A practical guide to email marketing pricing in 2026
Most email marketing tools charge by the number of subscribers on your list, and the cheapest option depends heavily on how big that list is and whether you need automation or paid-newsletter features. As of 2026, expect to pay roughly $9 to $30 per month for a small list of a few thousand contacts, scaling up from there. Below I break down what each major platform actually costs, where the free plans stop, and which one gives you the best value for your situation.
Beehiiv
Beehiiv prices for people who want their list to grow and eventually pay them back. The free plan runs up to 2,500 subscribers with real sending, and the paid tiers unlock referral programs, a paid-subscription checkout, and an ad network that shares revenue with you. The catch is that the more advanced growth and analytics features sit behind the Scale plan around $39/mo, so budget creators may feel pushed to upgrade sooner than they expected.
Try Beehiiv free →| # | Tool | Best for | Free plan | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beehiiv | Creators, newsletters & growth | Up to 2,500 subscribers | ~$39/mo (Scale, billed yearly) | Try free |
| 2 | AWeber | Small businesses & simple automation | Up to 500 subscribers | ~$15/mo (Lite, billed yearly) | Try free |
| 3 | MailerLite | Budget-conscious senders | Up to 1,000 subscribers, 12k emails/mo | ~$10/mo (Growing Business) | Try free |
| 4 | ConvertKit (Kit) | Professional creators & tagging | Up to 10,000 subscribers | ~$25/mo (Creator, billed yearly) | Try free |
| 5 | Mailchimp | All-in-one marketing needs | Up to 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo | ~$13/mo (Essentials) | Try free |
| 6 | ActiveCampaign | Advanced automation & CRM | None (14-day trial) | ~$19/mo (Starter, billed yearly) | Try free |
Beehiiv
Creators, newsletters & growthBeehiiv prices for people who want their list to grow and eventually pay them back. The free plan runs up to 2,500 subscribers with real sending, and the paid tiers unlock referral programs, a paid-subscription checkout, and an ad network that shares revenue with you. The catch is that the more advanced growth and analytics features sit behind the Scale plan around $39/mo, so budget creators may feel pushed to upgrade sooner than they expected.
Pros
- Generous 2,500-subscriber free plan with no forced branding on lower usage
- Built-in monetization: paid subscriptions, referral program, and ad network
- Pricing scales by subscribers, not sends, so frequent senders are not penalized
Cons
- The best growth tools require the Scale plan, not the entry paid tier
- Automation is lighter than dedicated ESPs like ActiveCampaign
AWeber
Small businesses & simple automationAWeber has been doing small-business email for a long time and it shows in the pricing structure: predictable, subscriber-based, and forgiving for people who send to the same list repeatedly. The free plan covers 500 subscribers with one list, and paid plans start around $15/mo for a few thousand contacts. Its templates and landing-page builder feel dated next to newer tools, which is the honest trade-off for the reliability.
Pros
- Long track record with responsive live support
- Free plan good enough to validate a small list
- Flat subscriber pricing with unlimited sends
Cons
- Interface and templates look dated compared to newer platforms
- Counts unsubscribed contacts toward your total unless you clean the list
MailerLite
Budget-conscious sendersMailerLite is the value pick for most small senders. The free plan allows 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails a month, and paid plans start near $10/mo, which is among the lowest in the category for real functionality. Automations, landing pages, and a decent editor are all included early. The support experience on the free tier is limited, and the approval process for new accounts can be strict if your list looks purchased.
Pros
- Among the cheapest paid entry points at ~$10/mo
- Clean editor with automations included on low tiers
- 1,000-subscriber free plan with 12,000 monthly sends
Cons
- New-account approval can be slow or rejected without clear reason
- Free-plan support is limited to the knowledge base and email
ConvertKit (Kit)
Professional creators & taggingKit built its pricing around creators who need tag-based segmentation without paying enterprise money. The free plan is unusually large at up to 10,000 subscribers, though it holds back automations and the visual sequence builder until you pay, starting around $25/mo. It is the tool I point serious creators to when they have outgrown a simple broadcast setup but do not want ActiveCampaign complexity.
Pros
- Huge 10,000-subscriber free tier for basic sending
- Excellent tag and segment logic for creator funnels
- Creator Network and recommendation features aid growth
Cons
- Free plan blocks automations and the visual funnel builder
- Per-subscriber pricing climbs quickly past 10,000 contacts
Frequently asked questions
How is email marketing pricing usually calculated?
Most tools charge by the number of subscribers or contacts on your list, with unlimited or high sending caps included. A few, like older Mailchimp tiers, also limit your monthly sends. As of 2026, subscriber-based pricing is the norm, which favors senders who email the same list often rather than blasting occasional large campaigns.
Which email marketing tool has the best free plan?
For raw subscriber count, Kit (ConvertKit) leads with up to 10,000 subscribers free, though it withholds automations. Beehiiv offers 2,500 subscribers with full sending, and MailerLite gives 1,000 subscribers plus 12,000 monthly emails. If you want real features without paying immediately, Beehiiv and MailerLite are the most usable free tiers.
What does email marketing actually cost per month for a small list?
For a list of a few thousand subscribers in 2026, expect roughly $10 to $15/mo on MailerLite or AWeber, around $25/mo on Kit's Creator plan, and about $39/mo on Beehiiv's Scale tier. Billing yearly typically saves 15 to 25 percent versus monthly. Costs climb steadily as your list grows past 10,000 contacts.
Is it hard to migrate my list to a new email tool?
Moving your subscribers is straightforward since every tool imports a CSV, and most keep your existing contacts without a re-confirmation step. The harder part is rebuilding automations, forms, and landing pages, which do not transfer between platforms. Beehiiv and Kit both offer guided migration help, and some will import from Substack or Mailchimp for you if you ask support.
Which tool is cheapest as my list gets large?
Past 25,000 subscribers, per-contact pricing separates the pack fast. MailerLite and AWeber tend to stay the most affordable for straightforward sending, while Kit and ActiveCampaign get expensive at scale. Beehiiv stays competitive for large newsletters because it prices by subscriber with unlimited sends and adds monetization to offset the cost.
Which pricing model fits you?
If you are a creator or newsletter publisher, Beehiiv gives you the most room to grow before you pay, plus monetization built in, so it is my top pick for that group. If you run a small business that leans on automations and lists that recycle the same contacts, AWeber or MailerLite will usually cost you less per month. Match the pricing model to how you actually send, because the "cheapest" tool changes entirely once your list crosses 10,000 subscribers.
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