explaingit

knadh/listmonk

Analysis updated 2026-06-21

20,049GoAudience · pm founderComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · moderate

TLDR

A self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager you run on your own server, no per-subscriber fees, full data ownership, and a modern dashboard for campaigns and subscriber lists.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((listmonk))
    What it does
      Newsletter sending
      Subscriber list management
      Campaign tracking
      Subscription handling
    Tech Stack
      Go backend
      Vue dashboard
      PostgreSQL
      Docker
    Setup
      Single binary
      Two Docker commands
    Use Cases
      Replace Mailchimp
      Data sovereignty
      High volume sending
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Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Run your own newsletter without paying per-subscriber fees to services like Mailchimp or ConvertKit.

USE CASE 2

Keep subscriber data on your own infrastructure to meet GDPR or data-sovereignty requirements.

USE CASE 3

Send high-volume email campaigns using a single binary deployed in minutes with Docker.

USE CASE 4

Track campaign open and click rates through the built-in analytics dashboard.

What is it built with?

GoVuePostgreSQLDocker

How does it compare?

knadh/listmonkchai2010/advanced-go-programming-bookrakyll/hey
Stars20,04920,06520,002
LanguageGoGoGo
Setup difficultymoderateeasyeasy
Complexity3/51/51/5
Audiencepm founderdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires a running PostgreSQL database and an SMTP server or service for sending emails.

Free to use and modify, but if you distribute a modified version you must also release it as open source under AGPL v3.

In plain English

Listmonk is a self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager, meaning you run it on your own server rather than paying a monthly fee to a service like Mailchimp or ConvertKit. It handles everything involved in managing subscriber lists and sending email campaigns: building and managing lists, designing and sending newsletters, tracking campaigns, and handling subscriptions. The defining feature is that the entire application ships as a single executable file. There is no complex installation with multiple components to configure, you download one binary, point it at a PostgreSQL database, and the dashboard is available on your server. It can also be run using Docker with a provided compose file, which makes setup take just two commands. The front end is a modern web dashboard built with Vue, and the back end is written in Go, which gives it strong performance for high-volume sending. You would use Listmonk if you send newsletters or marketing emails and want full control over your data, want to avoid per-subscriber pricing that compounds as your list grows, or are legally required to keep subscriber data within your own infrastructure. It suits indie publishers, small businesses, and developers comfortable managing a server and a PostgreSQL database. The software is free and open source under the AGPL v3 license.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Write a docker-compose.yml that spins up listmonk with a PostgreSQL database so I can start sending newsletters locally in two commands.
Prompt 2
I want to migrate my Mailchimp subscriber list to listmonk. Show me how to export from Mailchimp and import the CSV into listmonk's subscriber management UI.
Prompt 3
Show me how to use the listmonk REST API to programmatically create and send a transactional email when a user signs up on my website.
Prompt 4
Help me configure listmonk behind an Nginx reverse proxy with HTTPS using a Let's Encrypt certificate on a Ubuntu VPS.

Frequently asked questions

What is listmonk?

A self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager you run on your own server, no per-subscriber fees, full data ownership, and a modern dashboard for campaigns and subscriber lists.

What language is listmonk written in?

Mainly Go. The stack also includes Go, Vue, PostgreSQL.

What license does listmonk use?

Free to use and modify, but if you distribute a modified version you must also release it as open source under AGPL v3.

How hard is listmonk to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is listmonk for?

Mainly pm founder.

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