mailcheap
Newsletters where you pay for the emails you send, not for dormant subscribers, at a fraction of the price of beehiiv and the like. Open source: self-host it, o
What is mailcheap?
Newsletters where you pay for the emails you send, not for dormant subscribers, at a fraction of the price of beehiiv and the like. Open source: self-host it, or use mailcheap.ai.
Overview of mailcheap
What it is
MailCheap is a newsletter application designed to allow users to pay only for the emails they send, rather than for dormant subscribers. It is open source and can be self-hosted or used via MailCheap Cloud.
Key features
- AI agents and dashboard: functionality available through the dashboard, an MCP server, and a REST API, with OAuth for ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok Bot, and API keys for Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. MCP marks sending as an irreversible action.
- Write, review, send: editor with slash commands, images, and boxes; supports Markdown or complete HTML via API and MCP. Review shows subject, preview text, unsubscribe link, Gmail's 100 KB clip, postal address, and sender before sending.
- Import from beehiiv, Substack, Mailchimp, Kit, MailerLite, Buttondown, Ghost, and EmailOctopus: CSV exports import with each reader's status and signup date.
- Website for each newsletter: on a free subdomain (.mailcheap.ai) on MailCheap Cloud, or on a custom server; each issue gets a search-engine-friendly page with signup form, author page, share images, and sitemap.
- Sending from your own domain: adds DKIM, return path, and DMARC records. On MailCheap Cloud, newsletters without a domain send from [email protected].
- Deliverability protections: warm-up, list cleanup, contact cleaning, never-email list, spam and bounce limits, Gmail spam rate monitoring, one-click unsubscribe (RFC 8058), and confirmed opt-in.
- Several newsletters: up to 3 per account, each with its own contacts, campaigns, and website.
- Signups and stats: signup forms and API, welcome emails, open and click tracking, subscribers over time, and reports by inbox provider.
Use cases
MailCheap is suitable for individuals or organizations that want to run newsletters with a cost model based solely on sent emails. It can be used for personal newsletters, marketing campaigns, or AI-agent-driven email distribution. Self-hosting is an option for those who want full control over data and infrastructure, while MailCheap Cloud provides a managed alternative.
Getting started
To self-host, plan for about an hour. Prerequisites include MongoDB, Amazon SES or PostShiba for sending, Upstash QStash for background jobs, and a Node.js 22+ host like Vercel. See the repository README for detailed setup.
License and pricing
License: AGPL-3.0. Pricing: MailCheap Cloud is from $19 per month for 20,000 emails. Self-hosted is free, plus the cost per email from your provider (e.g., $0.10 to $0.16 per 1,000 on Amazon SES).
Based on the project's public README and repository metadata.
