Email List

Email List Software Requirements

Update 2025 - All Hands on Deck, Long Haul

• Long term support
• Ease of installation and maintenance on self-hosted, unmanaged server
• Ease of embeddability via widgets
• Ease of setting up new lists for events or new Dev Lists

Original

• Group customized emails with several custom fields and different emails - such as for reaching out to recruiters
• Mass emailing, with checkable boxes for sub-email groups. Allows signup to multiple groups, and any of the groups can be selected for emails
• Allows HTML for interesting newsletters

2018 Revisit

In 2018, Marcin asked me (Michael Altfield) to setup an email list server, recommending phplist because it's what Lulzbot uses.

I began researching our options. Many non-profits, even with very small budgets, choose to use mailchimp. I asked around, and it seems that the analytics and a/b testing is the big benefit. I looked into opensource alternatives to phplist using the list at https://alternativeto.net/software/phplist/?license=opensource

1. Mailman https://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/index.html
2. Sympa https://alternativeto.net/software/sympa/
3. OpenEMM https://www.openemm.org/
   1. + appears to have lots of good features
4. mlmmj http://mlmmj.org/
5. MailCtlr http://www.ctlr.it/
   1. - appears to have only 1 dev without a web interface
6. Gutama http://gutuma.com/
   1. - website is broken & project is discontinued
7. iReach
8. Mautic https://www.mautic.org/
9. Mailtrain https://mailtrain.org/
   1. - Node.js
   2. - Calls itself "Beta-grade software"
10. Mail for Good https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/mail-for-good
    1. - currently beta

It looks like phplist by far is the best option, and it includes a/b testing as well as analytics. None of the other opensource projects had these features that I saw. For more info about phplist, see phplist

History - 2014

OSE Email Lists need to be integrated and invited into one master list. Mailman or Google Groups are options.

1. mailchimp
2. campaign monitor
3. Open Source Ecology google group
4. Factor e Farm google group
5. True Fans
6. OSE Announce

See Also

• OSEmail
• Phplist
• Campaign Monitor