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How to Choose a Mailing List Service for Your Needs

What tools does University IT provide for sending emails to a group?

University IT (UIT) provides mailing list management services: our legacy Mailman mailing list service and Google Groups mailing list. In the future, UIT plans to retire Mailman and consolidate all list management services on Google Groups.

What service is recommended?

We recommend that you use Google Groups if its capabilities align with your list management needs. Google Groups is a very easy and convenient way to create online groups and email distribution lists.

Are there certain situations where I should use the Mailman mailing list service?

https://uit.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/images/2020/11/09/comparison_0.png

Yes, certain functionality and use cases are not yet supported in Google Groups.  If any of the considerations on this checklist apply to how you send emails to your group, you should use the Mailman service. 

Infographic showing use cases for Mailman.

Checklist: When to Use Mailman

Use Google Groups for mailing list management EXCEPT for these situations that require Mailman functionality

You need a secure email list

You manage a large list that contains 100 or more members and will refresh it frequently

You want to allow certain non-members to post

You manage your list with Workgroup Manager

You have a complex listing structure (such as lists nested lists within other lists)

Last modified October 18, 2021