Both one-time — thin wrapper vs. full platform

Broadcast vs Sendy

Q: Does Sendy only work with Amazon SES?

Yes. Sendy is built specifically as a front end for Amazon SES. If you later want Postmark, Mailgun, or a different SMTP relay, you'd have to move to another platform. Broadcast supports SES, Postmark, Mailgun, SendGrid, and any SMTP provider, and lets you switch without changing tools.

Both are self-hosted and bought once—but they’re different products. Sendy is a low-cost, stable wrapper around Amazon SES. Broadcast is a fuller email marketing platform with ESP flexibility, real automations, and a modern interface.

Buy Broadcast — $250 See all self-hosted options

At a Glance

License

Sendy: ~$69 per install

Broadcast: $250 one-time

Email provider

Sendy: Amazon SES only

Broadcast: SES, Postmark, any SMTP

Automations

Sendy: Autoresponders

Broadcast: Drip + branching

Interface

Sendy: Dated

Broadcast: Modern

Straight answer: Sendy is the cheapest way to send through Amazon SES, and it’s been stable for years. If you’re committed to SES, want a minimal wrapper, and don’t need real sequences, Sendy is a fine—and cheaper—choice. Choose Broadcast when you want freedom to switch email providers, automations beyond autoresponders, a modern interface, and licensing that scales to multiple brands or clients.

Feature Comparison

Where Broadcast and Sendy each pull ahead

Feature	Broadcast	Sendy
Software cost	$250 one-time	~$69 one-time
Subscribers	Unlimited	Unlimited
Email provider (ESP)	SES, Postmark, Mailgun, any SMTP	Amazon SES only
SES integration (bounces, warm-up)	Yes	Tight
Drip / welcome sequences	Built-in	Autoresponders only
Conditional / branching automations	Yes	No
Segmentation	Tags, lists, custom fields	Lists + basic segments
Template editor	Rich text, HTML & blocks	HTML / drag-and-drop
Transactional email API	Yes	Basic API
Interface / UX	Modern	Dated
Multi-brand / client licensing	Extended: up to 25 servers	Fee per installation
Data ownership	Your server	Your server
Hosting	App + Postgres	PHP / MySQL (LAMP)
Support & updates	Email support included	Email support

Credit where it’s due: Sendy’s tight SES integration and rock-bottom price are real strengths, and it’s been dependable for the better part of a decade. The trade-offs are SES lock-in, automations that stop at autoresponders, a dated interface, and per-installation licensing that adds up across clients.

What each one actually costs

Both are one-time purchases, so this is the rare comparison where upfront price is a fair fight. Sendy is cheaper to start; the gap narrows—or flips—once you count multiple installs and the features you’d otherwise go without.

Sendy

Software: ~$69 one-time, per installation
Hosting: ~$5–20/mo VPS (LAMP)
Sending: Amazon SES only (~$0.10 / 1,000 emails)
The catch: SES lock-in, and each client/brand site is another license

Best value when you run a single SES-based install and only need broadcasts plus autoresponders.

Broadcast

Software: $250 one-time (Extended: up to 25 servers)
Hosting: ~$5–20/mo VPS, app + Postgres
Sending: your choice of SES, Postmark, Mailgun, or any SMTP
The upside: real sequences, modern UI, ESP freedom, multi-install licensing

Best value when you want room to grow features, switch providers, or run more than one brand.

Where They Differ Most

ESP Lock-In

Sendy is built around Amazon SES—great if SES is your forever choice, but if you ever want Postmark’s deliverability, Mailgun, or a plain SMTP relay, you switch platforms entirely. Broadcast treats the ESP as a setting: SES, Postmark, Mailgun, SendGrid, or any SMTP, swappable without leaving the product.

Automations

Sendy’s automation is autoresponders—timed messages after signup. That covers a basic welcome email, but not branching, conditions, or behaviour-based triggers. Broadcast includes drip sequences with conditional logic, so onboarding and nurture flows respond to what subscribers actually do.

Interface & Experience

Sendy is stable—and it looks it; the product has changed shape little in years. That’s reassuring for a thin tool, less so when you live in it daily. Broadcast offers a modern, actively developed interface with a block editor and a live sandbox you can try before buying.

Running Multiple Brands or Clients

Sendy’s license is per installation, so every client site or brand is another purchase. Broadcast’s Extended License covers up to 25 servers for one price—built for agencies and consultants managing many installs. See licensing →

Who Should Choose What

An honest take on when each tool makes sense

Choose Broadcast if you…

Want freedom to choose or switch your ESP, not just SES
Need real drip sequences with conditions, not just autoresponders
Want a modern, actively developed interface
Run multiple brands or client installs (Extended License)
Want room to grow without changing platforms

Sendy might be better if you…

Are committed to Amazon SES for the long haul
Want the lowest possible upfront price
Only need broadcasts and simple autoresponders
Run a single install and don’t mind a dated UI

Frequently Asked Questions

Upfront, yes—Sendy is around $69 versus Broadcast’s $250, both one-time. But Sendy’s license is per installation, so multiple brands or clients mean multiple purchases, while Broadcast’s Extended License covers up to 25 servers. And the cheaper price comes with SES lock-in and autoresponder-only automation. Cheapest isn’t always lowest total cost.

Yes—Sendy is built specifically as a front end for Amazon SES. If you later want to use Postmark, Mailgun, or a different SMTP relay, you’d have to move to another platform. Broadcast supports SES, Postmark, Mailgun, SendGrid, and any SMTP provider, and lets you switch without changing tools.

Sendy offers autoresponders—a series of timed emails after someone subscribes. It doesn’t have conditional branching or behaviour-based triggers. Broadcast includes drip sequences with conditional logic, so flows can react to opens, clicks, and other subscriber actions.

Yes. Export your Sendy lists to CSV and import them into Broadcast, including tags and custom fields. Since you can keep using Amazon SES with Broadcast, your sending setup carries over too—you’re adding flexibility and features, not starting from scratch.

Broadcast is usually the better fit for agencies. Sendy charges per installation, so each client adds cost, and you’re tied to SES. Broadcast’s Extended License covers up to 25 servers for one price, with ESP flexibility per client and a modern UI clients can use themselves.

Sendy, Broadcast, Listmonk, Mautic, phpList, and Keila each suit different needs. See our honest 2026 comparison of self-hosted email marketing software, or the focused Broadcast vs Listmonk and Broadcast vs Mautic comparisons.