5 self-hosted options
Open-source alternatives to Substack
The best open-source alternative to Substack is Ghost (MIT, 55,607 GitHub stars). Listmonk stands out for a published Docker image, and Mautic stands out for its PHP codebase.
About Substack: A publishing platform for paid newsletters and blogs.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Ghost
TryGhost/Ghost
Just a blogging platform.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Blogging PlatformsTypeScriptStands out for the most GitHub stars.
- Rank 2:
Listmonk
knadh/listmonk
High performance, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager with a modern dashboard.
Active · last commit Oct 24, 2026
Newsletters & Mailing ListsGoDockerStands out for a published Docker image.
- Rank 3:
Mautic
mautic/mautic
Marketing automation software (email, social and more).
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Newsletters & Mailing ListsPHPStands out for its PHP codebase.
At a glance
Substack alternatives compared
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost | the most GitHub stars | MIT | 55,607 | 6,670 | Oct 26, 2026 | No |
| Listmonk | a published Docker image | AGPL-3.0 | 23,972 | 460 | Oct 24, 2026 | Yes |
| Mautic | its PHP codebase | GPL-3.0 | 10,849 | 6,207 | Oct 26, 2026 | No |
| WriteFreely | – | AGPL-3.0 | 5,275 | 216 | Oct 1, 2026 | No |
| Keila | its Elixir codebase | AGPL-3.0 | 2,248 | 423 | Oct 24, 2026 | Yes |
Full list
All 5 Substack alternatives
Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.
- 1
Ghost
Just a blogging platform.
Blogging PlatformsStands out for the most GitHub stars. Ghost has 55,607 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 6,670 commits in the last year.
- 2
Listmonk
High performance, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager with a modern dashboard.
Newsletters & Mailing ListsDockerStands out for a published Docker image. Listmonk has 23,972 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 460 commits in the last year.
- 3
Mautic
Marketing automation software (email, social and more).
Newsletters & Mailing ListsStands out for its PHP codebase. Mautic has 10,849 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 6,207 commits in the last year.
- 4
WriteFreely
Writing software for starting a minimalist, federated blog — or an entire community.
Blogging PlatformsWriteFreely has 5,275 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 216 commits in the last year.
- 5
Keila
Reliable and easy-to-use newsletter tool (alternative to Mailchimp and Sendinblue).
Newsletters & Mailing ListsDockerStands out for its Elixir codebase. Keila has 2,248 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 423 commits in the last year.
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 replace Substack without per-user fees. You pay only for the server.
Can I self-host an alternative to Substack with Docker?
Yes. 2 of the 5 apps here publish a Docker image, including Listmonk and Keila, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose.
Which Substack alternative is the most actively developed?
Ghost (MIT), with 6,670 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.