Brevo vs MailerLite for Startups: Cheapest Plans by List Size
Brevo or MailerLite for an early-stage startup? Compare free plans, starting prices by list size, and the trade-offs that matter before you pay.
By the editorial team
For most startups that are still small, Brevo is the cheaper paid starting point. Its Starter plan is listed at $9 a month, billed monthly, and covers 5,000 emails a month with no daily sending limit. Its free plan allows 300 email sends a day and stores up to 100,000 contacts. That suits a founder with a few hundred or a few thousand contacts who sends an onboarding sequence, a launch update or a weekly newsletter. MailerLite is the better choice when the list is growing steadily and you want to send as often as you like without counting messages. Its Power plan is listed at $25 a month billed monthly, or $22.50 a month billed annually, with unlimited monthly emails for the 500-subscriber tier.
This page compares the two tools for startups only: founders and small teams who need email to bring in users, onboard them and keep them informed, and who do not want to pay more than necessary before the product earns revenue. The prices below come from each vendor's pricing page as it read on 7 October 2026. Check the dates and tiers on those pages before you buy, because plans change.
At a glance
The table below lists the parts of each tool that matter most for a budget decision. The entry price is the lowest paid plan that each vendor lists on its pricing page.
| Tool | Best for | Entry price (plan and billing) | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Early-stage startups with a small list that sends often and wants a low, predictable monthly bill | Starter at $9/month, billed monthly, for 5,000 emails a month. Free plan at $0 with 300 sends a day | Paid plans are priced by monthly email volume, so a large list that is mailed in full every month costs more than a small list mailed weekly |
| MailerLite | Startups with a growing list that sends frequently and wants the number of emails to stop mattering | Comfort at $12/month billed monthly, or $10.80/month billed annually, for the 500-subscriber tier. Free plan at $0 for up to 250 subscribers | The free plan stops at 250 subscribers, and the paid price is tied to subscriber tiers, so cost rises as the list grows |
In short: Brevo is the lower-cost pick for a small list sent at a steady pace, and MailerLite Power is the simpler pick for a list that is growing and sends often. The rest of this page explains where that line falls for your own numbers.
How each price is calculated
The two vendors charge for different things, and that difference drives most cost decisions. Brevo sets its paid plans by how many emails you send in a month. You choose a volume band and pay for it. Starter starts at 5,000 emails a month, Standard is listed at $18 a month with automation, A/B testing and advanced reports, and Professional covers 150,000 to 10 million monthly sends for up to 2 million contacts, from $499 a month. The number of contacts matters less than the number of messages you push out.
MailerLite sets its paid plans by subscriber count, and each tier carries a monthly email allowance. On the Comfort tier, which starts at the 500-subscriber level, the allowance is ten times the subscriber ceiling, so a 500-person list gets 5,000 emails a month. On Power, the same 500-subscriber tier allows unlimited monthly emails. That changes the arithmetic: a MailerLite customer with a large, frequently mailed list pays for the list, while a Brevo customer pays for the sends.
That gives a simple test. If your list is small and you send a few times a month, count your emails and use Brevo's volume pricing as your guide. If your list is large and you send only occasionally, count your subscribers and check MailerLite's tier for that size. If you send frequently to a list that is growing, MailerLite Power's flat allowance may be worth the higher entry price, because a daily product update or a weekly newsletter does not change what you pay.
Free plans at each stage
Both vendors offer a free plan, and for a pre-launch startup that is often where the decision begins. Brevo's free plan allows 300 email sends a day and stores up to 100,000 contacts. A founder who sends a welcome message and a short weekly update to a few hundred people can stay on that plan without paying. The daily cap is the constraint to watch. Three hundred sends in one day is enough for most early-stage programmes, but a launch day with many automated messages can reach it.
MailerLite's free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. That is a clean limit to plan around for a waiting list or an early beta. Once you pass 250 subscribers, you move to a paid tier, and the cost is set by the subscriber count rather than by how much you send. For a waiting list that is still under 250 people, MailerLite's free plan is a strong fit. For a list that you expect to pass 250 quickly, Brevo's free plan has more room on contact storage, although the daily cap applies.
What a startup pays at realistic list sizes
The table uses both contact counts and monthly email volume, because the two vendors price on different variables. Where a plan price for a given size is not published on the vendor's pricing page, the cell says so and gives the next step. Where a figure is shown, it is the price for the plan named in the cell.
| Scenario | Brevo | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| 250 contacts, about 2,500 emails a month (around 83 a day on average) | Free plan at $0. The monthly volume is well under the 300 sends a day cap | Free plan at $0. Covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month |
| 500 contacts, about 5,000 emails a month | Starter at $9/month billed monthly, or $108 a year (12 × $9). Starter starts at 5,000 emails a month | Comfort at $12/month billed monthly, or $10.80/month billed annually ($129.60 a year: 12 × $10.80). Monthly allowance of 5,000 emails |
| 500 contacts, unlimited sends (for example, a daily product update) | Pricing on request for the monthly volume you need, because the plan follows the number of emails | Power at $25/month billed monthly, or $22.50/month billed annually ($270 a year: 12 × $22.50). Emails are unlimited on this tier |
| 1,000 contacts, about 5,000 emails a month | Starter at $9/month billed monthly, if the monthly volume stays within the 5,000 email starting band | Pricing on request for the 1,000-subscriber tier. The published Comfort and Power figures apply to the 500-subscriber tier |
| About 150,000 emails a month | Professional from $499/month, covering 150,000 to 10 million monthly sends and up to 2 million contacts | Pricing on request. The published tiers do not cover this volume |
Two points stand out from this table. First, for the same 5,000-email month, Brevo's Starter at $9 costs less than MailerLite's Comfort at $12 billed monthly. The gap narrows on MailerLite's annual Comfort price of $10.80 a month, but Brevo's monthly price is still lower. Second, once a startup needs unlimited sends at a 500-subscriber list, MailerLite Power at $25 monthly is the published option, while Brevo's cost depends on the exact monthly volume. Brevo's yearly options also appear on its pricing page, so compare those before you sign an annual contract.
Brevo for startups
What it does well
Brevo is built around sending. Its free plan is generous for a founder who is just starting, because 300 sends a day can run a welcome sequence for new signups, a launch announcement and a short weekly update without any payment. Storage for up to 100,000 contacts on the free plan means you do not need to prune a growing list early on, which many startups do when they expect a fast ramp.
The Starter plan is the cheapest paid entry point in this comparison. At $9 a month billed monthly, it removes the daily cap and gives you 5,000 emails a month. For a list of a few hundred contacts that receives a weekly mail and a handful of automated messages, that is a practical budget, and the cost is easy to forecast. If your sending rises to a volume above the Starter band, you move up a plan. If it stays at a few thousand messages a month, you stay where you are.
Brevo also presents itself as a multi-channel platform, with SMS and chat offered alongside email. Those features matter only if you need them. A startup that wants to send a text reminder for a trial, or to talk with visitors inside the same tool, may avoid a second subscription. Confirm on Brevo's pricing page which channels each plan includes before you design a flow that depends on them, because add-ons and plan limits decide what you actually get.
Where it falls short
Because the paid plans follow monthly volume, a large list that is rarely emailed can cost more than expected when you finally send to all of it. A founder who sends one big announcement each quarter should check the price of that single send at the volume required, not just the monthly tier. The cost of a full-list send is part of the monthly bill, so plan the quarter around it.
The interface also offers many options, and new users sometimes spend time finding settings they expected to see together. Expect a short learning period before you are comfortable with the automation builder and the reporting views. For a founder who is also writing product copy and talking to customers, that setup time is a real cost, even if the licence fee is low.
Price and source
Free is $0, with 300 email sends a day and storage for up to 100,000 contacts. Starter is $9 a month billed monthly and includes 5,000 emails a month with no daily sending limit. Standard is $18 a month and adds automation, A/B testing and advanced reports. Professional is listed from $499 a month for 150,000 to 10 million monthly sends. The full list of plans and billing options is on Brevo's pricing page.
MailerLite for startups
What it does well
MailerLite prices around the size of your audience, which suits a startup whose list grows week by week. The free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. That is enough for a pre-launch waiting list, a small beta or a founder's first newsletter. Once the list passes that limit, you move to a paid tier, and you no longer need to count each message you send to the same people.
The Comfort tier is the entry paid plan. At $12 a month billed monthly, or $10.80 a month billed annually, it covers the 500-subscriber tier with a monthly allowance of 5,000 emails. For a 500-person list that sends a weekly newsletter and a few automated messages, the allowance is usually enough, and the price stays fixed while the list stays within the tier. The Power tier, at $25 a month billed monthly or $22.50 a month billed annually, removes the monthly email limit. That makes it a good fit for a founder who sends frequent product updates or runs regular campaigns to the same list.
MailerLite also includes a website builder and landing pages in its product. For a pre-launch startup that needs a signup page, a simple site and a list in one place, that can replace a separate page tool. Check which features your plan includes before you plan a specific page layout around them.
Where it falls short
The free plan is limited to 250 subscribers, which is a small threshold for any startup that launches publicly. Paid tiers are based on subscriber count, so each step up in list size can raise the price. The steps are predictable, but they are not small, and a list that grows quickly will move through tiers faster than a founder expects. If you need a list above the 500-subscriber tier, the price for the next size is on request, so get the current figure before you assume the cost.
MailerLite is focused on email and the surrounding pages. It does not position itself as a multi-channel platform with SMS and chat in the way Brevo does. A startup that expects to add SMS or live chat next to email will need to check whether that capability fits its budget elsewhere, or whether Brevo's offer is the better match for that plan.
Price and source
Free is $0 for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Comfort is $12 a month billed monthly, or $10.80 a month billed annually, for the 500-subscriber tier with a monthly allowance of 5,000 emails. Power is $25 a month billed monthly, or $22.50 a month billed annually, with unlimited monthly emails for the 500-subscriber tier. See MailerLite's pricing page for the current tiers and billing options.
Which one fits which startup
Choosing between these tools is easier if you start from how you plan to send, not from the feature list. The table below pairs common situations with the tool that usually fits and the reason.
| If you need | Pick | Because |
|---|---|---|
| The lowest paid price for a small list sent a few times a month | Brevo | Starter is $9 a month billed monthly and includes 5,000 emails a month, which is less than the $12 Comfort price for the same volume |
| Free sending while the list is under 250 people | Either | Both free plans are $0. MailerLite's free plan stops at 250 subscribers, while Brevo's allows up to 100,000 contacts but caps daily sends at 300 |
| Frequent sends with no monthly email count to track | MailerLite Power | Emails are unlimited on Power, so a daily product update does not change the price |
| A large list that receives one or two big mailings a month | Compare both | Brevo prices monthly volume, so the cost of each full-list send counts. MailerLite prices the subscriber tier, so the list size sets the cost |
| A signup page and a list in one tool | MailerLite | The website builder and landing pages are part of the email product, so a separate page tool may not be needed |
| SMS or chat next to email | Brevo | Brevo positions SMS and chat as part of its multi-channel offer. Confirm which channels your plan includes on its pricing page |
| Predictable cost at a fixed list size | MailerLite | The subscriber tier sets the price, and the allowance stays fixed until the list moves to the next tier |
Setup and migration checklist
Whichever tool you choose, the first weeks decide whether the monthly price is good value. The checklist below covers the setup steps that matter most for a startup. If you are moving from another tool, the same steps apply, with an export step at the start.
| Step | What to do | Why it matters for cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Export your list | Export contacts with their consent status and sign-up source from your current tool or product database | Your subscriber count sets the tier on MailerLite, and your monthly volume sets the plan on Brevo, so know both numbers before you import |
| 2. Remove inactive and invalid addresses | Delete bounced addresses and people who have not engaged for a long period, and keep a record of what you removed | You stop paying to store and send to contacts who will not engage, and you may drop below a tier threshold |
| 3. Authenticate your sending domain | Set up SPF and DKIM records for your domain in the new tool, following the vendor's documentation | Authenticated mail is more likely to reach the inbox, so your paid sends are not wasted on messages that land in spam |
| 4. Import and tag by source | Tag subscribers by where they joined: waitlist, free trial, paying customer, newsletter | Segments let you send smaller, relevant mailings instead of the whole list every time, which lowers volume on Brevo and keeps engagement higher on MailerLite |
| 5. Build your first automation | Write a welcome sequence of two to four messages for new signups, plus one re-engagement message for inactive contacts | Automated messages are usually the most valuable part of a small list, and they fit inside either free plan at launch |
| 6. Check the plan before the first big send | Before a large campaign, compare the planned volume with the plan limits on the vendor's pricing page | Avoids paying for a tier you do not need, and avoids hitting a limit in the middle of a campaign |
How to choose for your startup
Start by writing down three numbers: the size of your list today, the size you expect in six months, and the number of emails you plan to send each month. Those figures tell you more than any feature list. If your list is small and your sending is steady, Brevo's Starter plan is the lower-cost option, and its volume-based price gives you room to grow. If your list is growing quickly and you want to send often without counting messages, MailerLite's Power plan makes more sense, even though it costs more at the entry point.
