Quick Price Overview
Email marketing pricing is confusing because platforms use different billing models. Mailchimp and ConvertKit charge per contact. Brevo charges per email sent (unlimited contacts). ActiveCampaign charges per contact with unlimited sends. The table below shows starting prices at 1,000 contacts.
| Platform | Free Tier | Starter | Mid-Tier | Pro/Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | Free (500 contacts) | $13/mo (Essentials) | $20/mo (Standard) | $350/mo (Premium) |
| Brevo | Free (300 emails/day) | $9/mo (Starter) | $18/mo (Business) | $65/mo (Enterprise) |
| ConvertKit | Free (10K subscribers) | $25/mo (Creator) | $50/mo (Creator Pro) | Scales with list |
| ActiveCampaign | - | $15/mo (Starter) | $49/mo (Plus) | $79-$145/mo (Pro/Ent) |
All prices shown at 1,000 contacts, billed annually. Brevo prices are for email volume, not contacts.
Mailchimp
The Market Leader - Free to $350/mo
Mailchimp is the most recognizable email marketing brand with over 12 million users. It offers the best drag-and-drop email editor and template library in the category. However, pricing has increased significantly since its Intuit acquisition.
Free (500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo) includes basic email templates, landing pages, creative assistant, and 30 days of email support. Severely limited compared to Mailchimp's old free tier (which allowed 2,000 contacts). Best for testing the platform only.
Essentials ($13/mo at 500 contacts) adds A/B testing, email scheduling, 24/7 support, remove Mailchimp branding, and up to 5,000 contacts. Scales to $45/mo at 5,000 contacts, $100/mo at 25,000, and $175/mo at 50,000. Send limit is 10x contacts.
Standard ($20/mo at 500 contacts) unlocks predictive segmentation, customer journey builder, send time optimization, dynamic content, and behavioral targeting. The journey builder is where Mailchimp's automation becomes competitive. Scales to $60/mo at 5,000, $155/mo at 25,000.
Premium ($350/mo at 10,000 contacts) adds comparative reporting, multivariate testing, advanced segmentation, phone support, and unlimited seats. Required for teams that need multi-audience management or complex segmentation.
Hidden cost: Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts. Unless you manually archive them, unsubscribes still count against your contact limit. This can inflate your bill by 10-20% over time.
10,000 contacts annual cost (Standard): $1,560/yr
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
The Volume Value Play - Free to $65/mo
Brevo's pricing model is unique: it charges per email sent, not per contact. You can store unlimited contacts on every plan including the free tier. This makes Brevo the cheapest option for businesses with large contact lists but moderate send frequency.
Free (300 emails/day, unlimited contacts) includes email campaigns, transactional emails, SMS marketing, WhatsApp campaigns, and the drag-and-drop editor. The 300/day limit (roughly 9,000/mo) is generous enough for small businesses.
Starter ($9/mo for 5,000 emails) removes daily sending limit, adds basic reporting, and removes Brevo branding (optional add-on). Scales linearly: $18/mo for 10,000, $29/mo for 20,000, $39/mo for 40,000 emails.
Business ($18/mo for 5,000 emails) adds marketing automation, A/B testing, advanced statistics, multi-user access, send time optimization, and landing pages. The automation builder is surprisingly capable for the price point.
Enterprise ($65/mo for 20,000 emails) unlocks sub-account management, dedicated IP, priority support, advanced integrations, and SSO. Custom pricing for higher volumes.
Key advantage: A business with 50,000 contacts that sends 2 emails/month (100,000 emails) pays roughly $69/mo on Brevo Business. The same list on Mailchimp Standard costs $350+/mo. That is a 5x difference.
50,000 contacts, 100K emails/mo annual cost (Business): $828/yr
ConvertKit (Kit)
The Creator's Choice - Free to $50+/mo
ConvertKit (rebranded as Kit in 2024) is built specifically for creators - bloggers, newsletter writers, course sellers, and YouTubers. It trades fancy email templates for powerful subscriber management and automation.
Free (up to 10,000 subscribers) includes unlimited landing pages, opt-in forms, email broadcasts, subscriber tagging, and audience segmentation. The free tier is remarkably generous but lacks automation sequences and integrations.
Creator ($25/mo at 1,000 subscribers) adds automated email sequences (visual builder), third-party integrations, and one additional team member. Scales to $50/mo at 5,000, $93/mo at 10,000, $167/mo at 25,000 subscribers.
Creator Pro ($50/mo at 1,000 subscribers) unlocks subscriber scoring, advanced reporting, newsletter referral system, Facebook custom audiences integration, and unlimited team members. Scales to $79/mo at 5,000, $117/mo at 10,000.
Design philosophy: ConvertKit intentionally uses plain-text-style emails because they convert better than heavily designed HTML emails. If you need pixel-perfect email design, this is not the right platform. If you want high open rates and clicks, the simplicity works.
ConvertKit Commerce lets creators sell digital products (ebooks, courses, subscriptions) directly through the platform with a 3.5% + $0.30 transaction fee. No separate e-commerce tool needed.
10,000 subscribers annual cost (Creator): $1,116/yr
ActiveCampaign
The Automation Powerhouse - $15 to $145/mo
ActiveCampaign has the most powerful automation engine of any email marketing platform. It blends email marketing with CRM, sales automation, and site tracking into one system. No free plan, but the feature depth at each tier justifies the cost for serious marketers.
