Assumptions behind these numbers

• Brevo is priced by monthly emails, not contacts, with unlimited contacts on every plan. Starter is the cheapest paid tier; Standard adds automation. Free: 300 emails/day.
• MailerLite counts only active-used subscribers (emailed in the last 30 days). Comfort includes roughly 10x the subscriber tier in monthly emails; heavier senders need Power, which is unlimited.
• Kit free covers up to 10,000 subscribers but lost automation in September 2026; paid Creator plans include unlimited sends.
• Mailchimp Standard plan shown, priced by total contacts. Subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts all count unless archived. No annual discount on monthly plans.
• ActiveCampaign Starter plan shown. Accounts created after November 2025 are billed for every contact, including unsubscribed and bounced.
• Annual figures are the monthly-effective cost when billed yearly. Tier ladders above published entry prices are our estimates from public pricing pages.

Verify on the vendor’s pricing page before you buy. Every card links straight to the official pricing page. No affiliate links, no tracking.

Honest caveats

• These are estimates, not quotes. Vendors change prices and counting rules often. 2026 proved that.
• Free plans carry real limits: daily send caps, locked features, branding requirements, no automation.
• Brevo charges by sends while the others charge by contacts. Your cheapest option depends on how often you email, not just list size.
• Overage fees and add-ons (extra seats, SMS, dedicated IPs) are not modeled here.
• A dirty list inflates Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign bills. Clean before you compare, and before you migrate.