phpList vs GNU Mailman

phpList8.9Visit GMGNU Mailman8.7Visit

Higher score phpList #1 in Mailing List Management Software 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit phpList

vs

GM GNU Mailman #3 in Mailing List Management Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit GNU Mailman

• phpList fits best

  Email teams that need segmentation and campaign analytics

• GNU Mailman fits best

  Organizations managing moderated email lists

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Side by side

Feature	phpList 8.9/10 Visit ↗	GMGNU Mailman 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.7
Ranking	#1 in Mailing List Management Software	#3 in Mailing List Management Software
Best for	Email teams that need segmentation and campaign analytics	Organizations managing moderated email lists
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted, Cloud, Browser extension
Platforms	Web	Linux, macOS, Web
Support	Email, Community, Docs, Tickets	Docs, Community
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features phpList 0/5 · GNU Mailman 5/5
Moderation controls	Not published	✓ (best)
Subscriber preferences	Not published	✓ (best)
Self-hosted option	Not published	✓ (best)
Message archives	Not published	✓ (best)
Signup forms	Not published	✓ (best)
Specs
List modes	Not published	Both
Our review
Pros	Segments audiences and supports behavioral targeting and A/B testing Tracks opens, clicks, forwards, and bounces Offers both hosted service and self-hosted open-source software	Moderates messages and supports moderator approval before delivery Lets subscribers manage membership, delivery preferences, and digests Offers web archives through HyperKitty and a REST-based API
Cons	Forever Free is limited to 300 messages per month The $1 Plan caps subscribers at 3,000 Hosted pricing spans multiple models and subscriber tiers	Does not provide campaign analytics or segmentation Web archives depend on HyperKitty being installed and configured The suite's separate components can add deployment complexity
Our verdict	phpList is open-source email marketing software for organizations sending newsletters, announcements, notifications, and campaigns to subscriber lists. It suits teams that want list management, segmentation, and campaign statistics, with a… Read the review →	GNU Mailman is free, open-source software for managing email discussion and e-newsletter lists. It is aimed at organizations that want to administer mailing-list membership and message handling, especially when moderation matters.… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• phpList — where it wins

  • Segments audiences and supports behavioral targeting and A/B testing
  • Tracks opens, clicks, forwards, and bounces
  • Offers both hosted service and self-hosted open-source software

  Where it doesn't

  • Forever Free is limited to 300 messages per month
  • The $1 Plan caps subscribers at 3,000
  • Hosted pricing spans multiple models and subscriber tiers

• GNU Mailman — where it wins

  • Moderates messages and supports moderator approval before delivery
  • Lets subscribers manage membership, delivery preferences, and digests
  • Offers web archives through HyperKitty and a REST-based API

  Where it doesn't

  • Does not provide campaign analytics or segmentation
  • Web archives depend on HyperKitty being installed and configured
  • The suite's separate components can add deployment complexity

• phpList8.9/10 · Free plan

  A flexible campaign tool with segmentation, A/B tests, and both hosted and self-hosted options.

  Visit phpListFull verdict →
• GMGNU Mailman8.7/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source list manager for moderated discussion and announcement email.

  Visit GNU MailmanFull verdict →