Best MailerLite Alternatives in 2026
Key takeaways
- MailerLite's free plan now caps at 250 subscribers, which pushes growing lists toward Brevo, Kit, or Sender for a cheaper next step.
- Brevo is the best value upgrade for most small teams, since it prices by emails sent rather than contacts and includes SMS and a CRM.
- Kit is the best pick for creators who sell to their audience, with a free plan covering up to 10,000 subscribers and built-in commerce tools.
- ActiveCampaign suits teams that need deep automation and a CRM, but it has no free plan and costs more as contacts grow.
- Switching is low risk: every platform here imports contacts by CSV, though automations usually need rebuilding by hand.
Quick comparison
| Pick | Great for | Pricing starts at | Free tier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| value and multi-channel sending | $9 per month | Yes | Visit | |
| small business all-rounder | $13 per month | Yes | Visit | |
| creators who sell | $39 per month | Yes | Visit | |
| deep automation and CRM | $19 per month | No | Visit | |
| ecommerce email and SMS | $16 per month | Yes | Visit | |
| cheapest simple sending | See website | Yes | Visit | |
| email plus webinars and courses | $19 per month | Yes | Visit | |
| affordable automation | See website | Yes | Visit |
The best MailerLite alternatives
MailerLite is a solid budget tool, but its free plan shrank, its automation stays basic, and useful features sit behind higher tiers. The eight alternatives below cover the reasons people leave: a bigger free plan, stronger automation, ecommerce tools, or creator features.

Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, is our pick for most teams leaving MailerLite because its pricing model fits lists with many quiet subscribers. Instead of charging per contact, Brevo charges by email volume, with a free plan allowing 300 emails a day and a paid Starter plan from $9 per month for 5,000 emails. That structure keeps costs down for businesses that mail rarely or hold a large list.
Brevo also bundles SMS, WhatsApp, and a basic CRM, which suits small teams that want more than email without buying a second tool. The trade is design: its templates and editor are serviceable rather than beautiful, and lower tiers cap stored contacts. For value and breadth, Brevo is the strongest MailerLite alternative on this list.
- Prices by emails sent, not contacts
- Free plan covers 300 emails a day
- Email, SMS, WhatsApp, and CRM in one place
- Contact caps apply on lower tiers
- Template design is less polished than Mailchimp's

Mailchimp is the best-known name in email marketing, and its editor remains one of the easiest for beginners to learn. Templates, audience tools, landing pages, and analytics sit in one dashboard, and integrations cover most ecommerce and website platforms. For a small business that wants an all-rounder without a learning curve, Mailchimp is a safe choice.
The free plan is the catch. It now covers only 250 contacts and 500 monthly sends, so growing lists hit paid plans fast, with entry pricing from $13 per month for 500 contacts. Costs climb steeply at larger list sizes, which is why many Mailchimp users eventually shop elsewhere. Mailchimp suits small lists that value ease and templates over the lowest price.
- Easiest drag-and-drop editor for beginners
- Large template library
- Strong integrations and analytics
- Free plan caps at 250 contacts
- Pricing rises steeply as contacts grow
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is built for creators: writers, podcasters, course sellers, and newsletter publishers. Its free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, which is far more generous than MailerLite's or Mailchimp's, though free automation is limited to one sequence. Tag-based segmentation keeps subscriber management simple, and built-in commerce lets creators sell digital products and paid newsletters without a separate store.
Paid pricing is the downside. Creator plans start at $39 per month for 1,000 subscribers, which is more than most rivals charge at that size, and the price grows with the list. Kit is worth it when the newsletter itself earns money, since its commerce and creator tools are designed for that job. For creators, it is the best MailerLite alternative here.
- Free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers
- Tag-based segmentation
- Built-in commerce for products and paid newsletters
- Paid plans start high at $39 per month for 1,000 subscribers
- Free plan limits automation
ActiveCampaign is the upgrade for teams that outgrow MailerLite's basic automation. Its visual builder supports conditional splits, goals, site tracking, and lead scoring, and the built-in CRM tracks deals alongside campaigns, which suits service businesses and sales-led teams. Segmentation is deep enough to run genuinely different journeys for different subscriber groups.
There is no free plan, only a free trial, and entry pricing starts at $19 per month, rising with contacts and features. The platform also takes longer to learn than MailerLite, so small teams should budget setup time. ActiveCampaign is the best pick when automation and CRM matter more than the lowest price.
