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AcelleMail vs listmonk

AcelleMail vs listmonk — self-hosted email marketing, two architectures

Side-by-side comparison of AcelleMail (PHP + MySQL/MariaDB, one-time $74 license, plugin SDK, multi-tenant SaaS layer) and listmonk (Go + PostgreSQL, AGPLv3, single binary). Pricing, sending drivers, automation, integrations, and a step-by-step migration guide.

At a glance AcelleMail listmonk
License model Commercial license — $74 Regular / $199 Extended on CodeCanyon. Full PHP source included; modifications stay private. AGPLv3 (free software). Source available; modifications distributed externally must also be AGPLv3.
Hosting Self-hosted on Linux + PHP 8.1+ + MySQL/MariaDB. ~512 MB RAM minimum. Self-hosted on a single Go binary + PostgreSQL ≥ 12. No managed/SaaS option offered by the project.
Stack PHP 8.1+ (Laravel-based), MySQL/MariaDB, optional Redis cache. Go backend, Vue + Buefy frontend, PostgreSQL ≥ 12.
Sending integrations 8 built-in drivers — Amazon SES, SendGrid, SparkPost, Mailgun, Elastic Email, Blastengine, Gmail relay, generic SMTP — plus plugin SDK for additional vendors. Default SMTP backend. "Messenger" architecture lets you POST campaigns to a JSON HTTP endpoint; community-maintained messengers exist for AWS Pinpoint SMS, Verimor, Mailersend, Novu, and Google FCM.
Automation builder Visual workflow builder (Automation2) with trigger/wait/condition/send/segment-update nodes. Included on every license. Campaign types include regular, optin, and scheduled. Recurring/automated sequences are built via the API or external schedulers.
Multi-tenancy / SaaS Extended License ($199) ships a multi-tenant layer — customer accounts, plans, 6 payment gateways, dunning, white-label. Single-instance install. Multi-tenant deployments require running multiple instances; not bundled in core.
Plugin SDK 4-pattern Hook system (REGISTRY, EVENT, FILTER, BEHAVIOR). Plugins live under storage/app/plugins/. See Plugin SDK. Extension via Messengers (HTTP webhooks for sending) and the public REST API. No in-process plugin system in core.
Feature parity

Feature-by-feature comparison

Roughly 30 attributes grouped into 7 categories, drawn from AcelleMail v4.2 and Mailchimp’s public feature documentation. Every ✓ can be verified against the cited source.

Email creation

Feature AcelleMail listmonk Notes
Drag-and-drop email builder ✓ ✗ AcelleMail ships a visual block editor with mobile preview. listmonk uses HTML / Markdown templates rendered through Go templating (custom blocks possible via campaign template body).
100+ pre-built templates ✓ ◐ AcelleMail bundles a starter template gallery. listmonk ships with default campaign templates and supports user-imported HTML templates.
Full HTML editor ✓ ✓ Both let you edit raw HTML/CSS for campaigns.
Spintax / dynamic content ✓ ◐ AcelleMail includes spintax + per-subscriber merge fields. listmonk supports template logic via Go template syntax — subscriber attributes interpolate but spintax-style randomization is not built in.
A/B testing ✓ ✗ AcelleMail supports subject-line and content split tests. listmonk's campaign model does not include built-in A/B testing.
Multi-language campaigns ✓ ◐ AcelleMail tracks per-subscriber language attributes for segmentation. listmonk supports per-subscriber attribute fields that can be used for similar filtering.

Lists & segmentation

Feature AcelleMail listmonk Notes
Unlimited subscribers ✓ ✓ Both tools impose no software-side cap. Limits come from the database and server.
Multiple lists ✓ ✓ Both tools support unlimited lists.
Advanced segmentation (any-condition) ✓ ◐ AcelleMail provides a visual segment builder over subscriber fields, behavior, tags, and date logic. listmonk supports SQL-based subscriber queries — flexible but text-driven rather than UI-driven.
Tags ✓ ✓ Both support tag-style subscriber labeling.
Embeddable signup forms ✓ ✓ Both generate embeddable signup forms.
Double opt-in ✓ ✓ Both include double opt-in flows.
Bulk import (CSV) ✓ ✓ Both support CSV mass import. AcelleMail also supports XLSX and direct DB seed.

