MailCheap vs listmonk
Both are open source and free to self-host. listmonk does transactional email too; MailCheap adds an MCP server and a website for each newsletter, and can run for you.
“Moved to MailCheap. Cancelled beehiiv / ActiveCampaign same weekend. $380/mo now $19.”
Bruce van Zyl@brucevanzyl
Both send through your own email provider. listmonk's price from its site, October 31, 2026.
01 · Features
Side by side
From listmonk's site and docs and MailCheap's, on October 31, 2026. Where listmonk does more, the table says so.
| Feature | MailCheapMailCheap | listmonk |
|---|---|---|
| Run by your AI agent (MCP) | Every plan, every action, sending included | A community server you install |
| REST API | Every action | Every feature |
| Open source | AGPL-3.0, free to self-host | AGPL-3.0, free to self-host |
| Website for your newsletter | Website and signup form | Public archive and signup forms |
| Segments | Yes | SQL queries |
| Transactional emails | No | API with templates |
| Several lists, teams | Up to 3 newsletters, one user | Lists, roles and single sign-on |
02 · Cost
What it takes to run
Self-hosted, both run on a server of yours and send through your own email provider, which charges per email.
Rather not run a server? MailCheap Cloud runs the same code for you, sending included, from $19 a month.
| Cost | MailCheap | listmonk |
|---|---|---|
| The app | MailCheapFree and open source, AGPL-3.0 | listmonkFree and open source, AGPL-3.0 |
| Updates | MailCheapFree | listmonkFree |
| Where it runs | MailCheapVercel or any Node.js 22 host, with MongoDB and Upstash QStash. Their free tiers work to start | listmonkOne binary or Docker, with PostgreSQL |
| Sending | MailCheapWhat your email provider charges per email | listmonkWhat your email provider charges per email |
| Run for you | MailCheapMailCheap Cloud, from $19 a month, sending included | listmonkHosts listed on its site, not affiliated with listmonk |
- listmonk sends through several mail servers at once, and to SMS or chat apps through webhooks.
Source: listmonk.app, checked October 31, 2026. Self-hosting MailCheap: what you need.
03 · AI agents
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Cursor
- Codex
- Grok Bot
Your AI agent writes, schedules and sends each issue, reads the stats and imports your list
listmonk has an API for every feature. Its docs list listmonk-mcp, a community MCP server you install next to your AI agent.
04 · Open source
Self-host it free, or let us run it
MailCheap is open source under the AGPL-3.0: the code that runs mailcheap.ai is the code you can run. listmonk is open source too, under the same license, and runs on your own server.
Self-host
FreeRun MailCheap on your own server, at no cost. No support: you keep it up to date yourself.
MailCheap Cloud
From $19 a monthWe run it: sending, your website, your domain setup and updates, with chat support.
Moving from listmonk?
Export your subscribers, import the file as it is, and send. People who unsubscribed or bounced stay out.
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listmonk is a trademark of its owner, shown here to name the product compared. MailCheap isn't affiliated with listmonk. Prices and features come from listmonk.app on October 31, 2026 and may have changed since.