phpList alternatives: six options for people who want more than a list manager
phpList has run since 2000, and it is not dead. Version 3.7.0 shipped in August 2026 with single sign-on and a REST API. If it sends your mail and nobody complains, you do not need to move. People who leave usually leave for one of three reasons: the interface, the cron job that drives sending, or the missing drip sequences. This page sorts the alternatives by which of those they fix.
Quick answer
The best phpList alternative depends on why you are leaving. Listmonk if you want a fast, free list manager with a modern interface. Keila if the interface is the whole problem. Mautic if you need deep automation and want to stay on PHP. Sendy if you send through Amazon SES and want a simple paid PHP app. Broadcast if you want drip sequences with branching and no cron to babysit, for a one-time $250 license. phpList Hosted if you like phpList and only want someone else to run it.
Conflict of interest
We make Broadcast, which is on this list. If a section reads as unfair to a competitor, tell us and we will fix it.
Why people leave phpList
The list management is not the problem. phpList’s double opt-in and subscription handling are some of the most mature in open source. The complaints are about everything around it.
- The interface is old. It works, but it looks and feels like the 2000s, and new team members need training to use it.
- Sending runs on cron. The queue is processed by a cron job or by keeping a browser tab open. Throughput depends on batch settings you tune yourself.
- Bounces come from a mailbox. phpList reads bounce messages from a POP3 or mbox mailbox. Modern tools get bounces and complaints from your ESP through webhooks, which is faster and more accurate.
- There are no drip sequences. You can schedule and repeat campaigns, but there is no welcome series or branching flow in the core product.
If none of these bother you, stay. phpList is maintained, free, and does its job.
The six alternatives at a glance
| Platform | License | Fixes | Costs you | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listmonk | AGPL, free | Modern UI, fast sending, no cron | No automation at all | Newsletter-only senders |
| Keila | AGPL, free | The best UI in open source | Automations still on the roadmap | Non-developers who stay open source |
| Mautic | GPL, free | Deep automation, stays on PHP | A much heavier stack | Teams with an ops person |
| Sendy | About $69 one-time | Simple PHP app, tight SES bounce handling | SES only, per-install license | Amazon SES users |
| Broadcast | $250 one-time | Sequences with branching, webhooks, support | Not open source | Teams who want automation without the stack |
| phpList Hosted | Monthly | Someone else runs phpList | Same product, monthly fee | Happy phpList users who are tired of the server |
Listmonk
Listmonk is a single Go binary with a Postgres database, free under the AGPL. It is the closest thing to “phpList, but modern”: multiple lists, double opt-in, segments by SQL query, and a clean API. It sends through any SMTP relay or Amazon SES and handles high volume on a small server. There is no cron to set up, because sending runs inside the app.
Like phpList, it has no drip sequences. If you leave phpList for automation, Listmonk does not solve that.
Pick Listmonk if you want the same job done with a modern interface and less setup. Detail in Broadcast vs Listmonk and Listmonk alternatives.
Keila
Keila is an Elixir application under the AGPL, built in Germany, with an official Docker image. Its interface is the most polished in open-source email. Segments and scheduled sends work today. Automations and A/B testing are on the roadmap as of mid-2026.
Pick Keila if the dated interface is your main reason to leave. Detail in Keila vs Listmonk.
Mautic
Mautic is the deepest automation tool in open source, and it is PHP, so your team keeps the language it knows. It adds a visual campaign builder, lead scoring, landing pages, and CRM integrations. The price is the stack: a web server, PHP-FPM, MySQL, cron, and a queue, on a larger server than phpList needs.
Pick Mautic if you want real marketing automation, stay on PHP, and have someone to run it. Detail in Mautic alternatives.
Sendy
Sendy is a PHP application on a LAMP stack, about $69 one-time and licensed per installation. It only sends through Amazon SES, and its SES bounce and complaint handling is tight. Automation is autoresponders, a timed series after signup, with no branching. It is not open source.
Pick Sendy if you are on SES and a timed welcome series is enough. Detail in Sendy alternatives.
Broadcast
Broadcast is our product, so read this section with that in mind. It is a self-hosted Rails application sold as a $250 one-time license. It runs as Docker containers with an automatic installer, about 30 minutes end to end. Sending runs inside the app, so there is no cron job to maintain, and updates are one click in the dashboard.
It has drip sequences with conditional branching, segments, opt-in forms with double opt-in, a transactional API, and webhooks. You bring your own ESP: Amazon SES, Postmark, SendGrid, Mailgun, Resend, or any SMTP server. Bounces and complaints arrive from the ESP through webhooks, not from a mailbox. Email support is included and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. It is not open source.
Pick Broadcast if you want welcome sequences and automation without moving to a stack the size of Mautic’s. Detail in the 7 best self-hosted email marketing platforms.
phpList Hosted
phpList Ltd., the company behind phpList, also sells phpList as a hosted service at phplist.com. You keep the product and stop running the server, cron, and bounce mailbox. You pay a monthly fee instead.
Pick phpList Hosted if phpList itself is fine and only the hosting is the problem.
A note on Mailtrain
Mailtrain shows up on many phpList alternative lists. Its last release was in June 2021 and its last commit in December 2022, so we do not recommend it for a new install. See Mailtrain alternatives.
If you want to stay on PHP
Two of the options above are PHP, like phpList. Mautic is open source and adds deep automation. Sendy is a paid one-time license and keeps things simple. Both run on the same LAMP hosting you already have. If the language does not matter, Listmonk and Broadcast each install as a single package and need no PHP setup at all.
How to choose
- phpList works and nobody complains. Stay.
- You want the same tool without the server. phpList Hosted.
- You want a modern, free list manager. Listmonk.
- The interface is the main problem. Keila.
- You need drip sequences with branching and want little to run. Broadcast.
- You need full marketing automation and stay on PHP. Mautic.
- You are on Amazon SES and want it cheap. Sendy.
Moving your list off phpList
Subscribers move as CSV. Export them from phpList, including the attribute columns, and keep a separate file for blacklisted and unsubscribed addresses so they stay unsubscribed. In Broadcast you upload the CSV and map each column to email, name, tags, or a custom field. Plan to rebuild templates as HTML and to recreate any repeating campaigns. See Bring your existing list.
Frequently asked
Is phpList still maintained?
Yes. phpList 3.7.0 was released in August 2026, with single sign-on for admins, CSRF hardening, and a REST API. Releases are slower than Listmonk’s, but the project is active.
What is the best open-source alternative to phpList?
Listmonk for most people. It is free, does the same list-management job with a modern interface, and needs no cron. Keila if the interface matters most. Mautic if you need automation.
Is there a phpList alternative written in PHP?
Mautic is open-source PHP with deep automation. Sendy is a paid PHP application for Amazon SES. Both run on the same LAMP stack as phpList.
Is there a phpList alternative with drip sequences?
Broadcast has drip sequences with conditional branching. Mautic has a full campaign builder. Sendy has timed autoresponders with no branching. Listmonk and phpList have none.
Can I move my phpList subscribers to another tool?
Yes. Export them as CSV with their attributes, and import them into the new tool. Keep unsubscribed and blacklisted addresses in a separate file so you never mail them again.
Related
- Mailtrain alternatives
- Listmonk alternatives
- Mautic alternatives
- Sendy alternatives
- Keila alternatives
- The 7 best self-hosted email marketing platforms
If you want sequences without the cron job
Broadcast keeps the list management you rely on and adds drip sequences with branching. Sending runs inside the app, bounces come from your ESP, and updates are one click. A $250 one-time license, with email support.