Automation

Feature AcelleMail listmonk Notes
Trigger-based workflows ✓ ◐ AcelleMail Automation2 supports trigger / wait / condition / send / tag-update / segment-move nodes. listmonk supports campaign scheduling and templated transactional sends; multi-step trigger flows are built via API + external scheduler.
Customer journey / multi-step flows ✓ ✗ AcelleMail ships a visual multi-step journey builder. listmonk supports regular, opt-in, and scheduled campaign types per its docs; multi-step journeys are typically composed via the public API + cron + external scheduler.
RSS-to-email ✓ ◐ AcelleMail can pull RSS feeds into scheduled campaigns. listmonk supports the same via campaign body templating + scheduled execution.
Birthday / anniversary emails ✓ ◐ AcelleMail supports date-field triggers natively. listmonk supports date-field segmentation and scheduled sends; recurring date triggers are typically built with a cron-driven script against the API.
Behavioral triggers (clicks/opens) ✓ ◐ AcelleMail exposes engagement events as automation triggers. listmonk records click/open events that can be queried via API for downstream automation.

Deliverability

Feature AcelleMail listmonk Notes
SPF / DKIM / DMARC tooling ✓ ◐ AcelleMail surfaces SPF/DKIM/DMARC record generation in the sending-server config. listmonk relies on the upstream SMTP provider for DKIM signing — listmonk itself sends through SMTP and inherits the provider's authentication setup.
Custom sending domain (return path) ✓ ◐ AcelleMail supports custom return-path on every license. listmonk inherits return-path from the configured SMTP server.
Multiple sending services ✓ ◐ AcelleMail ships 8 built-in drivers (SES, SendGrid, SparkPost, Mailgun, Elastic Email, Blastengine, Gmail, generic SMTP). listmonk's default backend is SMTP; additional providers are integrated by deploying a community Messenger HTTP endpoint.
IP warmup configuration ✓ ◐ AcelleMail supports daily/hourly send caps per sending server for gradual warmup. listmonk supports configurable concurrency + rate limits per messenger.
Click maps + spam scoring ✓ ◐ AcelleMail provides click heatmaps and SpamAssassin-style scoring on each campaign. listmonk records click events in campaign analytics; spam-score scanning is not in core.
Bounce / complaint webhook ingestion ✓ ✓ Both ingest bounce events. AcelleMail registers webhook endpoints for SES/SendGrid/Mailgun/etc. (see app/SendingServers/Webhooks/). listmonk supports SES, SendGrid, and Postmark bounce webhooks per its bounce-processing docs.

Integrations

Feature AcelleMail listmonk Notes
REST API ✓ ✓ AcelleMail's REST API is documented at /api and is the same API the dashboard uses. listmonk publishes a comprehensive HTTP API documented at listmonk.app/docs/apis/.
Webhooks ✓ ◐ AcelleMail emits outbound event webhooks (subscribe, unsubscribe, click, open, etc.). listmonk's "Messenger" model is a one-direction webhook for outbound campaign delivery; inbound bounce webhooks are supported separately.
WordPress / WooCommerce sync ✓ ✗ AcelleMail provides an official WordPress / WooCommerce plugin. listmonk does not ship a WordPress integration in core; community examples exist.
Zapier / Make / n8n ✓ ◐ AcelleMail is pre-listed on Zapier / Make / n8n. listmonk is reachable from these tools via its REST API but is not a first-party app on Zapier.
Custom plugin SDK ✓ ✗ AcelleMail ships a four-pattern Hook system (REGISTRY, EVENT, FILTER, BEHAVIOR) — see Plugin SDK. listmonk extension is via Messengers (HTTP) + REST API; there is no in-process plugin runtime in core.

