Open source email marketing software lets you run newsletters and campaigns on your own server, but the software doesn't deliver the mail. You still need a sending route, such as an SMTP account or a sending service, and you must meet the big inbox providers' sender rules. Pick where the software lives first, then sort delivery.
Can you run your own email marketing and stop renting a platform? Yes, and plenty of businesses do. The question that matters more is where the software will live, because that decides how much work lands on you each month.
Some of these tools sit happily on one small server. Some are big PHP applications that want a web server and a database you look after. And two live inside a website you might already run. Below, eight tools are grouped by that choice, and each is listed in no particular order with nothing crowned.
Who should run their own mailing software
If you're a solo writer with no technical help, a hosted newsletter service is usually the calmer route, and a publishing platform you can start hosted and move later is the nearest open option. If you're a small team with a developer, a self-hosted newsletter tool gives you control of your list and your data. If you already run a WordPress site, a plugin keeps everything in the dashboard you know. For hosted services with a free tier, see our list of free newsletter platforms.
Three places your email software can live
On a server of its own
These are newsletter and campaign tools you run as a standalone app. listmonk is a single binary that needs only a Postgres database. Keila offers a visual editor, segments and analytics, and its page says it can send through your own SMTP, Amazon SES, Mailgun, Postmark or Sendgrid account, with a managed cloud if you'd rather start there. Plunk handles transactional mail and campaigns together; its own self-hosting docs say it runs with Docker and needs an Amazon SES account for sending. SendPortal is a Laravel app with a REST API that sends through the services you connect.
Inside a bigger PHP stack
This pair does more and asks more of you. Mautic is full marketing automation with contact tracking and segments, and its own download page tells self-installers they'll need to know the command line and web server setup. phpList is long-running newsletter and campaign software you install on PHP hosting, and the project also sells a hosted service separately.
Inside a site you already run
Ghost is a publishing platform first, with memberships and newsletters built in; its docs note that if you self-host, newsletter delivery is a separate service you arrange. MailPoet runs inside WordPress. The plugin is GPL, but its page lists some features as commercial upgrades and offers its own sending service, so in practice it's open core.
The eight tools, sorted A to Z
Each entry below is one line on what the tool is for. The order is alphabetical, which means in no particular order of merit.
Ghost
Best for: Writers and publishers who want a publishing platform with memberships and newsletters built in, run on their own server or on the project's hosted version.
Keila
Best for: Small teams wanting a newsletter tool with a visual editor, markdown or plain text, segments and analytics, which can start on the managed cloud and move to self-hosting.
listmonk
Best for: Anyone comfortable with a server who wants a self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager that ships as a single binary needing only a Postgres database.
MailPoet
Best for: WordPress site owners sending newsletters, signup forms and automations from their own dashboard, knowing some features sit in commercial upgrades.
Mautic
Best for: Marketing teams with technical help who need full marketing automation, with email campaigns, contact tracking and segments on infrastructure they control.
phpList
Best for: Organisations wanting long-established newsletter and campaign software installed on their own PHP hosting, with a separate hosted service on offer from the same project.
Plunk
Best for: Developers handling transactional email, marketing campaigns and automated workflows against one contact list, self-hosted with Docker and sending through Amazon SES.
SendPortal
Best for: PHP and Laravel teams who want a self-hosted email marketing app for newsletters and lists, with a REST API, sending through services they connect.
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My advice: sort out delivery before you choose software
Most self-hosting projects stall on delivery, not on the software. So before you install anything, set up the sending route and authenticate your domain, then pick the tool that fits where you want it to live. If you're on WordPress, try the plugin route first. If you have a developer and want your list fully in your own hands, a standalone server tool is the cleanest set-up. Leave full marketing automation until you know you need it, because it's the heaviest to run.
And check a project is still staffed before you commit. Dittofeed, an open source messaging project, shut its hosted cloud on 31 Oct 2026; the code stays online but without ongoing support. Open code protects your data, not your upkeep.
Sending is your job: SMTP, SES and Gmail's sender rules
None of these tools includes delivery when you run it yourself. You arrange a sending route: an SMTP account, or a sending service such as Amazon SES. One developer platform on this list requires SES outright. That route is what decides whether your emails reach inboxes, so treat it as part of the set-up, not an afterthought.
Mail you send yourself still has to meet Gmail's sender requirements. In plain words: authenticate your domain with SPF or DKIM, add DMARC if you're a bulk sender (Gmail sets that line at 5,000 messages a day to Gmail addresses), and include a one-click unsubscribe on marketing mail. Other large inbox providers ask for much the same. Get those right before your first campaign, not after a batch lands in spam.
Licence type for each tool
The licence tells you what you may do with the code beyond running it. AGPL and GPL are copyleft: if you modify the software and pass it on, or with AGPL offer a modified copy over a network, you share your changes. MIT is permissive and lets you build the code into your own product. For running your own newsletter, any of them is fine; the difference matters if you plan to build on top. To compare these with hosted services, our guide to email marketing software for small businesses covers the hosted side.
| Tool | Licence | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost | MIT | Publishing and newsletters from one site |
| Keila | AGPL | Newsletters with segments, self-hosted or managed |
| listmonk | AGPL | A lean newsletter and list manager on one server |
| MailPoet | GPL | Newsletters, forms and automations inside WordPress |
| Mautic | GPL | Campaigns, contact tracking and segments at scale |
| phpList | AGPL | Long-running newsletter and campaign manager in PHP |
| Plunk | AGPL | Transactional mail, campaigns and workflows on one contact list |
| SendPortal | MIT | A self-hosted Laravel mailer with a REST API |
Do you make open source or self-hosted email software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
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Frequently asked questions
Is open source email marketing software free?
The code is free to use under its licence, but running it isn't free of effort. You host the software, arrange a sending route, keep it updated and look after deliverability yourself, unless you use a hosted version.
Do I need an SMTP server to send newsletters from self-hosted software?
You need a sending route of some kind. That's usually an SMTP account or a sending service such as Amazon SES. The newsletter software builds and schedules the email; the sending route delivers it.
What are Gmail's sender requirements?
In short: authenticate your domain with SPF or DKIM, add DMARC if you send in bulk to Gmail addresses, and give marketing emails a one-click unsubscribe. Check Gmail's own sender guidelines for the current detail.
Can I use open source email software with WordPress?
Yes. A newsletter plugin runs inside your WordPress dashboard and sends forms, newsletters and automations from your own site. Check which features sit in the free plugin and which are upgrades.
What's the difference between AGPL, GPL and MIT here?
AGPL and GPL are copyleft licences, so if you modify the software and share it, you share your changes too; AGPL extends that to offering it over a network. MIT is permissive and lets you build the code into your own product.
Can I start hosted and move to self-hosting later?
With some projects, yes. Several on this list offer a hosted or managed version alongside the open code. Check the vendor's own page says you can export your list and move, before you rely on it.
