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Short answer
MailerLite is our top pick among the 6 email marketing tools we ranked, scoring 85/100. Paid plans start at $10.80/mo.
MailerLite (85/100): best for small businesses that want automation at a low price.
Klaviyo (84/100): best for ecommerce brands.
ActiveCampaign (84/100): best for advanced automation.
Brevo (83/100): best for high-volume senders on a budget.
Mailchimp (79/100): best for beginners who want a familiar all-rounder.
Email marketing software sends your newsletters and campaigns, and runs the automations that welcome new subscribers, recover abandoned carts and nurture leads. Every tool here has a free plan or trial; the differences are in how far automation goes on the cheaper plans and how quickly the price climbs as your list grows.
We scored six tools on six weighted criteria and priced each at the same list size. At 1,000 contacts, entry plans run from $15 a month (ActiveCampaign Starter, billed yearly) to $33 (Kit Creator, billed yearly), and Brevo prices by emails sent rather than contacts.
The shortlist
1MailerLite Best for small businesses that want automation at a low price85/100Review
Starting prices are the cheapest paid plan on each vendor's pricing page on Oct 26, 2026, at the smallest list size shown, billed yearly where available. Prices rise with list size. Mailchimp and Klaviyo bill monthly; Brevo prices by monthly email volume rather than contacts.
The reviews
1
MailerLite
Best for small businesses that want automation at a low price
MailerLite is an email marketing tool with an automation builder, landing pages, websites and signup forms. Comfort includes 50 automations and 3 seats; Power ($22.50 billed yearly at 500 subscribers) adds unlimited emails, automations and seats, multiple automation triggers and 24/7 live chat support.
Who it's best for
Small businesses, creators and lean marketing teams that want newsletters and automations without a steep learning curve.
Why it made the shortlist
It's the easiest tool here and among the cheapest at every list size, and the free plan already includes automations and a landing page.
Strengths
Free plan with 3 automations and a landing page
Low prices that scale gently with list size
Easy to learn
Watch-outs
Multiple automation triggers need Power
Free plan locks campaigns above 250 subscribers
Skip it if: You need deep ecommerce data or a built-in sales CRM.
Klaviyo is a B2C marketing platform built on customer profiles that combine store, email and SMS data. Paid email plans are priced by active profiles, with 10 email sends per profile per month, and SMS, reviews and other products are billed on top.
Who it's best for
Online stores on Shopify, WooCommerce and similar platforms that want flows driven by purchase and browsing data.
Why it made the shortlist
Its segmentation and automated flows use real-time store data, and paid plans include predictive analytics and generative AI for segments, content and flows.
Strengths
Segments and flows built on real-time ecommerce data
Predictive analytics on paid plans
350+ integrations
Watch-outs
Price rises quickly with active profiles
Email support on the free plan only for the first 60 days
More than a B2B newsletter needs
Skip it if: You're a B2B company sending newsletters and lead nurture emails.
ActiveCampaign is a marketing automation platform with a multi-step automation builder and 950+ recipes. Starter caps automations at 5 actions each; Plus ($49 at 1,000 contacts billed yearly) removes the cap and adds landing pages and CRM features; Pro ($79) adds predictive sending and conditional content.
Who it's best for
B2B and B2C marketers who build multi-step journeys with branching, goals and lead scoring.
Why it made the shortlist
Its automation builder is the most capable here, and Plus adds CRM and pipeline features through add-ons for teams that sell as well as market.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) combines email, SMS and transactional email, priced by monthly email volume rather than contacts. Standard adds unlimited multi-step automations, A/B testing, send-time optimization and a landing page, and removes the Brevo footer; Professional ($449.08 a month billed yearly) adds WhatsApp, 10 seats and phone support.
Who it's best for
Businesses with large lists that send a few campaigns a month and want marketing and transactional email in one place.
Why it made the shortlist
Pricing by sends instead of contacts keeps the bill low for big lists, and Standard includes automation and A/B testing at $16.17 a month billed yearly.
