This is a collection of all the information I came across while setting up my own Xenforo forum (migrating from Reddit subs). I'll keep it updated as I learn more.
MaximilianKohler MaximilianKohler
MaximilianKohler
/ xenforo-forum-guide.md
Last active
July 20, 2025 08:59
Detailed startup guide for newbies on migrating to, and setting up a Xenforo forum. Including reddit-like titles, and threaded comment view. [Centmin Mod]
MaximilianKohler
/ How to send bulk-mass email.md
Last active
July 25, 2025 23:33
How to send bulk/mass email with Amazon SES. 10,000-100,000 one-time emails, or thousands per day. Set up your own web server for newsletters. Mailchimp alternative
The short answer is that you need to set up your own web server (Hetzner, AWS, DigitalOcean, etc.), install email software on it (Listmonk, Mailwizz, Mautic), and use an SMTP like Amazon SES. It's not that hard. If you're on Windows, Putty and FileZilla will be your main programs to access your server. When using CSV files for your contacts, you want to use UTF-8 format.
There are some detailed guides below for Sendy and Listmonk. But even if you have/want to hire someone to set it up for you, they should be able to do so for under $60 (check Fiverr). So it's still the most affordable option.
When I searched for this I had a very hard time finding a right answer because all the results were SEO blogs advertising their newsletter services (Mailchimp, Convertkit, etc.), which is not the same thing.
My use case is that I have a
MaximilianKohler
/ Listmonk-tutorial.md
Last active
July 3, 2025 21:20
Complete Listmonk setup guide. Step-by-step tutorial for installation and all basic functions. Amazon EC2 & SES
When I first set up Listmonk it was to use with Amazon SES. At the time Amazon would give you free 62,000 emails/mo if you sent them from an EC2 instance. So EC2 was the best server to use. In mid 2023 Amazon ended that, so now you can use whatever server you like, which makes things much easier. It shouldn't be too hard to convert these directions to another server host of your choice.
I used Hetzner with another build, and once my free EC2 year ended the AWS t2.micro cost me $14/mo. Hetzner has better specs and costs me $5/mo, so I added an nginx vhost and moved listmonk to the same server. Here's a $20 credit for Hetzner.
There is also the possibility to use the 1-click installers for their featured hosts: https://listmonk.app/ - listed under "Hosting providers". I'm not familiar with any of them but there are lots of new guides