Flodesk vs Listmonk
Flodesk is a email marketing platform while Listmonk is a newsletter platform. Listmonk starts at free versus $38/mo for Flodesk. Both offer free plans to get started. Flodesk stands out with marketing automation and landing pages, while Listmonk offers advanced analytics and API access.
Quick Verdict
Flodesk wins on rating, integrations.
Listmonk wins on price, deliverability.
Best for most users: Listmonk (developers).
Flodesk
Design emails people love to get
Flodesk is a design-first email marketing platform known for its stunning templates and flat-rate pricing model. It's particularly popular among creative professionals who prioritize visual design over advanced marketing features. The unlimited subscriber pricing makes it excellent value for growing lists.
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 | Flodesk | Listmonk |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Starting Price | $38/mo | Free |
| Free Plan | Free list-building tools (forms, landing pages, audience tools); email sending requires paid plan | Unlimited (self-hosted, open source) |
| Founded | 2019 | 2018 |
| Email Templates | 40 | 5 |
| Integrations | 20 | 10 |
| Deliverability Rate | 96% | 97% |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✕ |
| A/B Testing | ✕ | ✕ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✕ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag & Drop Editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS Marketing | ✕ | ✕ |
| Ecommerce Features | ✓ | ✕ |
| API Access | ✕ | ✓ |
| Multi-Language | ✕ | ✓ |
| Web Push Notifications | ✕ | ✕ |
| Live Chat | ✕ | ✕ |
| Advanced Analytics | ✕ | ✓ |
Flodesk: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Beautiful, design-focused email templates
- +Flat-rate pricing regardless of list size
- +Unlimited subscribers on all plans
- +Simple and intuitive interface
- +Built-in checkout and digital product sales
Cons
- −No A/B testing
- −No API access
- −Very limited integrations
- −No SMS marketing
- −Basic automation compared to competitors
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
Flodesk edges ahead with a 4.6/5 rating compared to Listmonk's 4.2/5. The gap comes mainly from ease of use (5 vs 3.5) and support (4.4 vs 3.7). On deliverability, Listmonk reports 97% compared to 96% for Flodesk — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Flodesk | Listmonk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $38/mo | Free |
| Deliverability | 25% | 96% | 97% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.6/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 20 | 10 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Flodesk if…
- + You need marketing automation
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You need built-in landing pages
- + You're a designers
Choose Listmonk if…
- + You want lower starting costs (Free)
- + You need API access for custom integrations
- + You need advanced analytics
- + You're a developers