Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Mailtrain VS Split Fee

Compare Mailtrain VS Split Fee and see what are their differences

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Mailtrain logo Mailtrain

Self-hosted open-source Mailchimp clone

Split Fee logo Split Fee

Split Fee connects UK recruitment agencies to collaborate on permanent placements. Share candidates and vacancies, match automatically, and split the fee.
  • Mailtrain Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • Split Fee Login screen
    Login screen //
    2026-03-16
  • Split Fee Dashboard page
    Dashboard page //
    2026-03-16

Split Fee is a platform for UK recruitment agencies to collaborate on permanent placements.

Every agency has candidates they can't place and vacancies they can't fill. Another agency almost certainly has what you need โ€” but finding them, trusting them, and making the collaboration work has always been the hard part.

Split Fee solves this. Post your candidates and vacancies to the platform. Our matching algorithm finds opportunities across every agency on the network โ€” by skills, location, salary, and seniority. Candidate and client data stays anonymised until both sides agree to work together. When a placement is made, we handle the fee split and invoicing automatically.

No more posting in social media groups and hoping someone replies. No more sharing candidate details with strangers on trust alone. No more chasing invoices from agencies you barely know.

45% for you. 45% for them. 10% platform fee โ€” only when a placement is made.

Half of a placement fee is infinitely better than none of it.

Split Fee

$ Details
freemium ยฃ97.0 / Monthly
Release Date
2026 March
Startup details
Country
United Kingdom
Founder(s)
Abbie Taylor
Employees
1 - 9

Mailtrain features and specs

  • Open Source
    Mailtrain is open source, meaning the source code is freely available. Users can modify and customize the software according to their needs without any licensing fees.
  • Cost-Effective
    As an open-source solution, Mailtrain can be a cost-effective choice, especially for small businesses and startups, since it does not require subscription fees typically associated with commercial email marketing services.
  • Self-Hosting
    Mailtrain can be self-hosted, giving users full control over their email marketing infrastructure and data, and reducing reliance on third-party services.
  • Feature-Rich
    Mailtrain offers numerous features such as list management, segmentation, custom fields, automation, and analytics, providing a comprehensive solution for email marketing campaigns.
  • Integration Options
    Mailtrain integrates with various services like Amazon SES and others, allowing users to leverage powerful email sending capabilities and improve email deliverability.

Possible disadvantages of Mailtrain

  • Technical Setup
    Setting up and maintaining Mailtrain can require a significant level of technical expertise, including familiarity with Linux servers, databases, and mail servers, which might be a barrier for non-technical users.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Users are responsible for maintaining the Mailtrain installation, including updates, security patches, and backups, which can add to the operational burden.
  • Limited Support
    Being an open-source project, Mailtrain may have limited formal support compared to commercial email marketing services. Users might need to rely on community support or external consultants for help.
  • User Interface
    While functional, Mailtrain's user interface might not be as polished or user-friendly as those offered by some commercial email marketing platforms, potentially leading to a steeper learning curve for new users.
  • Scalability Concerns
    Self-hosting Mailtrain might present scalability challenges as the user base or email sending volume increases, requiring more robust infrastructure and more complex management.

Split Fee features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis of Mailtrain

Overall verdict

  • Mailtrain is a good choice for those who want a cost-effective and flexible email marketing solution. Its open-source nature allows for a high degree of customization, making it an excellent option for developers and companies with specific needs that differ from conventional SaaS offerings.

Why this product is good

  • Mailtrain is an open-source self-hosted newsletter application that offers robust features for managing email campaigns. It is built on Node.js and uses a MySQL database, providing scalability and efficiency. Features such as support for multiple lists, custom fields, email templates, and advanced automation make it a versatile tool for businesses looking to have full control over their email marketing efforts. Being open-source, it allows for significant customization, which can be appealing to tech-savvy users who prefer to tailor their solutions precisely to their needs.

