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Mailchimp vs Substack

Self-host either: open-source alternatives compared. · Category: email & newsletters

Both Mailchimp and Substack are in the email & newsletters category. Listmonk self-hosts as a replacement for both — listed below alongside the picks unique to each.

MailchimpSubstack
CategoryEmail marketing / newslettersNewsletter publishing + paid subscriptions
SaaS pricing anchor$13-20/mo at small list sizes; scales steeply by contact countFree to publish; Substack takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue + Stripe fees
Self-host options listed33

Replaces both — 1 shared open-source pick

These open-source projects appear on both /mailchimp/ and /substack/ — picking one solves the migration off either SaaS.

Listmonkknadh/listmonkalivereplaces both

GitHub
★ 20.1k · last commit today
License
AGPL-3.0
Setup time
10min docker-compose
Monthly cost
$5 VPS for the app; sending costs sit with whichever SMTP relay you point at (Amazon SES at ~$0.10 / 1k or your own MTA).

Picks unique to each

Mailchimp only

  • Mauticalive
    GPL-3.030min (docker-compose with MariaDB + the Mautic image)$10 VPS — PHP + MariaDB; cron must be wired correctly or campaigns silently stall.
  • Keilaalive
    AGPL-3.010min docker-compose$5 VPS for the Elixir app + Postgres; SMTP cost is again external.

Substack only

  • Ghostalive
    MIT20min docker-compose (Ghost + MySQL + nginx)$10-15/mo VPS for Ghost + Mailgun/Postmark/Resend for email send (~$10/mo for 50k emails).
  • Writefreelyalive
    AGPL-3.015min single-binary or docker-compose$5 VPS for the app; ActivityPub-federated so no separate email cost line.

In a terminal? npx os-alt mailchimp or npx os-alt substack prints either side — how the CLI works →

FAQ

Which open-source self-host alternatives replace both Mailchimp and Substack?

1 open-source project appears on both /mailchimp/ and /substack/: Listmonk.

How many self-host alternatives are listed for Mailchimp and Substack?

3 for Mailchimp, 3 for Substack.

Are all the self-host alternatives free?

Yes — every listed option is open source. Your cost is the VPS or hardware that runs it.