The cheapest email marketing software in 2026 depends on your list size and sending frequency. For small senders, Brevo’s Starter ($9/month for 5,000 emails) and Kit’s free plan (10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends) are the lowest real bills. Below: seven budget picks on verified September 2026 pricing, plus the billing traps that make cheap plans expensive.
- How this ranking works
- The 7 budget picks at a glance
- The picks, in detail
- Cheapest at your list size
- Billing traps that undo the savings
- Key takeaways
- FAQs
- Conclusion
How this ranking works
“Cheapest” is meaningless without a scenario, because email platforms bill three different ways: per contact (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign), per email sent (Brevo), or per active subscriber (MailerLite, Kit). A plan that is cheapest at 500 contacts can be the most expensive at 10,000.
So this ranking scores each pick on three things:
- The entry price — the lowest monthly bill that gets you a working tool (not a demo).
- The price at scale — what you pay at 5,000 and 10,000 contacts/subscribers.
- The billing traps — how the platform counts what it charges for (unsubscribed contacts? sends? subscribers?).
All prices are as of September 2026, monthly billing, and every figure below comes from the vendor’s own pricing page or a dated 2026 pricing guide. Pricing changes — verify on the vendor’s current page before you buy. If you want the full mechanics of how these billing models work, start with Email Marketing Pricing Explained: Contacts vs Sends vs Subscribers.
The 7 budget picks at a glance
| Pick | Entry price (Sept 2026) | Billing model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo Free | $0 — 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts | Sends | High-volume free sending |
| Kit Free | $0 — 10,000 subscribers, unlimited emails | Subscribers | Big free list |
| MailerLite Free | $0 — 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo | Subscribers | Small list, full features |
| Mailchimp Free | $0 — 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo | Contacts | Tiny list, interface testing |
| Brevo Starter | $9/mo — 5,000 emails/mo, unlimited contacts | Sends | Cheapest paid plan overall |
| MailerLite Comfort | $12/mo — 500 subscribers | Subscribers | Cheapest paid for small lists |
| ActiveCampaign Starter | $15/mo annual — 1,000 contacts | Contacts | Cheapest entry to deep automation |
The picks, in detail
1. Brevo Free — the most generous free plan for senders
Brevo’s free plan gives you 300 emails per day with unlimited contacts and transactional email included. That daily cap is the catch: you cannot send one 5,000-recipient campaign in a day, but spread across a month it is roughly 9,000 emails — more than any other free plan here. If you send a weekly newsletter to 2,000 people (about 8,000 emails/month), the free plan nearly covers it as long as each send stays under 300. For the full picture, see our Brevo Review 2026.
2. Kit Free — the biggest free list in email marketing
Kit’s free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited emails, landing pages, and forms. No other platform comes close on free-list size. The trade-off is automation: the free plan is limited to basic sequences (no automated welcome sequences, per September 2026 reporting), and paid features like the visual automation builder unlock on Creator ($39/month monthly, $33 annual, for 1,000 subscribers). For creators and newsletter writers building an audience from zero, this is the cheapest way to hold a large list. More in our Kit (ConvertKit) Review 2026.
3. MailerLite Free — the best free plan for small lists
MailerLite’s free plan (250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, as confirmed on mailerlite.com/pricing) is smaller than it used to be — it was cut from 500 subscribers/12,000 emails in the June 2026 overhaul — but it still includes the real platform: drag-and-drop editor, automations (3 active, 5 steps), a website, landing pages, and signup forms. The catch: MailerLite branding on emails and no template library. For a new business under 250 subscribers, it is the most complete free tool here. Details in our MailerLite Review 2026.
4. Mailchimp Free — only for testing the interface
Mailchimp’s free plan was cut in early 2026 to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month (250 per day), with all automation removed. At those limits you cannot send two emails a month to a full 250-contact list. It is useful for learning the interface and nothing else — any real business outgrows it in weeks. Mailchimp’s paid plans start at $13/month (Essentials, 500 contacts). Our Mailchimp Review 2026 has the full tier ladder.
5. Brevo Starter — the cheapest paid plan, period
At $9/month for 5,000 emails (10,000 emails = $17, 20,000 = $32, per the July 2026 Brevo pricing breakdown), Starter is the lowest-priced serious paid plan in email marketing. Contacts are unlimited, so a 30,000-contact list sending one campaign a month costs the same $9. The limitation: no marketing automation — that unlocks at Standard ($18/month). If your email program is campaigns and announcements rather than journeys, nothing beats this price.
6. MailerLite Comfort — the cheapest paid plan for small lists
Comfort starts at $12/month for 500 subscribers ($19 at 1,000, $33 at 2,500, $49 at 5,000, $89 at 10,000, as of Sept 2026) and includes the full feature set — every paid plan gets all features; you only pay for list size and sending. With 10x your subscriber tier in monthly sends, a 1,000-subscriber account gets 10,000 emails a month. For small businesses sending regularly, it undercuts every contact-based platform at small list sizes.
7. ActiveCampaign Starter — the cheapest door into real automation
This is the “cheapest” pick with an asterisk. Starter is $15/month annual ($19 monthly) for 1,000 contacts, but it caps automations at 5 actions with no branching and no landing pages — it is a sampler, not the full platform. The real ActiveCampaign starts at Plus ($49/month annual). It earns its place here because no other platform at this price offers automation depth anywhere near it, and reviewers consistently note it is worth budgeting for Plus if automation drives your revenue. The catch to watch: accounts created since November 2025 are billed for all contacts, including unsubscribed ones.
