Groundhogg vs Mautic (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mautic grades higher than Groundhogg: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mautic grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Groundhogg
Flat-rate CRM and email marketing plugin for WordPress
Mautic
Open source marketing automation you can self-host
Which one is for you
Pick Groundhogg if
- Fits if you run WordPress sites and want contacts and email in the same place
- Works for agencies that want one licence across many client sites
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you are not on WordPress, as it only runs there
- Skip it if you want email sent for you, because sending needs an SMTP or sending service, and those integrations are listed from Pro
- Watch out: the vendor's price comparison assumes you host it yourself
- Watch out: a licence covers 1, 3, 5 or 25 sites by tier, and refunds are offered within 14 days of purchase
Pick Mautic if
- Fits if you have developers or a hosting partner and want to own your marketing data
- Makes sense if you need full automation and want no per-contact price
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you do not want to host a server or pay for a hosting partner
- Pricey if you want it managed: from 247.50 euros a month billed annually, and Professional starts at 1,237 euros
- Watch out: managed plans come from Dropsolid, not Mautic itself, and are priced in euros
- Watch out: email sending is set up separately and costs extra
- Skip it if you want a quick start, as setup and migration fees are not stated
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAGroundhoggFair | 2.4GPAMauticFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $20 a month for 1 site on annual billing ($240), inside the email category's middle band. Plus is $40 for 3 sites, Pro $50 for 5 and Agency $100 for 25. | CThe software is free, but you run, update and secure it, and sending is separate. Managed hosting from Dropsolid starts at 247.50 euros a month, so one person pays either way. |
| Free plan and trial | C14-day demo of Pro in a private WordPress sandbox, no credit card. No free plan. | BThe open-source software is free to self-host. There is no free managed plan, and no trial is listed. |
| Features | CContact management, broadcasts, automated flows, unlimited contacts, sales tools and an AI assistant connection. Sending needs an SMTP or sending service. | BCampaign builder, email and landing pages, lead nurturing and scoring, a REST API and plugins. The listing shows no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. It needs a WordPress site you host and set up, plus an email sender. | DSelf-hosting means a server, updates and security, and setup and migration fees vary by hosting partner. No rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BRuns only inside WordPress, with 7 integrations on record. | BWeb only, with a REST API, plugins and a Drupal integration. |
| Best for | a WordPress owner wanting CRM and email | marketing teams that can host their own automation |
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: Groundhogg and Mautic. How we grade
Price against what you get
Groundhogg starts at $20 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Mautic starts at about $276.51 a month and scores 2.3.
Mautic scores higher, and starts $256.51 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, 28 score higher than Groundhogg for less, and 28 score higher than Mautic 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
- Groundhogg also covers sales pipeline and AI agents.
At a glance
| Groundhogg | Mautic | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($240) | €247.50 per month, billed annually (€275 billed quarterly) |
| Free plan | None | The open source software is free to self-host on your own infrastructure. |
| Free trial | 14-day free demo of the Pro plan in a private WordPress sandbox, no credit card | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Groundhogg Inc. | Mautic project |
| Price read from | groundhogg.io | mautic.org |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Groundhogg
- It runs only inside WordPress; the vendor's price comparison assumes you host it yourself.
- Sending email needs an SMTP or sending service. SMTP and SMS integrations are listed from Pro.
- A single licence covers 1, 3, 5 or 25 sites depending on the tier.
- Refunds are offered within 14 days of purchase.
Mautic
- Managed plans come from Dropsolid, not Mautic itself, and are priced in euros: from €247.50 a month billed annually.
- Self-hosting means you run, update and secure the install, and email sending is set up separately.
- Essential covers up to 50K contacts and 50K emails a month; Professional starts at €1237 a month.
- Setup and migration fees vary by hosting partner and are not stated on the pricing page.
Key features
Groundhogg
- Contact management
- Contact records with tags, custom fields, notes, tasks, activity timelines, saved searches and segments inside the WordPress dashboard.
- Email broadcasts
- Send broadcasts, batch large sends and handle bounces and complaints; bounce handling is a Pro feature.
- Automated flows
- Build automations that move contacts through sequences. Conditional logic needs Pro.
- Unlimited contacts
- The vendor says it never charges more for extra contacts, users, flows or email sends.
- Sales tools
- Booking calendar, lead scoring, content restriction and a sales pipeline from the Plus tier up.
- AI assistant connection
- Connect Claude or ChatGPT to the CRM over MCP so an assistant can work with contacts and flows.
Mautic
- Campaign builder
- A click-and-drag builder for multi-step campaigns that respond to what contacts do.
- Email and landing pages
- Drag-and-drop email and landing page builders, built for mobile and cross-client use.
- Lead nurturing and scoring
- A central contact overview with point scoring to prioritize leads.
- REST API and plugins
- A REST API and a plugin ecosystem let teams connect Mautic to other systems and extend it.
- Data control
- Self-hosting keeps data on your own infrastructure, and the project lists privacy features aimed at data-protection laws.
Plans
Groundhogg
Basic$20
per month for 1 site, billed annually ($240)
Premium support, basic add-ons, premium flow steps and superlinks. No company records, booking calendar or sales pipeline.
Plus$40
per month for up to 3 sites, billed annually ($480)
Adds form plugin integrations, sales, CRM and marketing add-ons, company records, booking calendar, lead scoring and sales pipeline.
Pro$50
per month for up to 5 sites, billed annually ($600)
Adds SMTP, SMS, ecommerce and membership integrations and conditional logic.
Agency$100
per month for up to 25 sites, billed annually ($1,200)
Adds white-label branding, all integrations and all add-ons, and permits use for clients.
Mautic
Mautic Essential€247.50
per month for up to 50K contacts, billed annually (€275 quarterly)
Shared managed hosting by Dropsolid, 50K emails a month, 100 emails a minute, standard workflows. Priced in euros.
Mautic Professional€1237
per month and up
Dedicated managed hosting from 50K contacts, extendable to 3M, with a dedicated IP, dynamic content and a support manager.
Mautic EnterpriseCustom
Dedicated infrastructure, up to 6M emails a month, SSO, custom plugin support. Sold through sales.
Self-hosted$0
The open source software, which you host and maintain yourself; email sending is separate.
Ways to pay less
Groundhogg
- Nonprofit
50% off for registered nonprofits
A grant gives registered nonprofits 50% off annual licenses for Groundhogg Pro, MailHawk and HollerBox. It does not renew automatically, so it must be re-applied for each year.
Mautic
- Annual discount
10% off managed Essential billed annually
Mautic Essential is €247.50 a month billed annually against €275 a month billed quarterly, a 10% discount.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Groundhogg or Mautic?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Groundhogg is cheaper to start with: $20 a month, against about $276.51 a month for Mautic. Groundhogg starts at $20 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($240), and Mautic starts at €247.50 per month, billed annually (€275 billed quarterly).
Which has a free plan, Groundhogg or Mautic?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Mautic has a free plan. Groundhogg does not, though it has a free trial.
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.