Drip costs $39/mo.
These cost $0.
4 free alternatives to Drip, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
Drip vs Free Alternatives Matrix
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs $39/mo
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mautic | open source | — | — | ★ 10k | Drip vs Mautic → |
| Plunk | open source | AGPL-3.0 | Local or hosted | ★ 5.3k | Drip vs Plunk → |
| Dittofeed | open source | MIT | Local or hosted | ★ 2.9k | Drip vs Dittofeed → |
| Notifuse | open source | AGPL-3.0 | Local or hosted | ★ 2.0k | Drip vs Notifuse → |
The picks
4 open source · ranked by fit
- 01
Mautic
open source10kaug 2026Tracks behavior and fires campaigns from events; modern ecommerce niceties require integration work.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hostedself-host, real ops
- 02
Plunk
open sourceAGPL-3.0Local or hosted5.3kaug 2026A small event stream can drive conditional email workflows; ecommerce dashboards do not appear by wishing.
The catch vs DripPlunk can drive conditional email from a small event stream, but it lacks Drip's ecommerce dashboards, product-aware templates, and native store plumbing.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Hosted signup or Docker Compose
- setup
- The self-host path needs Docker, several subdomains, DNS/TLS, and an AWS SES account with credentials and domain verification.
- your data
- Self-hosted data lives in PostgreSQL, queues in Redis, and uploads in bundled MinIO or another S3-compatible store.
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 03
Dittofeed
open sourceMITLocal or hosted2.9kmar 2026Cart and product events can trigger branching email journeys; ecommerce integrations are yours to wire.
The catch vs DripDittofeed can trigger journeys from cart and product events, but it lacks Drip's turnkey ecommerce integrations, store-aware reporting, and revenue attribution unless you build them.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hostedself-host, real ops
- install
- Dittofeed Cloud or Docker Compose/Kubernetes self-host
- setup
- Docker Compose brings Postgres and ClickHouse, but the harder first step is instrumenting product events and connecting an email provider.
- your data
- Self-hosted identity and configuration data lives in PostgreSQL and event/segment data in ClickHouse; optional blob data can use object storage.
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 04
Notifuse
open sourceAGPL-3.0Local or hosted2.0kaug 2026Event-triggered campaigns and segmentation without contact pricing; store-specific reporting is absent.
The catch vs DripNotifuse supports event-triggered campaigns and segmentation, but it does not provide Drip's store-specific dashboards, revenue attribution, or ready-made ecommerce integrations.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Notifuse Cloud signup or self-host with Docker
- setup
- Self-hosting needs Docker, PostgreSQL, object storage, a public domain, and a separately configured SMTP or email API provider.
- your data
- Self-hosted contact, campaign, event, and analytics data lives in PostgreSQL; uploaded assets use S3-compatible storage.
- checked
- 2026-08-10
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · Drip open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to Drip?+
The top free alternative to Drip is Mautic (open source). Tracks behavior and fires campaigns from events; modern ecommerce niceties require integration work. Other popular Drip replacements include Plunk, Dittofeed, Notifuse.
Can I self-host a free replacement for Drip?+
Yes. Of the 4 free alternatives to Drip, 4 can be self-hosted on your own server or local machine: Mautic (free), Plunk (AGPL-3.0), Dittofeed (MIT), Notifuse (AGPL-3.0).
How much does switching from Drip to a free alternative save?+
Drip starts at $39/month per seat ($468/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like Mautic saves $2,340 per year in software subscription fees.
Should I vibe-code or build my own Drip clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for Drip is NOT REALLY (use a free alternative, save the tokens). A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Drip, send event-triggered ecommerce email from a small user-owned event stream. The hard boundary is commerce integrations, identity resolution, deliverability, segmentation, and revenue analytics, plus deliverability, growth network, and integrations.
