The Complete Guide to Self-Hosted Email Marketing in 2023

Hey friend! Are you looking to take your email marketing to the next level in 2023?

As a fellow tech geek and data analyst, I‘ve got the inside scoop for you on self-hosted email marketing.

See, self-hosting your email platform gives you more control and customization than any standard vendor-based solution. And when done right, it can save you or your business a ton of money long-term.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know to successfully self-host your email campaigns.

Here‘s what we‘ll cover:

The benefits and drawbacks of self-hosted email
How self-hosting compares to popular services like Mailchimp
The top 8 self-hosted platforms available
Key factors to consider when choosing a platform
Tips for migrating and getting up and running

Let‘s dig in!

Why Choose Self-Hosted Email Marketing?

The main reasons to self-host your email marketing platform include:

Cost Savings

This is the big one. Self-hosted platforms involve paying a one-time license fee for the software rather than recurring monthly subscription fees. Over several years, this puts thousands of dollars back into your pocket.

Here‘s a cost comparison over 3 years between a popular vendor platform and leading self-hosted option:

	Mailchimp	MailWizz (Self-Hosted)
Monthly Cost	$14.99 (2000 subscribers)	$5 (self-hosting cost estimate)
3 Year Total	$539.64	$180

As you can see, the savings add up quickly!

Customization

With full control over the platform, you can deeply integrate it with your other systems and customize it to your exact needs. Vendor platforms limit your options.

Data Ownership

You retain complete data ownership when self-hosting. Some vendors restrict access or make it difficult to export your data.

Scalability

You can scale your email campaigns according to your needs without paying more. Vendor plans often limit your volume or number of contacts unless you upgrade to a more expensive tier.

So in summary:

Self-hosted platforms give you more control and customization
You realize significant long term cost savings
Your data remains yours, with easy access
You can send higher volumes without paying more

Of course, self-hosting isn‘t perfect…

Drawbacks of Self-Hosted Email Marketing

The main downsides to running your own email platform include:

Technical expertise required – You need solid technical skills to install, manage and troubleshoot the software
Maintenance – The burden of software updates and server management falls on you
Features – Self-hosted tools offer fewer advanced features than leading vendor platforms
Support – Documentation and troubleshooting assistance is more limited

So if you don‘t have the technical chops, self-hosting may not be for you. However, for many businesses and tech-savvy marketers, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Leading Self-Hosted Email Platforms

Alright, time for the main event – a breakdown of the top self-hosted email marketing platforms available in 2023!

For each option, I‘ll overview the key capabilities, ideal users, pricing, and pros and cons. Let‘s start with #1:

1. Sendy

Sendy has become the go-to self-hosted email marketing platform for many small businesses. Here‘s an overview:

Key Features:

Drag and drop builder
List segmentation
Amazon SES integration
Detailed reports
Email autoresponders

Pricing:

One-time fee: $59

Pros:

Very affordable
Easy to setup and use
Active development

Cons:

Light on advanced features
Requires basic server management skills

Ideal User:

Sendy is the perfect self-hosted solution for small businesses and startups looking for an affordable but capable platform. The simple UI also makes it accessible for non-technical users.

2. Mailtrain

Mailtrain is an excellent open source self-hosted alternative focused on smooth deliverability.

Key Features:

Drag and drop builder
Automated bounce/complaint handling
RSS and API integration
Fine-grained segmentation
Custom landing pages

Pricing:

100% Free and open source

Pros:

Free to use (just host yourself)
Great deliverability features
Open source community

Cons:

Requires technical skills
Limited support resources

Ideal User:

Mailtrain works best for mid-size and larger companies that have the technical expertise to manage self-hosting. The deliverability focus and free, open source nature make it very appealing.

3. MailWizz

MailWizz strikes an excellent balance of power and ease of use.

Key Features:

Drag and drop builder
Advanced segmentation/grouping
Automated email workflows
Landing page creator
Comprehensive analytics

Pricing:

Free version available. Paid plans remove limits.

Pros:

Very easy to use
Powerful feature set
Free edition available

Cons:

Can be resource intensive
Support requires paid plans

Ideal User:

MailWizz is great for small businesses all the way up to large enterprises. It‘s both approachable for beginners and powerful for advanced users.

