AltFreeStack
ESEN
Dev Toolsdocker-ready1-click-deploy100% FOSS🟡 Standard · ~1GB

listmonk: Open Source alternative to Mailchimp in 2026

listmonk is a high-performance newsletter and email campaign manager, with lists, templates and stats, self-hostable as an alternative to Mailchimp with no per-subscriber cost.

Alternative to Mailchimp
License AGPL-3.023.8k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — v6.2.0 · 3 months ago

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

listmonk vs. Mailchimp

Pros

  • No artificial subscriber or send limits

Things to consider

  • You need your own SMTP provider for sending

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: $13/mo on Mailchimp.
  • On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  listmonk:
    image: listmonk/listmonk:v6.2.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "9000:9000"
    environment:
      - LISTMONK_db__host=listmonk-db
      - LISTMONK_db__user=listmonk
      - LISTMONK_db__password=change-me-postgres-password # must match POSTGRES_PASSWORD below
      - LISTMONK_db__database=listmonk
    depends_on:
      - listmonk-db
  listmonk-db:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=listmonk
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me-postgres-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
      - POSTGRES_DB=listmonk
    volumes:
      - listmonk_pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
  listmonk_pg_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=listmonk" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit 1 day ago.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
AGPL-3.0
Category
Dev Tools
Replaces
Mailchimp
Tech stack
GoVue.jsPostgreSQL

Under the hood

Database

PostgreSQL

Language

Go

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Subscriber lists and segmentation
  • Campaign templates with stats
  • High sending throughput

Preview

listmonk interface preview

Public image provided by listmonk on its own website.

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:9000
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy