Compare Tools

Which tool to start with

If you want one starting point, Kit's free plan is the cheapest complete option for most startups with a list under 10,000 subscribers: broadcasts, landing pages, forms and tagging cost nothing until you need Visual Automations or sequences, which start on the Creator plan at $33 a month billed annually. If your list is still under 250 contacts and you want to pay nothing for a long time, the MailerLite and Mailchimp free plans are the other two serious options. Plans change, so compare against each vendor's pricing page before you sign.

Free plans by list size

Most startups start on a free plan, so the limit that matters first is the one that ends it. The table below lists the free tier of each tool as shown on its pricing page at the time of checking (7 October 2026).

Tool	Free plan limit	What to watch
Kit	Up to 10,000 subscribers; unlimited landing pages, forms and email broadcasts	Visual Automations and sequences start on the Creator plan
beehiiv	Up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, 1 publication	Paid subscriptions and automations need the Lite plan
Loops	Unlimited contacts; up to 4,000 sends in any rolling 30 days to the 1,000 newest contacts	A Loops footer is added to emails; 10 emails per second
MailerLite	Up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails per month	The free tier stops at 250 subscribers
Mailchimp	Up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month (250 per day at most)	The daily cap limits how fast a launch can go out
Brevo	300 email sends per day, storage for up to 100,000 contacts	The daily cap applies to the free plan only
Buttondown	Free for the first 100 subscribers: editor, custom sending domain, hosted archives	Tagging, automations and teams are paid add-ons
Sequenzy	2,500 emails per month, unlimited contacts and sending domains	The limit is on emails sent, not on contacts
Substack	Free to publish; paid subscriptions are optional	Substack takes a revenue share on paid subscriptions

Overview of the main tools

The table compares each tool by audience fit, its lowest listed paid price with the plan and billing view, and the limitation that most often pushes startups to switch. Prices are the starting price shown on each vendor's pricing page.

Tool	Best for	Starting price (plan, billing)	Key limitation
Kit (ConvertKit)	Creators and startups with a list under 10,000	Free to 10,000 subscribers; Creator $33 a month billed annually	Automations need a paid plan
Loops	Product teams sending lifecycle email	Early Stage plan free; Growing Audience $99 a month	The free plan caps sends at 4,000 in any rolling 30 days
beehiiv	Newsletter-led startups	Free to 2,500 subscribers; Lite $49 a month	Built around publishing; subscriber tiers rise quickly
MailerLite	Small lists that need a free start	Free to 250 subscribers; Comfort $12 a month monthly or $10.80 a month annual (500-subscriber tier)	The free tier is small
Brevo	Senders who mail by volume and use several channels	Free at 300 sends a day; Starter $9 a month, from 5,000 emails a month	Pricing follows monthly email volume, not contacts
Mailchimp	Teams that want a familiar, broad suite	Free to 250 contacts; Standard $20 a month at 500 contacts	Price steps up at each contact tier
ActiveCampaign	Teams that need deep automation and a CRM	Starter $15 a month at 1,000 contacts (same annual)	No free plan; a free trial only
Moosend	Low-cost email on mid-sized lists	Pro $16 a month at 1,000 contacts ($13 billed annually)	A 30-day trial, no ongoing free plan
Sequenzy	SaaS teams whose mail follows billing and product events	Free to 2,500 emails a month; $19 a month for 15,000 emails	Priced by emails sent, so frequent mail to a small list costs more
Buttondown	Solo writers and very small lists	Free for the first 100 subscribers; add-ons from $9 a month	Paid tiers scale with subscriber count on the pricing page
GetResponse	Teams running funnels and webinars	Starter $19 a month ($15.58 billed annually)	No ongoing free plan; trial only
Substack	Paid newsletters with no upfront cost	Free to publish; revenue share on paid subscriptions	The platform takes a share of paid revenue

What you will pay at 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 contacts

Contact-based tools charge more as the list grows, and the step size varies by vendor. The table uses three list sizes that most startups reach in their first two years. Where a vendor does not publish a price for that size, the cell says so. Brevo and Sequenzy price by emails sent rather than contacts, so they are not in this table; see the overview above for their starting prices.

