Email platforms bill three ways: per contact (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign), per email sent (Brevo), or per active subscriber (MailerLite, Kit). The model matters more than the brand — at 10,000 contacts, the same sending schedule can cost $56/month on one platform and $189 on another. Below: how each model works, with worked costs at three list sizes.
- The three billing models
- Model 1: per contact
- Model 2: per send
- Model 3: per subscriber
- Worked examples: 1k, 5k, 10k
- Which model fits your shape
- Key takeaways
- FAQs
- Conclusion
The three billing models
Every email platform’s price is a function of two variables: how many people you can reach and how much you send. The three models just choose different variables to charge for:
| Model | You pay for | Ignores | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per contact | Everyone in your database | How much you send | Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign |
| Per send | Emails actually sent | How many contacts you store | Brevo |
| Per subscriber | Active subscribed people | Unsubscribed/inactive contacts | MailerLite, Kit |
The practical consequence: a per-contact platform punishes large, quiet lists. A per-send platform punishes frequent sending to any list size. A per-subscriber platform sits in the middle — it punishes list growth but not sending frequency (within send limits).
Model 1: per contact
How it works: you pay for every contact in your database, in tiers. Mailchimp’s Standard plan, for example, is $20/month for up to 500 contacts, $100/month for 2,501–5,000, and $135/month for 5,001–10,000 (verified March 2026 via the retainful.com pricing breakdown of mailchimp.com). ActiveCampaign’s Plus is $49/month annual for 1,000 contacts, rising with list size.
The fine print that decides the bill:
- Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts. Subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts all count; only archived, cleaned, or deleted contacts are excluded. A list where 30% unsubscribed over the years bills you for all of them.
- ActiveCampaign’s 2025 rule change. Accounts created on or after 3 November 2025 are billed for all contacts, including unsubscribed, bounced, and unconfirmed. Older accounts are grandfathered on marketed-contacts billing — for now.
- Duplicate contacts can double-count. The same email in two Mailchimp audiences counts twice.
When it is cheapest: small, engaged, frequently-emailed lists. If every contact is active and you send often, per-contact pricing is straightforward and the send multipliers (10–15x contacts/month) are generous.
When it is most expensive: large lists with low engagement — the classic “we collected emails for years” database. You pay for thousands of people you never email.
Model 2: per send
How it works: you pay for email volume; contacts are unlimited. Brevo is the only major platform on this model: Starter from $9/month (5,000 emails), with 10,000 emails at $17, 20,000 at $32, 50,000 at $56, and 100,000 at $82; Standard from $18/month (5,000 emails) up to $139 at 100,000 — verified July 2026 via automationatlas.io’s Brevo pricing breakdown and confirmed on brevo.com/pricing.
The fine print:
- The price climbs with volume on the same plan. Brevo’s tiers are send-volume ladders, not flat plan prices. Budget for your busiest month.
- Automation is gated by plan, not volume. Starter has no marketing automation; Standard ($18/month base) adds it. A high-volume sender who needs automation pays Standard’s ladder.
- Contacts truly do not matter. A 100,000-contact list sending one campaign a month (100,000 emails) costs $82 on Starter — less than Mailchimp charges for 5,000 contacts.
When it is cheapest: large lists, moderate sending. Newsletters, announcements, monthly promotions — anything where the list is big and the cadence is weekly or less.
When it is most expensive: small lists with very frequent sending. Daily emails to 2,000 contacts (60,000 emails/month) cost more on Brevo than on a subscriber-based platform with unlimited sends.
Model 3: per subscriber
How it works: you pay for active subscribed people; sending within generous limits is included. MailerLite’s Comfort plan is $12/month (500 subscribers), $19 at 1,000, $49 at 5,000, $89 at 10,000, with 10x the subscriber tier in monthly sends. Kit’s Creator is $39/month monthly ($33 annual) for 1,000 subscribers, $89 at 5,000, $139 at 10,000, with unlimited sends.
The fine print:
- “Active” is defined differently. MailerLite counts only “active used” subscribers (emailed in the past 30 days) — inactive ones do not count, which is fairer than it sounds. Kit counts unique active subscribers. Mailchimp-style unsubscribed-counting does not apply here.
- Unlimited sends is the attraction. Kit includes unlimited emails on every plan; MailerLite Power includes unlimited sends. If you email daily, this model wins.
- List growth is the cost driver. Every new subscriber raises the bill regardless of engagement — the mirror image of per-send pricing.
When it is cheapest: small-to-medium lists that send frequently. Daily newsletters, engaged communities, creators emailing often.
When it is most expensive: large lists with infrequent sending — you pay subscriber prices for people you email monthly.
Worked examples: 1k, 5k, 10k
Scenario: you send one campaign per week to your whole list — roughly 4 sends per contact per month. All prices September 2026, monthly billing. Verify current pricing before buying.
1,000 contacts, ~4,000 emails/month
| Platform | Plan | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Starter (5,000-email tier) | $9 |
| MailerLite | Comfort (1,000 subs, 10,000 sends included) | $19 |
| ActiveCampaign | Starter (1,000 contacts) | $19 ($15 annual) |
| Mailchimp | Essentials (1,000-contact tier) | ~$26.50 (501–1,500 tier) |
| Kit | Creator (1,000 subs) | $39 ($33 annual) |
At this size, Brevo is cheapest — but note ActiveCampaign Starter’s 5-action automation cap and Mailchimp Essentials’ lack of multi-step journeys. The cheapest capable plan here is Brevo Standard ($18) or MailerLite Comfort ($19).
