AcelleMail vs Sendy — self-hosted email marketing, compared

The 7-step playbook covered above, with every action expanded for the operator. Total time: ~½ day technical setup, then 1–5 days rebuilding templates & automations depending on list complexity.

1. 1. Export from Sendy. Sendy stores subscribers, lists, and campaigns in its own MySQL database. Export each list to CSV from the Sendy admin (View all subscribers → Export), or query the subscribers and lists tables directly for very large data sets. Note your custom fields and the brand each list belongs to so you can recreate the structure. (Still comparing one-time-license tools? See our roundup of self-hosted Sendy alternatives.)
2. 2. Get AcelleMail. Buy the Regular License — $80 on CodeCanyon. Upload the ZIP to your server and run the 5-minute web installer (sets DB, admin user, cron). PHP 8.1+, MySQL ≥ 5.7 or MariaDB ≥ 10.3, ~512 MB RAM minimum. The installation guide covers cPanel, DigitalOcean, AWS, and Docker.
3. 3. Reconnect your sending service. If you were sending through Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailjet, or Elastic Email with Sendy, add the same provider in Sending Servers → Add and paste your existing credentials — your SES domain/identity carries over. AcelleMail also adds SparkPost, Mailgun, Blastengine, Gmail relay, generic SMTP, and a plugin SDK if you want to broaden later. AcelleMail generates the SPF/DKIM records and signs DKIM at the app layer. Run the test-send to confirm.
4. 4. Import contacts + custom fields. In Lists → Create List, recreate each Sendy list (and its custom fields). Use Import → Upload CSV and map columns to AcelleMail subscriber fields one-to-one. For lists over 100k, use the chunked import or seed via the REST API.
5. 5. Recreate templates, campaigns, and autoresponders. Paste your Sendy HTML designs into AcelleMail's template editor, or rebuild them in the drag-and-drop builder. Sendy autoresponder drips map to AcelleMail workflows: in Automation → New Workflow, lay out the same sequence as trigger → wait → send steps, and add condition/branch nodes if you want to evolve a linear drip into a behavior-driven journey.
6. 6. Configure tracking + DKIM. Open/click tracking is enabled per campaign by default (open pixel + link wrapping). DKIM signing is configured at the Sending Server level — publish the DNS records AcelleMail generates. If you kept the same sending vendor and domain as your Sendy install, the existing DKIM keys can usually be reused; otherwise publish new 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) and aim for 9.5/10. Run your next live campaign from AcelleMail in parallel for one cycle, compare open/click rates to your Sendy baseline, then retire the Sendy install. Most teams cut over inside a week.

The side-by-side table above shows feature parity; here is the supporting context for each row with a non-trivial note — useful when one platform is "partial" and you need the workaround.

Email creation

• Pre-built template gallery: AcelleMail bundles a starter template gallery. Sendy supports saving and reusing your own designs; the public site does not advertise a large bundled gallery.
• A/B testing: AcelleMail supports subject-line and content split tests in core. Confirm current A/B capabilities against Sendy's feature list for your version.
• Spintax / per-subscriber merge fields: AcelleMail includes spintax plus per-subscriber merge tags. Sendy supports merge/personalization tags; spintax-style randomization is not advertised.

Lists & segmentation

• Visual segment builder (any-condition): AcelleMail provides a visual segment builder over fields, behavior, tags, and date logic. Sendy supports segmentation by list, custom fields, and subscriber data.

Automation

• Visual multi-step workflow builder: AcelleMail ships Automation2 — a visual canvas with trigger / wait / condition / branch / segment-move nodes. Sendy's automation is autoresponder drip series rather than a branching visual builder.
• Conditional branching: AcelleMail branches a journey on engagement, tags, or field logic. Sendy drips run as a linear sequence; conditional logic beyond timing is limited.
• Behavioral triggers (clicks / opens): AcelleMail exposes engagement events as automation triggers. Sendy records opens/clicks for reporting; using them to branch a journey is not a built-in workflow feature.

Deliverability

• SPF / DKIM / DMARC tooling: AcelleMail surfaces SPF/DKIM/DMARC record generation in the sending-server config and signs DKIM at the app layer when configured. Sendy relies on the configured SES/SMTP provider for authentication.
• Multiple sending services: AcelleMail ships 8 built-in drivers plus generic SMTP and a plugin SDK. Sendy sends through Amazon SES and natively supports SendGrid, Mailjet, and Elastic Email per sendy.co.
• IP warmup / rate control: AcelleMail supports daily/hourly send caps per sending server for gradual warmup. Sendy lets you set sending limits, including per client account.
• Click maps + spam scoring: AcelleMail provides click heatmaps and SpamAssassin-style scoring per campaign. Sendy provides open/click reporting; bundled spam-score scanning is not advertised.

