How is opensend.cc different from Resend?

You get the same developer experience: a Resend-compatible REST API, SDK-shaped clients, React templates and signed webhooks. You host it. Next.js, Convex and Better Auth run on your server. AWS SES sends the mail on your AWS account. There is no per-email fee to us.

What stack does it run on?

The app is Next.js. The database is self-hosted Convex. Accounts use Better Auth. AWS SES sends mail. Docker Compose runs it. None of those are a SaaS you rent from opensend.cc.

The code is open source. Self-hosting is free. There is no per-email pricing and no feature gates. You pay for your VPS and AWS SES, or another SMTP relay. A managed Cloud is planned for teams that do not want to run Docker themselves.

What do I need to self-host?

You need a machine that runs Docker and a domain you can add DNS records to. You also need an AWS SES account, or any SMTP provider. Docker Compose starts Next.js, Convex and Better Auth together.

Will my emails actually reach the inbox?

Deliverability is mostly your domain and your SES reputation. You control both. opensend.cc guides DKIM, SPF and DMARC setup, record by record. Bounces and complaints feed a suppression list. Every message is logged.

Can I use it commercially?

Yes. The license covers commercial use, client work and modification. Run it for one product or fifty, on as many servers as you like.

Is there a managed version?

Not yet. opensend.cc Cloud is on the roadmap for teams that want the same API without running Docker, Convex or Better Auth. Join the waitlist in the pricing section. Self-hosting starts with the one-line installer.

How do I sponsor opensend.cc?

Gold ($249 a month) puts your logo on the homepage and a feature of yours at the top of the roadmap. Silver ($99 a month) lists you in the directory and gives you a vote on what ships next.

Launched on Product Hunt160

The self-hosted Resend alternative.

An open source email API you run on your own server. You pay Amazon to send. Nothing to us.

Self-host Join the Cloud waitlist

Built by Kamal Panara, Convex Champion.
Apache-2.0. You only pay AWS to send.

Send like Resend. Own the stack.

A Resend-compatible API, AWS SES for delivery, and a dashboard on your server. One Docker Compose deploy.

Send

REST API · SDKs

One POST sends an email. Point a Resend-style SDK at your opensend.cc URL. Keep your app code.

Deliver

AWS SES · SMTP

Send through AWS SES or any SMTP relay. opensend.cc shows you the DKIM, SPF and DMARC records for your domain.

See

Next.js · self-hosted

The dashboard shows domains, keys, logs and suppression. It uses Better Auth and stores data in Convex on your machine.

Set up once, on your server

Domain + DNS
API keys
AWS SES

Resend-compatible API

Scoped keys, batch send and idempotent retries. Change the base URL on a Resend SDK. Requests go to your server. Ships on API.

AWS SES and SMTP

SES is the default relay. Plain SMTP is there for frameworks and plugins that already use it. Ships on SMTP.

Templates in React

Build emails as React components, preview them in the dashboard and send them by name. Ships on API and Dashboard.

Webhooks

Signed events for deliveries, bounces and complaints. opensend.cc posts them to your endpoints, with retries. Ships on API and Dashboard.

Contacts and audiences

Store contacts, group them into audiences and keep consent in your Convex database, not a vendor's. Ships on API and Dashboard.

Broadcasts

Send product updates and newsletters to an audience. They use the same SES pipeline as transactional mail. Ships on API and Dashboard.

Logs and analytics

Every message, event and error is searchable. Bounces and complaints feed suppression automatically. Ships on Dashboard.

Deliverability

Guided DKIM, SPF and DMARC on your domain. Your SES reputation stays yours. It is not shared with other customers. Ships on SMTP and Dashboard.

Test mode

Keys that accept everything and deliver nothing. Wire up CI and staging without emailing real users. Ships on API and SMTP.

Your email. Your server. Your AWS bill.

opensend.cc is one Docker Compose file. Next.js, self-hosted Convex, Better Auth, and AWS SES. Your domains, data, and accounts stay on your infrastructure.

What you end up with

Docker Composeone command
Next.jsdashboard and API
Self-hosted Convexyour database
Better Authyour accounts
AWS SESor any SMTP relay

How you get there

01Run one command on your server
02Sign in on your instance with Better Auth
03Add your domain and connect AWS SES
04Create an API key and send your first email

Read the self-hosting guide

In the docs: Docker Compose, AWS SES, Convex and Better Auth, step by step.

Three steps from install to first email.

Step 1: Deploy

Run the one-line installer on your server. It pulls prebuilt images and starts Next.js, Convex and Better Auth with Docker Compose.

Step 2: Connect SES

Add your sending domain. Publish the DKIM, SPF and DMARC records it shows you. Attach your AWS SES account.

Step 3: Send

Create an API key and POST your first email. Use curl, a Resend SDK or plain SMTP. See it in the logs.

Hey, I'm Kamal.
I got tired of renting Resend.

I run Panara Studios, an app agency that's shipped products for clients in 10+ countries since 2021. Every app needed transactional email. Hosted APIs charged per send and hid the stack, so I built the open source Resend alternative I wanted.

@codewithkamal·kamalpanara.com

This site stays free because of sponsors.

Sponsors decide what ships next, get their issues fixed first, and keep this project free.

See Gold and Silver

Gold · $249/moSubscribe

Self-host it. Pay Amazon, not us.

The software is open source and free. You pay for the VPS and AWS SES. You pay opensend.cc nothing.

Self-host

Open source

The whole platform, on your infrastructure.

$0forever

Self-host

Full source code, Apache-2.0
Next.js, self-hosted Convex, and Better Auth
AWS SES or any SMTP relay
Resend-compatible REST API and SMTP
Templates, audiences, broadcasts, webhooks and logs
Community support on GitHub

Cloud

Same API, we run the servers.

$$coming soon

Join the Cloud waitlist

Everything in Self-host
We run Docker, Convex, Better Auth and updates
Managed SES and deliverability
Waitlist openSoon

opensend.cc is open source. Self-hosting is free. You cover your own server and AWS SES costs.

Questions? Email me or message me on X.

Questions people ask before leaving Resend.

Stop renting your email API.

Run the one-line installer or use Docker Compose, then point your Resend SDK at your own server.

Self-host

The self-hosted Resend alternative.

Send like Resend. Own the stack.

Send

Deliver

See

Resend-compatible API

AWS SES and SMTP

Templates in React

Webhooks

Contacts and audiences

Broadcasts

Logs and analytics

Deliverability

Test mode

Your email. Your server. Your AWS bill.

Three steps from install to first email.

Step 1: Deploy

Step 2: Connect SES

Step 3: Send

Hey, I'm Kamal.I got tired of renting Resend.

This site stays free because of sponsors.

Self-host it. Pay Amazon, not us.

Self-host

Cloud

Questions people ask before leaving Resend.

How is opensend.cc different from Resend?

What stack does it run on?

Is it really free?

What do I need to self-host?

Will my emails actually reach the inbox?

Can I use it commercially?

Is there a managed version?

How do I sponsor opensend.cc?

Stop renting your email API.

Hey, I'm Kamal.
I got tired of renting Resend.