LISTSERV vs MailWizz (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, MailWizz grades higher than LISTSERV: 2.2 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
LISTSERV grades higher on the free plan. MailWizz grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LISTSERV
Email list server software for newsletters and discussion groups
Which one is for you
Pick LISTSERV if
- Fits if you run discussion lists, for example for a university or a society
- Works for non-profit hobby lists that fit inside 10 lists of 500 members
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are commercial: licences start at $2,875 and climb to $29,440
- Skip it if you want a price list, as only ranges are published and prices are for the US and Canada
- Not for you if you need marketing features, which need the Maestro add-on
- Watch out: the hosted ListPlex service has a $500 per node setup fee and $750 per node a year
Pick MailWizz if
- Fits if you can host it and want to avoid per-subscriber fees
- Works for agencies that want to resell it, using the Extended licence
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try it free, as there is no trial
- Skip it if you don't want to run a server, since the licence doesn't include servers, sending or deliverability
- Watch out: annual subscriptions go offline after a 5-day grace period if they lapse
- Watch out: each licence includes only 1 month of premium support
- Not for you if you want to charge customers on the Regular licence, which is personal use only
How we grade them
| 1.6GPALISTSERVWeak | 2.2GPAMailWizzFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DLite is $2,875 to $4,945 once, nearly six times the $495 middle of this category's one-time prices, and Classic runs to $19,435. HPO is $28,060 or more. | AThe Regular lifetime licence is $79 once, well under a year of this category's middle price of $20 a month. Servers and sending are extra. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free edition is limited to 10 lists of 500 subscribers each, for non-profit hobby or interest lists only, which is a cap you will hit. | FNothing free: no trial is offered, only a demo. |
| Features | CAll list types, archives, self-service, bounce and content handling. Marketing features need the separate Maestro add-on. | BLists, segments, campaigns, autoresponders, surveys, bounce handling and customer groups. We found no gap named in the listing for the core job. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. It runs on a server you maintain, 64-bit Windows, RHEL or Solaris. | DNo store rating on record. You install and host it yourself, so a D. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb interface, on Windows, Red Hat Linux and Solaris servers. The listing names no integrations. | BWeb only, on your server. It connects to Amazon SES, SendGrid and Mailgun among others. |
| Best for | mailing lists for discussion groups and announcements | self-hosted email marketing on a $79 lifetime licence |
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: LISTSERV and MailWizz. How we grade
Where they differ
- MailWizz can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- MailWizz also covers marketing automation.
At a glance
| LISTSERV | MailWizz | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $2,875 and up, one-time (Lite); free edition for non-commercial use | $59 per year (Regular license); lifetime license $79 once |
| Free plan | LISTSERV Lite Free Edition: up to 10 mailing lists with 500 subscribers each, for hobby or interest lists that do not make a profit. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | L-Soft international, Inc. | MailWizz |
| Price read from | lsoft.com | mailwizz.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
LISTSERV
- No fixed price list: the vendor publishes perpetual license ranges and asks buyers to contact sales for a quote; academic discounts are mentioned.
- Prices shown are for the United States and Canada only.
- The hosted ListPlex service charges a $500 per node setup fee, $750 per node a year, and a $1,050 a year support plan for up to 20 lists plus $2.50 per 1,000 deliveries.
- Runs on 64-bit Windows, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 to 9 and Solaris; marketing features need the separate Maestro add-on.
MailWizz
- You host it yourself; the license does not include servers, sending or deliverability, and the vendor's hosted MailWizz is a separate service.
- Subscriptions last one year. If one lapses, the vendor says the application goes offline after a 5-day grace period, though the data stays untouched.
- Each license includes 1 month of premium support; longer support is sold separately.
- The Regular license is for personal use only; charging customers for access requires the Extended license.
Key features
LISTSERV
- All list types
- Supports newsletters, announcement lists and both moderated and unmoderated discussion groups, with open or closed membership.
- Archives
- Searchable message archives with classic, forum and blog views, plus RSS.
- Subscriber self-service
- People can subscribe, unsubscribe and set digest or index delivery themselves on one web screen, with double opt-in and one-click unsubscribe on Classic.
- Bounce and content handling
- Automatic bounce processing, plus content and attachment filters that list owners set on Classic.
- Newsletter templates
- A library of mobile-friendly HTML newsletter templates and a builder for your own.
- Maestro add-on
- Adds email marketing and analytics, including tracking, subscriber management and GDPR tools.
MailWizz
- Lists, segments and campaigns
- Unlimited email lists, segments, subscribers and recurring campaigns, plus autoresponder (follow-up) campaigns and surveys.
- Template builders
- Several drag-and-drop template builders to choose from, including Basic, GrapesJS and Stripo, and uploads of existing email templates.
- Delivery and bounce handling
- Multiple delivery servers (SMTP or email providers), bounce servers, feedback loop servers, sending and tracking domains with DKIM signatures.
- Customer groups and limits
- Customers and administrators sit in groups with fine-grained permissions and limits, so one install can serve many accounts.
- SaaS features
- With an Extended license: price plans, payment gateways (PayPal and offline included), orders, promo codes, currencies and taxes.
- Extensions and themes
- Extensions, themes and language packs can be added; the vendor mentions backup managers and list cleaning services as examples.
Plans
LISTSERV
Lite Free Edition$0
Freeware limited to 10 lists of up to 500 subscribers each, for non-profit hobby or interest lists. Runs on Windows or Unix.
LISTSERV Lite$2,875
one-time, perpetual license, up to $4,945 by size
Entry-level version for small workloads. Price depends on lists and subscribers; the vendor publishes only a range. Annual licenses are also offered.
LISTSERV Classic$2,905
one-time, perpetual license, up to $19,435 by size
The full-featured version, including moderation sharing, topics, content filters and one-click unsubscribe. Price depends on lists and subscribers.
LISTSERV HPO$28,060
one-time, perpetual license, up to $29,440
High-performance version for large numbers of lists and subscribers.
MailWizz
Regular subscription$59
per year for 1 license
For managing your own lists and campaigns. Includes updates and 1 month of premium support. 3 licenses cost $159 a year, 5 licenses $239.
Extended subscription$219
per year for 1 license
Adds the right to run MailWizz as a paid service for customers. 3 licenses cost $589 a year, 5 licenses $879. Includes 1 month of premium support.
Regular lifetime license$79
one-time
Personal-use license valid for the life of the product, with 1 month of premium support. Extra support is sold in separate support packs.
Extended lifetime license$275
one-time
Lifetime license that allows using MailWizz as a SaaS business and charging customers, with 1 month of premium support.
Ways to pay less
LISTSERV
- Education
Academic discounts
The license pricing page says academic discounts are available; details come from L-Soft sales.
MailWizz
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LISTSERV or MailWizz?
As of Nov 13, 2026, LISTSERV starts at $2,875 and up, one-time (Lite); free edition for non-commercial use, and MailWizz starts at $59 per year (Regular license); lifetime license $79 once.
Which has a free plan, LISTSERV or MailWizz?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only LISTSERV has a free plan. MailWizz does not.
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.