Sympa

Web · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API

Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.5

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Sympa is ranked #3 of 29 in newsletter platforms on Freedom251. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web. There is a free plan.

Sympa plans and pricing

All plans

Sympa Free No paid tiers stated; server software requires administrator-managed mail, database, and web server components sympa.community · 4 Oct 2026

Compared on newsletter platforms

Newsletter website: Yes
Custom domain: Yes
API access: Yes

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The record

Purpose: Sympa is mailing list management software for administering mailing lists.
Interfaces: Sympa provides a web interface and supports email, command-line, and SOAP interfaces.
List management: List owners can manage members and list configuration, while moderators can moderate messages on lists configured for moderation.
Dynamic memberships: List subscribers, owners, and moderators can be included from local or remote files, other Sympa lists, LDAP searches, and SQL queries.
Archives: Sympa maintains text and web archives with search, configurable access controls, message removal, and ZIP export.
Integration: The SOAP/HTTP service exposes functions for listing lists, checking memberships, managing subscriptions, and other operations, subject to access controls.
Security: Sympa documents configurable DKIM signature verification and signing, plus ARC seals for forwarded messages on version 6.2.72 or later.
Security advisories: The official security page lists advisories covering issues reported from 2012 through 2021.
Self-hosting requirements: Sympa requires a mail server and Perl; its web interface requires an HTTP server, and the documentation recommends restricting unnecessary inbound network access.
Supported systems: Sympa supports POSIX-based Unix-like operating systems including Linux distributions and macOS, and explicitly does not support Microsoft Windows.
Database support: Documented database options include MySQL or MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle Database, and SQLite.
Support: The community support page links to Sympa mailing lists and GitHub.
Intended users: The administration manual is aimed at system administrators who deploy and maintain servers and listmasters who manage the mailing-list service.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Newsletter Platforms in 2026#3 of 29

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Sources

sympa.community· checked 4 Oct 2026
sympa.community/gpldoc/man/sympa_toc.1.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
sympa.community/manual/customize/basics-roles.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
sympa.community/manual/customize/data-sources.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
sympa.community/manual/customize/archives.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
sympa.community/manual/customize/soap-api.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
sympa.community/manual/customize/dkim-arc.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
sympa.community/security/· checked 4 Oct 2026
sympa.community/manual/requirements.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
sympa.community/community/· checked 4 Oct 2026
sympa.community/manual/scope.html· checked 4 Oct 2026