Then look at what else you need from the tool. A founder who wants a signup page and a list in one place should weigh MailerLite's website builder. A founder who expects to add SMS or chat later should check whether Brevo's plan includes those channels at the price needed. Do not choose on a feature you are unlikely to use in the first year, because each unused feature is a setup cost with no return.
Finally, test your setup before you commit to a paid plan. Both free plans let you build a welcome sequence, add a sign-up form and check domain authentication without paying. Use that time to see how each tool handles your own signup flow, and how quickly you can find the settings you need when something goes wrong.
Common mistakes startups make with these tools
The most frequent mistake is paying for a tier based on the list you hope to have rather than the list you have. On MailerLite, a subscriber count above the free limit moves you to a paid tier straight away, so importing a large, unchecked list early can cost money before you send a single message. Clean the list first, and move up a tier only when the active list needs it.
The second mistake is ignoring how the free plan changes when the product launches. A waiting list that stays under 250 people fits MailerLite's free plan. A public launch can add thousands of signups in a week, and the paid tier then becomes a real cost. Brevo's free plan has a daily send cap, so a launch day with many automated messages can run into it. Set a daily sending plan for launch week so you know which limit you are likely to meet first.
The third mistake is treating the email tool as the whole lifecycle system. Email tools deliver messages and track opens and clicks. They do not replace your product database or your billing system. Keep the list of users synchronised with the product's own data, and decide in advance which events trigger which messages, so that a new signup or a trial ending produces the right email without manual work.
Checking these prices and corrections
The prices on this page are the ones shown on each vendor's pricing page as it read on 7 October 2026. Brevo's Starter is listed at $9 a month billed monthly, for 5,000 emails a month. Its free plan allows 300 email sends a day and stores up to 100,000 contacts. Its Professional plan is listed from $499 a month. MailerLite's free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Its Comfort tier is $12 a month billed monthly, or $10.80 a month billed annually, for the 500-subscriber tier. Power is $25 a month billed monthly, or $22.50 a month billed annually, with unlimited monthly emails.
Prices are in US dollars and exclude any taxes a vendor may add in your country. If a figure on this page no longer matches a vendor's pricing page, the vendor's page is the correct source. To see how we read pricing pages and how to report a correction, read our how we evaluate page. For background on who writes these comparisons, see our about page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brevo or MailerLite cheaper for a startup with 500 contacts?
It depends on how many emails you send. For about 5,000 emails a month, Brevo's Starter at $9 a month billed monthly is less than MailerLite's Comfort at $12 billed monthly, or $10.80 billed annually. If you send more often and want unlimited emails, MailerLite's Power plan at $25 billed monthly, or $22.50 billed annually, is the option to compare.
Can I use either free plan for a pre-launch waiting list?
Yes, as long as the list stays within the limits. MailerLite's free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Brevo's free plan allows 300 email sends a day and stores up to 100,000 contacts, so it has more room for a larger list, but the daily cap applies on busy days.
Which free plan is better for a founder?
It depends on which limit you will hit first. If your list will grow past 250 people quickly, Brevo's free plan leaves more room on contact storage. If your list will stay small and you want to send without a daily cap concern, MailerLite's free plan is a simple option up to its 250-subscriber and 2,500-email limits.
Does MailerLite include a website builder?
MailerLite includes a website builder and landing pages in its product, which can help a pre-launch startup that needs a signup page without a separate tool. Check which features your plan includes on the pricing page before you plan a specific layout.
Does Brevo include SMS and chat?
Brevo presents SMS and chat as part of its multi-channel platform. Whether a given channel is included in your plan depends on the plan and any add-ons, so confirm this on Brevo's pricing page before you build a messaging flow that relies on it.
What happens to my price if my list doubles?
On Brevo, the price follows your monthly email volume, so doubling your list raises the cost only if you send twice as many emails. On MailerLite, the price follows your subscriber tier, so doubling a list can move you to the next tier. Check the tier for your new size on the vendor page, and plan for both the list size and the monthly send volume.
Can I move my list from one tool to the other?
Yes. Export your contacts with their consent status and sign-up source, remove inactive and invalid addresses, and import the cleaned list into the new tool. Set up your sending domain again in the new tool before you send, and rebuild your welcome sequence there. Keep a copy of the old list until the new tool has delivered your first campaigns successfully.
Where can I check the current prices?
Use the pricing pages directly: Brevo's pricing page and MailerLite's pricing page. The prices on this page are as shown on 7 October 2026, and each vendor may change its tiers or billing options at any time.