listmonk vs Betterbird
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
listmonk
Self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager
VS
Betterbird
Community-enhanced fork of the Thunderbird email client
| Feature | listmonk | Betterbird |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,670 | ★ 948 |
| First released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Mailchimp, Sendinblue | Microsoft Outlook |
Why pick each one
Choose Betterbird if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Shell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is listmonk or Betterbird better?
Neither is universally better. listmonk has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are listmonk and Betterbird free and open-source?
Yes. listmonk is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Betterbird under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run listmonk and Betterbird with Docker?
listmonk: yes. Betterbird: check the project docs for container support.