Email marketing pricing is confusing - some charge by subscribers, some by sends, some by both. This guide cuts through the noise and ranks every major platform by actual cost at common list sizes.
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1. Brevo (Sendinblue) - $0 Start
Brevo Best Pricing Model
Brevo charges by emails sent, not contacts stored. Free plan: unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day. Starter at $9/mo for 5,000 emails. This means you never pay for inactive subscribers - a massive advantage as your list grows.
- Free: Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day (9,000/month)
- Starter: $9/mo for 5,000 emails/month
- Business: $18/mo for 5,000 emails + automation
2. MailerLite - $0 Start
MailerLite Best Free Tier
MailerLite's free plan includes 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month, automations, landing pages, and signup forms. The Growing Business plan at $10/mo (500 subs) is the cheapest paid tier with full features.
- Free: 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails, automations
- Growing Business: $10/mo (500 subs); $15/mo (1,000 subs)
3. Kit (ConvertKit) - $0 Start
Kit Best for Creators
Kit's free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers (newsletter only). The Creator plan at $25/mo (1,000 subs) adds automation sequences and integrations. Built for newsletter writers and course creators.
- Free: 10,000 subscribers, newsletter only
- Creator: $25/mo (1,000 subs) - automations, integrations
4. Mailchimp - $0 Start
Mailchimp Most Established
Mailchimp's free plan is now limited to 500 contacts and 1,000 sends/month. Essentials at $13/mo (500 contacts) removes limits and adds A/B testing. No longer the cheapest but still the most integrated.
- Free: 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/month
- Essentials: $13/mo (500 contacts); $27/mo (1,500 contacts)
5. Beehiiv - $0 Start
Beehiiv Best for Newsletters
Beehiiv's free plan supports 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends. The Scale plan at $39/mo removes the subscriber cap and adds monetization tools. Purpose-built for the newsletter business model.
- Free: 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends
- Scale: $39/mo - unlimited subs, paid subscriptions, boosts
Cost at 1,000 Subscribers
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Emails Included | Automation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | $0 (300/day) | 9,000 | Basic |
| MailerLite | $0 (free tier) | 12,000 | Yes |
| Kit | $0 (newsletter) | Unlimited | No (free) |
| Beehiiv | $0 | Unlimited | Basic |
| Mailchimp | $27 | 15,000 | Yes |
Bottom Line
At 1,000 subscribers, MailerLite and Brevo are both free with automation included. Beehiiv is free with unlimited sends if you run a newsletter. Mailchimp is now one of the most expensive options at this level. For the cheapest path as you scale, Brevo's per-send pricing keeps costs lowest because you never pay for inactive subscribers.
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