SaaS / multi-tenancy

Feature AcelleMail listmonk Notes
Multi-tenant workspaces ✓ ✗ AcelleMail Extended ($199) ships a reseller layer with customer accounts, plans, and billing. listmonk is delivered as a single-tenant product; multi-tenant operation requires running multiple instances.
Subscription plans + payment gateways ✓ ✗ AcelleMail bundles 6 payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Razorpay, Paystack, Offline) for resellers. listmonk does not include billing or subscription primitives.
White-label / remove vendor branding ✓ ◐ AcelleMail Extended removes branding for reseller use. listmonk's admin UI is brandable via static asset replacement; the AGPLv3 license imposes source-availability obligations on modified deployments offered as a service to others.
Reseller billing / dunning ✓ ✗ AcelleMail's Cashier package covers subscriptions, prorated upgrades, and dunning. listmonk does not provide subscription billing primitives.

Operations

Feature AcelleMail listmonk Notes
Single-binary deployment ✗ ✓ AcelleMail is a PHP application — runs under PHP-FPM + nginx/Apache. listmonk ships a single Go binary that embeds the web UI and worker.
Database — relational ✓ ✓ AcelleMail uses MySQL ≥ 5.7 or MariaDB ≥ 10.3. listmonk requires PostgreSQL ≥ 12.
Cron / background workers ✓ ✓ AcelleMail relies on a system cron entry that triggers campaign workers. listmonk runs its own internal scheduler within the same binary.
Localization (UI translations) ✓ ✓ AcelleMail ships 18 locales out of the box. listmonk supports a Vue i18n locale layer with community-contributed translations.

Cost & ownership

Feature AcelleMail listmonk Notes
License cost ◐ ✓ AcelleMail Regular is $74 one-time; Extended is $199 (commercial, includes lifetime point/minor updates + 6 months support). listmonk is AGPLv3 — free of license fee with copyleft obligations on modified service deployments.
Lifetime updates ✓ ✓ AcelleMail license includes lifetime point + minor releases. listmonk releases publicly on GitHub; users pull updates manually.
Data export ownership ✓ ✓ Both run on a database you control — full SQL access, CSV export, and REST API.
Source code visibility ✓ ✓ AcelleMail ships full unencrypted PHP source under a CodeCanyon Regular/Extended license. listmonk's Go source is on GitHub under AGPLv3.
Total cost of ownership

3-year cost across three real scenarios

Both AcelleMail and listmonk are self-hosted, so the running cost is dominated by VPS + sending service rather than license. AcelleMail figures use the verifiable $74 license + small VPS + Amazon SES at $0.10 per 1,000 emails. listmonk figures use the same VPS / sending budget without a license cost.

Small business — 1,000 contacts, 4× sends/month

listmonk — listmonk (AGPLv3) + small VPS + SMTP $5/mo VPS + $0.40/mo SES (4,000 sends × $0.0001)
$0 license + $180 VPS + $14 SES = $194 total
AcelleMail — AcelleMail Regular License + small VPS + SES $5/mo VPS + $0.40/mo SES (4,000 sends × $0.0001)
$74 license + $180 VPS + $14 SES = $268 total

AcelleMail license adds $74 over 3 years; running cost is otherwise comparable. The decision is feature breadth + visual builder + plugin SDK, not raw cost.

Growing newsletter — 10,000 contacts, 80,000 sends/month

listmonk — listmonk (AGPLv3) + $10 VPS + SES $10/mo VPS + $8/mo SES (80,000 × $0.0001)
$0 license + $360 VPS + $288 SES = $648 total
AcelleMail — AcelleMail Regular License + $10 VPS + SES $10/mo VPS + $8/mo SES (80,000 × $0.0001)
$74 license + $360 VPS + $288 SES = $722 total

Running costs are identical at this volume. AcelleMail license is $74 over 3 years; the choice is automation depth, integrations breadth, and plugin SDK.

