EmailOctopus vs Listmonk
EmailOctopus is a email marketing platform while Listmonk is a newsletter platform. EmailOctopus has been around since 2014, giving it a 4-year head start over Listmonk (founded 2018). EmailOctopus starts at $9/mo, while Listmonk is free. Their pricing is not measured the same way, so we don't rank them on price. Both offer free plans to get started. EmailOctopus stands out with marketing automation and landing pages, while Listmonk offers advanced analytics.
Quick Verdict
EmailOctopus wins on deliverability, rating, integrations.
Best for most users: EmailOctopus (beginners).
EmailOctopus
Email marketing made easy
EmailOctopus is a stripped-back email marketing tool that focuses on simplicity and affordability. It's ideal for small businesses and creators who want the essentials without paying for features they won't use. Built on Amazon SES for reliable deliverability.
Listmonk
Self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager
Listmonk is a free, open-source, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager written in Go. It handles millions of emails with minimal resources and is best for developers and technical users who want full control over their email infrastructure.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | EmailOctopus | Listmonk |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.2/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Starting Price | $9/mo | Free |
| Free Plan | 2,500 subscribers | Unlimited (self-hosted, open source) |
| Founded | 2014 | 2018 |
| Email Templates | 100 | 5 |
| Integrations | 1,000 | 10 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97.5% | 97% |
| Marketing Automation | Yes | No |
| A/B Testing | No | No |
| Landing Pages | Yes | No |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | Yes | Yes |
| SMS Marketing | No | No |
| Ecommerce Features | No | No |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | No | Yes |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | Yes | No |
| Advanced Analytics | No | Yes |
EmailOctopus: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Generous free plan (2,500 subscribers)
- + Very affordable Pro plan
- + Simple and clean interface
- + Good deliverability using Amazon SES
- + Easy migration from other platforms
Cons
- − Limited feature set compared to competitors
- − No A/B testing
- − Small template library
- − Basic automation capabilities
- − No ecommerce features
Listmonk: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Completely free and open source with no usage limits
- + Handles 7+ million emails with minimal CPU and 57 MB RAM
- + Single binary deployment with Docker support
- + SQL-based subscriber segmentation for advanced querying
- + Zero recurring costs — self-hosted with no per-subscriber fees
Cons
- − Requires technical knowledge to set up and maintain
- − No built-in SMTP, must configure an external provider like Amazon SES
- − Lacks automation workflows, A/B testing, and landing pages
- − Community support only via GitHub
- − No managed hosting option — you handle server maintenance yourself
The Verdict
EmailOctopus and Listmonk are closely matched — both score within 0.1 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality. On deliverability, EmailOctopus reports 97.5% compared to 97% for Listmonk — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | EmailOctopus | Listmonk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $9/mo | Free |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97.5% Winner | 97% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.2/5 Winner | 4.1/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 1000 Winner | 10 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose EmailOctopus if…
- + You need marketing automation
- + You need built-in landing pages
- + You're a beginners
- + You're a bloggers
Choose Listmonk if…
- + You need advanced analytics
- + You're a developers
- + You're a self hosters