listmonk vs Mailcoach (2026): which should you pick?

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

Pick Mailcoach if

• Fits if you have a big list but only email it a few times a month
• Works for teams that want data kept in the EU, or Laravel developers who want email inside their own app

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you need sign-up forms or landing pages built in, as none are named
• Pricey if you email a large list every day, since every email past 2,000 is billed
• Not for you if you like paying yearly, as usage is billed monthly with VAT on top and there's no annual plan
• Watch out: each team picks Mailcoach's sending or its own provider, not both
• Watch out: the self-hosted version is a separate license whose dollar price couldn't be read

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.

Mailcoach

• There is no annual plan: usage is invoiced monthly, and prices exclude VAT.
• Each team must choose either Mailcoach's sending or its own provider, not both.
• The self-hosted Laravel version is a separate license bought through spatie.be, with a year of updates per purchase; its dollar price could not be read.
• The pricing page names no sign-up forms or landing page builder among its features.

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.

Mailcoach

Campaigns

Newsletters with segmentation, split testing, open and click analytics, pre-send checklists and a searchable archive of past issues.

Automations

Workflows for onboarding, lead nurturing and other sequences, built without code.

Transactional email

Edit, send and track transactional emails in the same app, sent from your product through Mailcoach's API.

Unlimited contacts

Contacts, lists and audiences cost nothing extra; the bill depends only on how many emails go out each month.

Bring your own provider

Send through Postmark, Mailgun, Brevo, Amazon SES or any SMTP server instead of Mailcoach's own sending, at half the per-email fee.

EU hosting and GDPR

Data is stored encrypted in the EU, and open and click tracking can be switched off.

listmonk

• Self-hosted$0

  Free and open source; you host it yourself on a server with a Postgres database.

Mailcoach

• Pay as you go$9.99

  per month with 2,000 emails, plus $0.002 per extra email

  Unlimited contacts, lists and automations, campaigns, transactional email and the API. Extra emails cost $0.001 each when sent through your own provider.