical users comfortable with Docker
  • High-volume senders seeking savings
  • Privacy-conscious organizations
  • Simple newsletter use cases
Choose MailerLite if you...
  • Non-technical users wanting ease
  • Small businesses needing landing pages
  • Teams wanting automation
  • Budget-conscious but not technical
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies with Stripe billing
  • Teams needing payment-triggered emails
  • Companies wanting managed + SaaS features
  • Founders needing subscription automation

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Specific Features

Neither Listmonk nor MailerLite is built for SaaS. Sequenzy offers native Stripe integration, subscription lifecycle tracking, and payment-triggered automation.

Managed Without Premium Pricing

Similar cost to MailerLite ($49 vs $39 at 10k) but with SaaS-specific features. No self-hosting like Listmonk, better SaaS fit than MailerLite.

Transactional + Marketing

Sequenzy combines marketing and transactional email. MailerLite is marketing only. Listmonk can do both but lacks automation. One platform for SaaS email.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Listmonk and MailerLite approach email marketing from opposite directions. Listmonk is free but technical. MailerLite is affordable but managed. One gives you control and savings at the cost of effort. The other gives you ease at the cost of monthly fees.

The Real Cost Comparison

Listmonk: $0 software + ~$10/month hosting + ~$5/month SMTP = ~$15/month total.

MailerLite: $39/month at 10,000 subscribers.

Difference: ~$24/month or ~$288/year. Real savings, but not transformative at this scale.

At 100,000 subscribers: Listmonk stays ~$20/month. MailerLite jumps to $289/month. Now the difference is $3,200/year. Scale changes the math significantly.

Feature Reality Check

MailerLite offers drag-and-drop email builder, visual automation, landing pages, website builder, popups, forms, and basic e-commerce integration.

Listmonk offers campaign sending and list management. That's it.

If you need automation or landing pages, Listmonk simply doesn't have them. This isn't a bug, it's a design choice. Listmonk does less, but does it simply and freely.

Technical Requirements

MailerLite: Create account, verify email, start sending. No technical skills needed.

Listmonk: Install Docker, deploy container, configure PostgreSQL, set up SMTP, manage server security and updates.

The gap is significant. MailerLite is accessible to anyone. Listmonk requires genuine technical comfort.

Who Should Choose Listmonk

Developers and technical founders who enjoy (or at least tolerate) self-hosting. Organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements. High-volume senders where cost savings compound. People who just need simple newsletters without frills.

Who Should Choose MailerLite

Small businesses and creators wanting easy email marketing. Teams needing automation and landing pages. Anyone who doesn't want to manage servers. Budget-conscious users who aren't technical.

For SaaS Companies

Neither is optimized for SaaS. Listmonk lacks automation entirely. MailerLite lacks SaaS-specific features like Stripe integration or behavioral automation. For SaaS companies, consider Sequenzy with native Stripe integration and subscription-aware automation.

Making the Choice

Choose Listmonk if you can self-host, value savings, and only need basic newsletter sending. Choose MailerLite if you want ease of use, need automation/landing pages, and prefer paying for convenience. For SaaS companies needing subscription lifecycle automation, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Depends on your technical skills and needs. If you're not comfortable with Docker and want automation/landing pages, MailerLite's cost is justified. If you can self-host and just send newsletters, Listmonk saves money.

Software is free. A basic VPS costs $5-10/month. SMTP (like Amazon SES) costs ~$0.10 per 1000 emails. At 10k subscribers sending weekly, total is under $15/month.

No. Listmonk is intentionally simple. No automation, no landing pages, no drag-and-drop editor. If you need those features, Listmonk isn't the right choice.

MailerLite. Easy to use, landing pages for lead magnets, automation for welcome sequences. Listmonk is too technical and feature-limited for most creators.

Both scale well technically. Cost-wise, Listmonk wins dramatically. At 100k subscribers, Listmonk is still ~$20/month while MailerLite is $289/month.

Yes, up to 1,000 subscribers with limited features. Good for testing. Listmonk is always free for unlimited subscribers.

Yes. Export subscribers from MailerLite. Set up Listmonk with Docker. Import subscribers. Recreate templates in HTML. Note that automations won't transfer since Listmonk doesn't support them.

Yes, when properly set up. It's used by organizations sending millions of emails. Reliability depends on your server setup and SMTP provider, not the software.

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

Export subscribers and templates from MailerLite. Set up Listmonk on your server. Import subscribers. Convert templates to HTML (MailerLite templates won't transfer directly). Note that all automations and landing pages will need alternative solutions.

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