Here's a curated list of open-source tools, applications, and resources to help you create, manage, and scale a powerful newsletter and marketing campaign — while keeping full ownership, control, and alignment with your trust-based, win-win philosophy.
๐จ 1. Newsletter Creation & Sending
✅ Listmonk
- Type: Self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager
- Features: Fast, modern UI, campaign analytics, subscriber segmentation
- Stack: Go + PostgreSQL
- URL: https://listmonk.app/
- Best For: Scalable newsletters with high deliverability
✅ Mautic
- Type: Open-source marketing automation platform
- Features: Email campaigns, landing pages, drip workflows, segmentation
- Stack: PHP + MySQL
- URL: https://www.mautic.org/
- Best For: Full-stack email marketing automation
✅ Postal
- Type: Mail server & bulk email platform
- Features: Self-hosted alternative to SendGrid or Mailgun
- Stack: Ruby on Rails
- URL: https://github.com/postalserver/postal
- Best For: Handling high-volume transactional emails
๐ฏ 2. Audience Segmentation & CRM
✅ EspoCRM
- Type: CRM with email marketing and segmentation features
- URL: https://www.espocrm.com/
- Use Case: Organize and manage subscribers, tag by interest, and run targeted campaigns
✅ Frappe/ERPNext CRM
- Type: Full ERP + CRM with communication logs
- URL: https://erpnext.com
- Use Case: If you're integrating CRM + accounting + support for a holistic view of subscribers/customers
๐ 3. Landing Pages & Sign-Up Forms
✅ Unlayer
- Type: Open-source email and landing page editor
- URL: https://github.com/unlayer/editor
- Use Case: Drag-and-drop design for emails, signup forms, and landing pages
✅ Grav + Form Plugin
- Type: Lightweight CMS with form plugins
- URL: https://getgrav.org/
- Use Case: Fast, markdown-based website with embedded newsletter forms
๐ 4. Analytics & Campaign Tracking
✅ Plausible Analytics
- Type: Privacy-respecting web analytics
- URL: https://plausible.io/self-hosted
- Use Case: See which pages and links convert best (GDPR friendly)
✅ Matomo
- Type: Google Analytics alternative
- URL: https://matomo.org/
- Use Case: Deeper audience tracking, newsletter conversion goals
๐ค 5. Marketing Automation & Workflows
✅ n8n
- Type: Open-source workflow automation tool (like Zapier)
- URL: https://n8n.io/
- Use Case: Automate welcome emails, trigger workflows when someone clicks or subscribes
✅ Budibase
- Type: Low-code builder for internal tools and workflows
- URL: https://www.budibase.com/
- Use Case: Build custom dashboards for campaign tracking or subscriber insights
๐งฐ 6. Content Planning & Collaboration
✅ Outline
- Type: Open-source team wiki/documentation tool
- URL: https://www.getoutline.com/
- Use Case: Manage newsletter editorial calendar, collaboration between writers and editors
✅ HedgeDoc
- Type: Collaborative markdown editor
- URL: https://hedgedoc.org/
- Use Case: Draft content together, including newsletters or whitepapers
๐️ 7. Community Building & Engagement
✅ Discourse
- Type: Community forum platform
- URL: https://www.discourse.org/
- Use Case: Let your audience co-create and discuss newsletter topics
✅ Lemmy
- Type: Reddit-like federated community platform
- URL: https://join-lemmy.org/
- Use Case: Build trust via open, topic-based discussions linked to your newsletter
๐งช 8. Testing & Optimization
✅ GoAccess
- Type: Real-time log file analyzer
- URL: https://goaccess.io/
- Use Case: Know exactly how readers are accessing your content (no JS needed)
✅ Pinecone or Qdrant (with LLMs)
- Type: Open-source vector DBs
- Use Case: If using GenAI to personalize content based on user preferences
๐งฑ 9. Design Tools (Open Source)
✅ Penpot
- Type: Open-source design and prototyping tool (Figma alternative)
- URL: https://penpot.app/
- Use Case: Design newsletter templates and campaign visuals collaboratively
✅ Krita / Inkscape / GIMP
- Use Case: Free tools for designing infographics, banners, headers
๐️ 10. Repository of Templates and Knowledge
✅ Awesome-Newsletter
- URL: https://github.com/zudochkin/awesome-newsletters
- Use Case: Find inspiration and curated newsletters by topic
✅ Newsletter OS (Notion Template by Janel) (Not open-source, but very helpful)
- URL: https://newsletteros.com/
- Use Case: Organize ideas, assets, templates, swipe files, and systems
✅ Summary Table
Purpose | Tool | Highlights |
---|---|---|
Email sending | Listmonk, Mautic | Fast, full-stack control |
CRM & Segmentation | EspoCRM, ERPNext | Tag, manage, personalize |
Forms & Landing | Unlayer, Grav | Fast deployment, great UX |
Automation | n8n, Budibase | Trigger-based emails, flows |
Analytics | Plausible, Matomo | Privacy-first insights |
Content & Collaboration | Outline, HedgeDoc | Draft + schedule newsletters |
Engagement & Community | Discourse, Lemmy | Build lasting conversations |
Testing & Feedback | GoAccess | Server-level usage stats |
Design | Penpot, Krita, Inkscape | Pro-grade visual tools |
Would you like me to:
- Design a complete open-source newsletter stack for your startup?
- Compare these with SaaS tools (like Substack, ConvertKit)?
- Integrate this with your GenAI/Supportera/Clouderpa stack?
Let's make your vision modular and future-proof.
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