Agency / SaaS — 50,000 contacts, 400,000 sends/month, 50 client tenants

listmonk — listmonk (AGPLv3) + $20 VPS + SES, 50 instances OR custom multi-tenant build Single instance: $20 VPS + $40 SES = $60. Multi-tenant requires either separate listmonk instances (50 × $5–10 VPS + ops overhead) or a custom routing layer.
50 instances ≈ $0 license + $9,000 VPS + $1,440 SES = $10,440 total (plus ops time per tenant).
AcelleMail — AcelleMail Extended License ($199) + $20 VPS + SES (multi-tenant on a single instance) $20/mo VPS + $40/mo SES (400,000 × $0.0001) — covers all 50 tenants on one install.
$199 license + $720 VPS + $1,440 SES = $2,359 total

AcelleMail Extended ships a multi-tenant SaaS layer (customer accounts, plans, 6 payment gateways, dunning) that listmonk does not. Operating cost difference comes from running one consolidated install vs many.

Migration playbook

listmonk → AcelleMail in seven steps

Most teams cut over inside a week. The technical setup is half a day; the time-consuming step is rebuilding multi-step automations and templates.

  1. 1. Export from listmonk

    listmonk's admin UI exports subscribers per list as CSV (Subscribers → Export). For the full data set, the public API at GET /api/subscribers returns paginated JSON including subscriber attributes, lists, and tags. Campaign HTML can be retrieved per-campaign via GET /api/campaigns/{id}. Click/open analytics can be pulled from the campaign-views and campaign-clicks tables in PostgreSQL directly if needed for migration analysis.

  2. 2. Get AcelleMail

    Buy the Regular License — $74 on CodeCanyon. Download the ZIP, upload to your server, run the web installer (5 minutes — sets DB, admin user, cron). PHP 8.1+, MySQL ≥ 5.7 or MariaDB ≥ 10.3, ~512 MB RAM minimum. The installation guide walks through cPanel, DigitalOcean, AWS, and Docker.

  3. 3. Configure your sending service

    In Sending Servers → Add, pick Amazon SES (recommended — cheapest), SendGrid, Mailgun, SparkPost, Postmark, Elastic Email, or any SMTP. Paste your API key. AcelleMail handles SPF/DKIM record generation and DKIM signing. Run the test-send to confirm. The 8 built-in drivers live in app/SendingServers/Drivers/Vendors/; additional vendors can be added via the plugin SDK.

  4. 4. Import contacts + attributes

    In Lists → Create List, recreate your listmonk lists with their attribute schema (listmonk attributes map to AcelleMail subscriber custom fields one-to-one). Use Import → Upload CSV and map columns. Tags map directly. For lists over 100k, use the chunked import or seed via the REST API.

  5. 5. Recreate templates and campaigns

    For templates, paste your listmonk HTML/Markdown into AcelleMail's template editor. Merge syntax differs: listmonk uses {{ .Subscriber.FirstName }} Go template syntax; AcelleMail uses {{ subscriber.first_name }} Twig-style syntax. Subscriber attribute access is equivalent. For automation flows, use Automation → New Workflow — listmonk has no equivalent visual builder, so multi-step flows previously built via cron + API can be expressed as visual journeys.

  6. 6. Configure tracking + DKIM

    AcelleMail tracking is enabled by default per campaign (open pixel + link wrapping). DKIM signing is configured at the Sending Server level — paste the DNS records AcelleMail generates into your domain. If you were running listmonk on the same domain, the existing DKIM keys can usually be reused if the sending vendor matches. Otherwise, plan to publish new DKIM records and let DNS propagate before the cutover send.

  7. 7. Test deliverability + cut over

    Send a test campaign to GlockApps or Mail-Tester (free). Aim for 9.5/10. Send your next live campaign from AcelleMail in parallel for one cycle, watch open/click rates against your prior baseline, then turn off the listmonk install. Most teams cut over inside a week.
Operational fit

When self-hosting isn’t the right fit

Self-hosted email marketing is a tradeoff: lower cost and full ownership in exchange for operational responsibility. A managed SaaS may be the better choice for any of the situations below.

  • You prefer Go over PHP for your infrastructure

    AcelleMail is a PHP/Laravel application. Teams that standardize on Go binaries for operational simplicity may prefer listmonk's single-binary deployment model — the runtime + worker live in one process and there is no PHP-FPM or Composer dependency to manage. The tradeoff is around bundled features: AcelleMail bundles visual automation, plugin SDK, and a multi-tenant SaaS layer in core; listmonk users typically build comparable workflows via external automation against listmonk's REST API.

