MailerLite in 2026 offers a free plan capped at 250 subscribers, Comfort from $12/month, and Power from $25/month, following a June 2026 overhaul that renamed tiers and cut the free plan. It remains one of the cheapest full-featured platforms. This review breaks down the new plans and who it suits.
In this review
- MailerLite pricing in 2026
- The June 2026 price overhaul: what changed
- How “active subscriber” billing works
- The free plan after the cuts
- Comfort vs Power
- Builder, automation, and templates
- Websites, monetization, and extras
- Support and approval process
- Who MailerLite is actually for
- Key takeaways
- MailerLite FAQs
MailerLite pricing in 2026
MailerLite prices on active subscriber count across four tiers: Free, Comfort (renamed from Growing Business), Power (renamed from Advanced), and Enterprise. Prices below are monthly-billing figures as of Sept 2026, from a 2026 pricing guide (https://www.emailtooltester.com/en/reviews/mailerlite/pricing/) — annual billing saves 10%. Check the vendor’s current pricing page before buying.
| Subscribers | Free | Comfort | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | $0 (2,500 emails/mo) | $12/mo | $25/mo |
| 1,000 | — | $19/mo | $39/mo |
| 2,500 | — | $33/mo | $49/mo |
| 5,000 | — | $49/mo | $69/mo |
| 10,000 | — | $89/mo | $129/mo |
| 50,000 | — | $289/mo | $389/mo |
Comfort includes 10x your subscriber tier in monthly emails (500 subscribers = 5,000 emails/month); Power includes unlimited monthly emails. Enterprise (250,000+ subscribers) is custom-quoted with a dedicated success manager.
The headline comparison: at 5,000 subscribers, MailerLite Comfort costs $49/month — against Mailchimp Essentials at $75/month and Standard at $100/month for 5,000 contacts. We run the full numbers in Mailchimp vs MailerLite.
The June 2026 price overhaul: what changed
On June 16, 2026, MailerLite executed a full pricing overhaul — the second free-plan cut in recent years and a rename of both paid tiers:
- Free plan cut again: from 1,000 subscribers / 12,000 emails per month down to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. The previous cut had already reduced it from 500; the June overhaul halved it again.
- Plan renames: “Growing Business” became Comfort, “Advanced” became Power. The renames came with premium features like smart sending, AI writing assistant, and the unsubscribe page builder moving into the paid tiers’ positioning.
- Prices rose across the board, per third-party coverage of the overhaul — though MailerLite remains among the cheapest full-featured options.
- Trial shortened: the premium-feature trial for new users dropped from 30 days to 14 days.
The pattern is industry-wide — Mailchimp cut its free plan in early 2026 too — but MailerLite’s double cut stings because the generous free plan was historically its biggest draw. For the full timeline of this year’s pricing shifts across all platforms, see our 2026 email pricing changes roundup, and for a focused breakdown, our MailerLite 2026 price overhaul piece.
How “active subscriber” billing works
MailerLite’s fairest pricing mechanic: only active subscribers — those emailed in the past 30 days, described as “active used” subscribers — count toward your plan limit. Inactive contacts sitting on your list don’t inflate the bill the way they do on Mailchimp or (for new accounts) ActiveCampaign.
This is a structural advantage for seasonal businesses and re-engagement workflows: a 10,000-person list where only 6,000 were emailed in the last month bills at the lower tier. Combined with subscriber-based (not contact-based) counting, MailerLite’s billing is among the most forgiving in the industry. It’s the mechanism we highlight in our guide to email marketing pricing explained.
The usual hygiene advice still applies — cleaning dead weight keeps deliverability high — but on MailerLite, a messy list costs you inbox placement, not an inflated invoice.
The free plan after the cuts
The current free plan: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 2 user seats, HTML editor, landing page templates, 100+ integrations, 3 active automations (5 steps each), 3 forms, 1 landing page, 1 website, and 1 digital product or booking. MailerLite branding appears on emails and can’t be removed.
