iRedMail vs listmonk
| Tagline | Full-featured open-source mail server built on Postfix and Dovecot, installable in minutes | High-performance self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager |
| Category | Email & Newsletters | Email & Newsletters |
| Replaces | Gmail / Google Workspace, SendGrid, Mailchimp | Mailchimp, ConvertKit (Kit), SendGrid |
| GitHub stars | 1.8k | 22k |
| Language | Shell | Go |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 3/5 Moderate | 3/5 Moderate |
| Deploy options | Manual | Docker Docker Compose Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 24 days ago | 14 days ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
iRedMail
- Full admin panel (iRedAdmin-Pro) requires a paid license; free admin panel is limited
- Designed for dedicated servers only; Docker or container-based installs are unofficial
- No built-in newsletter or bulk email campaign features
- Upgrades between major versions require careful manual steps
listmonk
- No built-in marketing automation/journey builder like Mailchimp
- No bundled deliverability/IP reputation management — you supply your own SMTP/SES
- No native landing page or e-commerce/CRM integrations
- Reporting and analytics are basic compared to commercial suites
Bottom line
Both are a similar lift to self-host; choose listmonk for the larger community and ecosystem. listmonk has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
iRedMail
Full-featured open-source mail server built on Postfix and Dovecot, installable in minutes