FluentCRM
Self-hosted email marketing and CRM plugin by WPManageNinja: unlimited contacts, campaigns and automation funnels, sending through your own SMTP or ESP.
91
Groundhogg
Self-hosted CRM and marketing automation for WordPress with a visual flow builder, broadcasts, forms and contact records; premium plans add integrations.
Free installs2K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~200Likely 100–400
Rating4.8/5150 reviews
Price from$240/yrFreemium
Last updated29 Oct 2026Version 4.10
Overview
Groundhogg is a CRM and marketing automation plugin that keeps contacts, emails and automation data inside your WordPress database. It is aimed at small businesses, course creators and agencies who want something closer to ActiveCampaign or Keap than a simple newsletter tool, without per-contact SaaS fees.
How it works
The core plugin includes a contact record with an activity timeline, notes, tasks and unlimited custom fields, tag-based segmentation, CSV import and export, a form builder and a block-based email editor with columns, buttons, images, posts and social blocks. Broadcasts can be sent to saved searches and scheduled on a calendar, and the drag-and-drop flow editor builds automations from triggers, actions and logic steps. A preferences centre, data download and consent tracking ship in the free plugin.
Groundhogg sends through whatever mail setup WordPress already has, so pairing it with an SMTP plugin or transactional provider is strongly recommended. The team’s sister service MailHawk is a paid sending option.
Free vs premium
Premium is sold as flat-rate annual plans that bundle extensions, billed yearly:
- Basic adds split testing, recurring emails, Zapier and webhooks.
- Plus adds form-plugin integrations, lead scoring, pipelines and the Advanced Features add-on (including the Post Published trigger).
- Pro adds WooCommerce, LearnDash, MemberPress, cart abandonment, conditional logic, native SMTP integrations and bounce handling.
- Agency adds white label and template libraries.
Strengths and limitations
Groundhogg’s main strength is depth of CRM and automation for a one-off annual price with no contact limits, and the core plugin is genuinely usable on its own. The downsides are that many integrations most stores need, including WooCommerce and bounce processing, sit in the $600-a-year Pro plan, there is no built-in popup builder, and deliverability depends on the mail provider you configure. The interface is denser than newsletter-only plugins.
Pick Groundhogg if you want CRM-style contact management and multi-step funnels inside WordPress and are willing to set up proper sending yourself.
Best for: Small businesses and course creators who want a self-hosted CRM with funnel-style automations inside WordPress.
Groundhogg is the most CRM-like option here, with a capable free core covering contacts, flows, broadcasts and a block email editor. Stores and LMS sites will need the Pro plan for the integrations that matter, so budget for that and for a proper sending service.
Pros
- Full CRM with contact timeline, notes, tasks and custom fields in the free plugin
- Visual flow builder for multi-step automations
- Contacts and data stay in your own WordPress database
- No limits on contacts or emails from the vendor
- Preferences centre and GDPR consent tracking built in
- Flat annual pricing with price lock on renewal
Cons
- WooCommerce, LMS triggers and bounce handling need the $600/year Pro plan
- No popup or slide-in form builder
- Deliverability depends on configuring your own SMTP or MailHawk
- Monthly billing not offered; plans are annual only
- Admin interface has a steeper learning curve than newsletter plugins
Key features
What Groundhogg highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- CRM contact records with activity timeline
- Unlimited custom fields and tags
- Drag-and-drop flow editor
- Block-based email editor
- Scheduled broadcasts with calendar view
- Built-in form builder
- Open, click and conversion reports
- CSV import and export
- Preferences centre and GDPR tools
- Sync contacts with WordPress users
- reCAPTCHA and Turnstile on forms
- REST API, WP-CLI and abilities for AI agents
Pro / paid adds From $240/yr
- Split (A/B) testing from Basic
- Recurring emails and webhooks
- Form-plugin integrations from Plus
- Lead scoring and sales pipeline
- Post Published trigger via Advanced Features
- WooCommerce and cart abandonment on Pro
- LearnDash, MemberPress and LifterLMS
- Conditional logic in flows
- SMTP integrations and bounce handling
- SMS automation
- White label on Agency
Feature checklist
25 of 25 features we track in Email Marketing & Newsletters, feature score 97/100
Campaigns 5/5
Drag & drop email builder Key
Design newsletters visually without code.
Core includes a block email editor with columns, text, image, button, posts and socials blocks.
Included
Email templates
Ready-made newsletter and email templates.
Start from built-in templates or import HTML; template libraries are an Agency extra.
Included
New post notifications Key
Automatically email subscribers when you publish (RSS to email).
Post Published flow trigger can email contacts on publish; needs the Advanced Features add-on.
Paid version Plus
Scheduled campaigns
Schedule newsletters for a set date and time.
Broadcasts can be scheduled and are shown on a month calendar.
Included
A/B testing
Test subject lines or content variations.
Split (A/B) testing is included from the Basic plan.
Paid version Basic
Automation 4/4
Automation workflows Key
Welcome series, drip sequences and trigger-based emails.
Core flows with triggers, actions and delays; conditional logic needs Pro.
Included
WooCommerce marketing emails Key
Abandoned cart, purchase follow-ups and customer segments from WooCommerce.
WooCommerce integration and cart abandonment are Pro-plan features.
Paid version Pro
Visual automation builder
Build workflows on a visual canvas with conditions and delays.
Drag-and-drop flow editor with templates, undo/redo and per-flow metrics.
Included
Membership & LMS triggers
Automations triggered by membership, course or form events.
Core forms and user-role triggers are free; form-plugin triggers from Plus, LearnDash and MemberPress from Pro.
Paid version Plus
Subscribers & lists 7/7
Sign-up forms Key
Embedded, popup or slide-in subscription forms.
