EmailOctopus vs Sendy
We give EmailOctopus a 2.8 GPA and Sendy a 2.0, out of 4.0. EmailOctopus grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. Sendy grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on platforms.
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
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAEmailOctopusGood | 2.0GPASendyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $9 a month for 500 subscribers on yearly billing, or $10 monthly, inside the cheaper quarter of email tools. It stays cheap as you grow, at $44.50 a month billed monthly for 10,000 subscribers, and nonprofits get 20% off for life. | A$69 once for one domain, less than half a year of this category's middle subscription. Sending is Amazon's $1.6 per 10,000 emails, so even a big list costs little. Add your own server, $79 if you want Sendy to install it, and $39 for the AI add-on. |
| Free plan and trial | BStarter is free for 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month, with no card and no time limit. One person could really run a club newsletter on it. You get 1 user, 1 form and 1 landing page, branding on emails and 30 days of reports. | FNothing is free and there's no trial. Sendy promises a refund if it doesn't work out, but a money-back promise isn't a trial. |
| 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. | CThree editors, autoresponders on intervals or dates, rules and webhooks, segments, custom fields, live reports, automatic list cleaning and white-labeled client brands. It does newsletters fully, but it's a smaller job, and it can't send without your own Amazon SES or SMTP account. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record and no phone app. It's a simple web app, but you'll still import a list and set up a form and templates before the first send. | DNo App Store rating on record, and you install it yourself on a PHP and MySQL server and set up your own Amazon SES account. That's self-hosting, which puts it at a D. Sendy will install it for $79. |
| 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. | BIt runs in a browser on your own server, with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailjet, Elastic Email, Zapier, WordPress, Magento and Joomla, plus an API. No desktop or phone app, so a B. |
| Best for | cheap, plain newsletters for small groups | big lists without a monthly bill |
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 Sendy. How we grade
Where they differ
- EmailOctopus starts at $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly. Sendy starts at $69 one-time purchase, for one domain.
- EmailOctopus has a free plan. Sendy does not.
- Sendy is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Sendy can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- EmailOctopus also covers forms.
At a glance
| EmailOctopus | Sendy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly | $69 one-time purchase, for one domain |
| 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. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Three Hearts Digital Ltd | Sendy |
| Price read from | emailoctopus.com | sendy.co |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
EmailOctopus
- Small organizations and clubs that need a free list of up to 2,500
- Authors and bloggers who want plain, cheap newsletters
- Nonprofits, which get 20% off for life
Sendy
- Publishers with large lists who want to stop paying per subscriber
- Developers comfortable running a PHP app on their own hosting
- Agencies sending for several clients under their own brand
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.
Sendy
- You host it yourself on a PHP and MySQL server and need your own Amazon SES account.
- Each license covers one domain, and major version upgrades are not included.
- The AI Assistant is a $39 one-time add-on (shown cut from $49), and installation by Sendy costs $79.
- There is no free trial; Sendy offers a refund if it does not work out.
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.
Sendy
- Sending through Amazon SES
- Campaigns go out through your own Amazon SES account at Amazon's rate; SendGrid, Mailjet and Elastic Email also work natively over SMTP.
- Three email editors
- Switch between drag-and-drop, WYSIWYG and HTML editors when building templates.
- Autoresponders, rules and webhooks
- Drip sequences sent at set intervals or on dates, plus rules that send notifications, fire webhooks or move subscribers when something happens.
- Segments and custom fields
- Build segments from any conditions, store custom fields for personalization, and include or exclude lists and segments per campaign.
- White-labeled client brands
- Group lists into brands and give clients their own access, permissions, sending limits and pricing.
- Live reports and list cleaning
- Real-time opens, clicks, bounces, complaints and locations, with bounces and complaints removed automatically.
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.
Sendy
Sendy software$69
one-time purchase, for one domain
The self-hosted app for one domain, with free updates until the next major version. Sending through Amazon SES costs $1.6 per 10,000 emails, paid to Amazon.
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.
Sendy
No public discounts listed.