Strengths
Priced by emails sent, not contacts
Unlimited automations and A/B testing on Standard
Free plan sends 300 emails a day
Watch-outs
Starter has no automation or A/B testing
Multi-user access starts on Professional
SMS credits sold separately
Skip it if: You need advanced ecommerce flows or a large team on a mid-priced plan.
Mailchimp is an email marketing platform from Intuit with a drag-and-drop builder, 300+ integrations and plans priced by contacts. Essentials allows automation flows of up to 4 steps; Standard adds up to 200 flows, predictive segments and generative AI; Premium starts at $350 a month.
Who it's best for
Small businesses and first-time email marketers who want a well-known tool with many integrations.
Why it made the shortlist
The editor and reporting are polished and easy to learn, and it connects to almost any tool through 300+ integrations.
Strengths
Polished editor and reports
300+ integrations
24/7 email and chat support on paid plans
Watch-outs
Essentials limits automations to 4 steps
Free plan has no automation flows and 250 contacts
Costs more than MailerLite or Brevo at the same list size
Skip it if: Automation is central to your marketing and budget is tight.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is email marketing for creators. The free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms; Creator adds visual automations and sequences; Pro adds a newsletter referral system, deliverability reporting and advanced reporting.
Who it's best for
Creators, writers and solo businesses that grow and monetize a newsletter.
Why it made the shortlist
Its free plan is the most generous here for list size, and paid newsletters and creator tools are built in.
Strengths
Free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers
Paid newsletters and creator tools
14-day trial with no card
Watch-outs
Automations and sequences need Creator
Fewer B2B and ecommerce features
Free plan has 1 user
Skip it if: You run B2B lead nurturing or an online store with complex flows.
Score breakdown
Email builder & templates (15%)3.5/5
Automation (25%)4/5
Segmentation & personalization (15%)3.5/5
Deliverability & reporting (15%)3.5/5
Ease of use (15%)4.5/5
Price & value (15%)4/5
How we scored email marketing software
Each tool gets a 0 to 5 rating on every criterion. We weight the ratings below, convert the total to a score out of 100, and only rank tools that score 70 or higher. Open any tool's Score breakdown to see its ratings. Full process on our methodology page.
Email builder & templates15%
Automation25%
Segmentation & personalization15%
Deliverability & reporting15%
Ease of use15%
Price & value15%
How to choose email marketing software
Price at your list size, not the entry price. At 1,000 contacts MailerLite Comfort is $17.10 a month billed yearly, Klaviyo Email $30, Mailchimp Essentials $26.50 and ActiveCampaign Starter $15. Brevo prices by emails sent instead.
Check automation limits on the cheaper plans. Mailchimp Essentials caps flows at 4 steps, ActiveCampaign Starter at 5 actions per automation, and Brevo Starter has no automation.
Match the tool to your business model. Klaviyo is built around store data, ActiveCampaign around journeys and lead scoring, Kit around creators' newsletters.
Count the people who need access. Seats range from 1 on Brevo Starter to unlimited on MailerLite Power and Mailchimp Premium.
Send real campaigns during the trial. Import a segment of your list and send a campaign and one automation before you commit.
Email marketing FAQ
What is the best email marketing software?
MailerLite scores highest in our ranking for most small and mid-sized businesses. Klaviyo is the best pick for ecommerce brands and ActiveCampaign for advanced automation.
What is the best free email marketing software?
Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, Brevo's free plan sends 300 emails a day, and MailerLite's free plan includes 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month and 3 automations.
How much does email marketing software cost for 1,000 contacts?
On Oct 26, 2026: ActiveCampaign Starter $15 a month and MailerLite Comfort $17.10 (both billed yearly), Mailchimp Essentials $26.50, Klaviyo Email $30, and Kit Creator $33 billed yearly.
Is Mailchimp still worth it?
It's easy to use and integrates with almost everything, but automation is limited on Essentials and it costs more than MailerLite or Brevo at the same list size.