  • You already run PostgreSQL and don't want MySQL

    AcelleMail runs on MySQL/MariaDB. Teams whose data infrastructure standardizes on PostgreSQL may prefer listmonk's native PostgreSQL stack to avoid running a second relational engine. AcelleMail does not currently support PostgreSQL.

  • You don't need a visual automation / multi-tenant SaaS layer

    AcelleMail's bundled features include a visual automation builder, the plugin SDK, and the Extended-License multi-tenant layer with payment gateways. If your use case is a single-instance broadcast list with scheduled campaigns and you're comfortable composing multi-step flows in code against a REST API, listmonk's default feature set covers that without additional layers.

  • Your project requires AGPL software

    Some organizations have a software policy that requires copyleft licenses for self-hosted services. listmonk's AGPLv3 satisfies that requirement; AcelleMail is distributed under a CodeCanyon Regular/Extended license that does not impose AGPL-style copyleft.

Cost by use-case

Three buyer situations

Cost figures pair the verified entry-tier prices with calculator-quoted ranges where applicable. Compare the numbers; the right pick depends on your team’s capacity for the operational tradeoffs above.

  • SaaS team — product newsletter

    Situation: 8,000 trial signups + 2,000 paid customers, weekly product newsletter, 4-step onboarding drip, billing notifications.

    listmonk cost: listmonk + $10/mo VPS + $2/mo SES. Onboarding drip is built as a 4-step API-driven sequence with cron-triggered scheduled campaigns; 4-step state-machine logic lives outside listmonk.

    AcelleMail cost: $74 once + $10/mo DigitalOcean droplet + ~$2/mo SES. The 4-step drip is a single visual workflow in Automation2 — trigger on signup → wait → check engagement → send next email.

  • Marketing agency — 50 client lists

    Situation: Email service for 50 small-business clients, average 2,000 subscribers each, monthly newsletter + occasional promo.

    listmonk cost: listmonk: 50 instances (~$5/mo each VPS) ≈ $250/mo + ops time per tenant, OR a custom routing layer over a single instance. SaaS billing primitives are not included.

    AcelleMail cost: $199 Extended License once + $40/mo VPS + ~$30/mo SES total across all clients on one install. Built-in SaaS layer: per-client login, plans, dunning, 6 payment gateways.

  • Indie newsletter — 5,000 subscribers

    Situation: Weekly newsletter, no automation flows, transactional sends for password resets only.

    listmonk cost: listmonk + $5/mo VPS + ~$0.30/mo SES + Postgres operating cost. Free of license fee.

    AcelleMail cost: $74 license + $5/mo VPS + ~$0.30/mo SES. License recovers ~24 months of avoided SaaS subscription if previously paying for hosted email.

