Our Top Picks at a Glance
AWeber
A free plan with 500 subscribers, 3,000 sends a month and an automation, hosted landing pages and 24/7 support. Paid plans from $15 a month.
MailerLite
A clean editor and low entry pricing, with a free plan for 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Paid plans from $12 a month.
Kit
Creator-focused tools and a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers, though sequences need the Creator plan at $33 a month for 1,000 subscribers.
If you want one recommendation and you run a small business, blog or coaching practice, start with AWeber's free plan. The rest of this guide explains when each alternative is the better fit.
How We Picked These Tools
We focused on what matters to small businesses and creators, not enterprise checklists. Every tool here had to do the basics well: a usable editor, signup forms, automation and reliable sending.
Beyond that, we weighed five things: how much the free plan lets you do (especially whether it includes automation), how prices scale as your list grows, how easy the tool is for a beginner, what support you can reach when you're stuck and whether the tool fits a specific kind of business better than the rest.
All prices and plan limits come from each vendor's own pricing page and are starting prices. Most rise with list size, so check the vendor's calculator for your exact number of contacts.
Comparison Table
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWeber | Most small businesses | 500 subscribers, 3,000 sends/month, 1 automation | $15/month |
| MailerLite | Tight budgets | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month | $12/month |
| Kit | Creators | Up to 10,000 subscribers, no sequences | $33/month at 1,000 |
| Mailchimp | All-in-one marketing | 250 contacts, 500 sends/month | $13/month |
| Brevo | Big lists, infrequent sends | 300 emails/day | $9/month |
| GetResponse | Webinars and funnels | Limited free account | $19/month |
| ActiveCampaign | Advanced automation | 14-day trial | Varies by contacts |
| Klaviyo | Ecommerce | 250 profiles, 500 emails/month | $20/month |
| beehiiv | Monetized newsletters | 2,500 subscribers | $49/month billed yearly |
- AWeber: Best for Most Small Businesses
AWeber is our top pick because it gets the fundamentals right for the widest range of people. Its free plan covers 500 subscribers and 3,000 sends a month with one automation, enough to run a real welcome sequence. Most free plans in this list either cap you lower or leave automation out.
It also removes common roadblocks. Hosted landing pages mean you can grow a list without a website. Auto newsletters send new blog posts to subscribers automatically. The AI writing assistant and Canva integration help when writing or design slows you down. And 24/7 support means someone can help at the moment you're stuck.
Paid plans start at $15 a month for Lite, with three automations and one segment, or $30 a month for Plus, which unlocks unlimited automations, lists and segments and removes AWeber branding. Annual billing brings those down to $12.50 and $20 a month at 500 subscribers.
Watch for: costs rise with list size, and Lite's quotas fill up quickly for growing businesses. Most people are better served going from free straight to Plus. Read our full AWeber review.
Key features: drag-and-drop editor and templates, AI writing assistant, Canva integration, signup forms and hosted landing pages, tag-triggered automations, RSS-to-email newsletters, web push notifications, sales pages and abandoned cart emails, free migration help.
Start on AWeber's free plan with a form, a landing page and a welcome automation, then upgrade when you grow.
Try AWeber Free
- MailerLite: Best for Tight Budgets
MailerLite combines a modern editor with low entry pricing. Its free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with three active automations and a landing page. Paid plans start at $12 a month for Comfort, with Power from $25 a month adding unlimited emails and 24/7 live chat.
It suits beginners who want a clean, uncluttered tool and are comfortable working from help articles. Its automation builder is visual and easy to follow.
Watch for: the free plan holds half as many subscribers as AWeber's, and support on Free is knowledge-base only. Compare them in AWeber vs MailerLite.
Key features: visual automation builder, landing pages and websites, signup forms, digital product selling on paid plans, and a straightforward drag-and-drop editor. Annual billing saves 10%.
- Kit: Best for Creators Selling Digital Products
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is built around creators: writers, educators and YouTubers who sell digital products. Its free plan allows up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts.
