FluentCRM
Self-hosted email marketing and CRM plugin by WPManageNinja: unlimited contacts, campaigns and automation funnels, sending through your own SMTP or ESP.
91
Newsletter
Long-running free newsletter plugin by Stefano Lissa with unlimited subscribers, a drag-and-drop composer and paid add-ons for automation and delivery.
Free installs200K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~12KLikely 6K–24K
Vendor claims400K+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.6/51,205 reviews
Price from$69Freemium
Last updated29 Oct 2026Version 9.5.3
Overview
Newsletter (often called The Newsletter Plugin) is a free, self-hosted newsletter system for WordPress developed by Stefano Lissa. Subscribers and newsletters are stored in your WordPress database and sent through your site’s mail setup, with no cap on subscribers or newsletters beyond what your host or sending provider allows.
How it works
The free plugin includes subscription forms (widget, shortcode, in-post and HTML), double opt-in with a privacy checkbox, lists, custom profile fields, CSV import and export, and a drag-and-drop composer with reusable templates. You target a newsletter at lists or field values, send it now or schedule it, and control delivery speed to stay within hosting limits. Basic open and click statistics are built in, and subscribers can edit their details and list choices on a profile page.
Paid add-ons
Extra functionality comes as add-ons bundled into three licences: Essential (1 site), Professional (3 sites) and Agency (unlimited sites). Essential adds form-builder integrations (Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, Fluent Forms, Elementor and others), the Leads popup and top bar, detailed reports with retargeting, Google Analytics tagging and geolocation. Professional adds the Automated add-on for post-based newsletters, Autoresponder email series, WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads integrations, membership plugin integrations, delivery add-ons for Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark and similar, and bounce management. A few delivery add-ons (SMTP, Brevo, SMTP2GO and others) are free.
Strengths
- Generous free core with no subscriber limits.
- Fine control over sending speed for shared hosting.
- Large catalogue of integration add-ons.
Limitations
The interface is more utilitarian than MailPoet or FluentCRM, and automation is limited to post digests and linear autoresponder series, with no visual workflow builder, A/B testing or abandoned cart emails. Bounce handling and API mailers for the main ESPs need the Professional licence. Prices on the vendor site are rendered dynamically; figures here come from a recent third-party review.
Newsletter is a good choice for blogs, associations and publishers that want a free, unlimited newsletter with optional add-ons rather than a full marketing automation suite.
Best for: Blogs, clubs and publishers that want an unlimited free newsletter inside WordPress with optional paid add-ons.
Newsletter's free core is unusually generous, with unlimited subscribers, a decent composer and solid list tools. Anyone needing automation, post digests or proper ESP integration will need the Professional licence, and even then it trails FluentCRM and MailPoet on automation depth.
Pros
- Free core with no subscriber or newsletter limits
- Drag-and-drop composer with reusable templates
- Delivery speed control suited to shared hosting
- Many form-builder, event and membership integrations as add-ons
- One-time licence payments that keep add-ons working after the update year
Cons
- Post notifications and autoresponders require the Professional licence
- No A/B testing, visual automation builder or abandoned cart emails
- Bounce handling and SES/SendGrid/Mailgun add-ons are Professional-only
- Admin interface feels dated next to newer rivals
Key features
What Newsletter highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Unlimited subscribers and newsletters
- Drag-and-drop newsletter composer
- Reusable newsletter templates
- Double opt-in with privacy checkbox
- Lists and custom profile fields
- Targeting by lists and fields
- CSV import and export
- Schedule newsletters for later
- Open and click statistics
- Subscriber profile and list management
- Delivery speed control
- Free SMTP and Brevo delivery add-ons
- WPML, Polylang and TranslatePress support
Pro / paid adds From $69
- Automated newsletters from latest posts
- Autoresponder email series
- WooCommerce and EDD integration
- Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms integrations
- Leads popup and top bar
- Reports and retargeting
- Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun delivery
- Bounce and complaint management
- Membership plugin integrations
- Google Analytics link tagging
- Geolocation targeting
- Unlimited sites on Agency
Feature checklist
21 of 25 features we track in Email Marketing & Newsletters, feature score 83/100
Campaigns 4/5
Drag & drop email builder Key
Design newsletters visually without code.
