SendPortal vs Sendy (2026): which should you pick?

Pick SendPortal if

• Fits if you have a Laravel developer and want a free newsletter tool
• Works for people who already pay for an email sending service

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you want automation or a drag-and-drop editor, which aren't listed
• Skip it if you don't want to install PHP, Composer and a database
• Watch out: it has no sending of its own, so deliverability depends on the service you connect
• Watch out: no paid support plan is named

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

SendPortal

• You install and maintain it yourself; version 4 needs PHP 8.3 or newer, Composer, and MySQL 5.7+ or PostgreSQL 10+.
• The pages describe campaigns, segments and tracking; they do not list automation workflows or drag-and-drop editing.
• It has no sending infrastructure of its own, so deliverability depends on the email service you connect.
• The vendor's pages name no paid support 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.

SendPortal

Subscribers and segments

Import or update subscribers through the API or a CSV upload, and group them with tags and custom-defined segments.

Campaigns and templates

Send a campaign to every subscriber or to selected segments, using templates you build yourself.

Message tracking

Sends, opens, clicks, bounces and unsubscribes are tracked for each campaign.

Workspaces

Several workspaces or teams can be handled from a single interface.

REST API

API endpoints for templates, subscribers, tags and campaigns.

Bring your own sender

The documentation covers AWS SES, Postmark, SendGrid, Mailgun, Mailjet, Postal and plain SMTP as email services.

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.

SendPortal

• Self-hosted$0

  Open-source software you host yourself, with unlimited users, subscribers, segments and messages. Sending costs are paid to your chosen email service.

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.