4. phpList

phpList is a developer-centric email platform with deep customization options.

Key Features:

Open source software
Highly extensible via plugins
Advanced segmentation and grouping
Developer-friendly code base

Pricing:

Free open source version. Paid enterprise support available.

Pros:

Free and open source
Great for technical customization
Lots of developer resources

Cons:

Steep learning curve
Dated admin interface

Ideal User:

phpList is best suited for developers and technically advanced users who appreciate the open source approach.

5. MailPoet

MailPoet is the leading self-hosted email solution for WordPress users.

Key Features:

Seamless WordPress integration
Drag and drop designer
Signup forms
Basic automation
Segmentation

Pricing:

Free version. Paid plans from $13/month.

Pros:

Easy for WordPress users
Solid free option
Good support resources

Cons:

Must have WordPress site
Reports could improve

Ideal User:

Any WordPress user looking for straightforward email capabilities. Great free option for smaller volumes.

6. Leadsrain

Leadsrain is optimized for high volume lead gen email campaigns.

Key Features:

Drag and drop editor
Lead capturing forms
Drip campaigns and autoresponders
Spam testing and deliverability
Unlimited contacts and emails

Pricing:

Starts at around $300 lifetime deal

Pros:

Specialized for lead gen emails
High sending volumes
Spam filtering

Cons:

More expensive
Less user-friendly

Ideal User:

Leadsrain is ideal for serious lead generation focused businesses that need high delivery volumes.

7. Mailster

Mailster essentially turns a WordPress site into an email platform.

Key Features:

Works as WordPress plugin
Drag and drop builder
Signup forms
Basic reports
Segmentation

Pricing:

Starts at $99 lifetime deal

Pros:

Easy WordPress integration
Affordable pricing
Good support

Cons:

Requires WordPress
Limited features

Ideal User:

Mailster is the perfect email option for WordPress sites sending smaller volumes of email.

Other Self-Hosted Options

There are dozens of other self-hosted email platforms available, including:

MoonMail – Affordable self-hosted email built on Node.js/MySQL
MailJet – Advanced email marketing features and scalability
Mailster – Turns WordPress into an email platform
Lyris – Full-featured enterprise option

I recommend sticking with one of the leading platforms above though for most use cases. The key is finding the one tailored to your needs.

Now let‘s go over some important factors to evaluate when choosing a self-hosted email service.

Key Considerations When Selecting a Platform

Here are some key criteria and questions to think through as you evaluate options:

Volume – How many emails do you plan to send each month? Make sure the platform scales.

Delivery – Does it integrate with SMTP, Mailgun, SparkPost etc for delivery?

Learning Curve – How technical are you? Some options are far more beginner-friendly.

Support – Is documentation, tutorials, and community support available?

Features – Do you just need basic email or more advanced functionality?

Infrastructure – Do you have available hosting resources to run it?

Data Import – Can you easily import your existing email subscriber data?

Overall, take stock of your technical proficiency, required features, email volume, and resources.

Select the platform that aligns with your specific needs and capabilities. The right self-hosted software will give you the power of a high-end vendor tool without the recurring costs.

Migrating to Self-Hosted Email

Once you‘ve selected a platform, it‘s time to migrate your email programs over to self-hosted. Here are some tips to ensure it goes smoothly:

Export subscriber data from your current system, usually available as a CSV file
Setup the self-hosted software on your server following the installation guides
Import your subscriber lists into the new platform
Integrate with delivery providers like Amazon SES for sending
Send test emails before switching fully
Update links/images with new hosted paths
Review reports frequently at first to check deliverability

The specific steps will vary depending on your platform, but in general the process is relatively straightforward. Just take it slowly!

Wrap Up: Take Control of Your Email Marketing

And there you have it – everything you need to successfully self-host your email marketing and start saving!

Here are the key takeaways:

Self-hosting gives you more customization and control for less cost
But it requires some technical proficiency to manage
Leading platforms like Sendy and MailWizz balance power and ease of use
Take stock of your needs and resources before choosing a platform
Migrating takes some effort but is very doable

In the end, self-hosted email lets you fully own your marketing infrastructure while spending a fraction of standard subscription costs.

I hope this guide gives you the confidence to manage your own email platform and take your marketing to the next level. Let me know if you have any other questions!