Drag-and-drop composer with 25+ blocks and live preview; extra blocks via paid add-on.
Included
Email templates
Ready-made newsletter and email templates.
Reusable templates and composer presets included free.
Included
New post notifications Key
Automatically email subscribers when you publish (RSS to email).
Paid Automated add-on (Professional) builds newsletters from recent posts and custom post types.
Via add-on
Scheduled campaigns
Schedule newsletters for a set date and time.
Newsletters can be sent immediately or scheduled after choosing the target.
Included
A/B testing
Test subject lines or content variations.
No A/B testing in the plugin or its add-on catalogue.
Not included
Automation 3/4
Automation workflows Key
Welcome series, drip sequences and trigger-based emails.
Paid Autoresponder add-on (Professional) sends follow-up email series with delays.
Via add-on
WooCommerce marketing emails Key
Abandoned cart, purchase follow-ups and customer segments from WooCommerce.
Paid WooCommerce add-on: checkout opt-in, lists by product/category; no abandoned cart.
Via add-on
Visual automation builder
Build workflows on a visual canvas with conditions and delays.
Automation is limited to post digests and linear autoresponder series; no workflow canvas.
Not included
Membership & LMS triggers
Automations triggered by membership, course or form events.
Paid add-ons for MemberPress, PMPro, Ultimate Member and event plugins add subscribers to lists.
Via add-on
Subscribers & lists 7/7
Sign-up forms Key
Embedded, popup or slide-in subscription forms.
Widget, shortcode, in-post and HTML forms free; popup and top bar via paid Leads add-on.
Included
Double opt-in
Confirmation emails before subscribers are added.
Single or double opt-in with a confirmation email and privacy checkbox.
Included
Lists, tags & segments Key
Organise subscribers with lists, tags and dynamic segments.
Lists plus targeting by list combinations, custom fields and language; no tags.
Included
Custom subscriber fields
Store extra data such as birthday or company.
Custom profile fields can be collected in forms and used for targeting.
Included
CRM contact profiles
Full contact timeline with emails, purchases and activity.
Subscriber edit panel shows sent emails and status with the Reports add-on; no CRM timeline.
Partial
Import & export subscribers
CSV import/export or migration from other services.
CSV import and export of subscribers in the free plugin.
Included
Unsubscribe & preference centre
Subscribers manage lists or unsubscribe themselves.
Auto-generated profile page where subscribers edit details and choose lists.
Included
Sending & deliverability 4/5
Subscribers stored in WordPress Key
Contacts and campaigns live in your own WordPress database.
Subscribers and newsletters 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.
Works with SMTP plugins; free SMTP/Brevo add-ons, SES/SendGrid/Mailgun on Professional.
Included
Built-in sending service
Vendor-run sending service included or available.
No vendor-run sending service; mail goes through your host or a connected provider.
Not included
Bounce handling
Detects bounced emails and cleans the list.
Bounce Management and ESP delivery add-ons with complaint handling are in Professional.
Via add-on
No subscriber cap in the free version
Free plan has no low limit on subscribers or emails.
No cap on subscribers or newsletters in the free plugin.
Included
Reports & integrations 3/4
Open & click reports Key
Track opens, clicks and unsubscribes per campaign.
Open and click tracking free; Reports and Retargeting add-on adds detail.
Included
Revenue tracking
Attributes WooCommerce or other sales to emails.
Neither the Reports nor WooCommerce add-on attributes sales to newsletters.
Not included
Form plugin integrations
Add subscribers from WPForms, Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms and similar.
Paid add-ons for CF7, WPForms, Gravity, Ninja, Fluent, Formidable, Forminator, Elementor (Essential).
Via add-on
GDPR consent tools
Consent checkboxes, consent records and data export/erase.
