The best free email marketing software in 2026
If you want to send email marketing without paying a cent to start, MailerLite has the most generous genuinely-free plan for small businesses, while Beehiiv is the best free option if you are building a newsletter you want to grow and monetize. Below are six tools with real free tiers, ranked by what you actually get before the paywall hits. Pricing is directional as of 2026 and changes often, so confirm before you commit.
MailerLite
MailerLite gives you the most complete free plan for a small business, with a drag-and-drop editor, automations, landing pages, and even a basic website builder before you pay anything. The free tier covers up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 sends a month, and the paid plans stay cheaper than most rivals as you scale. The honest catch is that the free plan strips out the newer AI features and limits you to a single user seat, and their onboarding review can delay a brand-new account by a day.
Visit MailerLite →| # | Tool | Best for | Free plan | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MailerLite | Small businesses on a budget | 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/mo | ~$10/mo (paid tier) | Try free |
| 2 | Beehiiv | Creators & newsletter growth | 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends | ~$39/mo (Scale) | Try free |
| 3 | Brevo | Transactional + SMS senders | Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day | ~$9/mo (Starter) | Try free |
| 4 | AWeber | Small business with phone support | 500 subscribers, 3,000 emails/mo | ~$15/mo (Lite) | Try free |
| 5 | Mailchimp | All-in-one marketing beginners | 500 contacts, 1,000 emails/mo | ~$13/mo (Essentials) | Try free |
| 6 | Kit (ConvertKit) | Course & product creators | 10,000 subscribers, limited features | ~$25/mo (Creator) | Try free |
MailerLite
Small businesses on a budgetMailerLite gives you the most complete free plan for a small business, with a drag-and-drop editor, automations, landing pages, and even a basic website builder before you pay anything. The free tier covers up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 sends a month, and the paid plans stay cheaper than most rivals as you scale. The honest catch is that the free plan strips out the newer AI features and limits you to a single user seat, and their onboarding review can delay a brand-new account by a day.
Pros
- Genuinely usable free plan with automations and landing pages
- One of the cheapest paths once you outgrow free
- Clean editor that beginners pick up quickly
Cons
- New accounts go through a manual approval that can add a day
- Free plan caps you at one user and adds a MailerLite logo
Beehiiv
Creators & newsletter growthBeehiiv was built by former Morning Brew operators specifically for newsletters, and it shows in the free plan: up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, plus the recommendation network, referral program, and a paid-subscription option that most free tiers never touch. If your goal is to grow a list and eventually earn from it, nothing else here competes on free-tier growth tools. The trade-off is that its automations and segmentation are lighter than a dedicated marketing platform, so it is a weaker fit for ecommerce or transactional email.
Pros
- Best-in-class free growth tools (recommendations, referrals)
- Unlimited email sends even on the free plan
- Built-in monetization via ads and paid subscriptions
Cons
- Automation and segmentation lag behind marketing-first tools
- Not designed for ecommerce or transactional email
Brevo
Transactional + SMS sendersBrevo (the platform formerly called Sendinblue) prices by email volume rather than contact count, so its free plan lets you store unlimited contacts and send 300 emails a day. That structure is ideal if you have a big list but email it infrequently, and it bundles SMS, a CRM, and reliable transactional email under one roof. The 300-a-day cap is the obvious limit, and the interface tries to do so much that it feels cluttered compared to MailerLite.
Pros
- Unlimited contacts on the free plan
- Strong transactional email and SMS in one place
- Volume-based pricing helps large but low-frequency lists
Cons
- Free plan limited to 300 emails per day
- Interface is busier and harder to learn
AWeber
Small business with phone supportAWeber is one of the longest-running small-business email tools, and its free plan supports up to 500 subscribers with 3,000 monthly sends, a landing page builder, and the same phone and live-chat support you get as a paying customer. That human support is rare on a free tier and makes AWeber a comfortable pick for owners who would rather call someone than dig through docs. The templates look dated next to MailerLite, and the free plan puts an AWeber badge on your emails and landing pages.
Pros
- Real phone and live-chat support even on the free plan
- Long track record and strong deliverability
- Free plan includes landing pages and basic automation
Cons
- Templates and editor feel dated
- Free plan brands your emails with an AWeber footer
Frequently asked questions
Is email marketing software actually free, or is it a trial?
Several tools here have permanent free plans, not trials. MailerLite (1,000 subscribers), AWeber (500), Brevo (unlimited contacts at 300 emails/day), and Kit (10,000 subscribers) all stay free indefinitely within those limits. Mailchimp's free plan is also permanent but capped at just 500 contacts as of 2026.
Which free plan gives you the most before you have to pay?
It depends on how you count. Kit offers the highest raw subscriber cap at 10,000, but locks out automations. For a small business that actually wants features, MailerLite's 1,000-subscriber plan with automations and landing pages is the most useful. Beehiiv is best if growth and monetization matter more than headcount.
Can I move my list from Mailchimp to a free plan elsewhere?
Yes. Export your subscribers as a CSV from Mailchimp and import them into MailerLite, Beehiiv, or AWeber in a few minutes. The gotcha is automations and templates do not transfer, so you will rebuild those by hand. Re-confirming consent is not usually required if your list was already opted in.
What is the best free tool for a newsletter creator specifically?
Beehiiv, without much debate. Its free plan includes the recommendation network, a referral program, unlimited sends, and paid-subscription support, which are exactly the tools a creator needs to grow and earn. MailerLite and Kit are strong runners-up, but they are built more for marketing and product sales than for newsletters as a product.
When should you stop using a free plan and upgrade?
Upgrade once the free limits actively cost you money or reach. That usually means crossing the subscriber cap, hitting a daily send limit like Brevo's 300, or needing to remove the tool's branding to look professional. For most small businesses on MailerLite, that point arrives around 1,000 subscribers, where paid plans still start near $10/mo.
Which free tool should you pick?
For a small business that wants automations, landing pages, and clean templates without paying up front, start with MailerLite's free plan and only upgrade when you cross 1,000 subscribers. If you are a creator building a newsletter as the product itself, Beehiiv's free tier gives you growth tools and monetization that the others simply do not, so start there instead. AWeber is the safe pick if you value phone support and want a free plan that never expires while you find your footing.
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