# Campaign Monitor vs phpList (2026): Free Alternative to Campaign Monitor

Canonical: https://caniforkit.com/vs/campaign-monitor-vs-phplist
Last updated: 2026-08-10

Compare Campaign Monitor ($12/mo) vs phpList ($0/mo open source AGPL-3.0 alternative to Campaign Monitor). Side-by-side breakdown of pricing, self-hosting setup, data storage, and practical trade-offs.

## Side-by-Side Comparison Matrix

| Feature / Metric | Campaign Monitor | phpList |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $12/mo | $0.00 / month |
| 1-Seat Annual Cost | $144/yr | $0.00 / year |
| 5-Person Team Annual Cost | $720/yr | $0.00 / year |
| 10-Person Team Annual Cost | $1,440/yr | $0.00 / year |
| License Model | Proprietary Commercial SaaS | AGPL-3.0 |
| Hosting / Runtime | Vendor Cloud | Local or hosted |
| Data Ownership | Stored on vendor servers | Self-hosted subscribers, preferences, queues, campaigns, and analytics live in a MySQL/MariaDB database; CSV/Excel import and export are built in. |
| GitHub Stars | Closed Source | ★ 864 |
| Code Repository | None | https://github.com/phpList/phplist3 |
| The Catch / Trade-off | Recurring subscription cost | phpList covers campaigns, segmentation, and click tracking, but its dated interface and weaker modern template workflow are noticeably less pleasant than Campaign Monitor. |

## About phpList
Campaigns, segmentation and click tracking from the old guard; the interface remembers when gradients were a feature.

- **Installation**: Free hosted signup or upload the PHP package to a web host
- **Setup Notes**: Manual hosting means configuring PHP, MySQL, cron/queue processing, and a sender; the installer is old-school rather than one-click.
- **Data Storage**: Self-hosted subscribers, preferences, queues, campaigns, and analytics live in a MySQL/MariaDB database; CSV/Excel import and export are built in.
- **Supported Platforms**: web, self-hosted, self-host, real ops
- **The Catch vs Campaign Monitor**: phpList covers campaigns, segmentation, and click tracking, but its dated interface and weaker modern template workflow are noticeably less pleasant than Campaign Monitor.

## Cost Savings Breakdown
Switching from Campaign Monitor to phpList eliminates ongoing per-seat subscriptions:
- **Solo / 1-seat**: Save **$144/year**
- **5-person team**: Save **$720/year**
- **10-person team**: Save **$1,440/year**

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is phpList a good free alternative to Campaign Monitor?
Yes. phpList is a verified open source (AGPL-3.0) replacement for Campaign Monitor. Campaigns, segmentation and click tracking from the old guard; the interface remembers when gradients were a feature.

### What is the catch when switching from Campaign Monitor to phpList?
phpList covers campaigns, segmentation, and click tracking, but its dated interface and weaker modern template workflow are noticeably less pleasant than Campaign Monitor.

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