What is Mautic?
Mautic is an open-source marketing automation platform for contacts, campaigns, forms, email, segmentation, landing pages and reporting. It is the most capable free option in this list: a visual campaign builder with conditions and decisions, lead scoring, web tracking, A/B testing and multi-channel messaging across email, SMS, web notifications and mobile push. It runs on PHP with MySQL or MariaDB and is developed by a community under the Mautic Council.
The software is free under the GPL-3.0 license with no per-contact charge and no feature gates when self-hosted. Managed hosting is available from the official partner Dropsolid, starting at €247.50 a month billed annually, with a 14-day trial. The current major line is 7.x, with 7.2.1 released in September 2026.
Mautic at a glance
How does Mautic work?
- Install it on your server
Install Mautic with Composer or the packaged production download on a PHP server. Shared hosting is discouraged.
- Connect your sending
Add an SMTP service or API transport so Mautic can deliver your mail.
- Build contacts and segments
Import contacts, collect data from forms and web tracking, and build segments from behavior and fields.
- Build campaigns
Design multi-step campaigns in the visual builder, with conditions, decisions, scoring and timed messages.
- Measure and refine
Review campaign reports, contact timelines and A/B test results, then adjust the next campaign.
Mautic key features
Visual campaign builder
Build multi-step campaigns with conditions, decisions and branching paths.
Lead scoring
Score contacts from their behavior and fields, and trigger actions when scores change.
Email campaigns and newsletters
Send campaigns and newsletters with templates, personalization and A/B testing.
Landing pages and forms
Build landing pages and forms without a separate tool.
Web tracking
Track what contacts do on your site and use it in segments and campaigns.
Multi-channel messaging
Reach contacts by email, SMS, web notifications and mobile push from the same campaigns.
Why use Mautic?
- Free under GPL-3.0 with no per-contact fees, user limits or feature gates when self-hosted.
- The only free tool here with full marketing automation: journeys, triggers, branching and scoring.
- Landing pages, forms and web tracking sit in the same install, so fewer tools are needed.
- Full data ownership on your own server, with no vendor lock-in.
- Actively maintained, with version 7.2.1 released in September 2026.
Who is Mautic best for?
A good fit for
- Teams that want full marketing automation, not just newsletters
- Organizations that want HubSpot-style campaigns without per-contact pricing
- Teams with the technical skill to run a PHP server and cron jobs
- Businesses that want landing pages, forms and scoring in one free tool
Less suited to
- Beginners who want a simple newsletter sender with no setup
- Teams on shared hosting, which the project discourages
- Publishers who only send a simple weekly newsletter
Mautic pricing
| Pricing model | Free open source |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Free trial | Not confirmed |
| Starting price | Free (self-hosted); managed hosting from €247.50/month |
Mautic is free to download and use under GPL-3.0 when self-hosted; you pay for the server, email delivery and maintenance. Managed hosting from official partner Dropsolid starts at €247.50 a month billed annually (€275 quarterly) for up to 50,000 contacts, with a 14-day trial. Paid Extended Long Term Support is sold separately for older versions.
Prices checked November 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on the official Mautic pricing page before you buy.
Mautic pros and cons
Pros
- Free under GPL-3.0 with no per-contact fees or feature gates when self-hosted
- Full automation: visual campaigns, scoring, triggers and branching
- Landing pages, forms, web tracking and A/B testing included
- Multi-channel messaging from the same campaigns
Cons
- Heaviest tool here to install and maintain; shared hosting is discouraged
- Needs cron jobs, server tuning and queue management at volume
- Interface and setup take longer to learn than a simple newsletter sender
Mautic integrations and platforms
Works with
Available on
Mautic alternatives
See the full shortlist in Best Newsletter Platforms.
Mautic FAQ
Is Mautic free?
Yes. Mautic is free and open-source software under GPL-3.0, and you can self-host it with no license fee, no per-contact charge and no feature gates. You still pay for a server, email delivery and maintenance. Managed hosting from partner Dropsolid starts at €247.50 a month billed annually.
What license does Mautic use?
Mautic is released under GPL-3.0. You can download, use, modify and share it under that license, and self-hosting carries no per-contact license charge.
Is Mautic good for newsletters?
Yes, Mautic sends newsletters and email campaigns with templates and A/B testing, but it is built for much more: visual automation, lead scoring, landing pages and forms. If you only send a simple weekly newsletter, a lighter tool such as listmonk is faster to run.
Can I use Mautic without a server?
Not for free. Self-hosted Mautic needs a PHP server with MySQL or MariaDB. Managed hosting from Dropsolid starts at €247.50 a month billed annually and includes a 14-day trial.
Sources
This overview is based on Mautic's official website and documentation, checked November 2026.