Tool (plan)	1,000 contacts	5,000 contacts	10,000 contacts
Moosend (Pro)	$16 a month; $13 a month billed annually	$48 a month; $38 a month billed annually	$88 a month; $70 a month billed annually
beehiiv (Lite)	Free (up to 2,500 subscribers)	$109 a month; $95 a month billed annually	$139 a month; $119 a month billed annually
Kit (Free; Creator for automations)	Free for broadcasts; Creator $33 a month billed annually	Free for broadcasts; Creator $33 a month billed annually	Free for broadcasts; Creator $33 a month billed annually
Mailchimp (Standard tier)	Pricing on request	$100 a month (2,501 to 5,000 contacts tier)	$135 a month (5,001 to 10,000 contacts tier)
ActiveCampaign (Starter / Plus / Pro)	$15 / $49 / $79 a month (same billed annually)	Pricing on request	Pricing on request
MailerLite (Comfort / Power)	Pricing on request	Pricing on request	Pricing on request

Two readings matter here. The Mailchimp step from 5,000 to 10,000 contacts is $35 a month on the published tiers ($135 minus $100), so a list that is about to cross a tier boundary is worth planning for. The Moosend Pro price at 5,000 contacts is $10 a month cheaper when billed annually ($38 instead of $48), which is a 21% reduction on the monthly figure.

Tool by tool

Kit (ConvertKit)

Kit does well for a startup that sends newsletters, launch emails and a steady stream of content to a list that is still growing. The free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages, forms and tagging, so the list can grow without a bill. Its weak spot is automation: Visual Automations and sequences start on Creator at $33 a month billed annually, so a team that needs onboarding flows from day one pays for them. Pricing is tiered by subscriber count on the Kit pricing page at kit.com/pricing.

Loops

Loops is built for product teams that send onboarding, activation and re-engagement email tied to what users do in the app. The Early Stage plan is free and includes all features, but it caps sends at 4,000 in any rolling 30 days, and only to the 1,000 newest contacts. Once the list outgrows that, the Growing Audience plan at $99 a month removes the limit on subscriber sends and includes transactional sending to users outside the audience. Read the free plan limits carefully before you build a large flow on it. Pricing is at loops.so/pricing.

beehiiv

beehiiv suits a startup whose email is a publication: a newsletter with sponsors, paid subscriptions and a growth loop. The free plan is free forever for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends. Paid subscriptions and automations start on Lite at $49 a month for up to 100,000 subscribers, but the price on a larger list depends on the subscriber tier; at 5,000 subscribers the Lite plan is $109 a month, or $95 a month billed annually. It is less suited to product email that follows billing or onboarding events. Pricing is at beehiiv.com/pricing.

MailerLite

MailerLite is the default choice for a very small list that needs a real free plan: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. It is straightforward to set up, which matters for a team with no email operator yet. The limitation is that the free tier ends quickly, and the paid Comfort and Power plans are priced from a 500-subscriber starting tier, so a list that doubles soon after launch moves to a new price band. Pricing is at mailerlite.com/pricing.

Brevo

Brevo prices by monthly email volume rather than by contacts, which suits a startup that sends a lot to a modest list, such as a daily digest or transactional mail, and also needs SMS or other channels. The free plan allows 300 sends a day for up to 100,000 contacts. Paid Starter starts at $9 a month for 5,000 emails a month with no daily limit, and Standard at $18 a month adds automation, A/B testing and advanced reports. The weak point is that volume-based pricing is hard to predict if sending bursts around launches. Pricing is at brevo.com/pricing.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is the familiar choice: many agencies, freelancers and new hires already know it, and the free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. Its costs rise by contact tier. Standard starts at $20 a month for the 500-contact tier, and Mailchimp lists $100 a month for 2,501 to 5,000 contacts and $135 a month for 5,001 to 10,000 contacts. Comparing that with Moosend at the same list sizes is the quickest way to see whether the brand familiarity is worth the gap. Pricing is at mailchimp.com/pricing.

Sequenzy

Sequenzy is built for SaaS teams whose email follows billing and product events. Its payment event, saas.payment_failed, includes a hosted invoice URL where the customer can pay or update their card, so a failed-payment email can link directly to the page where the problem gets fixed. It also offers revenue attribution, unlimited contacts and sending domains, and an API. The free plan covers 2,500 emails a month. The paid Standard plan at $19 a month covers 15,000 emails a month, and the $29 plan covers 30,000. The limit to understand is that pricing follows emails sent, not contacts: a large list mailed rarely can be cheap, while a small list mailed daily can cost more than a contact-priced tool. A newsletter-first team will usually be better served elsewhere. Pricing is at sequenzy.com/pricing.

Moosend

Moosend is a fit for a startup that wants low-cost email on a list of 1,000 to 10,000 contacts. The Pro plan is $16 a month at 1,000 contacts ($13 billed annually), $48 a month at 5,000 ($38 annually) and $88 a month at 10,000 ($70 annually). Email credit packs of 350,000 or 500,000 credits are also offered for higher volumes. It has no ongoing free plan, only a 30-day free trial with no card required, so plan the first month around that. Pricing is at moosend.com/pricing.

