What is Mailtrain used for?

Mailtrain is a self-hosted newsletter application built on Node.js that manages subscriber lists, segments, templates and automated email campaigns. It is a good fit for sending newsletters without a paid email platform, running mailing lists for several teams and automating RSS-to-email digests.

Is Mailtrain open source?

Yes. Mailtrain is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Mailtrain-org/mailtrain and is written mainly in JavaScript.

Yes. Mailtrain is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Mailtrain?

Yes. Mailtrain can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is Mailtrain an alternative to?

Mailtrain is an open-source alternative to Mailchimp, MailerLite, Campaign Monitor and Kit (ConvertKit). Other open-source alternatives to Mailchimp include Notifuse, Listmonk and BillionMail.

Is Mailtrain actively maintained?

The most recent commit to Mailtrain was on 5 October 2025, and the latest release is v2.20210609.0, published on 9 June 2021. The project has 5.8k stars on GitHub.

Mailtrain: open-source alternative to Mailchimp, MailerLite

About Mailtrain

Mailtrain is a newsletter application that you host on your own server. It manages subscriber lists and sends email campaigns to them, so you keep control of your audience data instead of relying on a third-party sending service. Version 2 is a complete rewrite of the original release.

Core features include subscriber list management with segmentation and custom fields, email templates including MJML-based ones, and custom reports. Automation covers triggered campaigns and RSS campaigns. Several users can work in the same installation with granular permissions and flexible sharing, and hierarchical namespaces help in larger organizations. A built-in Zone-MTA mail transfer agent reduces the setup needed for delivery.

Mailtrain is licensed under GPL-3.0 and runs on Node.js with MySQL or MariaDB. It exposes separate trusted, sandbox and public URL endpoints, which the project recommends mapping to three DNS names on one server, to reduce cross-site scripting risk in multi-user setups. Version 2 needs a fresh installation, though the database can be upgraded. The project suggests at least 2 vCPUs and 4 GB of RAM.

Key features

Subscriber lists with segmentation and custom fields
Email templates including MJML
Triggered and RSS-based campaign automation
Custom reports on campaign results
Multi-user permissions with flexible sharing
Built-in Zone-MTA for mail delivery

Good fit for

→Sending newsletters without a paid email platform
→Running mailing lists for several teams
→Automating RSS-to-email digests

Built with: JavaScript
Tags: newsletter; email-marketing; self-hosted; mailing-list; automation; nodejs; mjml

Mailtrain: questions and answers

What is Mailtrain used for?: Mailtrain is a self-hosted newsletter application built on Node.js that manages subscriber lists, segments, templates and automated email campaigns. It is a good fit for sending newsletters without a paid email platform, running mailing lists for several teams and automating RSS-to-email digests.
Is Mailtrain open source?: Yes. Mailtrain is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Mailtrain-org/mailtrain and is written mainly in JavaScript.
Is Mailtrain free?: Yes. Mailtrain is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Mailtrain?: Yes. Mailtrain can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is Mailtrain an alternative to?: Mailtrain is an open-source alternative to Mailchimp, MailerLite, Campaign Monitor and Kit (ConvertKit). Other open-source alternatives to Mailchimp include Notifuse, Listmonk and BillionMail.
Is Mailtrain actively maintained?: The most recent commit to Mailtrain was on 5 October 2025, and the latest release is v2.20210609.0, published on 9 June 2021. The project has 5.8k stars on GitHub.