Best Free Email Marketing Software: What the Free Tiers Really Allow
Compare the free tiers of Brevo, Mailchimp, MailerLite, Kit and Beehiiv. Real limits on contacts, sends and automation, checked against official pricing pages.
By Galactic News Editorial · Published 2026-11-06T22:46:50+00:00 · Updated 2026-11-06T22:46:50+00:00
Best Free Email Marketing Software: What the Free Tiers Really Allow
Free email marketing plans are real, but they differ sharply. Some cap your contacts. Others cap your daily sends. A few give you automation and landing pages for free. This guide compares the free tiers of Brevo, Mailchimp, MailerLite, Kit and Beehiiv using figures from their own pricing pages and help centres. Pick the one whose limits fit your list size and sending habits.
What “free” really means in email marketing
Free plans limit you in one of three ways. Some cap contacts. Some cap sends. Some cap features. The cap that matters most depends on how you send. A daily newsletter to a small list hits send limits first. A large list mailed once a month hits contact limits first. Always check which limit applies before you sign up. Also check whether unsubscribed contacts count toward your cap. Mailchimp counts them. Brevo and MailerLite do not charge by stored contacts in the same way. Finally, check the branding rule. Most free plans add the vendor logo to your emails. Only some paid upgrades remove it.
Best free email marketing software compared
| Tool | Contacts | Sends | Automation | Branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Up to 100,000 stored | 300 per day | Yes, capped at 2,000 contacts per workflow | Brevo logo shown |
| Mailchimp | 250 | 500 per month, 250 per day | Up to 4 flow steps | Mailchimp branding kept |
| MailerLite | 500 | 12,000 per month | Basic automation included | MailerLite branding in footer |
| Kit | Up to 10,000 | Unlimited broadcasts | One basic visual automation | Kit branding |
| Beehiiv | Up to 2,500 | Unlimited sends | Basic automation | Beehiiv branding |
The table shows the core trade-off. Brevo and Kit are generous on list size. MailerLite is generous on send volume. Mailchimp is the most restricted of the five. Beehiiv suits pure newsletters best.
Brevo: best free email marketing software for daily sending
Brevo charges by emails sent, not by contacts stored. The free plan costs nothing and needs no credit card. You can send 300 emails per day. Unused sends do not roll over. You can store up to 100,000 contacts. That makes Brevo the best free choice for a large list mailed in small batches. The free plan includes the drag-and-drop editor, email templates and basic reporting. Automation is capped at 2,000 contacts per workflow. Landing pages and A/B testing are not included. Every email carries Brevo branding. Your account must be approved for sending before the allowance unlocks. Paid plans start at $9 a month for Starter, which covers 5,000 emails a month. Standard costs $18 a month and adds automation and A/B testing.
Mailchimp Free: the best-known name, the smallest limits
Mailchimp is the most recognised email platform in this list. Its free plan is also the smallest. You get up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with no more than 250 sends in a day. Sending pauses if you exceed either limit. You get one seat and one audience. Email scheduling is not included. Branding cannot be removed. Support is email only, and only for the first 30 days. Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts toward your total. That means a list with many inactive contacts fills the cap fast. Paid plans start at $13 a month for Essentials at 500 contacts. Standard starts at $20 a month. The free plan works for testing the platform or mailing a tiny list. It does not suit a growing newsletter.
MailerLite Free: the best balance, after a 2025 cut
MailerLite offers one of the most usable free plans in this group. It covers 12,000 emails a month. The subscriber cap was cut from 1,000 to 500 on 23 September 2025. The send allowance was not changed. You get the drag-and-drop editor, landing pages, signup forms and basic automation. The free plan includes 10 landing pages. Dynamic emails, auto-resend campaigns and the HTML editor are not included. When you pass 500 subscribers, sending locks until you upgrade. Forms and landing pages keep collecting subscribers. Paid plans start at $10 a month for up to 500 subscribers. MailerLite bills only on active subscribers. Bounced and unsubscribed contacts do not count.
Kit Free: best for creators up to 10,000 subscribers
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, has the largest free subscriber allowance here. The free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers. It includes unlimited broadcasts, unlimited forms and landing pages. You also get tagging, segmentation and API access. The catch is automation. Free users get one basic visual automation and one sequence. Full sequences and visual automations need a paid plan. Selling through Kit costs 3.5% plus 30 cents per transaction on every plan. Creator costs $39 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers. Pro costs $79 a month at the same size. Annual billing cuts those figures by about 17%. Kit suits creators who send manual broadcasts and want room to grow.
Beehiiv Launch: best for newsletters
Beehiiv is built for newsletters. Its free Launch plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends. That is the most generous send allowance in this comparison. The plan is aimed at writers who publish regularly and grow by referrals. Paid plans add custom domains, advanced analytics and more automation. Beehiiv is a weaker pick if you need deep ecommerce automation or CRM features. For a plain newsletter, its free tier is hard to beat.
How to pick your free plan
- Count your active subscribers today, and estimate where the list will be in six months.
- Work out your monthly send volume. Multiply subscribers by emails per month.
- Check whether the cap is daily, monthly or per contact. A daily cap breaks a weekly newsletter to a big list.
- List the features you need. Automation, scheduling and landing pages are often paywalled.
- Check the branding rule and the upgrade price. A cheap free plan with a steep upgrade path costs more later.
Bottom line
For most beginners, MailerLite or Brevo is the best free email marketing software. MailerLite gives the most sends per month. Brevo gives the most room for a large list. Creators who broadcast by hand should pick Kit for its 10,000-subscriber ceiling. Newsletter writers should pick Beehiiv for unlimited sends. Mailchimp Free only fits very small lists. This is a research-based assessment. We did not test these plans hands-on. Prices and limits change, so confirm them on each vendor pricing page before you commit.