I just migrated my first newsletter from MailerLite to Listmonk. 1,923 subscribers on my personal list. Next week I'm migrating the second: ~8,000 subscribers from my media site.
Total: ~10,000 subscribers. Two MailerLite accounts. One Listmonk instance.
Zero complex workflows. Zero fancy automations. And I'm happier than ever.
Context: Why I Changed My Entire Stack
For 2 years I built a startup media site with a full team. I invested my own money to help entrepreneurs. The problem: I was losing too much money.
I couldn't close the corporate partnerships I needed. I got tired of funding everything alone. So in 2025 I made a decision: disband the team, migrate the community, and transform the media site into something 100% automated.
Result: Without a team, I make decisions fast. I automate everything. I've drastically cut costs.
MailerLite → Listmonk is part of that optimization. But it's not just about money. It's because now I can.
No team to train, no processes to document, no stakeholders to convince. Just me, my VPS, and decisions I make and implement the same day.
Why am I telling you this? Because I learned something I've been saying to founders for years but struggle to apply to myself: the tool with the most features isn't always the best tool.
MailerLite Did Everything (And I Needed Almost None of It)
MailerLite is objectively better software than Listmonk:
- ✅ Drag-and-drop editor with 70+ blocks
- ✅ Behavioral trigger automations
- ✅ Integrated landing pages and popups
- ✅ Native A/B testing
- ✅ Integrations with Stripe, Facebook, Shopify
- ✅ 24/7 support
- ✅ Polished, friendly UI
Listmonk, in contrast, is more austere:
- ❌ No complex automations
- ❌ No landing pages
- ❌ No A/B testing
- ❌ No support (it's you + the documentation)
- ❌ Functional UI but it won't win design awards
So why did I switch?
Because when I reviewed my actual MailerLite usage, the answer was damning:
- Send weekly newsletter ✅
- Basic segmentation by list ✅
- Simple HTML or Markdown ✅
Everything else (the 80% of features) I never used.
The Numbers Don't Lie
MailerLite (what I paid for 2 accounts)
Account 1 - Media site (~8,000 subscribers): $65/month → $780/year
Account 2 - Personal (1,923 subscribers): $22/month → $264/year
Total MailerLite: $1,044/year
What I actually used in both: email editor ✅, list segmentation ✅, basic stats ✅. Everything else ❌ (never).
Listmonk (what I pay now)
Hosting: Hostinger VPS: $12/month (shared with n8n, WordPress, and several other services)
SMTP: $0 (I already had it for other projects)
Total Listmonk: ~$144/year (prorated shared VPS usage)
Savings: $900/year (~86% less)
And since I already had the VPS and SMTP, the marginal cost of Listmonk is literally $0.
Migration: Lessons Learned
1. Double opt-in can kill your timing
Mistake I made: I imported 1,230 subscribers to new lists with double opt-in enabled. The confirmation email arrived right before a time-sensitive sequence (community closure and migration).
Problem: Many didn't confirm in time → lost the opportunity window.
Solution: Switched all lists to single opt-in. Why? These subscribers had already confirmed when they gave their email originally. Asking them to confirm again is unnecessary friction.
Lesson: In migrations, single opt-in is your friend. Double opt-in is for new acquisition.
2. Self-hosted teaches you not to depend
With MailerLite:
- Price change → pay or leave
- Feature deprecation → adapt or migrate
- Downtime → wait for them to fix it
With Listmonk:
- Price change → doesn't exist (it's yours)
- Features → what you need, period
- Downtime → you fix it (or your devops does)
Real trade-off: You trade convenience for control. Worth it? Depends on your use case.
3. Features you don't use are just noise
MailerLite has 50+ integrations. I used 0.
Every time I entered the dashboard:
- "Have you tried A/B testing?"
- "Have you set up Facebook Ads?"
- "Have you created your landing page?"
Not MailerLite's fault. It's excellent software for those who need all that. But I didn't, and every unused feature was cognitive noise.
Listmonk shows me:
- Lists
- Campaigns
- Subscribers
Done. And it's perfect.
When NOT to Migrate to Self-Hosted
Self-hosting isn't for everyone.
Stay on MailerLite (or similar) if:
You don't have devops skills and don't want to learn them
Configuring SMTP, DNS, SSL, monitoring deliverability — that's work. If you'd rather focus on your business, pay for the SaaS.
You actually use advanced automations
If you have complex behavioral trigger workflows ("send email 3 days after purchase if they didn't open the previous one"), MailerLite is 10x easier.
You need support NOW
Self-hosted = you are the support. If something breaks at 3 AM and you need to send by 9 AM, better have a 24/7 team behind you.
Your volume is low and the free tier works
If you have 300 subscribers and MailerLite's free tier works for you, stay there. Don't optimize for $0 when your time is worth more.
Real Comparison Table
| Aspect | MailerLite (2 accounts) | Listmonk |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost (10K subs) | $1,044 | ~$144 (shared VPS) |
| Initial setup | 5 minutes | 2-3 hours |
| Automations | Advanced (triggers, delays) | Basic (scheduled) |
| Send limits | Per plan | Unlimited |
| Data control | Third-party | 100% yours |
| Support | 24/7 chat/email | Documentation + community |
| Deliverability | Managed by them | You configure SMTP |
| Learning curve | 1 day | 1 week (if you know devops) |
Conclusion: If you're a non-technical founder focused on growth, MailerLite wins. If you're a technical founder with existing infrastructure, Listmonk wins.
My Practical Recommendation
Start with SaaS, migrate to self-hosted when:
- Your volume crosses the threshold where SaaS gets expensive (for me it was 8,000+ subs)
- You already have self-hosted infrastructure for other services (VPS, Docker, etc.)
- Your needs are simple and won't change soon
Concrete example: If your stack already includes a VPS with n8n for automations, self-hosted WordPress, and configured SMTP — adding Listmonk is marginal. Everything runs on the same server.
If your stack is Webflow + Zapier + everything cloud-managed, self-hosting email is over-engineering. Stay on MailerLite.
What Really Matters
The best tool isn't the one with the most features. It's the one that:
- Solves your actual problem (send emails, measure opens, segment)
- Fits your budget (time + money)
- Doesn't distract you from real work
The "I'll build it myself" temptation:
I'll be honest: before migrating to Listmonk, I seriously considered building my own mailing system.
I have the stack. I have the experience. It would be "fun" and "I'd customize it exactly to my needs."
The problem? I'd be solving an already-solved problem. Listmonk exists, works, and does exactly what I need. Why invest 40-60 hours building something that already exists and is free?
That's the developer mindset trap: seeing everything as "I could build this better myself." Sometimes yes. But most of the time, using what already works is 10x smarter.
The lesson: Optimize for "good enough technology for your case," not "the technology with the most features."
Sometimes that means paying more for convenience (SaaS). Sometimes it means self-hosting for control and cost. But it almost never means "the tool with the most features."
Have you migrated from SaaS to self-hosted (or vice versa)? Share your experience — I'd love to hear what trade-offs you faced.
📝 Originally published in Spanish at cristiantala.com
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