What’s notably included for free: automation (3 automations — more than Mailchimp’s free plan, which has zero), a website builder, and the ability to sell one digital product. What’s gated: AI writing assistant, smart sending, landing page A/B testing, custom domains, multivariate testing, paid newsletters, and direct email support (free users rely on the knowledge base and webinars).
The verdict: still a legitimate testing ground and viable for a genuine micro-list, but the 250-subscriber ceiling means most businesses graduate to Comfort ($12/mo) within months. The free plan is no longer the long-term home it once was. Compare the current free landscape in our best free email marketing software guide.
Comfort vs Power
Comfort (from $12/mo for 500 subscribers) is the small-business tier: 10x subscriber tier in monthly emails, 100+ newsletter templates, AI writing assistant, smart sending, custom domains, landing page A/B testing, auto-resend to non-openers, delivery by timezone, dynamic content, preference center, 50 active automations (100 steps each), 10 forms, 10 websites/landing pages, 5 digital products or bookings, and email support. For most small businesses, Comfort is the complete product.
Power (from $25/mo for 500 subscribers) removes the ceilings: unlimited monthly emails, unlimited automations, unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited users, multiple triggers per automation (up to three triggers on a single automation — unusual at this price), 24/7 live chat support, and partner discounts. Power is about operational headroom rather than new capabilities — the feature lists largely overlap.
The upgrade logic: start on Comfort; move to Power when you hit the automation, user, or email-volume ceilings, or when 24/7 live chat becomes worth $13+/month to you. Most users won’t need Power until the business is genuinely scaling.
One caution from the 2026 pricing guide: feature tables between the tiers are close enough that buyers should map their actual usage (automations count, team size, send volume) rather than assuming Power’s extras justify the jump.
Builder, automation, and templates
MailerLite’s editor is consistently praised as one of the cleanest in the industry — short learning curve, uncluttered, with three editors (simple newsletter, drag-and-drop with AI assistance, custom HTML). The 100+ templates on paid plans are modern and mobile-friendly; the free plan’s template selection is limited.
Automation is included on every plan including free — a genuine differentiator. Comfort allows 50 automations with 100 steps each; Power is unlimited with multiple triggers per automation. The visual workflow builder covers welcome sequences, abandoned carts, and re-engagement competently. Branching logic is thinner than ActiveCampaign’s — MailerLite won’t replace a dedicated automation platform for complex lifecycle marketing, but for small-business workflows it’s more than adequate.
AI features (writing assistant, smart sending, AI landing page builder) are solid productivity tools on paid plans, though not category-leading. Deliverability is a documented strength — MailerLite has a long-standing reputation for strong inbox placement, supported by its strict account approval process (below).
Websites, monetization, and extras
Beyond email, MailerLite bundles tools that competitors charge extra for or don’t offer:
- Website and landing page builder — drag-and-drop, included on all plans (1 site on free, 10 on Comfort, unlimited on Power), with blogging on the free tier.
- Monetization — sell digital products, paid newsletter subscriptions, bookings, and recurring subscriptions from landing pages (1 product on free, 5 on Comfort, unlimited on Power).
- Surveys and quizzes, preference center, unsubscribe page builder — the retention tooling that reduces list churn.
- 100+ integrations including ChatGPT and Claude, plus API and webhooks for custom connections, and an MCP server for AI-tool integration.
For a solopreneur, this bundle is the value story: email + landing pages + website + product sales in one $12–$25/month account replaces a stack that could otherwise cost $50+/month across separate tools.
Support and approval process
Support is clearly tiered: free users get the knowledge base and webinars; Comfort adds direct email support from human agents; Power adds 24/7 live chat. Response quality is generally well-regarded.
The notable friction: manual account approval before you can send. MailerLite reviews every new account to combat spam — good for the platform’s deliverability reputation, occasionally slow for the user. Have your website and business details ready at signup to avoid delays. This strictness is a feature, not a bug: it keeps the shared sending infrastructure clean, which benefits every customer’s inbox placement.