Cheapest at your list size
Under 250 subscribers, sending occasionally: MailerLite Free or Mailchimp Free both cost $0. MailerLite’s is the more capable — automations, landing pages, and 2,500 emails/month versus Mailchimp’s 500 sends with no automation. For a deeper comparison of what free plans really include, see Best Free Email Marketing Software.
1,000 subscribers, sending weekly (about 4,000 emails/month): Brevo Starter at $9/month is the cheapest paid option — the 5,000-email tier covers it with unlimited contacts. MailerLite Comfort is $19/month. Kit Creator is $39/month ($33 annual). Mailchimp Essentials sits between its $13 (500 contacts) and $75 (5,000 contacts) tiers — check the pricing slider for the exact 1,000-contact figure.
5,000 subscribers, sending weekly (about 20,000 emails/month): Brevo Starter at $32/month (20,000-email tier) is still the cheapest. MailerLite Comfort is $49/month. Mailchimp Essentials is about $75/month. Kit Creator is $89/month. ActiveCampaign at this size is in a different league on price — and on automation.
10,000 subscribers, sending weekly (about 40,000 emails/month): Brevo at the 50,000-email tier ($56 Starter / $97 Standard) remains the cheapest by a wide margin. MailerLite Comfort is $89/month. Mailchimp Standard is about $135/month. Kit Creator is $139/month. The send-based model pulls further ahead as lists grow, because contacts stop mattering to the bill.
The pattern: under ~2,000 subscribers, the cheapest pick varies by how often you send. Above ~5,000, Brevo’s send-based pricing is almost always the lowest bill — unless you send very frequently, in which case per-subscriber platforms with unlimited sends (Kit, MailerLite Power) can catch up.
Billing traps that undo the savings
The cheapest sticker price is not the cheapest bill. Watch these:
- Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts. Subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts all count toward your contact tier; only archived, cleaned, or deleted contacts are excluded. Old lists can carry 20–40% dead weight. Cleaning the list directly lowers the bill — our guide How to Clean Your Email List (and Why It Lowers Your Bill) walks through it.
- ActiveCampaign’s all-contacts billing. Since November 2025, new accounts pay for every contact including bounced and unconfirmed ones. Import a dirty list and you pay for the dirt.
- Brevo’s volume slider. Brevo’s price climbs with monthly send volume on the same plan — a heavy month moves you up the ladder automatically. Budget for your busiest month, not your average one.
- The free-plan downgrade cycle. Both Mailchimp and MailerLite cut their free plans in 2026. Free tiers are marketing, not contracts — build on a free plan assuming you will eventually pay, and pick the paid tier you would land on.
- Automation gates. The cheapest paid tier often excludes the automation you actually need — Brevo Starter has none, ActiveCampaign Starter caps at 5 actions, Mailchimp Essentials has no multi-step journeys. Price the plan that includes your must-have features, not the entry tier.
- Brevo Starter ($9/month) is the cheapest serious paid plan; its send-based pricing with unlimited contacts wins at lists above ~5,000.
- Kit’s free plan (10,000 subscribers, unlimited emails) is the biggest free list available; MailerLite’s free plan is the most feature-complete for small lists.
- Mailchimp’s free plan (250 contacts/500 sends, no automation) is only useful for testing.
- At 10,000 subscribers sending weekly, Brevo costs roughly half of MailerLite and a third of Mailchimp Standard.
- Always price the tier that includes your must-have automation — entry tiers routinely exclude it.
FAQs
What is the cheapest email marketing software in 2026?
Brevo’s Starter plan at $9/month (5,000 emails, unlimited contacts) is the cheapest paid plan from a major platform. On free plans, Kit offers the most (10,000 subscribers, unlimited emails), while Brevo’s free plan offers the most sends (300/day).
Is there a completely free email marketing service?
Yes — several. Kit (10,000 subscribers), Brevo (300 emails/day), MailerLite (250 subscribers/2,500 emails), and Mailchimp (250 contacts/500 sends) all have free tiers. Each has real limits, so “free” works for starting out, not for scaling.
Why is Brevo so much cheaper than Mailchimp?
Brevo charges per email sent, not per contact stored, and contacts are unlimited on paid plans. Mailchimp charges per contact (including unsubscribed ones). For large lists with moderate sending, the difference is routinely 40–60%.
What is the catch with cheap email marketing plans?
Usually one of three: the entry tier excludes automation (Brevo Starter, Mailchimp Essentials), the free plan was recently cut (Mailchimp, MailerLite in 2026), or the billing model punishes your specific shape — big list on a contact-based plan, or heavy sending on a send-based plan.
Should I just use the free plan forever?
Free plans are fine for validating an idea, but every major platform cut free limits in 2026 and they include branding, support, or automation restrictions. Plan for the paid tier you will land on within a year, and choose the platform whose paid pricing fits that future.
Conclusion
For most businesses watching the budget, the answer in 2026 is Brevo: $9/month paid entry, unlimited contacts, and send-based pricing that stays cheap as lists grow. Small lists that send often should compare MailerLite Comfort ($12/month) and Kit’s generous free tier. And whatever you pick, price the plan with the automation you need and clean your list regularly — the billing model, not the sticker price, decides what you actually pay. For the full story on this year’s price moves, see 2026 Email Pricing Changes: What Got More Expensive This Year.
All prices as of September 2026 — check each vendor’s current pricing page before committing, since free tiers in particular have been cut twice in the last two years.