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Substack alternatives · Email Marketing

Open-source alternatives to Substack

Substack is not described as open source on its own site. 7 of the 102 other email marketing and newsletter tools in this directory are open source, according to their own sites.

Substack is free to use. 5 of them are free or have a free plan.

7 tools · Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from

How each one differs from Substack

  1. Ghost

    Open source publishing with newsletters and paid memberships

    • Ghost starts at $15 per month for up to 1,000 members, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly). Substack is free.
    • Substack has a free plan. Ghost does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Substack lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Ghost is open source, according to its own site.
    Ghost vs SubstackGhost pricing and details

  2. listmonk

    Free self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager

    • listmonk is free. Substack is free.
    • Only Substack lists iOS and Android apps.
    • listmonk is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • listmonk also covers transactional email.
    listmonk pricing and details

  3. Mautic

    Open source marketing automation you can self-host

    • Mautic starts at €247.50 per month, billed annually (€275 billed quarterly). Substack is free.
    • Only Substack lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Mautic is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • Mautic also covers marketing automation.
    Mautic pricing and details

  4. Groundhogg

    Flat-rate CRM and email marketing plugin for WordPress

    • Groundhogg starts at $20 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($240). Substack is free.
    • Substack has a free plan. Groundhogg does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Substack lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Groundhogg is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    Groundhogg pricing and details

  5. Keila

    Open-source newsletter tool, self-hosted or EU-hosted cloud

    • Keila starts at €8 per month for 2,000 emails a month. Substack is free.
    • Only Substack lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Keila is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • Keila also covers Markdown and forms.
    Keila pricing and details

  6. phpList

    Open-source newsletter software, hosted or self-run

    • phpList starts at $5 per month for up to 2,000 messages, billed monthly. Substack is free.
    • Only Substack lists iOS and Android apps.
    • phpList is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • phpList also covers reports.
    phpList pricing and details

  7. SendPortal

    Open-source, self-hosted email marketing built on Laravel

    • SendPortal is free. Substack is free.
    • Only Substack lists iOS and Android apps.
    • SendPortal is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • SendPortal also covers templates.
    SendPortal pricing and details

Common questions

Is there an open-source alternative to Substack?

Yes. Ghost, listmonk, Mautic, Groundhogg, Keila, phpList and SendPortal are open source, according to their own sites.

Is Substack open source?

Substack is not described as open source on its own site. The listing was checked on Nov 12, 2026 against the pages it cites.

Which of these email marketing and newsletter tools are free?

listmonk, Mautic, Keila, phpList and SendPortal are free or have a free plan.

When was this checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Nov 12, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to Substack: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.