Frequently asked

Common questions

Can I migrate from listmonk to AcelleMail without losing subscriber data?
Yes. listmonk's admin UI exports subscribers per list as CSV; the public API at GET /api/subscribers returns paginated JSON for full programmatic export. AcelleMail's import accepts CSV with custom-field mapping and supports XLSX or direct DB seed for very large lists. Tags and per-subscriber attributes map to AcelleMail subscriber custom fields one-to-one. Plan a half-day for a list under 5,000 contacts; 2–3 days for lists with extensive automation logic to rebuild.
How does AcelleMail's automation compare to listmonk's campaign types?
AcelleMail ships a visual workflow builder (Automation2) with trigger / wait / condition / send / tag-update / segment-move nodes — multi-step journeys are configured in the UI without code. listmonk's campaign model includes regular, opt-in, and scheduled campaigns; multi-step journeys are typically composed via the public API + cron + external scheduler. Both approaches work; the choice is whether you want the journey expressed in the UI (AcelleMail) or in your own code (listmonk).
Why does AcelleMail charge $74 when listmonk is free under AGPLv3?
AcelleMail Regular License ($74 one-time) is a commercial license that includes lifetime point + minor updates, 6 months of support, and the right to use modifications privately without copyleft obligations. listmonk under AGPLv3 is free of license fee but its copyleft applies to derivative deployments offered as a service. The $74 covers a different bundle: visual automation builder, plugin SDK, 8 sending-driver integrations, multi-language UI, and the Extended path to a multi-tenant SaaS layer ($199).
Does listmonk support Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun out of the box?
listmonk ships a default SMTP backend that can connect to any SMTP-capable service including SES, SendGrid, and Mailgun. Beyond SMTP, listmonk's "Messenger" architecture lets you POST campaigns to a JSON HTTP endpoint; community-maintained messengers exist for AWS Pinpoint SMS, Verimor, Mailersend, Novu, and Google FCM. AcelleMail ships 8 native drivers (SES, SendGrid, SparkPost, Mailgun, Elastic Email, Blastengine, Gmail, generic SMTP) with API-level integration including bounce-webhook handlers — see app/SendingServers/Drivers/Vendors/ in the AcelleMail source.
Can I run multiple client accounts under one AcelleMail install?
Yes — that's the AcelleMail Extended License ($199). It bundles a multi-tenant layer: customer accounts, subscription plans, 6 payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Razorpay, Paystack, Offline), prorated upgrades, dunning, and white-label branding. listmonk is delivered as a single-tenant project; multi-tenant operation typically requires running multiple listmonk instances. See the For Developers page for the architecture.
What stack does AcelleMail need vs what does listmonk need?
AcelleMail: PHP 8.1+, MySQL ≥ 5.7 or MariaDB ≥ 10.3, ~512 MB RAM minimum, 1 GB recommended for lists up to ~50K. Runs under PHP-FPM behind nginx or Apache. listmonk: a single Go binary, PostgreSQL ≥ 12. The frontend is bundled into the binary. Memory footprint is small (Go binary is ~50–100 MB resident at idle). Both tools expect a system cron / scheduler — AcelleMail uses an OS cron entry; listmonk runs its own internal scheduler.
Does AcelleMail's plugin SDK have a listmonk equivalent?
AcelleMail ships a four-pattern Hook system (REGISTRY, EVENT, FILTER, BEHAVIOR) — plugins live under storage/app/plugins/ and can register sending drivers, payment gateways, UI panels, and lifecycle hooks. See the Plugin SDK documentation for the four patterns and worked examples (Postal MTA, Paddle gateway, AI plugin). listmonk's extension model is via Messengers (HTTP webhooks for outbound delivery) plus the public REST API; there is no in-process plugin runtime in core. Integration code typically lives outside the listmonk binary.
What about deliverability — does AcelleMail include SPF/DKIM tooling that listmonk does not?
Both tools rely on the underlying sending service (SES, SendGrid, etc.) for IP reputation and DKIM signing. AcelleMail surfaces SPF/DKIM/DMARC record values directly in the sending-server config UI and signs DKIM at the application layer when configured to. listmonk relies on the SMTP provider's DKIM setup; bounce processing supports SES, SendGrid, and Postmark webhooks per its bounce-processing docs. The full SPF/DKIM/DMARC tooling overview for AcelleMail is on Security & GDPR.
Which is the right choice for a single-instance newsletter with no automation needs?
Both work. listmonk's single-binary deployment is operationally simpler if you're comfortable with Go binaries and PostgreSQL. AcelleMail's $74 license bundles a visual builder, automation flows, 8 native sending drivers, and an 18-locale UI — useful if you expect to grow into automation or multi-tenancy. Teams whose use case is broadcast-only with the smallest possible operational footprint can fit that on listmonk; teams that want bundled automation and multi-tenant primitives day one can fit that on AcelleMail.
Get started

Try AcelleMail before you migrate.

AcelleMail Regular License is $74, one-time. Includes lifetime updates, 6 months of support, full PHP source code, and unlimited subscribers. Try the live demo before you buy.

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listmonk is the trademark of its respective owner. This page is an objective product comparison authored by AcelleMail; we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by listmonk. All facts cited are sourced from publicly available documentation linked above; please report any inaccuracy to contact@acellemail.com and we will correct it.

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