Listmonk vs Systeme.io
Listmonk is a newsletter platform while Systeme.io is a all-in-one marketing platform. Listmonk is free, while Systeme.io starts at $17/mo. Their pricing is not measured the same way, so we don't rank them on price. Both offer free plans to get started. Listmonk stands out with advanced analytics, while Systeme.io offers marketing automation and landing pages.
Quick Verdict
Listmonk wins on deliverability.
Systeme.io wins on rating, integrations.
Best for most users: Systeme.io (solopreneurs).
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.
Systeme.io
Budget-friendly all-in-one marketing platform for solopreneurs
Systeme.io is a bootstrapped French all-in-one marketing platform founded by Aurelien Amacker in 2017 that bundles email marketing, sales funnels, online courses, blogs, affiliate management, and payment processing starting at $0/month with 2,000 contacts and unlimited emails. With its $17/month Startup plan and $97/month Unlimited tier, it targets solopreneurs and creators who want to consolidate their entire marketing stack without paying for multiple subscriptions, though it trades design flexibility and advanced features for simplicity and affordability.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Listmonk | Systeme.io |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Starting Price | Free | $17/mo |
| Free Plan | Unlimited (self-hosted, open source) | 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, 3 funnels (15 steps), 1 blog, 1 course, 1 automation workflow, 1 custom domain |
| Founded | 2018 | 2017 |
| Email Templates | 5 | 50 |
| Integrations | 10 | 5,000 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97% | 95% |
| Marketing Automation | No | Yes |
| A/B Testing | No | No |
| Landing Pages | No | Yes |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | Yes | Yes |
| SMS Marketing | No | No |
| Ecommerce Features | No | Yes |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | Yes | Yes |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | No | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | No |
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
Systeme.io: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Exceptionally generous free plan with 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, funnels, blog, course, and affiliate program management
- + All-in-one platform replaces 5-6 separate tools (email, funnels, courses, blog, affiliate management, payments) at a fraction of the cost
- + Startup plan reduced to just $17/month in May 2025 while competitors raised prices, offering outstanding value
- + 60% lifetime recurring affiliate commission with second-tier payouts makes it one of the highest-paying affiliate programs in SaaS
- + Zero transaction fees on any plan with support for Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Flutterwave, Mercado Pago, and Paystack
Cons
- − Limited design customization -- pages and emails lack the visual polish of dedicated tools like Leadpages or Mailchimp
- − No A/B split testing for emails, limiting optimization capabilities for serious email marketers
- − Community feature has no dedicated mobile app, requiring browser-based access which feels outdated
- − Recurring technical issues reported by users including Stripe integration failures and payment messaging problems lasting multiple days
- − Course creation is functional but basic compared to specialized platforms like Teachable or Thinkific
The Verdict
Systeme.io edges ahead with a 4.8/5 rating compared to Listmonk's 4.1/5. The gap comes mainly from ease of use (4.9 vs 3.5) and feature depth (4.8 vs 3.8). On deliverability, Listmonk reports 97% compared to 95% for Systeme.io — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Listmonk | Systeme.io |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | Free | $17/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97% Winner | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.1/5 | 4.8/5 Winner |
| Integrations | 10% | 10 | 5000 Winner |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Listmonk if…
- + You need advanced analytics
- + You're a developers
- + You're a self hosters
Choose Systeme.io if…
- + You need marketing automation
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You need built-in landing pages
- + You're a solopreneurs