The catch is automation. Sequences and visual automations start on the Creator plan, which costs $33 a month at 1,000 subscribers, or $390 a year. That makes Kit's free plan great for broadcast-only newsletters but less useful if you want a welcome series from day one.
Watch for: at 1,000 subscribers, Kit Creator and AWeber Plus land in a similar price range, so compare on features and support. See AWeber vs Kit.
Key features: unlimited landing pages and forms on every plan, tagging, visual automations and sequences on paid plans, RSS campaigns, SMS on Creator and creator-commerce tools.
- Mailchimp: Best All-in-One Marketing Suite
Mailchimp is the most recognized name in email marketing and has expanded into a wider marketing platform. Its free plan allows 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, and paid plans start at $13 a month for Essentials, $20 for Standard and $350 for Premium.
It suits teams who want several marketing channels under one roof and will use the extra tools. The editor is polished and the integration ecosystem is large.
Watch for: the free plan has no automation flows, Essentials limits flows to four steps and the app has a steeper learning curve. Full comparison in AWeber vs Mailchimp.
Key features: polished campaign editor, audience segmentation, automation flows on paid plans (up to 200 on Standard and Premium), multivariate testing on Premium and a large integration catalog.
- Brevo: Best for Large Lists You Email Rarely
Brevo prices by email volume rather than by contacts stored. The free plan allows 300 emails a day, Starter begins at $9 a month for 5,000 emails and Standard at $18 a month adds unlimited automation workflows and removes Brevo's footer.
That model can be very cheap if you have a big list but only email it occasionally, such as a seasonal business contacting past customers a few times a year.
Watch for: frequent senders can find volume pricing adds up, and automation isn't included on Starter. See AWeber vs Brevo.
Key features: volume-based pricing, unlimited contacts on its plans, automation workflows on Standard, transactional email and additional channels for teams that want them.
- GetResponse: Best for Webinars and Funnels
GetResponse bundles email with sales funnels, webinars and a course builder. Starter costs $19 a month, Marketer $59 a month with unlimited automation workflows and abandoned cart recovery, and Creator $69 a month with webinars and courses.
It's a good match if webinars drive your sales and you'd otherwise pay for a separate webinar platform.
Watch for: the automation most people want sits on Marketer, and the extra tools add complexity. Compare in AWeber vs GetResponse.
Key features: sales funnels, webinars (100 attendees on Creator), a course builder, premium newsletters, abandoned cart recovery on Marketer and above.
- ActiveCampaign: Best for Advanced Automation
ActiveCampaign is known for powerful automation and CRM features: lead scoring, deal pipelines, conditional content and predictive sending on higher tiers. There's no free plan, but you can try it for 14 days.
It suits businesses with a sales process, where marketing and sales need to share data and automations branch on detailed behavior.
Watch for: most small businesses won't use that depth, and pricing scales with contacts and plan level. See AWeber vs ActiveCampaign.
Key features: branching automation, CRM and deal pipelines, conditional content and predictive sending on Pro, attribution tracking and landing pages from Plus.
- Klaviyo: Best for Ecommerce Stores
Klaviyo is designed for online stores, with deep integrations into Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and other platforms. Its free plan covers 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month, and paid email plans start at $20 a month for 500 profiles.
Its strength is product-level automation: abandoned cart and browse flows, purchase-based segments and revenue reporting tied to each email.
Watch for: it's less suited to service businesses and newsletters, and costs rise with active profiles. Compare in AWeber vs Klaviyo.
Key features: deep store integrations, product and purchase-based segmentation, abandoned cart and post-purchase flows, revenue attribution and a reviews tool.
- beehiiv: Best for Monetized Newsletters
beehiiv is a newsletter platform with a built-in website, paid subscriptions and an ad network. The free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers, and Lite at $49 a month on yearly billing adds paid subscriptions, ad monetization and automations.
It suits writers whose newsletter is the product and who want to earn from sponsors and subscribers.