Recommended for

    Mailtrain is recommended for small to medium-sized businesses, developers, and organizations seeking a self-hosted email marketing solution. It is particularly suitable for those who have the technical expertise to manage and customize open-source software or those who want to keep their hosting in-house to ensure data privacy and minimize costs.

Analysis of Split Fee

Overall verdict

  • Split Fee (split-fee.com) appears to be a niche referral/fee-splitting platform aimed at connecting professionalsโ€”likely in real estate, legal, or brokerage-type industriesโ€”to share commissions on referred deals. Without independent reviews or verified track record widely available, it should be approached with due diligence, but the concept itself addresses a real market need for structured referral partnerships.

Why this product is good

  • Provides a structured framework for professionals to formally split fees or commissions on referred business
  • Can help expand referral networks beyond one's immediate contacts or region
  • May reduce disputes over referral agreements by formalizing terms upfront
  • Potentially useful for professionals who receive occasional out-of-market or out-of-expertise leads they want to monetize

Recommended for

  • Real estate agents or brokers looking to refer out-of-area clients
  • Legal or financial professionals wanting to formalize referral fee arrangements
  • Freelancers or consultants who want to monetize leads outside their expertise
  • Small firms seeking to expand reach through partner referral networks

Mailtrain videos

Review on the Austrains mailtrain pack

Split Fee videos

No Split Fee videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Mailtrain and Split Fee)
Email Marketing
100 100%
0% 0
Recruitment Solutions
0 0%
100% 100
Newsletter Marketing
100 100%
0% 0
Recruitment
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Mailtrain and Split Fee.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Split Fee's answer:

A next-generation serverless platform, built for AWS.

What makes your product unique?

Split Fee's answer:

Split Fee is the first purpose-built platform for split fee recruitment in the UK. Instead of relying on LinkedIn groups, WhatsApp messages, and manual agreements, agencies upload their candidates and vacancies and the platform automatically matches them across agencies.

Candidate identities are revealed gradually; anonymised at first, then progressively disclosed as both sides accept, so agencies can collaborate without the risk of circumvention.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Split Fee's answer:

Most "split fee networks" are just directories or social groups where agencies post and hope someone responds. Split Fee is an actual matching engine. It scores candidate-vacancy pairs, handles the legal agreements (non-circumvention, self-billing), automates invoicing and fee splits, and manages the entire placement lifecycle from match to payment. Everything that normally requires trust, phone calls, and spreadsheets is handled by the platform.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Split Fee's answer:

UK recruitment agencies; from boutique firms with a handful of consultants to mid-sized agencies with specialist sector coverage. Any agency that has either strong candidates without the right vacancies, or client vacancies they can't fill from their own candidate pool. Split Fee turns those dormant assets into placements.

What's the story behind your product?

Split Fee's answer:

Abbie, our founder, knew that although split fee arrangements have existed in recruitment for decades, the process has always been manual: find a partner agency, negotiate terms, trust them with your candidate data, chase invoices. Most agencies avoid it because the overhead and risk outweigh the reward. Abbie built Split Fee to remove that friction entirely, with automated matching, progressive identity disclosure, built-in legal agreements, and automated billing, making split placements as straightforward as direct ones.

User comments

Share your experience with using Mailtrain and Split Fee. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Mailtrain seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Mailtrain mentions (2)

Split Fee mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Split Fee yet. Tracking of Split Fee recommendations started around Mar 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Mailtrain and Split Fee, you can also consider the following products

Listmonk - Send e-mail campaigns from a powerful dashboard. High performance and features packed into one app.

Unbench - Beyond recruitment, Unbench became a dynamic matchmaking platform, efficiently connecting companies with top specialists.

Sendy - Sendy is a self hosted newsletter app that sends emails 100x cheaper viaย Amazon SES

TinyLetter - Start writing your own newsletter instantly.

MailChimp - MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.

Mailman - Mailman is free software for managing electronic mail discussion and e-newsletter lists.