Self-hosted CRM for WordPress
Contacts in.
Emails out.
Nothing leaves your server.
Client Mingle CRM puts a contact database, an email builder and an automation engine inside the WordPress admin you already log into. Your list lives in your own database, and the price never depends on how many people are on it.
- Contact limit
- None
- Monthly fee
- None
- Data lives in
- Your database
Welcome sequence
ActiveTrigger
Tag added — Customer
Wait
2 days
Send email
Getting started with your account
Condition Pro
Opened the email?
Yes
Add to list Onboarding
No
Wait 3 days, resend
Built in the automation canvas. No code, no third-party service.
Delivers through
- SMTP
- Amazon SES
- Mailgun
- SendGrid
- WordPress mailer
Why bother
A mailing list is an asset. It should behave like one.
Hosted marketing tools charge by the size of the list they hold for you, and the bill arrives whether you sent anything that month or not. Client Mingle keeps the same records in the database you already back up, and charges for the software instead.
See everything it does- Cost
- A licence, not a subscription per head.Adding ten thousand contacts changes your hosting bill, not your Client Mingle bill.
- Custody
- The records sit in your own tables.Query them with SQL, export them to CSV, keep them in your existing backups. Deleting the plugin leaves the data alone.
- Context
- One admin, not another tab.Users, comments and signups become contacts without a connector in between.
- Sending
- Your reputation, your provider.Mail goes out through your own SMTP or API account, on your own domain.
What you get
Six things it does, all of them on day one.
Contacts
A record for every person
Timeline, notes, tags, lists and custom fields on one screen. Import from CSV, sync from WordPress users, or collect them at signup.
Email builder
Blocks, or your own HTML
Drag text, images, buttons and columns into place — or drop into rich text, raw HTML or plain text. CSS is inlined before it sends.
Campaigns
A queue that finishes the job
Schedule a send, then let batched delivery work through it. Opens, clicks and per-link results come back in the same screen.
Automation
Sequences on a canvas
Pick what starts it, how long to wait and what happens next. Edit it while it runs; pausing stops contacts mid-flow.
Delivery
Your sending account, not ours
SMTP, Amazon SES, Mailgun or SendGrid. Set one and the rest of your site's WordPress email goes out the same way.
Connections
Open at both ends
Incoming webhooks accept contacts from any form or app. A full REST API and WordPress hooks let developers go further.
Plus double opt-in, email logs, CSV import and export, WordPress user sync and a cron monitor. The full list is here.
Contacts
Search, filter, tag, and get on with it.
Every contact carries their tags, lists, custom fields, notes and a timeline of what they have opened and clicked. Filter the table down to the people you mean, then act on the selection.
- Bulk tag, list, export or delete from the table
- Custom fields of every type, grouped how you like
- Subscription status kept honest by double opt-in
| Contact | Tags | Status | Added |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amara Okaforamara@studioline.co | Customer | Active | 12 Mar |
| Jonas Vitalej.vitale@northbay.io | Trial | Pending | 09 Mar |
| Priya Ramanpriya@fieldnotes.dev | Customer | Active | 02 Mar |
| Tom Hedlundtom@hedlund.se | Newsletter | Unsubscribed | 27 Feb |
Email builder
Stack the blocks. It ships as email-safe HTML.
Build the message from text, image, button, divider, spacer and column blocks, set the width, colours and footer once, and let the builder inline the CSS so it survives the clients that still run on tables.
Blocks
- :: Heading
- :: Text
- :: Image
- :: Button
- + Add block
Hi {{first_name}},
Three things we shipped in March
Short version: faster imports, a calmer dashboard, and the thing you asked for on the support forum in January.
Studio Line · 14 Wharf Road
Unsubscribe
Segments · Pro
Describe the audience once. It keeps itself current.
A segment is a saved question — customers in Germany who opened something in the last 30 days, trials who never did. Contacts join and leave as their data changes, and campaigns and automations can point straight at it.
What else is in ProRefreshed 4 minutes ago
1,284 contacts
Free and Pro
The free plugin is the product. Pro is the sharp end.
Nothing in the free plugin expires, counts down or asks for a key. Pro adds the four things people ask for once their list starts working for them.
Free
On WordPress.org- Unlimited contacts, tags, lists and custom fields
- Drag-and-drop email builder and templates
- SMTP, Amazon SES, Mailgun and SendGrid
- Campaigns with scheduling, queue and tracking
- Visual automation with seven triggers
- Incoming webhooks, REST API and CSV import
Pro
Add-on- Dynamic segments that keep themselves current
- Smart links that tag and enrol on click
- Conditional branching in automations
- Email opened and clicked as triggers
- Campaign A/B testing with a winner send
- One year of updates and support
Questions
The things people ask before installing.
Still unsure about something? Ask us directly — a person reads it.
Where is my contact data stored?
In your own WordPress database, in tables the plugin creates. Nothing leaves your server unless you configure an email provider and send something.
Is there a contact limit?
No. The plugin does not count contacts or emails, and the price does not change as your list grows. Your host and your sending provider set the real limits.
Do I need Pro to use the plugin?
No. The free plugin is a complete CRM — contacts, email builder, campaigns and automation all work with no license key. Pro adds segments, smart links, conditional automation and A/B testing.
What does it need to run?
WordPress 6.2 or newer and PHP 8.1 or newer. Both plugins are GPL-licensed.
How does it send email?
Through the WordPress mailer by default, or through SMTP, Amazon SES, Mailgun or SendGrid once you add credentials. Setting a provider also routes the rest of your site's WordPress email through it.
Will campaigns actually finish sending on cheap hosting?
Campaigns send in batches through a queue rather than one long request. WP-Cron drives it, a non-blocking loopback keeps it moving between visits, and a lock stops the same batch running twice. A settings screen shows you whether it is running.
Can I export everything and leave?
Yes. Contacts export to CSV, email logs export to CSV, and the data sits in your own database the whole time. Deleting the plugin never deletes your records.
Does Pro work on its own?
No, it is an add-on. Install the free plugin first; Pro attaches to it and adds its features to the same screens. Without the free plugin, Pro stays dormant and tells you what is missing.
Install in two minutes
Add it to a site tonight. Move your list tomorrow.
The free plugin is the whole CRM — no key, no trial clock, no contact ceiling. Turn Pro on later if you need segments, A/B tests or conditional automations.
GPL licensed · WordPress 6.2+ · PHP 8.1+