Bottom line: Kit is the best email marketing software for creators in 2026 thanks to an unusually generous free tier, Beehiiv is the best for newsletters you want to monetize, and MailerLite is the best value for a small business that just wants clean campaigns cheaply. Mailchimp is still the most recognizable, but you pay for the brand.
Email is the one channel you actually own, which is why picking the right platform matters more than picking the right social network. The trouble is that pricing in this category is deliberately confusing: almost everyone charges by subscriber count, the free tiers vary wildly, and the price you see at 500 contacts is not the price you pay at 5,000. This is a research roundup built on each platform’s published pricing and features, not a hands-on test, so use it to shortlist by your list size and goal, then trial your top pick. Full disclosure, since I run a newsletter myself: I have direct skin in this game, and I have flagged where a platform earns recommendation on merit rather than payout.
Quick Summary
- Best for creators: Kit, free up to 10,000 subscribers
- Best for newsletters: Beehiiv, built-in growth and monetization
- Best value: MailerLite, full features from about $9/mo
- Best for big, infrequent lists: Brevo, priced by emails sent rather than contacts
- Best automation depth: ActiveCampaign, the strongest workflows in this set
Email Marketing Software Compared
| Platform | Free tier | Entry paid (around 1,000 subs) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | Up to 10,000 subscribers | $33/mo Creator (annual) | Creators and digital products |
| Beehiiv | Up to 2,500 subscribers | About $43/mo Scale (annual) | Newsletters and monetization |
| MailerLite | Up to 500 subscribers | $9/mo Growing Business (annual) | Value and simplicity |
| Mailchimp | Up to 500 contacts | $13/mo Essentials (at 500) | Templates and integrations |
| Brevo | 9,000 emails/mo (300/day) | From $9/mo Starter | Large lists mailed occasionally |
| ActiveCampaign | Trial only | $15/mo Starter (annual) | Advanced automation |
Some links here are affiliate links. They never change the verdict or the rankings; see the methodology.
Kit: the best for creators
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) has the most generous free tier in the category, covering up to 10,000 subscribers with broadcasts, forms, and landing pages, though automations are limited until you upgrade. Creator is about $33 a month at 1,000 subscribers billed annually, and Creator Pro is about $66. It is built specifically for creators, with paid newsletters, digital product sales, and audience tagging at the center, which makes it the natural home for anyone selling to their list rather than just emailing it.
Best for: creators, coaches, and solo businesses who want to grow and sell to an audience without paying until they scale.
Beehiiv: the best for newsletters
Beehiiv was built by former Morning Brew operators, and it shows in how much growth and monetization is baked in. The Launch plan is free up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, Scale is around $43 a month billed annually, and Max is around $96. What sets it apart is the toolkit around the newsletter itself: paid subscriptions, an ad network, a referral program, and a recommendation network that helps you grow. If your newsletter is the product, this is the platform designed for that.
Best for: newsletter operators who want built-in growth tools and multiple ways to make money from a list.
MailerLite, Mailchimp, Brevo, and ActiveCampaign
MailerLite is the value pick: full-featured campaigns, automation, and landing pages from about $9 a month at 1,000 subscribers, with a free tier up to 500. Mailchimp is the most recognizable and has the deepest template and integration ecosystem, but its pricing climbs steeply, with Essentials at $13 and Standard at $20 a month at just 500 contacts. Brevo is the outlier that charges by emails sent rather than contacts, which makes it cheap for a large list you only mail occasionally, with a free tier of 9,000 emails a month capped at 300 a day. ActiveCampaign is the automation specialist, starting at $15 a month at 1,000 contacts and offering the most powerful workflows in this group for teams that live in their sequences.
Best for: MailerLite for value, Mailchimp for templates and integrations, Brevo for large infrequent sends, ActiveCampaign for deep automation.
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Where the pricing breaks down
The free tier is a hook, not the real cost. Subscriber-based pricing means the headline number you compare at 500 or 1,000 contacts can triple by the time your list reaches 5,000, so always model the price at the size you expect to be in a year, not today. Migrating later is possible but tedious, since automations and forms rarely transfer cleanly, which is why the choice is stickier than it looks. And the cheapest option is not always cheapest for you: Brevo’s send-based model is a bargain for a big list mailed monthly and expensive for a small list mailed daily, so match the pricing model to your sending habits.
Who should pick something else
If you mostly need transactional emails rather than marketing campaigns, a developer-focused sending service is cheaper and simpler than any of these. If your business is really an all-in-one marketing operation, a platform that bundles email with funnels and courses may serve you better than a dedicated email tool, as the Kartra review covers. For the wider stack, see the best AI marketing tools for small business or the Marketing and SEO Tools category.
The Recommendation
On published pricing and features, Kit is the strongest starting point for creators because the free tier lets you grow to a real audience before paying, Beehiiv is the pick when the newsletter itself is the business, and MailerLite is the value choice for a small business that wants clean campaigns without the Mailchimp markup. Choose by list size, sending frequency, and whether you plan to sell to your list, then trial the winner on a real campaign before locking in an annual plan.
Bottom line: Kit for creators, Beehiiv for newsletters, MailerLite for value, and Brevo if you mail a big list occasionally.
FAQ
What is the best free email marketing software?
Kit has the most generous free tier, covering up to 10,000 subscribers. Beehiiv is free up to 2,500 with unlimited sends, and MailerLite is free up to 500. The right one depends on your list size and whether you need automation.
Is Mailchimp worth the price in 2026?
Mailchimp is capable and widely integrated, but it is one of the pricier options as your list grows. If brand familiarity and template depth matter, it is worth it. If price is the priority, MailerLite or Brevo deliver similar results for less.
Which email platform is best for selling products?
Kit and Beehiiv are both built for monetization, with paid newsletters and product sales baked in. Kit leans toward creators selling digital products, while Beehiiv leans toward newsletters with ads and subscriptions.
Does email marketing pricing change as my list grows?
Yes, on most platforms. Pricing is tied to subscriber count, so the cost rises as your list grows. Brevo is the exception, charging by emails sent, which suits large lists mailed infrequently.
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