Watch for: it's centered on publishing, so selling your own services or products is less of a focus. See AWeber vs beehiiv.
Key features: built-in newsletter website, paid subscriptions with no take rate on Lite, an ad network, automations on paid plans and branding removal on Pro.
Features Every Platform Should Have
Whatever tool you choose, make sure it covers these basics. Missing any one of them creates work-arounds you'll resent within months.
- A welcome automation. New subscribers are most engaged in their first days. Without automation, you'll miss that window.
- Signup forms and a hosted landing page. You need somewhere to send people, especially if you don't have a website.
- Domain authentication. The tool should walk you through SPF and DKIM so your emails reach the inbox.
- Tags or segments. Even two segments, such as customers and prospects, make your emails more relevant.
- Reliable support. When an email fails or a form breaks, you want help quickly, not in three days.
- Easy export. You own your list. Make sure you can export it at any time.
Pricing as Your List Grows
Starting prices are only half the story, because every tool here charges more as your list grows. AWeber publishes every tier: at 2,500 subscribers, Lite costs $35 a month and Plus $55 a month, and at 10,000 subscribers, Lite is $100 and Plus is $135 on monthly billing.
Other vendors use different units. Brevo charges by emails sent, Klaviyo by active profiles and Kit by subscribers on each plan. That makes direct comparisons tricky, so price each shortlisted tool at the list size you expect in 12 months, with the automation you'll actually need.
A practical tip: include unsubscribed or inactive contacts in your estimate if the tool counts them, and clean your list regularly to keep costs down. Our email marketing cost guide explains the main pricing models.
Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing
The most common mistake is choosing on headline price alone. A free plan without automation can cost you more in lost engagement than a paid plan would cost in dollars.
The second is choosing for features you might need someday. Advanced lead scoring and multivariate testing sound impressive, but if you're sending a weekly newsletter to 800 people, simplicity will serve you better.
The third is ignoring support. Beginners hit setup questions: domain records, form embeds, automation triggers. A tool with 24/7 help can save a launch.
How to Choose the Right Tool
Match the tool to your business model first, then to your budget. These shortcuts cover most situations:
Choose AWeber. Sequences, landing pages and support cover the typical nurture-and-book workflow.
Compare AWeber and Kit. Price them at your expected list size with automations included.
Choose Klaviyo for large catalogs, or AWeber for a small range with simple abandoned cart emails.
Look at beehiiv for ad and subscription revenue.
Choose ActiveCampaign or HubSpot.
Start with MailerLite or Brevo, but check free-plan automation and support.
Our guide on how to choose email marketing software walks through the decision step by step.
Free Plans: Which Gives You the Most?
Free plans differ more than paid plans do, and they're where most people start. The headline subscriber number doesn't tell the whole story; automation and sending limits matter just as much.
AWeber's free plan stands out for including an automation alongside 500 subscribers and 3,000 sends a month. Kit offers the biggest free subscriber limit but no sequences. Mailchimp and Klaviyo cap free plans at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month. Read the full comparison in best free email marketing software.
A practical free plan with an automation, hosted landing pages and 24/7 support. Start free and upgrade to Plus when you're ready to grow.
Best Email Marketing Software FAQs
What is the best email marketing software for small businesses?
For most small businesses, we recommend AWeber for its free plan with automation, hosted landing pages and 24/7 support. Budget-focused users may prefer MailerLite.
What is the best free email marketing software?
AWeber's free plan is one of the most practical because it includes an automation. Kit has a larger free subscriber limit but no sequences.
Which email marketing software is easiest to use?
AWeber and MailerLite are among the easiest for beginners, with simple editors and clear setup steps.
What's the best email marketing software for ecommerce?
Klaviyo is built for online stores with large catalogs. Small shops with a few products can do well with AWeber's sales pages and abandoned cart emails.
How much does email marketing software cost?
Many tools are free for small lists. Paid plans for a small list typically start between about $9 and $33 a month, rising with list size.