Overview

Sendy and MailerLite both target budget-conscious email marketers but take very different approaches. Sendy is self-hosted for maximum savings. MailerLite is a polished SaaS with affordable pricing. Both work, but they serve different skill levels.

Two Budget Approaches

Sendy minimizes cost through self-hosting. You pay $69 once, then just Amazon SES fees. MailerLite minimizes cost through efficient SaaS. You pay monthly but get modern features without technical hassle. Both are "budget" options with different trade-offs.

The Technical Divide

This is the core difference. MailerLite requires zero technical skills. Sign up and start sending. Sendy requires server administration, Amazon SES setup, DNS configuration, and ongoing maintenance. If you're not comfortable with web hosting, MailerLite is your only option.

Feature Comparison

MailerLite includes landing pages, website builder, visual automation, modern templates, and 140+ integrations. Sendy has basic email campaigns and simple autoresponders. The feature gap is significant. MailerLite offers a complete marketing toolkit. Sendy is email-only with dated interfaces.

Cost Comparison

At 10k contacts with moderate sending, Sendy costs ~$5/month (just SES fees after initial purchase). MailerLite costs $39/month. Over a year, that's roughly $400 difference. Whether that's worth the technical hassle and feature limitations depends on your situation.

For SaaS Companies

Neither platform is built for SaaS. Sendy lacks event tracking and sophisticated automation. MailerLite lacks native Stripe integration and SaaS-specific features. For subscription businesses wanting Stripe integration, consider Sequenzy.

Making the Choice

Choose Sendy if you're technical, want absolute minimum costs, and have basic email needs. Choose MailerLite if you want modern features, ease of use, and affordable pricing without server management. Most users should choose MailerLite.