Sendy alternative
Everything you like about Sendy. None of the server.
Sendy got a lot right: your own newsletter app, sending through your own account, with your list staying yours. We've used it for years. Newsletter Sender keeps that idea and runs it on Cloudflare, so there's no server, PHP or MySQL to look after.
Side by side
This isn't about price. It's about what it takes to keep your newsletter running.
 Sendy | Newsletter Sender | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Your own server or web hosting, with PHP and MySQL | Your own Cloudflare account. There's no server at all |
| Installing | Edit config.php, make a MySQL database, upload the files and set folder permissions | Install it into your Cloudflare account. The database sets itself up the first time you open it |
| Updating | Download the new version, copy config.php and any language files across, keep your uploads folder, then upload and replace every file | No files to upload. Deploy the new version and the database updates itself |
| Scheduled sends | Cron jobs on your server for scheduled campaigns, autoresponders and imports | Built in. Cloudflare runs them, with nothing to set up |
| Big sends | Speed depends on your server. On hosting with tight limits a send can stop part way and carry on at the next cron run | Up to 20 senders at once through Cloudflare Queues, as fast as your sending account allows |
| Big imports | Large CSV files can run into PHP memory and time limits | No PHP limits to raise. Your file is read in your browser and saved in batches of 1,000 |
| Security patches | You keep PHP, MySQL, the web server and the operating system up to date | Cloudflare keeps the platform patched |
| HTTPS | You set up the certificate and keep it renewed | Automatic, on your own domain too |
| Backups | You back up MySQL yourself | A daily backup into your own Cloudflare storage, with the last 30 kept |
| If a server goes down | Sign up forms, links and unsubscribes stop until it's back | It runs across Cloudflare's network, so there's no single server to go down |
| Sending services | Amazon SES, plus SMTP | Amazon SES, Postmark, Mailgun, Brevo and Resend, with SMTP on the roadmap |
Things you won't miss
Sizing a server
No guessing how much memory a big list needs, and no paying for a server that sits idle between sends.
PHP upgrades
No testing whether the next PHP version breaks anything, and no old version left running because it's easier.
Cron jobs
Nothing to add to crontab, and no wondering why a scheduled campaign didn't go.
Memory limits
No editing php.ini to get a big import or a big send through.
Uploading updates
No downloading a zip, copying settings across and replacing files over FTP.
Certificate renewals
HTTPS just works, on your app and on your own domain for links.
Moving from Sendy
Newsletter Sender has a step by step move for Sendy. Bring your lists and subscribers across, and anyone who unsubscribed, bounced or complained stays that way. You keep using your own Amazon SES account, so your sending reputation comes with you.
When Sendy might still suit you
To be fair to Sendy: if you already run a server you're happy looking after, or you need to send through your own SMTP server today, it's a good choice. If you'd rather never think about a server again, that's what Newsletter Sender is for.