Best Self Hosted Alternatives to iContact

Listmonk is a standalone, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager designed for high performance. It stores data in PostgreSQL and ships as a single binary, with a modern Vue-based UI.

Key Features

• High-throughput, multi-SMTP queues with sliding window rate limiting.
• Go templating for emails with HTML, Markdown, and plain text support.
• Subscriber management across single and double opt-in lists with SQL-based segmentation.
• Transactional mails via a simple API and templates; supports multiple mediums via Messenger interfaces.
• Extensible via webhooks and API coverage for external messaging.
• Built-in analytics to visualize campaign performance, bounces, and top links.
• Media library with a configurable backend (S3-compatible storage).
• OIDC SSO with granular roles and API tokens for access control.
• Single binary application with a modern, Vue-based UI.
• Backend in Go and frontend in Vue with Buefy for UI, enabling a cohesive development experience.

Use Cases

• Bulk newsletters to millions of subscribers with opt-in lists and SQL-based segmentation.
• Transactional messaging via templates and a simple API, including support for additional messenger channels.
• Self-hosted analytics and campaign visualization with straightforward data access.

Conclusion

Listmonk is open-source under the AGPLv3 license and can be deployed on your own infrastructure, with ongoing development and security updates. The latest release as of January 2, 2026 is v6.0.0, reflecting ongoing improvements and features.

Keila is an open-source newsletter platform for creating, sending, and analyzing email campaigns while keeping control of your data. It provides multiple editor options, contact management, segmentation, and flexible signup forms for growing and maintaining mailing lists.

Key Features

• Campaign editor with multiple workflows, including block-based editing, Markdown, and template-based approaches
• Signup form builder with custom fields and double opt-in support
• Contact management with custom JSON data and personalization via Liquid templates
• Segmentation using a visual segment editor and an advanced segment language
• Sending options ranging from SMTP to provider integrations (e.g., Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark)
• Email analytics with privacy-conscious tracking controls, including disabling tracking
• API for managing contacts and campaigns to enable integrations and automation
• Captcha support to reduce bot signups and protect list quality

Use Cases

• Run a self-hosted alternative to services like Mailchimp for newsletters and announcements
• Collect subscribers via embedded forms and send targeted campaigns using segments
• Automate newsletter operations by integrating Keila with existing tools through its API

Keila is well-suited for individuals and organizations that want a reliable newsletter workflow, flexible email creation options, and practical deliverability and privacy controls without vendor lock-in.

phpList is an open source email marketing and newsletter manager for creating, sending, and analyzing email campaigns. It provides subscriber list management, campaign scheduling, and deliverability tooling, designed for organizations that want to run email programs on their own infrastructure.

Key Features

• Web-based admin interface plus command-line tools for management and sending
• Subscriber management with custom attributes, preferences, and segmentation
• Campaign scheduling controls (pause, resume, repeat, requeue)
• Personalization of message content based on subscriber data
• Real-time campaign analytics for engagement and delivery outcomes
• Bounce processing with policy/regex-based handling and bounce archiving
• Message queue management with throttling and load balancing across campaigns
• Import/export of subscribers (including CSV and spreadsheet-based workflows)
• RSS-to-email capability for sending updates on a schedule
• Extensible plugin-based architecture and multiple APIs for integration

Use Cases

• Sending newsletters for communities, nonprofits, and membership organizations
• Running segmented marketing campaigns and automated scheduled mailings
• Managing deliverability workflows such as throttling and bounce handling

Limitations and Considerations

• Requires careful configuration of sending infrastructure and deliverability settings for large-scale mailings
• Feature set and UI can depend on installed themes and plugins

phpList is a mature, widely used platform focused on operational control of email campaigns, list hygiene, and reporting. It suits teams that need a reliable newsletter system with integration options and full control over data and sending policies.

Geoposler is a Dockerized email campaign management application for creating and sending HTML-based email campaigns. It provides a React-based admin UI and a TypeScript/Node.js backend, and stores campaign data in a MySQL database.

Key Features

• Create, edit and manage HTML email templates
• Manage contact lists and basic contact metadata
• Send HTML emails through configurable SMTP parameters
• Persistent storage using MySQL for templates, contacts, and campaign data
• Frontend built with Vite, React and Tailwind CSS; backend written in TypeScript/Node.js
• Distributed via Docker and Docker Compose for easy deployment; expects a healthy MySQL service

Use Cases

• Small businesses or projects sending newsletters and announcements using their SMTP provider
• Developers or teams testing and previewing HTML email templates against an SMTP server
• Self-hosted campaign management for organizations that require on-premise control of contact data

Limitations and Considerations

• Lacks built-in deliverability features such as DKIM signing, bounce handling, or advanced analytics
• No built-in campaign scheduling, detailed tracking, or unsubscribe management documented
• Relies on an external SMTP server for delivery; deliverability and rate limiting are dependent on that provider

Geoposler is suitable for straightforward, self-hosted email campaigns where control over templates and contacts is required. It provides a lightweight, containerized stack but may need extensions or integrations for production-grade deliverability and tracking.