VERDICT: I would start with Kit for a newsletter whose immediate need is sending to a growing subscriber list, then check its free-plan conditions against the intended workflow. MailerLite deserves a close look for a smaller list; Brevo becomes interesting when sending volume matters more than the headline contact count. I would keep Mailchimp in contention when its particular features or existing setup justify the bill. The cheapest plan is the one that can actually send your next campaign.
Email pricing has a special talent for making “free” sound enormous until you invite everyone on your list. Then the velvet rope appears.
Still deciding? Answer three quick questions and I’ll help you sort the fit from the fine print. Find my fit →
The email marketing comparison
| Platform | Free-plan reference checked | Why I would consider it | The catch to model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | Up to 250 contacts; 500 sends/month, with a 250/day cap | An existing Mailchimp workflow or a needed paid feature | Contact counting, send allowance and paid overages |
| MailerLite | Up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month | A small list with a modest sending schedule | Subscriber growth can force an upgrade before send volume does |
| Brevo | Up to 300 email sends/day | A low-volume or spread-out sending pattern | Unused daily sends do not roll over; one large campaign may not fit |
| Kit | Free newsletter plan for up to 10,000 subscribers | A creator newsletter that fits the included tools | Automation and recommendation settings need checking before migration |
Evidence note: Provider pricing and support pages, including the free contact and send limits, rechecked October 13, 2026. These are different measurement systems, not four equivalent free plans. Paid quotes depend on the selected list and sending volume. This is a research-based comparison, not a deliverability test. Links are plain official links, not commission links.
Count your real workload before comparing prices
Start with active subscribers, newsletters per month and automated messages. For a simple illustration, 500 subscribers receiving four newsletters means 2,000 sends. At 2,500 subscribers, that becomes 10,000 sends; at 10,000, it becomes 40,000. Welcome messages and other automations add more.
That arithmetic immediately eliminates some attractive-looking free options. A 250-subscriber ceiling cannot house a 500-person list just because the monthly send allowance would otherwise fit. A daily cap is a different restriction again.
Ask how each platform counts unsubscribed, duplicate, inactive and otherwise stored contacts. Do not assume the word “contact” means precisely the same thing as “subscriber.” Cleaning up a list sensibly is useful; deleting important records just to squeeze under a billing threshold is not a plan I would improvise.
MailerLite: a useful small-list starting point
Official MailerLite logo, identifying one of the email marketing services compared here.
Image source: MailerLite — official site.
The checked MailerLite pricing page lists a free allowance of 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails per month, with two user seats. The paid plan names shown were Comfort and Power. Older comparisons using other tier names may no longer describe the checkout in front of you.
For a new, modest newsletter, that free envelope gives you a concrete place to start. At 200 subscribers and four newsletters, the illustrative workload is 800 sends before automations. At 300 subscribers, the list size itself requires another plan even if you send rarely.
I would build the welcome sequence and signup form during the trial, then price the list size I expect to reach next. That is more useful than falling in love with the dashboard at subscriber number twelve.
Kit: generous subscriber capacity still needs a workflow check
Kit's pricing page advertises a free newsletter plan supporting up to 10,000 subscribers and unlimited broadcasts. That is a meaningful difference for a creator whose primary job is a regular newsletter.
It is not proof that every automation, recommendation setting, team arrangement or sales feature you want is included. I would walk through the full subscriber experience: signup, confirmation, any recommendations shown, the welcome message and the next scheduled email. Then I would check what changes when adding a more complicated sequence or another person to the workflow.
If the simple newsletter fits, excellent. If it does not, compare the appropriate paid quote rather than treating the free tier as a moral obligation.
Brevo: 300 a day is not 9,000 on Monday
Brevo's official plan explanation lists 300 daily email sends on Free, with unused sends not carried forward. That can work for a small daily workload. It cannot accommodate a single same-day newsletter to 1,000 people within that free daily allowance.
Splitting a time-sensitive announcement over several days changes the campaign. I would price a suitable paid sending allowance if everyone needs the message at once. The paid tier can also have its own contact-storage limits, so “priced by sends” should not be translated into “contacts never matter.”
This is the point where the arithmetic should overrule the beautiful free-plan badge.
Mailchimp: give the bill a job description
The checked Mailchimp marketing plans show a 250-contact free ceiling, a maximum of 500 sends per month and a 250-send daily cap. Even 200 subscribers receiving four newsletters means 800 sends, beyond that monthly free allowance. Paid entry prices depend on plan and selected limits. Paid overages and contact counting deserve attention before importing a list.
I would retain Mailchimp if a feature, integration or established workflow earns its cost. Moving platforms also takes time. But familiarity alone is not a blank check: compare the plan against a realistic list size and monthly workload, including automated email.
Ask what happens at the next threshold. A plan that looks affordable at today's count can become a different decision after a successful campaign.
Before moving the list
Test a signup, confirmation, unsubscribe, mobile email layout and the intended automation. Verify domain authentication and check that your records and permission history move correctly. A CSV file contains rows; a working email program contains relationships and rules.
My email-list migration checklist explains why those records matter, while the domain-authentication guide separates a working website from authenticated email. Platform-specific steps still need the chosen provider's instructions.
I would choose the least costly plan that fits the whole sending pattern and gives me room for the next sensible step. The subscribers signed up for the newsletter. They did not volunteer to attend a billing experiment.
In the newsletter nightclub I am picturing, my subscribers arrive with their invitations while a tiny billing bouncer checks the clipboard. “You may all come in,” he says, “but some of you cannot hear the announcement until tomorrow.” I would rather discover that rule during planning than at the velvet rope, holding 1,000 party hats.
Love, Honey.
Leave a Reply