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5 self-hosted options

Open-source alternatives to Substack

The best open-source alternatives to Substack are Ghost, Listmonk and Keila.

About Substack: A publishing platform for paid newsletters and blogs.

Every option below is free to self-host and ranked by GitHub stars, so you can move off Substack without giving up the features you rely on.

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    Ghost

    TryGhost/Ghost

    Just a blogging platform.

    Blogging PlatformsTypeScript
  2. Rank 2:

    Listmonk

    knadh/listmonk

    High performance, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager with a modern dashboard.

    Newsletters & Mailing ListsGoDocker
  3. Rank 3:

    Keila

    pentacent/keila

    Reliable and easy-to-use newsletter tool (alternative to Mailchimp and Sendinblue).

    Newsletters & Mailing ListsElixirDocker

Why switch

Why teams move off Substack

Self-hosting is not only about saving money. These are the reasons people make the switch.

  • Own your data

    Your data lives on a server you control, not on Substack's infrastructure. No surprise policy changes and no lock-in.

  • No per-seat pricing

    Open-source alternatives to Substack are free to run for as many users as your server can handle. A small VPS often costs less than a single subscription.

  • Customize and extend

    Read the code, add plugins, connect it to your own tools and automate it through open APIs. When you need a feature, you can build it or fund it.

Full ranking

All 5 Substack alternatives

Ranked by GitHub stars. Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.

  1. 1

    Ghost

    Just a blogging platform.

  2. 2

    Listmonk

    High performance, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager with a modern dashboard.

  3. 3

    Keila

    Reliable and easy-to-use newsletter tool (alternative to Mailchimp and Sendinblue).

  4. 4

    WriteFreely

    Writing software for starting a minimalist, federated blog — or an entire community.

  5. 5

    Mautic

    Marketing automation software (email, social and more).

FAQ

Substack alternatives: FAQ

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

What is the best open-source alternative to Substack?

Ghost is the most popular open-source alternative to Substack, with 55,489 GitHub stars. Listmonk and Keila are also strong choices. Compare features, license and recent activity to find the best fit for your team.

Is there a free alternative to Substack?

Yes. All 5 apps on this page are open source and free to self-host, so you can run a Substack replacement without per-user fees. You only pay for the server, and a small VPS is usually enough for personal use or a small team.

Can I self-host an alternative to Substack?

Yes. Listmonk and Keila ship a Docker image, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose in a few minutes. Your data then stays on hardware you control.

How do I migrate from Substack?

Start by exporting your data from Substack, then check the import options of the app you pick, since many projects ship importers for popular formats. Run both side by side for a week before you switch so nothing is lost.