What's New in AcelleMail

What this is for#

AcelleMail ships updates regularly. Minor patches every few weeks (security fixes, bug fixes, small enhancements). Larger feature releases a few times a year (new modules, UI updates, infrastructure improvements).

This article is intentionally evergreen — rather than listing specific version features that drift out of date, it explains:

1. The release cadence + how AcelleMail versions are numbered
2. Where to find the current changelog for your install
3. The upgrade discipline that keeps things running smoothly
4. The patterns of improvement the platform has been heading toward

For specific announcements, see the AcelleMail 2026 Roadmap sibling article.

Release cadence + versioning#

AcelleMail uses semantic-ish versioning: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.

Updates ship as .bin patch files from CodeCanyon. You download the patch from your CodeCanyon item page and apply it via Acelle's admin upgrade flow (see Upgrade Discipline below).

Finding what's new in your install#

There's no single "What's New" page in the admin (yet). To know what's in your install:

1. The Admin About page#

• AcelleMail Admin → About (or Settings → About depending on version)
• Shows: AcelleMail version, PHP version, MySQL version, license info, install date

2. The CodeCanyon changelog#

• Go to your CodeCanyon Item page → Changelog tab
• Lists every version with bullet-point release notes
• This is the authoritative source — Acelle's official "what changed"
• Browse older entries to understand the trajectory

3. The current version's release notes#

When you apply a patch-x.x.x.bin, the upgrade UI shows the changelog for that specific patch before you confirm. Read it. Notes call out:

• Required PHP / MySQL version changes (rare; usually not bumped within a major)
• New required environment variables (added to .env)
• Database migrations (auto-run, but knowing they happen helps)
• Behavior changes that might affect existing automations

4. From the install itself#

Some hints live in the codebase:

# Current version
cat /var/www/acellemail/config/app.php | grep "'version'"

# Migration history — shows what schema changes have been applied
cd /var/www/acellemail && sudo -u www-data php artisan migrate:status

# Composer dependencies (for cross-referencing if a vendor changed)
cat /var/www/acellemail/composer.lock | grep -A1 '"name":' | head -20

Upgrade discipline#

The right upgrade workflow has 5 steps:

Step 1 — Read the patch notes#

Before downloading. Note any breaking changes, required .env additions, or known issues with the patch.

Step 2 — Test on a staging install first#

If you operate any tier where downtime matters (SaaS, production sending), maintain a staging install (one VPS, same dist + PHP + MySQL versions as prod). Apply the patch there first, exercise the admin UI + a test campaign send + your automations. If you don't have staging, at least apply patches outside business hours.

Step 3 — Take a backup before applying#

sudo /usr/local/bin/acellemail-db-backup.sh
# See: /kb/articles/automated-database-backups for the script

Plus a file-tree snapshot if the patch touches more than the code (rare for patch releases; common for minor releases that change templates):

sudo tar czf /var/backups/pre-upgrade-$(date +%F).tar.gz /var/www/acellemail

Step 4 — Apply the patch#

In Admin:

• Admin → Upgrades → Upload .bin file → Run
• OR via API: curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" -F "patch=@patch-x.x.x.bin" https://your-acelle/api/v1/upgrade/run-file

The patch runs migrations + replaces files. The web UI may be intermittently unavailable for 30-90 seconds during this — schedule accordingly.

Step 5 — Restart workers + clear caches#

cd /var/www/acellemail
sudo -u www-data php artisan optimize:clear
sudo supervisorctl restart acellemail-master:* acellemail-worker:*

Worker restart is non-negotiable. Workers run the OLD code from when they started — they don't pick up the new patch's code until restarted. Without this, you'll see weird half-state behavior for hours.

For Docker installs, see the Docker patch-upgrade workflow.

Step 6 — Verify#

# Quick smoke checks
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" https://your-acelle/        # 200
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" https://your-acelle/admin   # 200 or 302
sudo supervisorctl status                                              # all RUNNING
sudo -u www-data php artisan queue:failed | head                       # no new failures

Then send a test campaign to a small internal list to confirm sending works.

Recent platform direction#

Looking at AcelleMail's evolution over the past 18 months, the platform has been investing in:

• Deliverability tooling — better SES integration, more granular per-sending-server quotas, native Postmaster + SNDS integration, FBL handling improvements
• Automation depth — more conditional logic, better merge tag handling, API triggers from external systems, in-flow webhook actions
• SaaS operator features — Cashier subscription billing consolidation on Stripe, per-customer custom domains with auto-TLS, multi-server sending-pool patterns
• Admin UI polish — refactor of older controllers (the Refactor/Admin/* namespace), improved responsive design, dark-mode support

These aren't promises — they're the observed direction from comparing 12 months of release notes. Your specific install may have features from any subset of these depending on version.

Common upgrade issues#

FAQ#

How do I get notified of new releases? CodeCanyon sends an email when a new patch is published for items you own. Make sure your CodeCanyon profile has email notifications enabled. You can also subscribe to the AcelleMail newsletter if available.

Can I skip a patch (go from 5.2.1 directly to 5.2.5)? Usually yes — patches are cumulative within a minor version. The 5.2.5 patch includes all changes from 5.2.2 through 5.2.5.

Going from a major version to the next (5.x → 6.x)? Read the major-release migration guide carefully. There may be breaking changes (.env variable renames, removed features, database schema changes that need manual prep). Don't skip.

What if my install is years out of date? You may need to apply patches sequentially through multiple major versions. This is doable but tedious — for installs 2+ years behind, consider a fresh install + data migration as the cleaner path.

Where do I report a bug found in a release? Contact CodeCanyon support via the item's Support tab. Include AcelleMail version, PHP version, exact reproduction steps, and error log excerpts.

Is the source code open? AcelleMail is a commercial CodeCanyon product. The source is provided to license holders but is not publicly open-source. See Contributing to AcelleMail Development for what "contributing" means in this context.

Beta versions? Not formally — releases are tested internally before going to CodeCanyon. If you want to help test, build a relationship with the Acelle team via support; they sometimes share early builds with engaged operators.

Related articles#

• AcelleMail 2026 Roadmap — sibling article on the platform's direction
• Contributing to AcelleMail Development — how to engage with the team
• Community Spotlight: Business Case Studies — what other operators have built
• Install AcelleMail on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS — for fresh installs
• Docker Deployment Guide for AcelleMail — Docker-specific upgrade flow
• Automated Database Backups — backups before every upgrade
• Setting Up Queue Workers and Cron Jobs — worker restart is part of every upgrade
• Post-Install Hardening Checklist — re-run after major upgrades
• Extending AcelleMail Source Code — for keeping custom extensions upgrade-safe