Best email marketing tools 2026
Top picks for email marketing tools 2026: Mailchimp (small businesses already using Intuit/QuickBooks who want an all-in-one marketing platform, not just email, free plan for 250 contacts and 500 sends per month; paid Essentials from about $13 per month for 500 contacts), Kit (ConvertKit) (individual creators and newsletter writers who want landing pages and automations built for solo publishing, not team marketing, free Newsletter plan for up to 10,000 subscribers; paid Creator from about $33 per month for 1,000 subscribers, raised from $15 per month in September 2026), Brevo (large contact lists on a budget, since pricing scales with email volume sent rather than list size, free plan for up to 100,000 contacts with a 300 emails per day cap; paid Starter from about $9 per month, priced by emails sent rather than contacts stored). All 4 tools here are compared on pricing, free plans, features and platforms, verified against vendor sources.
Pricing and features verified against each vendor's published information on 2026-09-12. Sources linked below.
At a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Pricing from | Best for | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | Yes | Free plan for 250 contacts and 500 sends per month; paid Essentials from about $13 per month for 500 contacts | small businesses already using Intuit/QuickBooks who want an all-in-one marketing platform, not just email | Web, iOS, Android |
| Kit (ConvertKit) | Yes | Free Newsletter plan for up to 10,000 subscribers; paid Creator from about $33 per month for 1,000 subscribers, raised from $15 per month in September 2026 | individual creators and newsletter writers who want landing pages and automations built for solo publishing, not team marketing | Web, iOS, Android |
| Brevo | Yes | Free plan for up to 100,000 contacts with a 300 emails per day cap; paid Starter from about $9 per month, priced by emails sent rather than contacts stored | large contact lists on a budget, since pricing scales with email volume sent rather than list size | Web, iOS, Android |
| MailerLite | Yes | Free plan for 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails per month, cut from 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails in June 2026; paid Comfort from about $12 per month for 500 subscribers | budget-conscious small lists that want a simple drag-and-drop builder without an enterprise price tag | Web, iOS, Android |
The shortlist
1. Mailchimp
Free planFounded 2001
Free plan for 250 contacts and 500 sends per month; paid Essentials from about $13 per month for 500 contacts. Best for small businesses already using Intuit/QuickBooks who want an all-in-one marketing platform, not just email.
- Drag-and-drop email builder with pre-built templates
- Customer journey automation builder
- Built-in website and landing page builder
- Multivariate testing on the top Premium tier
2. Kit (ConvertKit)
Free planFounded 2013
Free Newsletter plan for up to 10,000 subscribers; paid Creator from about $33 per month for 1,000 subscribers, raised from $15 per month in September 2026. Best for individual creators and newsletter writers who want landing pages and automations built for solo publishing, not team marketing.
- Unlimited landing pages and forms even on the free plan
- Visual automation builder for subscriber journeys
- Paid newsletter and digital product sales built in
- Creator Network for cross-promotion between newsletters
3. Brevo
Free planFounded 2012
Free plan for up to 100,000 contacts with a 300 emails per day cap; paid Starter from about $9 per month, priced by emails sent rather than contacts stored. Best for large contact lists on a budget, since pricing scales with email volume sent rather than list size.
- Pricing by monthly email volume, not contact-list size
- Built-in CRM, SMS and WhatsApp messaging alongside email
- Marketing automation included on the free plan
- Transactional email API alongside marketing email
4. MailerLite
Free planFounded 2010
Free plan for 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails per month, cut from 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails in June 2026; paid Comfort from about $12 per month for 500 subscribers. Best for budget-conscious small lists that want a simple drag-and-drop builder without an enterprise price tag.
- Drag-and-drop editor with a built-in AI writing assistant
- Website and landing page builder on paid plans
- Automation workflows with visual builder
- 2 user seats included even on the free plan
Head-to-head comparisons
- Mailchimp vs Kit (ConvertKit)
- Mailchimp vs Brevo
- Mailchimp vs MailerLite
- Kit (ConvertKit) vs Brevo
- Kit (ConvertKit) vs MailerLite
- Brevo vs MailerLite
FAQ
- What are the best free email marketing tools?
- Tools with a free plan here include Mailchimp, Kit (ConvertKit), Brevo, MailerLite. Compare limits before committing.
- How many email marketing tools did this list compare?
- This page compares 4 tools, each linked to its own site.