Compare · Xem vs listmonk
Xem vs listmonk.
Both open source. Different amounts of app.
listmonk is a fast, lean newsletter and mailing-list manager in a single Go binary, and it's excellent at that. Xem does more: visual automations, signup forms with a CRM, a shared inbox and importers, and it also comes as a hosted service if you'd rather not run a server.
A weekly newsletter, priced.
Four sends a month to the whole list, on monthly billing in US dollars. listmonk on self-hosted on Amazon SES (server not included); Xem on its cheapest plan for that volume. listmonk prices checked November 5, 2026.
| Subscribers | Emails a month | listmonk | Xem |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | 40,000 | ≈ $4 + server | $19 · Starter |
| 50,000 | 200,000 | ≈ $20 + server | $59 · Growth |
| 100,000 | 400,000 | ≈ $40 + server | $99 · Scale |
listmonk itself is free. These are Amazon SES sending costs at $0.10 per 1,000 emails, before your server. Xem self-hosted costs the same to send; the Xem column is Xem Cloud, where we run it for you.
How they charge
- listmonk
- Free and open source under AGPL-3.0, run on your own server with PostgreSQL. You pay your server and your email provider; through Amazon SES that is about $0.10 per 1,000 emails. There is no hosted plan from the project.
- Xem
- Per email sent. Free for 3,000 a month, then from $9. Contacts are free to keep, every plan has every feature, and you can self-host the open-source version and pay only your email provider.
When listmonk fits better
- You only need lists and campaigns and want the smallest, simplest thing to run.
- You like a single binary and want to keep the moving parts to PostgreSQL.
- You prefer AGPL-3.0, or you already run listmonk happily.
Questions.
Is Xem cheaper than listmonk?
Self-hosted, they cost about the same: both are free and you pay your email provider. If you don't want to run a server, Xem Cloud is $19 a month for a weekly newsletter to 10,000 people; listmonk has no hosted plan.
Can I move my listmonk list to Xem?
Yes. Export email, name and status from listmonk's subscribers table as a CSV. Xem imports any CSV with an email column and keeps unsubscribed people unsubscribed.
When is listmonk the better choice?
You only need lists and campaigns and want the smallest, simplest thing to run. You like a single binary and want to keep the moving parts to PostgreSQL. You prefer AGPL-3.0, or you already run listmonk happily.
Sources
Prices change. We check these pages by hand; tell us at team@xem.email if something is out of date.