MailPoet vs Sendy (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MailPoet grades higher than Sendy: 2.6 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
MailPoet grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. Sendy grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MailPoet
Email marketing plugin that runs inside WordPress and WooCommerce
Which one is for you
Pick MailPoet if
- Fits if you already run a WordPress site with fewer than 500 subscribers
- Works for WooCommerce shops that want order emails and newsletters
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not use WordPress, because it needs a WordPress site
- Tight if you stay free: 500 subscribers, 5,000 emails and MailPoet branding
- Watch out: segmentation and detailed ecommerce statistics start on the $10 Business plan
- Watch out: the figures are the 500-subscriber step on monthly billing, and the price rises from there
- Not for you if you want a standalone app, since it lives in WordPress
Pick Sendy if
- Fits if you publish to a list of tens of thousands and want to stop paying per subscriber
- Works for agencies that run a PHP host and want to give each client a branded account with its own limits
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if the words PHP, MySQL and Amazon SES make you nervous, as you set them up
- Not for you if you want to try it first, as there's no trial, only a refund
- Tight if you run several sites, since each license covers one domain
- Watch out: major version upgrades aren't included, and the AI add-on is $39 and installation $79
- Too light for anyone wanting a phone app or a hosted service, as it runs only on your own server
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMailPoetGood | 2.0GPASendyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPaid plans start at $8 a month for 500 subscribers and $10 on Business, inside the cheapest quarter of this category. The price rises with subscribers in steps up to 500,000. | 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, paid to Amazon. Add your own server, $79 if you want Sendy to install it, and $39 for the AI add-on. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Starter plan is free for 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month through the MailPoet Sending Service, with MailPoet branding on emails. | 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 | CNewsletters, automated emails, WooCommerce emails and a choice of sending method. Segmentation, detailed statistics and unbranded emails need a paid plan. | 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 | CA plugin on a WordPress site, with no rating on record. You install it, set up sending and build your own emails. | 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 | BInside WordPress only, with WooCommerce, Google Analytics and Mailchimp connections. | 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 | WordPress sites sending newsletters from the dashboard | 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: MailPoet and Sendy. How we grade
Where they differ
- Sendy is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Sendy can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- MailPoet also covers forms and transactional email.
At a glance
| MailPoet | Sendy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $8 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly | $69 one-time purchase, for one domain |
| Free plan | Starter plan: up to 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month, sent through the MailPoet Sending Service. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | MailPoet | Sendy |
| Price read from | mailpoet.com | sendy.co |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
MailPoet
- It runs only inside WordPress, so it needs a WordPress site.
- Starter is capped at 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month; segmentation, detailed statistics and unbranded emails need a paid plan.
- The price rises with the subscriber count in steps up to 500,000, and the figures above are the 500-subscriber step on monthly billing.
- The pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 15%, and nonprofits can request 20% off any plan.
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
MailPoet
- Newsletters in the WordPress dashboard
- Emails are built with a drag-and-drop editor and more than 70 templates, and can pull in posts, pages and WooCommerce products.
- Automated emails
- Welcome emails for new subscribers and automatic notifications for newly published posts, daily, weekly or monthly.
- WooCommerce emails
- Abandoned cart reminders, first-purchase emails, product and category emails, and customizable WooCommerce transactional emails.
- Segmentation
- Business and above can segment by engagement, purchasing behavior and other properties.
- Choice of sending method
- Send through the MailPoet Sending Service, the web host, or a third-party SMTP service.
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
MailPoet
Starter$0
Up to 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month, with forms, basic automation and summarized statistics. MailPoet branding stays on emails.
Creator$8
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Business features without the MailPoet Sending Service, for people who send through their own host or SMTP. The price rises with the subscriber count.
Business$10
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Unlimited emails, no MailPoet branding, priority support, segmentation and detailed ecommerce statistics. The price rises with the subscriber count.
Agency$30
per month for up to 500 subscribers per site, billed monthly
Business features on up to 50 websites, with the subscriber limit counted per MailPoet install.
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
MailPoet
- Annual discount
Up to 15% off with yearly billing
The pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 15% compared with monthly billing.
- Nonprofit
20% off for nonprofits
Nonprofits get 20% off any plan by contacting support to request it.
Sendy
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MailPoet or Sendy?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MailPoet starts at $8 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly, and Sendy starts at $69 one-time purchase, for one domain.
Which has a free plan, MailPoet or Sendy?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only MailPoet has a free plan. Sendy 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.