Integrations

• WordPress / WooCommerce: AcelleMail ships an official WordPress / WooCommerce plugin. Sendy integrates with WordPress via third-party/community plugins and its API.
• Zapier / Make / n8n: AcelleMail is pre-listed on Zapier / Make / n8n. Sendy is reachable from these tools via its REST API.
• In-process plugin SDK: AcelleMail ships a four-pattern Hook system — see <a href="https://acellemail.com/for/developers">Plugin SDK</a>. Sendy does not document an in-app plugin runtime; extension is via add-ons and the API.

SaaS / multi-tenancy

• Subscription plans + payment gateways: AcelleMail Extended bundles subscription plans and 6 payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Razorpay, Paystack, Offline). Sendy lets you set per-client pricing; integrated recurring-billing gateways and dunning are not a bundled core feature.
• Prorated upgrades + dunning: AcelleMail's Cashier package covers prorated plan upgrades and failed-payment dunning. Sendy does not advertise subscription dunning primitives.

Cost & ownership

• License cost: Sendy is $69 one-time per sendy.co. AcelleMail Regular is $80 one-time; Extended is $199 (includes lifetime point/minor updates + 6 months support + the SaaS layer).
• Full editable source code: AcelleMail ships full unencrypted PHP source you can modify privately. Sendy is distributed as a commercial PHP product; verify the source/modification terms for your needs against sendy.co.

The TCO card above shows entry-tier numbers; this view stacks all three buyer situations so you can pick the closest match to your contact volume and send frequency.

Indie newsletter — 5,000 subscribers

• Situation: Weekly newsletter, a simple welcome drip, sending through Amazon SES.
• Sendy cost: Sendy $69 one-time + $5/mo VPS + ~$0.30/mo SES. The welcome drip is a Sendy autoresponder series. Free of recurring software fees.
• AcelleMail cost: $80 once + $5/mo VPS + ~$0.30/mo SES. The welcome drip is a workflow you can later branch on engagement; bundle includes A/B testing and segmentation if you grow.

SaaS team — product newsletter + onboarding

• Situation: 8,000 trial signups + 2,000 paid customers, weekly newsletter, 4-step onboarding sequence that branches on whether the user activated.
• Sendy cost: Sendy $69 + $10/mo VPS + ~$2/mo SES. The 4-step onboarding runs as an autoresponder series; activation-based branching is built outside Sendy against its API.
• AcelleMail cost: $80 once + $10/mo VPS + ~$2/mo SES. The onboarding is a single visual workflow — trigger on signup → wait → check activation → branch — built in the UI without external code.

Agency — 50 client accounts

• Situation: Email service for 50 small-business clients, ~2,000 subscribers each, monthly newsletters, billed monthly.
• Sendy cost: Sendy white-label client accounts with per-client pricing + brand add-ons + ~$40/mo VPS + ~$30/mo SES. Recurring client billing is handled outside the app.
• AcelleMail cost: $199 Extended once + ~$40/mo VPS + ~$30/mo SES across all clients on one install. Built-in SaaS layer: per-client login, subscription plans, 6 payment gateways, prorated upgrades, and dunning.

Use the cost-savings calculator for a custom number against your exact subscriber count and send frequency.

Four objections every operator weighs before migrating away from Sendy or any SaaS. Answered without spin — these are real tradeoffs, and the right pick depends on your team.

1. "Switching costs more than it saves."

Honest assessment: at lists under ~500 contacts, the Sendy free or entry tier may be cheaper than running a $5–10/mo VPS plus the AcelleMail license — even before counting operator time. Break-even typically lands between 1,000 and 5,000 contacts. Run your own numbers via the cost calculator before deciding.

2. "Self-hosting deliverability will tank."

True if you run a self-managed MTA without warmup. NOT true when AcelleMail forwards through a managed sending service (Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark) — those vendors maintain IP reputation; AcelleMail only orchestrates campaigns and tracking. Reaching inbox-placement parity with Sendy is the norm, not the exception, with this setup.

3. "My team doesn't have time to learn another tool."

Genuine concern. The AcelleMail UI mirrors common patterns (campaign builder, audience lists, automation flows) so most Sendy users are productive on day one. The real time sink is rebuilding multi-step automations and template libraries — plan 1–5 days depending on complexity, not weeks.

