High performance, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager with a modern dashboard.
- AGPL-3.0
- Go
- Docker
- Actively maintained
Newsletters & Mailing Lists comparison
listmonk vs Mautic: which should you self-host in 2026?
Pick listmonk for a fast, simple self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager; pick Mautic for full marketing automation with campaigns, lead scoring, forms and landing pages.
Both are open source and run on your own server. Below: a side-by-side of license, stack and features, live GitHub activity, and our verdict on who should pick which.
Marketing automation software (email, social and more).
- GPL-3.0
- PHP
- Actively maintained
Head-to-head
listmonk vs Mautic, side by side
Hand-checked differences first, then live numbers from GitHub, refreshed with every catalog update.
| Aspect |  listmonk |  Mautic |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language/stack | Go single binary with a Vue front end | PHP on Symfony |
| Database | PostgreSQL | MySQL or MariaDB |
| Scope | Lists, subscribers, campaigns, templates, transactional email API | Campaign builder, segments, lead scoring, forms, landing pages, CRM integrations |
| Learning curve | Small and quick to learn | Steep: many features plus cron jobs to configure |
| GitHub stars | 23,701 | 10,710 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 227 | 5,274 |
| Last commit | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
| Latest release | v6.2.0Jun 26, 2026 | 7.2.1Sep 23, 2026 |
| Main language | Go | PHP |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| Repository | knadh/listmonk | mautic/mautic |
Swipe the table sideways to see both apps. GitHub figures come from the public API. Highlighted values are the higher of the two.
Verdict
listmonk is the right tool if you mainly send newsletters and transactional email: a single Go binary plus PostgreSQL, a clean UI, and very low resource use. Mautic is a complete marketing automation suite with visual campaign builders, contact scoring, forms and landing pages, but it is heavier to run and needs cron jobs and more tuning.
Best for
Choose listmonk for
Newsletters and mailing lists with minimal server overhead.
Best for
Choose Mautic for
Marketing teams running multi-step automated campaigns.
Deploy either in minutes
Not sure yet? Spin up a small VPS or a managed instance, try both for a week, and keep the one that fits.
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Do listmonk and Mautic send email themselves?
Both send through SMTP or a provider such as Amazon SES, Postmark or another relay. Using a dedicated sending service is recommended for deliverability.
Can listmonk do drip campaigns?
Not in the full marketing automation sense. It handles campaigns, segments via SQL queries and transactional messages, while multi-step drips are Mautic's strength.
Which is easier to host?
listmonk. It is one binary plus PostgreSQL, while Mautic needs a PHP stack, a MySQL database and scheduled cron jobs.
Which is more popular on GitHub, listmonk or Mautic?
listmonk has 23,701 GitHub stars against 10,710 for Mautic. Over the last twelve months listmonk received 227 commits and Mautic received 5,274, so Mautic is the more actively developed of the two right now. Stars measure interest, not fit, so weigh them against the differences above.