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Email Marketing · head to head

Listmonk vs RD Station Marketing

Listmonk logo

Listmonk

Email Marketing

Self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager that ships as a single Go binary

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RD Station Marketing logo

RD Station Marketing

Email Marketing

Marketing automation for growing businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Listmonk it is not an email service provider. It hands mail to SMTP servers you configure and does nothing about IP warm-up, domain reputation, DKIM, DMARC or inbox placement, so deliverability failures are entirely yours to diagnose and fix.; RD Station Marketing pro plan requires 12-month contract lock-in and additional R$ 2,699 implementation fee. Enterprise plan pricing not disclosed.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Listmonk and RD Station Marketing actually diverge.

Attributes where Listmonk and RD Station Marketing differ
AttributeListmonkRD Station Marketing
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Docker, Linux, macOS, WindowsWeb

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Email Marketing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Listmonk

  • Single binary deployment
  • SQL segmentation
  • Multi-SMTP queues
  • Arbitrary subscriber attributes
  • Go templating
  • Transactional API
  • Bounce processing
  • Messenger webhooks

Only in RD Station Marketing

Nothing recorded that Listmonk does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Listmonk

  • A publisher with hundreds of thousands of subscribers faces a five-figure annual bill from a hosted provider and can send the same volume through Amazon SES for a fraction of it.not RD Station Marketing
  • A developer wants campaign audiences defined by an arbitrary SQL query against subscriber attributes, which no hosted segment builder will express.not RD Station Marketing
  • An organisation under privacy or data residency rules needs subscriber data to stay on infrastructure it controls, which rules out every hosted newsletter platform.not RD Station Marketing
  • An open source project or nonprofit needs a mailing list tool with no per-subscriber cost, where the list will grow faster than any budget for it.not RD Station Marketing

RD Station Marketing

  • Nurturing leads across email and WhatsApp with automated sequencesnot Listmonk
  • Managing sales pipelines with direct WhatsApp deal negotiationsnot Listmonk
  • Consolidating omnichannel support across WhatsApp, email, and chatnot Listmonk
  • Building email campaigns and landing pages without codingnot Listmonk
  • Prioritizing high-probability leads with AI qualificationnot Listmonk

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Listmonk

  • It is not an email service provider. It hands mail to SMTP servers you configure and does nothing about IP warm-up, domain reputation, DKIM, DMARC or inbox placement, so deliverability failures are entirely yours to diagnose and fix.
  • Running it means running PostgreSQL, backups, upgrades and a mail relay, and the true cost is the engineering time to keep that stack healthy rather than the zero licence fee.
  • The campaign editor and analytics are basic next to Mailchimp or Klaviyo: reporting is limited to opens, clicks and bounces, with no revenue attribution, no ecommerce integration and no deep engagement scoring.
  • SQL-based segmentation puts audience definition beyond a non-technical marketer, so a marketing team without engineering support will be blocked on routine tasks.
  • The AGPLv3 licence obliges you to release source modifications if you offer the software as a network service, which is a real constraint for anyone considering embedding it in a commercial product.

RD Station Marketing

  • Pro plan requires 12-month contract lock-in and additional R$ 2,699 implementation fee. Enterprise plan pricing not disclosed.

Pricing, plan by plan

Listmonk

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Full AGPLv3 source
    • Unlimited subscribers and campaigns
    • No feature gating and no send limits in the software
  • Third-party managed hosting$undefined/month
    • Several unaffiliated providers offer hosted Listmonk
    • No official hosted service from the maintainer
    • Prices vary by provider and are not published centrally

RD Station Marketing

Free
  • Light Plan$16/month
    • Up to 1,000 active contacts
    • Special promotional pricing from USD 18 to USD 16/month
    • No lock-in contract
  • Basic Plan$72/month
    • Up to 1,000 contacts
    • Special promotional pricing from USD 112 to USD 72/month
    • No lock-in contract
  • Pro Plan$159/month
    • Up to 3,000 contacts
    • Mandatory 12-month annual contract
    • Required implementation fee of R$ 2,699
  • Enterprise Plan$undefined/mo
    • Custom pricing for bases exceeding 100,000 contacts
    • Maximum flexibility with unlimited users
    • Highest email send limits

Which should you pick?

Choose Listmonk if

  • You need single binary deployment.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want sql segmentation.
Listmonk review

Choose RD Station Marketing if

  • You want to start without paying.
RD Station Marketing review

Questions people ask

Is Listmonk or RD Station Marketing better?
Neither clearly leads. Listmonk starts at Free and RD Station Marketing at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Listmonk or RD Station Marketing?
Listmonk starts at Free and RD Station Marketing at Free.
Does Listmonk or RD Station Marketing run on more platforms?
Listmonk runs on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows. RD Station Marketing runs on Web.
Can I use Listmonk for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Listmonk best used for?
Listmonk is most often used for a publisher with hundreds of thousands of subscribers faces a five-figure annual bill from a hosted provider and can send the same volume through amazon ses for a fraction of it., a developer wants campaign audiences defined by an arbitrary sql query against subscriber attributes, which no hosted segment builder will express., an organisation under privacy or data residency rules needs subscriber data to stay on infrastructure it controls, which rules out every hosted newsletter platform., an open source project or nonprofit needs a mailing list tool with no per-subscriber cost, where the list will grow faster than any budget for it.. Of those, a publisher with hundreds of thousands of subscribers faces a five-figure annual bill from a hosted provider and can send the same volume through amazon ses for a fraction of it. and a developer wants campaign audiences defined by an arbitrary sql query against subscriber attributes, which no hosted segment builder will express. are not what RD Station Marketing is typically brought in for.
What can Listmonk do that RD Station Marketing cannot?
Listmonk covers Single binary deployment, SQL segmentation, Multi-SMTP queues, Arbitrary subscriber attributes.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Listmonk: Does Listmonk send my emails?

No. It composes, queues and tracks campaigns, then hands the messages to SMTP servers you provide, such as Amazon SES, Postmark or your own relay.

RD Station Marketing: Does RD Station Marketing offer a free trial?

Yes. RD Station Marketing offers a 10-day free trial without requiring a credit card. No automatic charges apply after the trial ends.

Source
Listmonk: What does it cost to run?

The software is free. The real cost is a small server, a PostgreSQL database and per-email SMTP charges, which through SES are a fraction of hosted newsletter pricing at large list sizes.

RD Station Marketing: What is the cheapest RD Station Marketing plan?

The Light Plan is the cheapest at USD 16/month (promotional pricing down from USD 18) for up to 1,000 active contacts with no contract lock-in.

Source
Listmonk: What licence is it under?

AGPLv3, which requires you to publish modifications if you offer it as a network service to others.

RD Station Marketing: Does RD Station Marketing have a contract requirement?

Light and Basic plans have no lock-in contracts. The Pro plan requires a mandatory 12-month annual contract plus an implementation fee of R$ 2,699.

Source
Listmonk: Is there an official hosted version?

No. Some unaffiliated providers offer managed Listmonk, but the maintainer does not run a hosted service.

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