Links checked 2026-10-14
Self-hosting listmonk
The self-hosted route instead of Mailchimp.
Running the binary is easy. Getting mail reliably into inboxes from a new domain is the part that takes knowledge and time, and this entry is the one where a wrong choice is most visible to your audience.
What it is
A newsletter and mailing list manager shipped as a single binary: subscriber lists, templates, campaigns, a public subscription page and bounce handling, all backed by PostgreSQL.
What you actually need
This is the reader's own hardware and configuration, not a price. We describe what a job needs; we do not put a figure on what self-hosting costs, because that depends on the provider, the term and the disk you choose.
- The server
- A small VPS. The application is lightweight; the work is in the mail path, not the software.
- How it installs
- A single binary, or the published Docker image with the project's sample compose file.
- Data store
- PostgreSQL, which the project's installation page states at version 12 or newer.
- What grows
- The database holds lists, subscribers and campaign history; uploaded media adds to the same volume.
Before it is safe to expose
- An SMTP relay. The software is the sender, not the deliverer — you still need a service that moves the mail
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for the domain you send from
- A bounce mailbox or webhook, and someone who acts on what it reports
- A reverse proxy and TLS for the admin interface and the subscription page
The trade-offs, specifically for listmonk
- Deliverability is the hard part, and it is not a software problem. You configure the records and you own the reputation of the domain and the sending address.
- listmonk needs an SMTP relay to send anything, and that relay is a separate service with its own terms and its own bill.
- Bounces and complaints are recorded by the tool and then handled by you. A hosted platform hides that work behind a dashboard and a reputation team.
- PostgreSQL holds the entire list. A lost database is a lost audience, and an audience is the one thing you cannot re-download.
And the six things you own from now on
These are true of every tool in this section, including listmonk. They are also the reason to decide against self-hosting, which is a legitimate decision.
- You own the updates. Security releases have to be applied by you, on your schedule, and a project that stops publishing releases becomes your problem to notice.
- You own the backups, and a backup is not a backup until you have restored from it once.
- You own the uptime. There is no status page to watch and no support line to call when it stops answering.
- You own the security patches, the TLS certificate, the reverse proxy and the firewall in front of it.
- You are the on-call rota. The failure mode nobody plans for is being the only person who knows how the thing was set up.
- The hardware has a running cost and a lifetime. Disks fail, and the replacement is on you.
What you give up
- A managed platform's deliverability work and its reputation-protected sending
- The template builder and reporting that come with a hosted newsletter product
- Any assurance about inbox placement, which nobody can honestly give you here
What you gain
- The subscriber list lives in your own database, exportable and portable
- No per-subscriber billing from a vendor
Elsewhere in the index
The box it runs on
A small VPS. The application is lightweight; the work is in the mail path, not the software. That machine is the purchase this page is really about, and it is the one number we will not invent for you: the right size depends on the provider, the term and the disk, so check it on the provider's own page.
Hostinger
Hostinger's VPS product is the closest fit to a self-hosted application: its own page advertises root access, Docker and NVMe storage, with data centres in several regions.
See Hostinger's plansRead Hostinger's published pricing ↗DigitalOcean
Virtual machines billed as you use them, with separate volumes, snapshots and object storage for the parts you want to keep outside the server.
See DigitalOcean's plansRead DigitalOcean's published pricing ↗Hetzner
Cloud instances and dedicated servers with rates published per instance size, so the cost of a bigger box is visible before you move.
See Hetzner's plansRead Hetzner's published pricing ↗What to check before you buy
- A virtual machine you have root on, not a website plan with a control panel bolted on top.
- Snapshots or automated backups, and where those backups are stored.
- Block storage or object storage for the data that will outgrow the server's own disk.
- What the monthly rate renews at, rather than the first-term rate on the signup page.
- Where the data centre is, if the data has a jurisdiction attached to it.
The “See plans” links go through our own /go/ redirect and some are affiliate links, which pay us if you sign up. The descriptions and trade-offs on this page are written from the project's own documentation and are unaffected. The plain pricing link under each provider is not an affiliate link. See our disclosure.
Frequently asked questions about self-hosting listmonk
Answers restate the notes on this page or point at the project's own documentation. Self-hosting moves work to you rather than removing it, and these answers say so.
What is listmonk?
A newsletter and mailing list manager shipped as a single binary: subscriber lists, templates, campaigns, a public subscription page and bounce handling, all backed by PostgreSQL. We cover it as a replacement for Mailchimp.
What do you need to run listmonk yourself?
A single binary, or the published Docker image with the project's sample compose file. The requirements table on this page lists the server, the data store, what grows and what else to arrange first. Setup steps are at listmonk's documentation.
How hard is listmonk to run yourself?
We rate it Moderate. Running the binary is easy. Getting mail reliably into inboxes from a new domain is the part that takes knowledge and time, and this entry is the one where a wrong choice is most visible to your audience.
What are the trade-offs of self-hosting listmonk?
Our notes list these costs. Deliverability is the hard part, and it is not a software problem. You configure the records and you own the reputation of the domain and the sending address. listmonk needs an SMTP relay to send anything, and that relay is a separate service with its own terms and its own bill.
What do you give up by running listmonk yourself?
You take on what Mailchimp used to do for you. A managed platform's deliverability work and its reputation-protected sending. The template builder and reporting that come with a hosted newsletter product. Self-hosting moves that work to you rather than removing it.
What do you gain by running listmonk yourself?
Our notes list these. The subscriber list lives in your own database, exportable and portable. No per-subscriber billing from a vendor.