listmonk vs Modoboa
| Tagline | High-performance self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager | Web-based mail hosting platform with modern UI for managing domains and accounts |
| Category | Email & Newsletters | Email & Newsletters |
| Replaces | Mailchimp, ConvertKit (Kit), SendGrid | Mailchimp, SendGrid, Gmail / Google Workspace |
| GitHub stars | 22k | 3.5k |
| Language | Go | Python |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | ISC |
| Self-host difficulty | 3/5 Moderate | 4/5 Involved |
| Deploy options | Docker Docker Compose Manual | Docker Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 14 days ago | yesterday |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
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
Modoboa
- Still depends on external Postfix and Dovecot daemons; not truly all-in-one
- Webmail plugin (Rainloop/SOGo) requires separate configuration
- No bulk mailing or newsletter campaign features
- Documentation can be incomplete for advanced plugin setups
Bottom line
Choose listmonk if you want the lower-effort setup; choose listmonk for the larger community and ecosystem. Modoboa has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
Modoboa
Web-based mail hosting platform with modern UI for managing domains and accounts