5,000 contacts, ~20,000 emails/month
| Platform | Plan | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Starter (20,000-email tier) | $32 |
| MailerLite | Comfort (5,000 subs) | $49 |
| Brevo | Standard (20,000-email tier, with automation) | $69 |
| Mailchimp | Essentials (2,501–5,000 tier) | ~$75 |
| Kit | Creator (5,000 subs) | $89 |
| Mailchimp | Standard (2,501–5,000 tier) | ~$100 |
Brevo’s lead widens. Note the trap: Mailchimp’s ~$75 assumes a clean list — with 30% unsubscribed dead weight, you are really paying for ~7,000 contacts and land in a higher tier.
10,000 contacts, ~40,000 emails/month
| Platform | Plan | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Starter (50,000-email tier) | $56 |
| MailerLite | Comfort (10,000 subs) | $89 |
| Brevo | Standard (50,000-email tier, with automation) | $97 |
| Mailchimp | Standard (5,001–10,000 tier) | ~$135 |
| Kit | Creator (10,000 subs) | $139 |
| ActiveCampaign | Plus (10,000 contacts) | ~$189 |
The pattern is stark: at 10,000 contacts, Brevo costs less than half of Mailchimp Standard and less than a third of ActiveCampaign Plus. The per-contact model scales the worst; the per-send model scales the best — for this sending shape. Flip the scenario to daily sending (300,000 emails/month) and Brevo’s volume ladder climbs steeply while Kit’s and MailerLite’s unlimited sends stay flat.
One more scenario — the quiet giant: 50,000 contacts, one email a month (50,000 emails). Brevo Starter: $56. Mailchimp Standard at 50,000 contacts: ~$450. MailerLite Comfort at 50,000: well over $200. This is the shape where per-send pricing is not just cheaper — it is a different universe.
Which model fits your shape
Answer two questions:
- Is your list large relative to your sending? (Big list, weekly or monthly cadence → per-send/Brevo.)
- Do you send very frequently to a modest list? (Daily or more → per-subscriber with unlimited sends/Kit or MailerLite Power.)
And two rules that override everything:
- Clean your list before choosing a per-contact platform. On Mailchimp and newer ActiveCampaign accounts, dead contacts are a direct surcharge. Our list-cleaning guide shows how — it is the fastest discount in email marketing.
- Price the automation you need, not the entry tier. The cheapest tier on every platform excludes the automation most businesses actually want. Compare Brevo Standard vs. Mailchimp Standard vs. ActiveCampaign Plus, not the entry plans.
For the cheapest real bills at each list size, see Cheapest Email Marketing Software: 7 Budget Picks Compared; for what you can get without paying at all, see Best Free Email Marketing Software.
- Three models: per contact (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign), per send (Brevo), per subscriber (MailerLite, Kit).
- At 10,000 contacts sending weekly: Brevo ~$56, MailerLite $89, Mailchimp ~$135, ActiveCampaign Plus ~$189.
- Per-send wins for large lists with moderate cadence; per-subscriber with unlimited sends wins for frequent sending to modest lists.
- Per-contact billing punishes unengaged and unsubscribed contacts — cleaning the list is a direct discount.
- Always compare the tiers that include your required automation, not entry prices.
FAQs
What is the difference between contacts and subscribers in email pricing?
“Contacts” usually means everyone in your database (Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign count unsubscribed contacts too, on newer accounts). “Subscribers” usually means active, subscribed people (MailerLite and Kit exclude unsubscribed and inactive). The distinction can change your bill by 30% or more.
Is per-send or per-subscriber pricing cheaper?
It depends on your shape. Per-send (Brevo) is cheaper for large lists with weekly-or-less sending. Per-subscriber with unlimited sends (Kit, MailerLite Power) is cheaper for small-to-medium lists emailed daily. Work out your monthly email volume first, then compare.
Why does Mailchimp get so expensive as my list grows?
Mailchimp bills per contact in tiers, and it counts unsubscribed contacts too. As lists age, 20–40% is often dead weight you still pay for. Cleaning the list — archiving or deleting unsubscribed contacts — drops you into a lower tier.
How many emails can I send per month on these plans?
Mailchimp: 10x contacts (Essentials), 12x (Standard), 15x (Premium). ActiveCampaign: 10x (Starter/Plus), 12x (Pro), 15x (Enterprise). Brevo: whatever volume tier you pay for. MailerLite Comfort: 10x your subscriber tier; Power: unlimited. Kit: unlimited on all plans.
Do annual plans save money?
Brevo annual is ~10% cheaper; MailerLite annual is 10% off; Kit annual saves roughly 15% ($33 vs $39 on Creator); ActiveCampaign annual vs monthly saves about 20% on Starter ($15 vs $19). Mailchimp’s 15% annual discount applies mainly at 10,000+ contacts.
Conclusion
Email pricing is not complicated once you see the three models — but it is punishing if you ignore them. Map your shape first: list size, send frequency, and how much of your list is actually engaged. Then pick the model that charges for what you use least. For most businesses with a growing list and a weekly cadence, that is per-send pricing; for frequent senders with tight lists, per-subscriber with unlimited sends; per-contact only when the list is small, clean, and fully engaged. For what specifically changed at each platform this year, see our 2026 pricing changes roundup.
Prices as of September 2026 — verify current tiers on the vendor pricing pages, since both the prices and the counting rules have changed in the last year.