Keap vs Listmonk
Keap is a all-in-one marketing platform while Listmonk is a newsletter platform. Keap has been around since 2001, giving it a 17-year head start over Listmonk (founded 2018). Listmonk starts at free versus $299/mo for Keap. Listmonk offers a free plan (Unlimited (self-hosted, open source)), while Keap does not. Keap has the edge with marketing automation, A/B testing, landing pages.
Quick Verdict
Keap wins on integrations.
Listmonk wins on price, deliverability, free tier.
Best for most users: Listmonk (developers).
Keap
CRM-powered sales and marketing automation for small businesses
Keap (formerly Infusionsoft, founded 2001, acquired by Thryv in 2024) is a premium all-in-one CRM and marketing automation platform built for sales-driven small businesses that need contact management, email sequences, SMS marketing, invoicing, and appointment scheduling in a single tool. Its strength lies in powerful automation workflows and a dedicated Customer Success Manager, but the $299/month starting price for just 1,500 contacts makes it one of the most expensive options in its category.
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 | Keap | Listmonk |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.2/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Starting Price | $299/mo | Free |
| Free Plan | No free plan | Unlimited (self-hosted, open source) |
| Founded | 2001 | 2018 |
| Email Templates | 70 | 5 |
| Integrations | 5,000 | 10 |
| Deliverability Rate | 93% | 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 | ✓ | ✓ |
Keap: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Powerful drag-and-drop automation builder that handles complex multi-step sales workflows with conditional triggers
- +True all-in-one platform combining CRM, email, SMS, invoicing, payments, and appointment scheduling
- +Dedicated Customer Success Manager included with every plan for hands-on onboarding and support
- +Deep contact management with tagging, segmentation, and centralized views that reduce manual data entry
- +Built-in text marketing with tiered messaging plans and voice minutes integrated directly into automations
Cons
- −Extremely expensive at $299/month for only 1,500 contacts, with costs escalating quickly for additional contacts and users
- −Steep learning curve with complex campaign builder layouts and no undo button, causing frustration during setup
- −Email marketing capabilities feel half-baked compared to dedicated email platforms despite the premium pricing
- −Invoicing feature is rigid and does not support hourly billing or flexible customization
- −Dated mobile experience and slow feature development compared to more agile competitors like GoHighLevel
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
Keap and Listmonk are closely matched — both score within 0.0 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality. On deliverability, Listmonk reports 97% compared to 93% for Keap — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Keap | Listmonk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $299/mo | Free |
| Deliverability | 25% | 93% | 97% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.2/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 5000 | 10 |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Keap if…
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need marketing automation
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You need built-in landing pages
Choose Listmonk if…
- + You want lower starting costs (Free)
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You're a developers
- + You're a self hosters