# Plunk

> Plunk (5.5k stars, v0.16.0 Oct 2026) combines a transactional email API and SMTP relay with marketing campaigns, workflow automations (triggers, delays, conditions), segments, contact management and open/click analytics. AGPL-3.0. Self-hosting uses Docker Compose and needs an AWS SES account plus a domain with several subdomains. It is aimed at product and developer email more than publishing: no sign-up form builder, newsletter website or paid subscriptions are listed.

- Repository: https://github.com/useplunk/plunk
- Official docs: https://docs.useplunk.com
- Checked: 2026-10-16

## What it replaces
- Mailchimp: Subscriber lists and segments, Campaign editor and templates, Automations and drip sequences, Open and click analytics (partial). Campaigns, segments, automations and analytics; no forms or landing pages; AWS SES required.
- beehiiv: Subscriber lists and segments, Campaign editor and templates, Automations and drip sequences (partial). Campaigns and automations only; no newsletter website or paid subscriptions.

## Facts, with sources

| Question | Status | Answer | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on my machine? | Confirmed | Self-hosted with Docker Compose, or hosted Plunk | https://docs.useplunk.com/self-hosting/introduction | 2026-10-16 |
| Code licence | Partial | AGPL-3.0 (copyleft) | https://github.com/useplunk/plunk#license | 2026-10-16 |
| Model weights licence | Confirmed | No separate model weights | https://github.com/useplunk/plunk#readme | 2026-10-16 |
| Commercial use | Partial | Yes under AGPL-3.0 copyleft terms | https://github.com/useplunk/plunk#license | 2026-10-16 |
| Paid services needed? | No | Self-hosting requires an AWS SES account for sending | https://docs.useplunk.com/self-hosting/introduction | 2026-10-16 |
| Hardware | Unknown | Not documented | none found | - |
| Operating systems | Partial | Any host with Docker and Docker Compose; host OS not listed | https://docs.useplunk.com/self-hosting/introduction | 2026-10-16 |
| Setup effort | Confirmed | Medium; Docker Compose plus AWS SES setup and DNS for app, api and other subdomains | https://docs.useplunk.com/self-hosting/introduction | 2026-10-16 |

GitHub: 5524 stars, 418 forks, last push 2026-10-15, archived: no.
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Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/projects/plunk). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.