listmonk vs Mailtrain
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
listmonk
Self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager
VS
Mailtrain
Self-hosted newsletter application
| Feature | listmonk | Mailtrain |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 40 · Fair |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,552 | ★ 5,753 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Mailchimp, Sendinblue | Mailchimp |
What are listmonk and Mailtrain?
listmonk
listmonk is a high-performance, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager written in Go. It supports millions of subscribers, rich campaign analytics, and a built-in admin dashboard.
- Handles millions of subscribers
- Campaign analytics dashboard
- Single binary deployment
- REST API and SMTP support
Mailtrain
Mailtrain is a self-hosted newsletter application built on Node.js that can handle large subscriber lists. It supports custom fields, automations, and campaign reporting.
- Manages large subscriber lists
- Custom fields and segmentation
- Automation workflows
- Campaign statistics
listmonk vs Mailtrain: key differences
Listmonk is written in Go, while Mailtrain is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for listmonk versus GPL-3.0 for Mailtrain. Listmonk is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Mailtrain. Mailtrain is the more established project (first released 2016), while listmonk arrived in 2020. Listmonk has the considerably larger community, at 23,552 GitHub stars versus 5,753.
Why pick each one
Choose listmonk if…
- Fast and scalable
- Modern admin UI
Watch out for
- Newsletter-focused, not a mail server
- Requires Postgres
Choose Mailtrain if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.8k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Watch out for
- Slower recent development
- Setup complexity
Frequently asked questions
Is listmonk or Mailtrain better?
listmonk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Mailtrain if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are listmonk and Mailtrain free and open-source?
Yes. listmonk is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Mailtrain under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run listmonk and Mailtrain with Docker?
listmonk: yes. Mailtrain: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, listmonk or Mailtrain?
listmonk has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Mailtrain. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.