listmonkManage subscriber lists and send newsletter campaigns from your server.
Free self-hosted software · hosting and SMTP delivery cost extra.
Business & marketing
Buttondown (free plan)
Free option
Write email newsletters and send them to a subscriber list.
What you can use it for
Write email newsletters and send them to a subscriber list.
- Covers the core use case of Substack Pro without a subscription.
- Established, official site verified live
Workflow coverage and comparison notes
Send clean markdown newsletters to small subscriber lists (up to 100 subscribers) without a Beehiiv or Mailchimp monthly subscription.
Before you switch
Small cap
Alternatives to these paid apps
Each comparison covers the workflow described above, rather than every paid feature.
More for the same workflow
See alternatives →listmonk
MailCheap (self-hosted)Write, schedule and send newsletters on your own infrastructure.
Free self-hosted software (AGPL-3.0). Hosting and email delivery cost extra; Amazon SES starts around $0.10/1,000 emails. Hosted Cloud is paid.
MauticSend email campaigns with segments and marketing automation.
Free self-hosted software · server and SMTP costs separate.