Who MailerLite is actually for
MailerLite is a good fit for:
- Small businesses and solopreneurs on a budget — $12/month for a complete email platform with landing pages and a website builder is the best value bundle in the category.
- Beginners — the cleanest learning curve among full-featured platforms; you can be sending competent campaigns within an hour.
- Creators selling digital products — built-in commerce without a separate platform, at a lower price than creator-specific tools.
- Seasonal or irregular senders — active-subscriber billing means quiet months don’t inflate the bill.
- Anyone prioritizing deliverability — strict approval and clean infrastructure support strong inbox placement.
MailerLite is a poor fit for:
- Complex automation needs — branching logic is thinner than ActiveCampaign’s; lifecycle marketers will hit walls.
- Large teams needing advanced roles — user management is simpler than enterprise platforms.
- Businesses wanting a long-term free home — the 250-subscriber cap ends the free ride quickly; budget for Comfort.
- Senders needing instant account activation — manual approval adds friction at signup.
If budget is the primary filter across all options, our cheapest email marketing software roundup compares MailerLite against six other low-cost picks.
- Pricing: free to 250 subscribers / 2,500 emails; Comfort from $12/mo; Power from $25/mo; annual billing saves 10%.
- The June 16, 2026 overhaul renamed Growing Business → Comfort and Advanced → Power, raised prices, and cut the free plan to 250 subscribers.
- Only “active” subscribers (emailed in the past 30 days) count toward billing — among the fairest billing mechanics available.
- Automation on every plan including free (3 automations); Comfort allows 50, Power unlimited with multiple triggers.
- Cleanest beginner-friendly builder in the category, 100+ templates on paid plans, strong deliverability reputation.
- Bundled website builder, landing pages, and digital-product sales make it a one-account business stack for solopreneurs.
- Manual account approval before sending — good for deliverability, occasionally slow at signup.
- All pricing as of Sept 2026; check MailerLite’s current pricing page before purchasing.
MailerLite FAQs
How much does MailerLite cost in 2026?
Free covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. Comfort starts at $12/month for 500 subscribers ($19 for 1,000; $49 for 5,000). Power starts at $25/month for 500 subscribers ($39 for 1,000; $69 for 5,000). Annual billing saves 10%. All figures as of Sept 2026 — check MailerLite’s current pricing page.
What changed in MailerLite’s June 2026 price overhaul?
Plans were renamed (Growing Business → Comfort, Advanced → Power), prices rose, the free plan was cut to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, and the premium trial shortened from 30 to 14 days.
Is MailerLite really cheaper than Mailchimp?
At most list sizes, yes — substantially. At 5,000 subscribers, MailerLite Comfort ($49/mo) costs about a third less than Mailchimp Essentials ($75/mo) and half of Mailchimp Standard ($100/mo), with a fairer billing model on top.
Does MailerLite have automation on the free plan?
Yes — 3 active automations with 5 steps each, which is more than most competitors’ free tiers (Mailchimp’s free plan has none). Comfort raises this to 50 automations; Power is unlimited.
Why does MailerLite require account approval?
MailerLite manually reviews new accounts to prevent spam, which protects the shared sending infrastructure and supports its strong deliverability reputation. Have business details ready at signup to speed approval.
Conclusion
MailerLite in 2026 remains the value champion for small businesses — even after the June overhaul cut the free plan and raised prices. Comfort at $12/month delivers a clean builder, real automation, landing pages, a website builder, and product sales in one account, billed on the fairest subscriber-counting mechanic in the industry. Nothing else at this price does this much.
The honest framing: the free plan is now a trial with a ceiling, not a home — budget for Comfort from the start. And if your automation needs grow complex, you’ll eventually outgrow it. But for the broad middle of small businesses, creators, and solopreneurs who want competent email marketing without a second thought about the bill, MailerLite is still the easiest recommendation in the category.