EmailOctopus vs listmonk (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, EmailOctopus grades higher than listmonk: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
EmailOctopus grades higher on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
EmailOctopus
Simple, low-cost email marketing with a free plan for 2,500
Which one is for you
Pick EmailOctopus if
- Fits if you run a club, charity or small group with a list under 2,500
- Works for nonprofits, which get 20% off for life, or writers who want a plain newsletter
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try Pro before paying, as there's no trial of it
- Tight if you're staying free, at 1 user, 1 form, 1 landing page and reports that disappear after 30 days
- Skip it if EmailOctopus branding on your free emails would bother you
- Too light for shops that want SMS or store flows, as none are on record
- Watch out: only WordPress, Shopify and Zapier are listed, and its Amazon SES product is priced separately
Pick listmonk if
- Fits if you can run a server and want a mailing list you fully control
- Works for developers who want a transactional and newsletter tool without a monthly fee
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you do not want to host and update a server
- Skip it if you want automation journeys, which the pages do not describe
- Watch out: you supply a Postgres database and an SMTP provider, which cost money
- Watch out: the latest release shown is a v7 beta from 10 Nov 2026
- Skip it if you want one-click hosting backed by the project: third-party hosts exist, and the project says it has no affiliation with them
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAEmailOctopusGood | 2.0GPAlistmonkFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $9 a month for 500 subscribers on yearly billing, or $10 monthly, inside the cheaper quarter of email tools. At 10,000 subscribers it's $44.50 a month billed monthly, and nonprofits get 20% off for life. | CThe software is free, but you need a server and an SMTP provider for sending, so it is not free in practice. Software that is free only if you host it yourself needs a server, so it sits at an ordinary C. |
| Free plan and trial | BStarter is free for 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month, with no card and no time limit. That's enough for a club newsletter. You get 1 user, 1 form and 1 landing page, branding on emails and 30 days of reports. | BFree and open source with no subscriber cap on record, but you pay for hosting and an SMTP service yourself. |
| Features | BA drag-and-drop editor with over 100 templates, your own HTML, automated sequences, fields, tags and segments, pop-up forms, landing pages and live reports. That covers the email marketing job, kept plain, with no SMS or store flows on record. | CLists, segmentation, templates, analytics, transactional messages and access control. The pages read describe no automation journeys or paid subscriptions. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record and no phone app. You'll import a list and set up a form and templates in the web app before the first send. | DYou self-host it: a server, a Postgres database and an SMTP provider, plus updates. No rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with WordPress, Shopify and Zapier and an API. It's a short list, and with no desktop or phone app, a B is the ceiling. | CWeb only, with no integrations listed on the pages read. |
| Best for | plain newsletters for small groups | self-hosted mailing lists for people who run servers |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: EmailOctopus and listmonk. How we grade
Price against what you get
EmailOctopus starts at $9 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. listmonk has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
EmailOctopus scores higher, and starts $9 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, none scores higher than EmailOctopus for less, and none scores higher than listmonk for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- listmonk is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- EmailOctopus also covers marketing automation and forms.
- listmonk also covers transactional email.
At a glance
| EmailOctopus | listmonk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly | Free |
| Free plan | Starter plan: up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month, 1 user, 1 landing page and 1 form, reports kept 30 days and EmailOctopus branding on emails. | Free and open source; you host it yourself and supply your own SMTP service. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Three Hearts Digital Ltd | Kailash Nadh |
| Price read from | emailoctopus.com | listmonk.app |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
EmailOctopus
- There is no free trial of Pro; EmailOctopus suggests starting on the free Starter plan.
- Starter emails carry EmailOctopus branding and reports disappear after 30 days.
- Lists above 500,000 subscribers need a quoted plan.
- EmailOctopus Connect, its Amazon SES product, is a separate service with its own pricing.
listmonk
- You install, host and update it yourself, and supply a Postgres database and an SMTP provider for sending.
- It is a one-way mailing list tool; the pages read do not describe automation journeys or built-in paid subscriptions.
- The latest release shown is a v7 beta, released 10 Nov 2026.
- Third-party one-click hosting exists, but the project says it has no affiliation with those providers.
Key features
EmailOctopus
- Drag-and-drop editor and templates
- Over 100 mobile-friendly templates that adapt to your brand's colors, a drag-and-drop editor, and the option to write or import your own HTML.
- Automated sequences
- Build sequences that send emails to subscribers automatically after they join or take an action.
- Fields, tags and segments
- Collect custom fields, tag subscribers and target emails by data and behavior, then schedule sends for later.
- Forms and landing pages
- Pop-up forms and landing pages to collect subscribers. Starter allows one of each; Pro has no limit.
- Reports
- Opens, clicks and other campaign stats in real time. Starter keeps reports for 30 days; Pro keeps them indefinitely.
listmonk
- Lists and segmentation
- Manage single and double opt-in lists with millions of subscribers, and query and segment subscribers with SQL expressions.
- Templates and editors
- Go-templated emails with logic and 100+ functions, written in a visual drag-and-drop builder, a WYSIWYG editor, Markdown or raw HTML.
- Analytics
- Built-in analytics show campaign performance, bounces and top links across campaigns.
- Transactional messages
- An API sends arbitrary messages from pre-defined templates, and messenger interfaces can send SMS or WhatsApp through HTTP webhooks.
- Access control and privacy
- OIDC single sign-on, granular roles, scoped API tokens, and subscriber data export and deletion on request.
Plans
EmailOctopus
Starter$0
2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails a month, 1 user, 1 landing page and 1 form, with EmailOctopus branding and 30-day reports.
Pro$9
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly ($10 monthly)
10,000 emails a month, unlimited users, forms and landing pages, no branding, reports kept for good. $44.50 a month billed monthly at 10,000 subscribers.
CustomCustom
Quoted plans for lists of more than 500,000 subscribers.
listmonk
Self-hosted$0
Free and open source; you host it yourself on a server with a Postgres database.
Ways to pay less
EmailOctopus
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
EmailOctopus's pricing page shows Pro at 500 subscribers for $9 a month billed yearly instead of $10 billed monthly, a $12 saving.
- Nonprofit
20% lifetime discount for nonprofits
All nonprofits using EmailOctopus get a 20% lifetime discount.
listmonk
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, EmailOctopus or listmonk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, listmonk is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $9 a month for EmailOctopus. EmailOctopus starts at $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly, and listmonk is free.
Which has a free plan, EmailOctopus or listmonk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both EmailOctopus and listmonk have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.