Privacy checkbox, double opt-in, tracking consent controls and GDPR tools in free.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free
Freeper yearUnlimited
Free on WordPress.org; unlimited subscribers and newsletters, plus several free add-ons.
Essential
$69one-off1 site
Price per Patchstack review (Apr 2025); vendor page renders prices dynamically. Includes 1 year of updates/support; form integrations, Leads popup, reports.
Professional
$99one-off3 sites
Price per Patchstack review (Apr 2025). Adds Automated, Autoresponder, WooCommerce/EDD, membership and ESP delivery add-ons, bounce management.
Agency
$299one-offUnlimited
Price per Patchstack review (Apr 2025). Same add-ons as Professional; add-ons keep working after the year but stop receiving updates.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Newsletter?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
200K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
400K+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~12K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: About 250K free installs x 4% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when most features are free) gives 10K. The vendor claims 400K+ sites in total. Taking away about 250K free installs leaves 150K, and 80% of that is 120K. Vendor totals are loose, so we only move our figure part of the way toward it, from 10K to 12K. Likely range: 6K to 24K. 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
275,615 downloads last week, 36.6M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 9.5.3 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 29 Oct 2026 (5 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 6.1+, PHP 7.0+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 11 of 16 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 23 May 2009 |
Company & policy
| Refund policy | 30-day money-back (source, 11 Oct 2026) |
|---|
Newsletter compared
Alternatives to Newsletter
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Groundhogg
Self-hosted CRM and marketing automation for WordPress with a visual flow builder, broadcasts, forms and contact records; premium plans add integrations.
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Icegram Express
Self-hosted newsletter plugin (formerly Email Subscribers) with forms, post notifications and a drag-and-drop editor; Max adds automations and integrations.
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Brevo
Free WordPress connector for the Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) SaaS platform: sign-up forms, contact sync, SMTP and campaigns sent from Brevo.
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Noptin
Lightweight self-hosted newsletter plugin with opt-in forms, new-post emails and automation rules; premium unlocks the visual editor, lists and sequences.
80
FAQ
Is Newsletter free?
Yes. Newsletter has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $69.
How many sites use Newsletter?
WordPress.org reports 200K+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 400K+ sites in total. We estimate around 12K sites run the paid version.
Does Newsletter have drag & drop email builder?
Yes: included. Drag-and-drop composer with 25+ blocks and live preview; extra blocks via paid add-on.
Does Newsletter have new post notifications?
Yes: via add-on. Paid Automated add-on (Professional) builds newsletters from recent posts and custom post types.
Does Newsletter have automation workflows?
Yes: via add-on. Paid Autoresponder add-on (Professional) sends follow-up email series with delays.
Does Newsletter have woocommerce marketing emails?
Yes: via add-on. Paid WooCommerce add-on: checkout opt-in, lists by product/category; no abandoned cart.
Does Newsletter have sign-up forms?
Yes: included. Widget, shortcode, in-post and HTML forms free; popup and top bar via paid Leads add-on.
Does Newsletter have lists, tags & segments?
Yes: included. Lists plus targeting by list combinations, custom fields and language; no tags.
Does Newsletter have subscribers stored in wordpress?
Yes: included. Subscribers and newsletters are stored in your WordPress database.
Does Newsletter have open & click reports?
Yes: included. Open and click tracking free; Reports and Retargeting add-on adds detail.
Is the Newsletter plugin really unlimited?
The free plugin has no subscriber or newsletter cap. In practice your host's sending limits or your SMTP/ESP plan set the ceiling.
How do I send automatic new-post emails?
Post-based newsletters come from the Automated add-on, which is included in the Professional and Agency licences.
Can it use Amazon SES or SendGrid?
Yes, through delivery add-ons. Some (SMTP, Brevo, SMTP2GO) are free; SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark and similar are in Professional and Agency, with bounce and complaint handling.
What happens when my licence expires?
Licences are a one-time payment with a year of updates and support; add-ons keep working afterwards, but new versions and compatibility fixes stop.
Last updated 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.