Self-host Listmonk.
Own your audience.
Listmonk is the open-source Mailchimp alternative — a self-hosted newsletter and email-marketing app with lists, campaigns, templates, subscriber analytics and a full API. Deploy it on VibeNest in one click with managed Postgres and free SSL. Kill the per-contact bill and keep your list on infrastructure you control.
What is Listmonk?
Listmonk is a free, open-source newsletter and mailing-list manager — the self-hosted, open-source Mailchimp alternative, and a drop-in for Sendgrid Marketing or ConvertKit. It’s a single fast Go application: import millions of subscribers, segment them with SQL-style queries, build campaigns with a rich editor, track opens and clicks, and drive it all through a REST API. The catch with the SaaS versions is the bill: Mailchimp and friends charge per contact, every month, forever. Self-hosting Listmonk on VibeNest turns that into one predictable hosting cost — and your subscriber list lives in a database you own.
- →Own your audience. Your subscribers and campaign data sit in your own managed Postgres — not locked inside a vendor’s dashboard.
- →No per-contact pricing. Pay flat hosting, not a tax that grows with every signup. A 50k-subscriber list costs the same to host as a 500-subscriber one.
- →Full-featured. Lists, segments, double opt-in, transactional + campaign sending, templates, analytics, multi-user, and a complete REST API.
- →Truly open source. Listmonk is AGPLv3. VibeNest deploys the upstream image unmodified — no lock-in, no proprietary fork.
Deploy Listmonk in three steps
Click deploy
Hit Deploy to VibeNest. We launch the official Listmonk container, attach managed Postgres, run the one-time schema install, and serve it on a branded subdomain with free SSL.
Add your SMTP
In Listmonk’s Settings → SMTP, paste credentials from any provider — Amazon SES, Brevo, Postmark, Mailgun, or Resend’s SMTP relay. This is the one step you bring yourself (see below).
Import & send
Import your existing list (CSV), build a campaign, and send. Add your own custom domain anytime, and your data stays in a Postgres you control.
One honest caveat: bring your own SMTP
Listmonk composes and schedules your email, but it doesn’t run a mail server — nothing does the actual sending until you connect an SMTP provider. That’s by design, and it’s the same for every self-hosted mailer. Sign up with a sending provider (Amazon SES, Brevo, Postmark, Mailgun, or Resend’s SMTP relay at smtp.resend.com:465), then drop those credentials into Listmonk’s SMTP settings. We don’t inject shared sending credentials into your instance — that keeps your sender reputation, deliverability and quotas entirely yours.
Listmonk vs hosted email marketing — the cost
Hosted tools charge for your list every month. Self-hosted Listmonk splits the bill into two small, fixed parts: hosting (flat) and sending (pay your SMTP provider per email, often pennies per thousand).
| What you want | Listmonk on VibeNest | Hosted Mailchimp / Sendgrid |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat hosting + your SMTP | Per-contact, per-month |
| 10k subscribers | From $4.50/mo hosting | $100+/mo and climbing |
| Who owns the list | You (your Postgres) | The vendor |
| Sending provider | Any (you choose) | Locked to theirs |
| API access | Full REST API, free | Gated by plan |
| Source code | Open (AGPLv3) | Closed |
Sending cost example: Amazon SES is roughly $0.10 per 1,000 emails. A 10k-subscriber weekly newsletter sends ~40k emails/month — about $4 in SES on top of your flat VibeNest hosting, instead of a three-figure SaaS bill.
Everything VibeNest handles for you
Managed Postgres
Listmonk needs Postgres. We provision it, inject the connection, and run the one-time schema install — your subscriber data persists across redeploys.
Free SSL + subdomain
Live on your-app.vibenest.net with HTTPS the moment it deploys. Attach your own custom domain whenever you’re ready.
AI deploy rescue
If a deploy hiccups, our AI reads the logs and proposes a one-click fix — platform-paid, so you never pay for it.
Predictable pricing
Free for 3 months, then static tiers from $4.50/mo. No usage meters, no per-contact tax.
Upstream & unmodified
We run the official listmonk/listmonk image as-is. You get upstream updates and zero proprietary lock-in.
Your data, exportable
It’s your Postgres and your Listmonk — export subscribers and campaigns, or move the whole thing, anytime.
Want to deploy something else?
VibeNest hosts any app from a GitHub repo — not just Listmonk. Paste a repo and ship it in 60 seconds, or read about the broader vibe deploy platform for apps from Cursor, Lovable, Bolt and Claude Code. Browse what others have shipped on the showcase.
Frequently asked questions
Is Listmonk a free Mailchimp alternative? +
Yes. Listmonk is free, open-source (AGPLv3) software that covers the core of what Mailchimp does — lists, segments, campaigns, templates, subscriber analytics and a full API. You self-host it instead of paying per contact. On VibeNest you deploy it in one click with managed Postgres and free SSL.
Do I need my own email provider to send? +
Yes — that's the one part you bring. Listmonk doesn't run a mail server; you connect an SMTP provider (Amazon SES, Brevo, Postmark, Mailgun, or Resend's SMTP relay) in Listmonk's settings. This keeps your sender reputation and deliverability fully under your control. VibeNest never injects shared sending credentials into your instance.
How much does it cost to host Listmonk? +
VibeNest is free for the first 3 months, then static hosting tiers from $4.50/month with no per-contact fees. On top of that you pay your SMTP provider per email sent — often just a few dollars a month even for large lists. No usage-based hosting overages.
Does VibeNest modify Listmonk? +
No. We deploy the official listmonk/listmonk container image upstream and unmodified, so you get genuine open-source Listmonk with normal upstream updates and no proprietary lock-in.
Where does my subscriber data live? +
In your own managed Postgres database, provisioned for your instance. You own it, it persists across redeploys, and you can export your subscribers and campaigns at any time.
Own your newsletter in one click
Free for 3 months. Managed Postgres and SSL included.