4. "What if AcelleMail stops being maintained?"

Self-hosting flips the risk: you own a perpetual copy of the source. No vendor pricing change, deprecation, or acquisition can take the platform away. If updates stop, your existing install keeps running. Compare to SaaS where vendor decisions about pricing, features, or shutdowns are unilateral.

Yes. Sendy stores subscribers and lists in its own MySQL database — export each list to CSV from the Sendy admin, or query the subscribers and lists tables directly for very large sets. AcelleMail's import accepts CSV with custom-field mapping and supports XLSX or direct DB seed. Custom fields and the brand each list belongs to map to AcelleMail lists and subscriber fields one-to-one. Plan a half-day for a list under 5,000 contacts; 2–3 days if you also rebuild autoresponders as workflows.

Sendy sends through Amazon SES and, per sendy.co, also works natively with SendGrid, Mailjet, and Elastic Email. AcelleMail ships 8 built-in drivers — Amazon SES, SendGrid, SparkPost, Mailgun, Elastic Email, Blastengine, Gmail relay, and generic SMTP — plus a plugin SDK for additional vendors. If you are already on SES, SendGrid, or Elastic Email with Sendy, the same credentials carry straight over; you gain the option to add or mix more providers later.

Sendy provides autoresponders — a series of drip emails to follow up with subscribers automatically. AcelleMail ships Automation2, a visual workflow builder with trigger / wait / condition / branch / send / segment-move nodes. A linear Sendy drip maps directly to a workflow; the difference is that AcelleMail can branch a journey on engagement, tags, or field logic in the UI, where Sendy drips run as a linear sequence. If your sequences are simple follow-ups, both work; if you want behavior-driven branching without external code, that is the AcelleMail difference.

Sendy is $69 one-time per sendy.co. AcelleMail Regular ($80 one-time) buys a broader bundle: a visual automation builder, A/B testing, a visual segment builder, an 18-locale UI, full unencrypted PHP source, a plugin SDK, and the Extended path ($199) to a multi-tenant SaaS layer with subscription plans, 6 payment gateways, prorated upgrades, and dunning. Both are one-time licenses with no recurring software fee — the price difference reflects the feature breadth, not a subscription.

Yes. Sendy offers white-labeled client accounts where you set pricing, control permissions, and set sending limits. AcelleMail's Extended License ($199) offers customer accounts with the same controls plus a built-in billing layer: subscription plans, 6 payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Razorpay, Paystack, Offline), prorated upgrades, and dunning — so recurring client billing runs inside the app rather than alongside it. See the For Developers page for the architecture.

Both are PHP + MySQL/MariaDB applications you self-host. Sendy runs on standard/shared PHP hosting with a small footprint. AcelleMail needs PHP 8.1+, MySQL ≥ 5.7 or MariaDB ≥ 10.3, ~512 MB RAM minimum, and a system cron entry for campaign workers; an optional Redis cache and queue workers support higher volume and the automation engine. AcelleMail is a Laravel application, so it has more moving parts than a single-purpose newsletter app — that is the cost of the bundled automation, multi-tenancy, and plugin runtime.

AcelleMail ships full, unencrypted PHP source under a CodeCanyon Regular/Extended license — you can read and modify it, and private modifications carry no copyleft obligation. It also exposes a four-pattern Hook plugin SDK (REGISTRY, EVENT, FILTER, BEHAVIOR) so you can add sending drivers, payment gateways, and UI panels without forking core. Sendy is distributed as a commercial PHP product; if editable source is a requirement, confirm the current terms against sendy.co for your version.

Both work well. Sendy's $69 one-time license and small footprint make it a strong fit for a broadcast newsletter plus simple drips through Amazon SES. AcelleMail's license bundles a visual builder, branching automation, A/B testing, segmentation, an 18-locale UI, and the Extended SaaS path — useful if you expect to grow into automation, more sending providers, or reselling. Pick Sendy for the leanest single-purpose sender; pick AcelleMail when you want room to grow into those without switching tools.

AcelleMail's throughput is bound by your sending service and your server, not by a software cap. Campaign delivery runs through queue workers — add more workers (and Redis) to raise parallelism — and you can set per-sending-server daily and hourly limits to warm an IP up gradually or stay inside a provider's rate limit. With Amazon SES (≈$0.10 per 1,000) on a modest VPS, teams send hundreds of thousands of emails per campaign; scaling beyond that is a matter of worker count and your SES account's send rate. There is no software-imposed subscriber or send-volume cap on any license.