Sendy

Who Sendy Is Right For

Sendy suits technical bloggers, SaaS founders, newsletter operators, digital agencies, e-commerce stores with large lists, and high-volume senders that want to escape monthly Mailchimp or ConvertKit subscription fees by self-hosting and sending through Amazon SES at $1 per 10,000 emails. The ideal buyer has server-admin skills (or a developer on call), a list of 10,000+ subscribers, and predictable send volume where ESP per-subscriber pricing becomes painful. It is overkill for solo creators sending fewer than 5,000 emails a month (use Mailchimp Free, Buttondown, or ConvertKit Free) and underbuilt for marketers who need advanced behavioural automation, journey builders, or multi-channel orchestration (look at ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, or HubSpot Marketing Hub).

Sendy vs Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and Brevo

Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and Brevo all win on polished UI, journey builders, behavioural automation, integration depth, and managed-infrastructure convenience. Sendy wins on raw cost and data ownership: $69 one-time licence plus $1 per 10,000 emails via AWS SES means a 100,000-subscriber list sending 4 campaigns a month costs roughly $40 monthly on Sendy vs $300-700 on managed ESPs. The trade-off is server setup, maintenance, and a dated interface.

Sendy 2026 Pricing

No monthly subscription. No maintenance fee. Free updates within a major version (e.g., 7.x to 7.x). New major versions (e.g., 7.x to 8.x) may carry an upgrade fee. No free trial; refunds available within policy window via vendor.

Fees and Limits to Watch For

• AWS SES setup: requires AWS account, SES sandbox-to-production approval, and DKIM/SPF/DMARC configuration on your domain.
• Server requirements: PHP 7.4+ (or per current Sendy version), MySQL, Apache or Nginx, cron jobs for scheduled sends.
• Major version upgrades: paid (e.g., 7.x to 8.x); minor and point releases free.
• AWS SES sandbox: new SES accounts start in sandbox with 200 emails/day until AWS approves production access.
• Multi-brand: included in the one-time licence, no extra per-brand fee.

Integrations

• Amazon SES: native sending engine.
• Amazon S3 / CloudFront: image hosting for email assets.
• WordPress: signup-form plugins via community.
• Forms and landing pages: HTML embed plus API.
• Zapier and Make: via REST API endpoints.
• Custom: REST API for list management, sends, and reports.

Security and Compliance Posture

Self-hosted on your own server means you control the security perimeter, encryption at rest, backup policy, and data residency. AWS SES handles sending compliance (CAN-SPAM, GDPR opt-in honouring, suppression lists). Sendy itself ships standard PHP hardening and supports HTTPS via your server certificate. No managed SOC 2 attestation applies because Sendy is software you host; your own infrastructure dictates compliance posture. GDPR opt-in and unsubscribe footers are built into the application.

Customer Support and SLA

Email and forum-based support during business hours. Knowledge base with installation guides and troubleshooting. Active community forum at sendy.co/forum for self-help. No phone support or formal SLA, this is one-time-purchase software, not a managed service. Optional vendor installation service at $79 one-time for non-technical buyers.

Eligibility and Sign-up

Sendy is sold as a one-time licence via the vendor website. No registration required to read documentation; purchase via credit card or PayPal. Licence permits installation on your own server; commercial multi-site use covered.

Mobile App and Customer Portal

No native mobile app. Web admin fully responsive on tablets and large phones. Subscriber-facing forms and landing pages mobile-responsive. Self-service unsubscribe and preference management built in.

Pros and Cons

• Pros: $69 one-time licence with no monthly fees, $1 per 10,000 emails via AWS SES (roughly 90% cheaper than managed ESPs at scale), full data ownership (subscriber data on your server, not vendor cloud), unlimited subscribers included, AI assistant for HTML and subject-line generation, multi-brand and multi-list management, REST API for custom integrations, free updates within major version.
• Cons: requires server-admin skills (PHP, MySQL, cron, DKIM/SPF/DMARC), dated interface vs Mailchimp or ConvertKit, basic automation (no journey builder), no native mobile app, AWS SES sandbox-to-production approval can take days, no managed SOC 2 attestation (compliance is on your infrastructure), no phone support or formal SLA.

2026 Updates

The 2026 roadmap added an AI Assistant ($39 one-time) covering HTML email generation, AI subject-line suggestions, email review and improvement, and AI report analytics. The core $69 licence is unchanged with free updates within the major version. Installation-as-a-service available at $79 one-time for non-technical buyers.

What Real Buyers Say

Newsletter operators and SaaS founders on the r/EmailMarketing subreddit describe Sendy as the credible escape from $300-700 monthly ESP bills once a list crosses 50,000-100,000 subscribers and the operator has a developer on call. The recurring praise is the cost delta and full data ownership; the recurring complaint is server-admin overhead, dated UI, and basic automation vs ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo.

Sendy Alternatives

Field Guide

How to Get Started With Sendy

1. Open the official Sendy website and purchase the $69 licence.
2. Set up an AWS account and request SES production access (typically 1-3 days).
3. Install Sendy on your PHP/MySQL server (or buy the $79 installation service).
4. Configure DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records on your sending domain.
5. Import your subscriber list and send a test campaign before going live.

How to Cancel or Pause

One-time licence has no recurring fee to cancel. AWS SES billing pauses when you stop sending. Refund policy honoured within the vendor's stated window; contact sendy.co support for refund requests.

Eligibility Checklist

• You have a list of 10,000+ subscribers or expect to grow there within a year.
• You have server-admin skills (or a developer on call) for PHP, MySQL, cron, and SES setup.
• You want full data ownership and a one-time licence model.
• You do not need advanced behavioural automation, journey builders, or multi-channel orchestration.
• You can absorb AWS SES sandbox-to-production approval delays during initial setup.

Pricing FAQ

• What does Sendy cost? $69 one-time licence. Optional AI Assistant $39 one-time (regularly $49). Optional installation service $79 one-time. AWS SES billed separately at $1 per 10,000 emails.
• Are there monthly fees? No monthly subscription, no maintenance fee. Free updates within a major version.
• Do I pay extra for more subscribers? No subscriber-tier pricing. The licence covers unlimited subscribers.
• What does AWS SES cost? $0.10 per 1,000 emails (so $1 per 10,000) plus data transfer. Sending pauses if AWS billing fails.

Bottom Line

For technical bloggers, SaaS founders, newsletter operators, digital agencies, e-commerce stores with large lists, and high-volume senders that want to escape monthly Mailchimp or ConvertKit subscription fees by self-hosting and sending through Amazon SES at $1 per 10,000 emails, Sendy is a credible 2026 shortlist option from Singapore with a $69 one-time licence, optional AI Assistant ($39), optional installation ($79), unlimited subscribers, full data ownership, AI for HTML generation and subject lines, multi-brand and multi-list management, and REST API for custom integrations. The trade-off is server-admin overhead, dated interface, basic automation vs journey-builder ESPs, AWS SES sandbox-to-production approval delays, and no managed SOC 2 attestation. Shortlist Sendy against Mailchimp for SMB managed ESP with broad marketing tools, ConvertKit (Kit) for creators and newsletter operators, Brevo for SMB ESP plus CRM and SMS, Mailgun for developer-first transactional, and MailerLite for polished UI for small newsletters. For broader market context, see the related SaaSRat blog guide. Verified on 2026-06-26. Vendor information verified from the official Sendy website.