Starter ($15/mo at 1,000 contacts) includes email marketing, marketing automation (limited), inline forms, site tracking, and segmentation. Includes 1 user. Send limit is 10x contacts. Good enough for straightforward drip campaigns.
Plus ($49/mo at 1,000 contacts) adds built-in CRM with sales pipelines, lead scoring, SMS marketing, landing pages, custom audiences, and up to 3 users. This is where ActiveCampaign starts to differentiate from pure email tools. Scales to $99/mo at 5,000, $149/mo at 10,000.
Professional ($79/mo at 1,000 contacts) unlocks predictive sending, split automations, site messages, attribution reporting, and up to 5 users. The split automation feature lets you A/B test entire workflows, not just subject lines.
Enterprise ($145/mo at 1,000 contacts) adds custom reporting, custom objects, single sign-on, HIPAA support, and unlimited users. Designed for organizations with complex CRM and automation needs.
The automation advantage: ActiveCampaign's visual automation builder supports conditional logic, wait steps, goal tracking, and webhook triggers at a depth that Mailchimp and ConvertKit cannot match. If your email strategy involves complex multi-path journeys based on user behavior, ActiveCampaign is the only sub-$200/mo option that delivers.
10,000 contacts annual cost (Plus): $1,788/yr
Feature Comparison Matrix
| Feature | Mailchimp | Brevo | ConvertKit | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 500 contacts | Unlimited contacts | 10K subscribers | No |
| Pricing model | Per contact | Per email sent | Per subscriber | Per contact |
| Drag-and-drop editor | Best in class | Good | Basic | Good |
| Marketing automation | Standard+ | Business+ | Creator+ | All plans |
| A/B testing | Essentials+ | Business+ | Subject only | All plans |
| Landing pages | All plans | Business+ | All plans | Plus+ |
| SMS marketing | Add-on | All plans | No | Plus+ |
| Built-in CRM | No | Free CRM | No | Plus+ |
| Transactional emails | Add-on (Mandrill) | All plans | No | Add-on |
| E-commerce integration | Strong | Good | Commerce built-in | Strong |
| Subscriber scoring | No | No | Creator Pro | Plus+ |
| Integrations | 300+ | 150+ | 120+ | 900+ |
Cost at Different List Sizes
2,500 Contacts - Startup/Side Project
| Platform | Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Business (25K emails) | $25 | $300 |
| ConvertKit | Creator | $41 | $492 |
| Mailchimp | Standard | $45 | $540 |
| ActiveCampaign | Plus | $49 | $588 |
10,000 Contacts - Growing Business
| Platform | Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Business (100K emails) | $69 | $828 |
| ConvertKit | Creator | $93 | $1,116 |
| Mailchimp | Standard | $130 | $1,560 |
| ActiveCampaign | Plus | $149 | $1,788 |
50,000 Contacts - Established Business
| Platform | Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Business (200K emails) | $99 | $1,188 |
| ConvertKit | Creator | $259 | $3,108 |
| Mailchimp | Standard | $350 | $4,200 |
| ActiveCampaign | Plus | $259 | $3,108 |
Our Verdict
Best overall value: Brevo. The per-email pricing model saves 40-70% compared to per-contact platforms at scale. Unlimited contacts on every plan (including free) means you never pay for dormant subscribers. The built-in CRM and transactional email support are bonuses most competitors charge extra for.
Best for creators: ConvertKit. Purpose-built for newsletters, courses, and digital products. The free tier with 10,000 subscribers is the most generous in the category. Plain-text email philosophy is not for everyone, but the conversion rates speak for themselves.
Best for automation: ActiveCampaign. If your email strategy depends on complex behavioral automations, conditional workflows, and CRM integration, ActiveCampaign's automation builder is unmatched under $200/mo. The lack of a free plan is the main barrier.
Best for beginners: Mailchimp. The email editor and template library are still the best in class. Easiest onboarding experience. Just be aware that costs escalate quickly as your list grows - plan your migration path before you hit 10,000 contacts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest email marketing platform in 2026?
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is the cheapest for high-volume senders because it charges per email sent, not per contact. You can have unlimited contacts on the free plan. For small lists under 500 contacts, Mailchimp and ConvertKit both offer free tiers. ActiveCampaign has no free plan but starts at $15/mo.
Is Mailchimp still worth it in 2026?
Mailchimp remains the most popular email platform with the best template library and easiest drag-and-drop editor. However, its pricing has become aggressive - the free plan is limited to 500 contacts and 1,000 sends/mo. For growing lists beyond 5,000 contacts, Brevo or ConvertKit often cost 40-60% less for equivalent features.
What is the best email marketing tool for creators?
ConvertKit (now Kit) is purpose-built for creators - bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, and course sellers. It excels at subscriber tagging, visual automations, landing pages, and digital product sales. The free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers with limited features. Paid plans start at $25/mo for up to 1,000 subscribers.
Does Brevo charge per contact or per email?
Brevo charges per email sent, not per contact. This is a major differentiator. You can store unlimited contacts on every plan including the free tier. The free plan allows 300 emails/day. Paid plans start at $9/mo for 5,000 emails/mo. This model is ideal for businesses with large contact lists but moderate send frequency.
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