Built-in form builder with shortcode block; no popup or slide-in display.
Partial
Double opt-in
Confirmation emails before subscribers are added.
Confirmation links set an opt-in status that can trigger follow-up flows.
Included
Lists, tags & segments Key
Organise subscribers with lists, tags and dynamic segments.
Tags, saved searches and filters on any contact data.
Included
Custom subscriber fields
Store extra data such as birthday or company.
Unlimited CRM custom fields in the core plugin.
Included
CRM contact profiles
Full contact timeline with emails, purchases and activity.
Contact records show activity and email history, notes, tasks and location.
Included
Import & export subscribers
CSV import/export or migration from other services.
CSV import and export of contacts.
Included
Unsubscribe & preference centre
Subscribers manage lists or unsubscribe themselves.
Automatic preferences centre with profile, erase and unsubscribe pages.
Included
Sending & deliverability 5/5
Subscribers stored in WordPress Key
Contacts and campaigns live in your own WordPress database.
Contacts, emails and flows are stored in your WordPress database.
Included
Send through your own SMTP or ESP
Use Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun or your own SMTP to send.
Uses your site's mail setup, so any SMTP plugin works; native SES, SendGrid and SMTP integrations need Pro.
Included
Built-in sending service
Vendor-run sending service included or available.
MailHawk, the team's sending service, is a separate subscription from $10/year.
Via add-on
Bounce handling
Detects bounced emails and cleans the list.
Bounce and complaint handling, including IMAP bounce checks, is a Pro-plan feature.
Paid version Pro
No subscriber cap in the free version
Free plan has no low limit on subscribers or emails.
No vendor limits on contacts, flows or emails; real limits depend on hosting and sender.
Included
Reports & integrations 4/4
Open & click reports Key
Track opens, clicks and unsubscribes per campaign.
Open, click and conversion reports for broadcasts and flows.
Included
Revenue tracking
Attributes WooCommerce or other sales to emails.
Ecommerce Impact reporting attributes revenue; requires Pro integrations.
Paid version Pro
Form plugin integrations
Add subscribers from WPForms, Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms and similar.
WPForms, Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms, CF7 and others are included from Plus.
Paid version Plus
GDPR consent tools
Consent checkboxes, consent records and data export/erase.
Tracks consent, offers data download and erase, and blocks marketing after consent is withdrawn.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free
Freeper yearUnlimited
Open-source core: CRM, flows, broadcasts, forms and email editor with no contact limits.
Basic
$240per year1 site
Listed as $20/month billed annually. Split testing, custom fields extension, recurring emails, Zapier, webhooks.
Plus
$480per year3 sites
Listed as $40/month billed annually. Adds form-plugin integrations, lead scoring, sales pipeline, content restriction.
Pro
$600per year5 sites
Listed as $50/month billed annually. Adds WooCommerce, LearnDash, MemberPress, cart abandonment, SMTP integrations, bounce handling, SMS.
Agency
$1,200per year25 sites
Listed as $100/month billed annually. All add-ons plus white label and template libraries. Newsletter sign-up gives 15% off the first year.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Groundhogg?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
2K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
—
The vendor does not publish a total.
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~200
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: About 2.5K free installs x 8% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when some key features are paid) gives 200. Likely range: 100 to 400. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
1,559 downloads last week, 352.6K all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 4.10 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 29 Oct 2026 (4 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 6.9+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 1 of 1 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 1 Oct 2018 |
Company & policy
| Refund policy | 14-day money-back (source, 11 Oct 2026) Full refund within 14 days per the pricing page. |
|---|
Groundhogg compared
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FAQ
Is Groundhogg free?
Yes. Groundhogg has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $240/yr.
How many sites use Groundhogg?
WordPress.org reports 2K+ active installations of the free version. We estimate around 200 sites run the paid version.
Does Groundhogg have drag & drop email builder?
Yes: included. Core includes a block email editor with columns, text, image, button, posts and socials blocks.
Does Groundhogg have new post notifications?
Yes: paid version (Plus). Post Published flow trigger can email contacts on publish; needs the Advanced Features add-on.
Does Groundhogg have automation workflows?
Yes: included. Core flows with triggers, actions and delays; conditional logic needs Pro.
Does Groundhogg have woocommerce marketing emails?
Yes: paid version (Pro). WooCommerce integration and cart abandonment are Pro-plan features.
Does Groundhogg have sign-up forms?
Yes: partial. Built-in form builder with shortcode block; no popup or slide-in display.
Does Groundhogg have lists, tags & segments?
Yes: included. Tags, saved searches and filters on any contact data.
Does Groundhogg have subscribers stored in wordpress?
Yes: included. Contacts, emails and flows are stored in your WordPress database.
Does Groundhogg have open & click reports?
Yes: included. Open, click and conversion reports for broadcasts and flows.
Is Groundhogg really free?
The core plugin is open source and free with no contact or email limits from the vendor. It includes the CRM, flows, broadcasts, forms and email editor. Premium plans add integrations and advanced steps.
Which plan do I need for WooCommerce?
The WooCommerce integration, cart abandonment and ecommerce reporting are in the Pro plan ($50/month billed annually) and Agency.
How does Groundhogg send email?
It uses your existing WordPress mail setup, so an SMTP plugin or a provider such as MailHawk, SendGrid or Amazon SES is strongly recommended. Native SMTP integrations and bounce handling are Pro features.
Can Groundhogg email subscribers when I publish a post?
Yes, using the Post Published trigger in a flow, but that trigger needs the Advanced Features add-on, included from the Plus plan.
Is there a trial of the premium plans?
Groundhogg offers a 14-day demo sandbox for $1, and paid plans have a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Last updated 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.