Best Open-Source Newsletter Platforms 2026: 6 Options Compared

Open-source newsletter software gives you a mailing list manager you control, and that has two consequences. You can send to any list size without a per-subscriber price, and you take on delivery. None of these tools sends mail by itself at scale; they pass messages to SMTP or an API such as SES, SendGrid, Mailgun or Postmark, so most of your running cost is sending, and deliverability becomes your responsibility. Listmonk is a fast single-binary list manager under AGPL-3.0 that needs Postgres. Keila, also AGPL-3.0, has a friendlier editor and sign-up forms, plus a hosted cloud option. phpList is AGPL-3.0 with a long history and a free hosted option. Mailtrain is GPL-3.0 and its v2 is a rewrite. Mautic is GPL-3.0 and goes beyond newsletters into full marketing automation, which means more to learn. Ghost is MIT-licensed and the choice if your newsletter is also a publication with paid memberships. Pick listmonk for raw performance, Keila for editor polish, Ghost for writers who monetise. Whichever you choose, set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC before importing a list, warm up a new sending domain slowly, and keep unsubscribe handling working, because a self-hosted tool will not do that thinking for you.

listmonk

AGPL-3.0 list manager that needs Postgres and your own SMTP or sending service. Fast and focused on lists, campaigns and subscribers.

Price: Free (Self-hosted and free; needs Postgres and your own SMTP or sending service) (listmonk pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, Docker. AGPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 24k GitHub stars · latest release v7.0.0-beta.1 (Oct 20, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Large lists and technical teams.

Worth knowing: Sending costs depend on the SMTP provider you connect.

Keila

AGPL-3.0 with a Docker image, campaign editor and sign-up forms; hosted Keila Cloud exists but its prices were not shown. Needs your own sending setup.

Price: Free (Self-hosted and free (Docker image pentacent/keila); hosted Keila Cloud also exists) (Keila pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Web browser, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 2.3k GitHub stars · latest release 0.30.3 (Sep 6, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Self-hosters who want a friendlier editor.

phpList

AGPL-3.0 and free of charge; the README says phpList Hosted is free to use and data can move between hosted and self-hosted.

Price: Free (Free open-source software; the README also says phpList Hosted is free to use) (phpList pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Web browser, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 877 GitHub stars · latest release v3.6.17 (Aug 9, 2026) · last commit Oct 19, 2026

Best for: Long-running lists on ordinary PHP hosting.

Worth knowing: Data can be migrated between self-hosted and phpList Hosted per the README.

Mailtrain

GPL-3.0 self-hosted newsletter application; v2 is described as a rewrite implementing most v1 features. Bring your own SMTP.

Price: Free (Free and self-hosted; you bring your own SMTP or sending service) (Mailtrain pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Web browser, Self-hosted. GPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 5.8k GitHub stars · latest release v2.20210609.0 (Jun 9, 2021) · No commits since Oct 5, 2025

Best for: Teams who want a self-hosted Mailchimp-style tool.

Worth knowing: Repository describes v2 as a complete rewrite implementing most v1 features.

Mautic

GPL-3.0 marketing automation platform with newsletters as one part; hosted has a 14-day trial. More capable and more complex than a list manager.

Price: Free (free open-source software; hosted version has a 14-day trial) (Mautic pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web browser, Self-hosted. GPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 10.9k GitHub stars · latest release 7.2.2 (Oct 26, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Newsletters tied to campaigns and lead scoring.

Worth knowing: No hosted prices shown on the site.

Ghost

MIT-licensed publishing platform with memberships and newsletters. Ghost(Pro) hosting starts at $18 a month billed yearly if you do not self-host.

Price: Free (Self-hosted Ghost is open source (source linked from the pricing page); no self-host price shown); paid from $18 per per month, billed yearly (Ghost(Pro) Starter) (Ghost pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web. Open source (license not named on ghost.org/pricing) (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 55.6k GitHub stars · latest release v6.73.0 (Oct 27, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Writers who sell paid subscriptions.

Compare: Ghost alternatives

Which one to pick

• You want the fastest self-hosted list sender: listmonk
• You want a simpler editor and forms: Keila
• You publish articles and sell subscriptions: Ghost
• You need automation, not just a newsletter: Mautic