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What MailWizz is
MailWizz is a self-hosted email marketing application written in PHP. You buy a licence, install it on your own server, and manage lists, segments, campaigns, templates and autoresponders from its interface. It doesn’t send mail itself; it hands messages to delivery servers, which can be your own SMTP servers, a cloud sending service such as Amazon SES, or several of these at once.
That flexibility is the attraction and the difficulty. MailWizz works well when its background jobs, delivery servers and bounce processing are configured correctly, and behaves confusingly when they aren’t.
Warning signs in an existing install
- Campaigns stuck in “processing” or “pending sending” for hours.
- Bounce counts at zero, which usually means bounces aren’t being read rather than not happening.
- Unsubscribes that don’t take effect, or unsubscribe links that point to the wrong domain.
- Open and click tracking on a shared or raw IP address instead of your own domain.
- Sending that stops after an interrupted process and never resumes.
What we configure
- Server and application install on a PHP and MySQL/MariaDB stack sized for your list, using a licence purchased in your name.
- Cron jobs for campaign sending, queue processing, bounce handling, feedback-loop processing and daily housekeeping, scheduled so they don’t overlap.
- Delivery servers with hourly and daily quotas, and the correct From-domain policy.
- Bounce servers so hard and soft bounces are read and processed automatically.
- Feedback-loop servers where complaint reports are available.
- Sending domains with DKIM, and a custom tracking domain with SSL.
- Lists, custom fields and segments structured around how you actually send.
- Unsubscribe handling including the List-Unsubscribe headers mailbox providers expect.
- Templates tested for rendering and a working unsubscribe link.
How we deliver it
- Confirm list sources are opt-in and agree how existing subscribers will be imported.
- Provision and harden the application server, with HTTPS on the admin and tracking domains.
- Install MailWizz and complete the base settings: timezone, sending limits, customer groups if you run multiple brands.
- Connect and test each delivery server with a real send.
- Configure bounce and feedback processing, then verify with deliberate test bounces.
- Import lists with suppression lists applied first, so past bounces and unsubscribes stay suppressed.
- Run a small test campaign to engaged subscribers and check headers, tracking and unsubscribe end to end.
- Hand over with documentation of cron schedules, delivery server settings and routine checks.
Choosing delivery servers
MailWizz can send through several kinds of delivery server. The choice affects deliverability more than anything inside MailWizz itself.
| Option | Suits | Consider |
|---|---|---|
| Your own SMTP (Postfix, Postal) | Steady volume, full control | You manage IP reputation and warm-up |
| Amazon SES | Growing senders who want managed infrastructure | Production access, bounce and complaint notifications |
| Multiple servers | Separate brands or mail types | Consistent authentication across all of them |
See cloud email sending setup and SMTP server setup for the server side.
What affects timeline and cost
- Whether it’s a fresh install or a fix of an existing one.
- Number of delivery servers, sending domains and brands.
- List size and the state of existing data.
- Whether the sending servers also need building and warming up.
- Template and automation work beyond the base setup.
Common MailWizz mistakes
Overlapping cron jobs that fight over the same campaign. Delivery server quotas set far above what a new IP can handle. Bounce servers never configured, so dead addresses keep being mailed. Tracking left on a default domain. Importing old lists without applying past suppressions. Each of these is fixable, and most are cheaper to prevent than to repair.
More in our email infrastructure guide and across our email infrastructure services. Contact us for a new install or a health check.
Frequently asked questions
Do you supply the MailWizz licence?
You purchase the licence in your own name so it belongs to you. We install and configure it on your server.
Why does MailWizz show zero bounces?
Usually because no bounce server is configured or the bounce-handler cron isn’t running. Zero bounces on a real list almost always means they aren’t being read.
Can MailWizz send through Amazon SES?
Yes. SES is one of the supported delivery server types, and bounce and complaint notifications can be wired back into MailWizz.
Can you fix our existing MailWizz install?
Yes. We review cron jobs, delivery servers, bounce handling and logs first, then fix the causes and document what changed.
Are MailWizz open and click numbers accurate?
They are indicators, not exact counts. Privacy features and security scanners can trigger opens and clicks automatically, so we help you read them with that in mind.
Talk to us about mailwizz installation & configuration
Licensed MailWizz deployed, tuned and connected to your delivery servers and lists.