How to choose

Start with the question your list will answer first, not the feature list. Four questions cover most startup decisions:

• How many contacts will you have in 12 months? If it is under 2,500, the free plans of beehiiv, MailerLite or Mailchimp cost nothing. If it is under 10,000 and you do not need automations yet, Kit's free plan is the cheapest option.
• What triggers your email? If the trigger is a payment, a plan change or a product action, a lifecycle tool that takes events directly is the better fit. If it is a weekly issue, choose a newsletter platform.
• How often will you send? Contact-priced tools charge the same whether you send once a month or every day. Brevo and Sequenzy charge by sends, so a frequent sender on a small list pays differently.
• Will you migrate later? Choose the tool whose export you can use in a week, because moving consent records and tags is the most expensive part of a switch.

Decision table

If you need	Pick	Because
The cheapest start with a list under 10,000	Kit (free plan)	Unlimited broadcasts, forms and tagging on the free plan up to 10,000 subscribers
Onboarding flows tied to product use, on a zero budget	Loops (Early Stage plan)	All features are included, but sends are capped at 4,000 in a rolling 30 days
Failed-payment and billing emails for a SaaS	Sequenzy	The saas.payment_failed event links to a hosted invoice page where the card can be updated
A paid newsletter with subscriber growth tools	beehiiv	Free to 2,500 subscribers; paid subscriptions and automations on Lite
The lowest listed price at 5,000 contacts	Moosend	$48 a month, or $38 billed annually, against $100 for the Mailchimp 2,501 to 5,000 tier
A free plan for a list under 250 contacts	MailerLite or Mailchimp	Both have free plans with a 250-contact ceiling; MailerLite also allows 2,500 emails a month
Heavy sending plus SMS or other channels	Brevo	Priced by monthly email volume, with a free plan of 300 sends a day

Setup and migration checklist

Moving between email tools is mostly about data, not templates. Work through this list before you cancel the old account:

Step	What to do	Why it matters
1. Export contacts with consent data	Export subscribers with their sign-up date, source and tags	Consent history must travel with the list, or you cannot prove where addresses came from
2. Set up the sending domain	Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for the new tool before the first send	Mail from an unauthenticated domain lands in spam more often
3. Import a small segment first	Send to recent, engaged subscribers in the new tool before the full list	Your sender reputation starts fresh on the new platform
4. Rebuild the core flow	Recreate welcome and onboarding emails as a single tested flow	Flows are the part most teams lose during a move
5. Keep the old account for 30 days	Leave the previous tool running until bounce and complaint rates are steady	It gives you a rollback if the new setup misbehaves

Compare the way you will use it

The head-to-head pages above each start from a specific question, so pick the one that matches your next decision. A comparison of two free plans answers a different question from one about a lifecycle tool that bills by sends. Read the free plan limits and the price at the list size you expect in 12 months, not the one you have today.

Frequently asked questions

Which email tool is free for a startup with no list yet?

Several are. Buttondown is free for the first 100 subscribers, MailerLite for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, and Mailchimp for up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers, but its automations need the paid Creator plan at $33 a month billed annually.

What does a 5,000-contact list cost?

It depends on the tool. Moosend's Pro plan is $48 a month, or $38 a month billed annually. beehiiv's Lite plan is $109 a month, or $95 a month billed annually. Mailchimp lists $100 a month for the 2,501 to 5,000 contacts tier. Kit's free plan covers that size for broadcasts. Check the vendor's pricing page for your exact count.

Is there a free plan that includes automations?

Loops' Early Stage plan includes all features free, but caps sends at 4,000 in any rolling 30 days, to the 1,000 newest contacts. On Kit, the automation features start on the paid Creator plan.

Why does Sequenzy price by emails sent?

Sequenzy's plans are set by monthly email volume, with unlimited contacts on every plan. The free plan covers 2,500 emails a month, and the 15,000-email plan is $19 a month. A small list that receives frequent billing and product emails can cost more than on a contact-priced tool, while a large list mailed rarely can cost less.

Can I switch tools without losing my list?

Yes, if you export subscribers together with their consent data, sign-up date and tags. Set up authenticated sending on the new domain before the first send, begin with a small engaged segment, and keep the old account active for about 30 days in case you need to roll back.

Do these prices include taxes or add-ons?

The prices shown are the base plan prices on each vendor's pricing page. Add-ons such as Buttondown's tagging and segmentation, Sequenzy's SMS add-on or Moosend's email credit packs are billed on top, and taxes depend on your location. Add the add-ons you need before you compare totals.

Which comparison should I read first?

Start from the tool you already use or the one you are leaning toward, then pick the head-to-head against its closest rival. If you are weighing a free plan against a paid one, read the free plan comparison first; if you are choosing between a lifecycle tool and a newsletter platform, start with the Sequenzy and beehiiv pages.