Mailster vs Sendy (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Sendy grades higher than Mailster: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Sendy grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Mailster if
- Fits if you already run WordPress and want your subscriber list kept in your own database
- Works for sites that send their latest posts or products to a list
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your site isn't on WordPress, because the plugin only runs there
- Tight if you want to send for free: there's no free edition and no trial
- Watch out: it renews at full price after the first year, and each licence covers one site
- Not for you if you don't want to set up a separate sending provider, since Mailster doesn't send the mail itself
- Tight if you need more than 3 automations, which is the Starter limit
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
| 1.8GPAMailsterWeak | 2.0GPASendyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$79 a year for 1 site is about $6.60 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of email tools ($9.99). The first-year price is $39, then it renews at full price, and you pay your sending provider on top. | 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 | FNo free edition and no trial. There's a demo and a 14-day money-back guarantee, which isn't the same thing. | 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, drip emails, post-triggered sends, a template editor and segmentation. But Starter has 3 automations, and it doesn't send mail itself, so delivery depends on the provider you connect. | 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 | DYou need a WordPress site that you host and keep updated, plus an SMTP or email-service connection. No rating on record. | 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, inside WordPress, but it connects to Mailgun, SendGrid, SparkPost, Mailjet, Gmail and Gravity Forms, among others. | 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 | newsletters sent from inside your own WordPress site | 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: Mailster 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.
- Mailster also covers templates, forms and rSS reader.
At a glance
| Mailster | Sendy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $79 per year for 1 site, renewing at full price after a first-year price of $39 | $69 one-time purchase, for one domain |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Mailster | Sendy |
| Price read from | mailster.co | sendy.co |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Mailster
- It runs only inside WordPress, and every licence covers one site or domain.
- There is no free edition; the site offers a demo and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
- Updates and support need an active licence. The plugin keeps working after expiry, but renewals are at full price.
- Mailster does not send mail itself. Deliverability depends on the email provider or server you connect, and the vendor recommends a dedicated provider.
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
Mailster
- Newsletters and automation
- Send newsletters, welcome emails, birthday emails, drip campaigns and autoresponders. The number of automations depends on the tier.
- Send your latest posts
- Send new posts, products, events or other custom post types, and use them to trigger automations.
- Editor and templates
- A drag-and-drop editor with more than 400 free and premium templates.
- Any sending provider
- Mail can go out through SMTP or an email service provider; integrations are available for services such as Mailgun, SendGrid, SparkPost, Mailjet and Gmail.
- Segmentation and tracking
- Segment subscribers and track opens, clicks, email providers and locations from within WordPress.
- Precheck
- A pre-send check that flags issues in a campaign, capped at 10, 100 or 1,000 runs a month by tier.
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
Mailster
Starter$79
per year for 1 site
Unlimited subscribers, 3 automations, 10 prechecks a month, 10 free templates. $39 for the first year in a Black Friday listing; renewals at full price.
Professional$99
per year for 1 site
Adds 10 automations, 100 prechecks a month and 7 premium templates. Shown at $49 for the first year in a Black Friday listing, with renewals at the full price.
Agency$199
per year for 1 site
Unlimited automations and 1,000 prechecks a month. Shown at $99 for the first year in a Black Friday listing, with renewals at the full price.
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
Mailster
- Other savings
First-year price in a Black Friday listing
The pricing page currently shows $39, $49 and $99 for Starter, Professional and Agency, against $79, $99 and $199 regular prices, and states that renewals are at full price. It gives no end date.
Sendy
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mailster or Sendy?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mailster starts at $79 per year for 1 site, renewing at full price after a first-year price of $39, and Sendy starts at $69 one-time purchase, for one domain.
Which has a free plan, Mailster or Sendy?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Mailster nor Sendy has a free plan.
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.