Mailchimp alternatives with better free plans for small businesses
Mailchimp's free plan stops at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month (250 a day), keeps Mailchimp's branding and leaves out automation flows, so even a basic welcome sequence means upgrading.
Prices checked on the official pricing pages on . Prices are in US dollars and can change at any time.
The short answer
Pick Kit if your list will grow past a few hundred people (free to 10,000 subscribers, but no automations), MailerLite if you want a free welcome sequence, beehiiv if you're starting a newsletter publication, and Brevo if you have lots of contacts but email them rarely.
- Kit (formerly ConvertKit): From $33/mo, free plan
- MailerLite: From $12/mo, free plan
- beehiiv: From $49/mo, free plan
- Brevo: From $9/mo, free plan
Mailchimp and its alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Paid plans | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | Yes | From $13/mo | Small shops that want email, landing pages and e-commerce integrations from one well-known brand. |
| Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | Yes | From $33/mo | Writers and creators building a newsletter who don't need automations yet. |
| MailerLite | Yes | From $12/mo | Small businesses that want a welcome sequence without paying yet. |
| beehiiv | Yes | From $49/mo | Newsletter-first creators who want a publication website as well as email. |
| Brevo | Yes | From $9/mo | Businesses with a large but quiet contact list who email it occasionally. |
Mailchimp: what you get
The best-known email marketing platform, now owned by Intuit, priced by number of contacts.
- Price
- Essentials from $13 a month, Standard from $20 (introductory prices shown when we checked; the price rises with your contact count).
- Free plan
- Up to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month (250 a day). Mailchimp branding stays on, and marketing automation flows aren't included.
- Best for
- Small shops that want email, landing pages and e-commerce integrations from one well-known brand.
- Works on
- Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android
Pros
- Huge library of integrations
- Familiar, well-documented editor
Cons
- Free plan stops at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month
- No automation flows on the free plan
Key features
- Email campaigns and templates
- Landing pages and sign-up forms
- Automation flows (paid plans)
- Many e-commerce integrations
The alternatives
1. Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Why switch: Free up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts. Automations and sequences need the Creator plan.
An email platform for creators, with a free plan that goes up to 10,000 subscribers.
- Price
- Creator from about $33 to $39 a month for 1,000 subscribers; Kit's pricing page and help centre showed different figures when we checked.
- Free plan
- Free while you stay under 10,000 subscribers: unlimited forms, landing pages and broadcasts, tagging and A/B tests. Visual automations and email sequences need a paid plan.
- Best for
- Writers and creators building a newsletter who don't need automations yet.
- Works on
- Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android
Pros
- By far the highest free subscriber limit here
- Built around newsletters and creators
Cons
- No automations or email sequences on the free plan
- Paid plans cost more than MailerLite at small list sizes
Key features
- Free up to 10,000 subscribers
- Unlimited landing pages and forms
- Tagging and segmentation
- Sequences and visual automations (Creator)
2. MailerLite
Why switch: Automations are included free (250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month), and paid plans start at $12.
A low-cost email marketing tool with automations included on its free plan.
- Price
- Comfort from $12 a month and Power from $25 a month at the lowest subscriber tier; about 10% less billed yearly.
- Free plan
- Up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, 2 seats, automations, a landing page and sign-up forms. Removing the MailerLite logo needs a paid plan.
- Best for
- Small businesses that want a welcome sequence without paying yet.
- Works on
- Web browser
Pros
- Automations included free
- Cheapest paid plan among the main tools
Cons
- Free plan is capped at 250 subscribers
- MailerLite branding stays on free emails
Key features
- Automations on the free plan
- Landing page and sign-up forms
- Sell a digital product or take a booking
- 100+ integrations
MailerLite alternatives · Mailchimp vs MailerLite, in detail
3. beehiiv
Why switch: Free up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends and a newsletter website.
A newsletter platform with a website, podcast hosting and a recommendation network built in.
- Price
- Lite $49 a month billed yearly ($59 monthly) for up to 1,000 subscribers; Pro $95 billed yearly ($109 monthly).
- Free plan
- Up to 2,500 subscribers, 1 publication, unlimited sends, a website and a podcast with up to 5,000 downloads a month.
- Best for
- Newsletter-first creators who want a publication website as well as email.
- Works on
- Web browser
Pros
- Free up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends
- Website and newsletter in one place
Cons
- Paid plans are the most expensive here
- Less suited to shop-style marketing email
Key features
- Newsletter website included
- Recommendation network for growth
- Podcast hosting
- Unlimited sends on the free plan
4. Brevo
Why switch: Priced by emails sent, not contacts: 300 emails a day free, then from $9 a month.
An email and SMS platform (formerly Sendinblue) that prices by emails sent rather than contacts.
- Price
- Starter from $9 a month for 5,000 emails a month.
- Free plan
- Up to 300 emails a day with no end date. Brevo's own pages give different contact limits for the free plan, so check its pricing page.
- Best for
- Businesses with a large but quiet contact list who email it occasionally.
- Works on
- Web browser
Pros
- Big contact lists don't push the price up
- Also handles website transactional email
Cons
- Daily cap of 300 emails on the free plan
- Pricing page didn't load fully when we checked, so confirm limits there
Key features
- Priced by sending volume, not contact count
- Transactional email (SMTP) as well as campaigns
- SMS campaigns (paid credits)
Sources
Official pages we checked for the prices, plans and limits on this page:
- Mailchimp: mailchimp.com, checked October 26, 2026
- Kit (formerly ConvertKit): help.kit.com, kit.com (2), checked October 26, 2026
- MailerLite: www.mailerlite.com, checked October 26, 2026
- beehiiv: www.beehiiv.com, checked October 26, 2026
- Brevo: www.brevo.com, www.brevo.com (2), checked October 26, 2026
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