- Powerful automation builder with conditional logic
- Built-in CRM
- Strong segmentation and scoring
- No free plan, only a trial
- Learning curve is steeper than MailerLite's
Omnisend is built for online stores, and it shows in the workflows: abandoned cart, welcome series, post-purchase follow-ups, and back-in-stock alerts come prebuilt, with email and SMS combined in the same flow. Integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce sync products, orders, and customer data without manual imports, which saves store owners real time.
The free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 monthly emails, similar to Mailchimp's, and paid plans start at $16 per month for 500 contacts. Non-ecommerce senders will find much of Omnisend's power irrelevant. For store owners leaving MailerLite, Omnisend is the most focused ecommerce alternative here.
- Email plus SMS in one automation flow
- Strong Shopify and WooCommerce integrations
- Prebuilt ecommerce workflows
- Free plan caps at 250 contacts
- Less suited to non-ecommerce senders
Sender is the budget pick for senders who want MailerLite-style simplicity at a lower price. Its free plan covers a useful number of subscribers and sends for a small list, and its paid plans stay cheaper than most big-name rivals at comparable sizes. The editor is straightforward, automation covers the common workflows, and setup takes little time.
The trade is ecosystem. Sender offers fewer integrations and less advanced reporting than Mailchimp, Brevo, or ActiveCampaign, so teams with complex stacks may feel constrained. Pricing details vary by subscriber band, so check the current page for your list size. Sender suits small businesses and newsletters that want simple, cheap sending without frills.
- Generous free plan for small lists
- Simple editor and automation
- Low paid pricing compared with bigger rivals
- Fewer integrations than Mailchimp or Brevo
- Advanced reporting is thinner
GetResponse is the all-in-one option for businesses that sell knowledge. Beyond email, it includes landing pages, signup forms, webinars, and a course builder, so a coach or course creator can run much of a business from one account. Its free plan covers up to 500 contacts, and paid plans start at $19 per month.
The platform's breadth is also its weakness: the interface packs in many tools, which can feel crowded for senders who only want email. Pricing grows with contacts and with the feature tier, so larger lists should compare total cost with Brevo or Sender. GetResponse fits creators and educators who want email plus webinars and courses in one place.
- Email, landing pages, webinars, and courses in one platform
- Free plan for up to 500 contacts
- Solid automation
- Interface can feel crowded
- Pricing rises with list size and feature tier
Moosend gives small teams automation that MailerLite lacks, including conditional logic, product recommendations, and weather-based content, at prices that undercut most rivals. Landing pages and subscription forms come on all plans, and the interface stays approachable for non-technical users. For a growing business that feels priced out of ActiveCampaign but needs more than basic sequences, Moosend bridges the gap.
The platform's integration library is smaller than Mailchimp's or Brevo's, and some support and deliverability features sit behind higher tiers. Pricing varies by list size, so check the current page before committing. Moosend is a strong value pick for teams that want real automation without a big bill.
- Automation with conditional logic at a low price
- Landing pages and forms included
- Simple interface
- Smaller integration library than the big platforms
- Deliverability support varies by plan
How we picked these
We compared official pricing pages, free plan limits, automation features, and public reviews, focusing on platforms that are actively updated in 2026 and that serve the same audience MailerLite does: small businesses, creators, and ecommerce stores. We favored tools with a clear advantage over MailerLite, whether a bigger free plan, deeper automation, or a lower price at a given list size. We did not claim hands-on testing, and where pricing varies by list size or region, we say so rather than quoting a single figure as universal.
Switching without losing subscribers
Export cleanly before you move
Export contacts with tags, custom fields, and subscription status intact, and remove hard bounces and unsubscribes before importing. A clean import protects deliverability on the new platform from day one.
Rebuild automations by hand
Automations rarely transfer between platforms, so list your welcome series, abandoned cart flows, and nurture sequences, then rebuild them in the new tool before sending. Test each flow with a seed list first.
Warm up the new sending domain
Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records on your sending domain, and start with your most engaged subscribers. A gradual ramp avoids spam folder problems that can follow a sudden switch.
Compare cost at your real list size
Free plans and entry prices tell only part of the story. Price each platform at your current subscriber count and at double that count, since the cheapest tool today can become the priciest as you grow.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to MailerLite?
Brevo is the best MailerLite alternative for most small teams, thanks to volume-based pricing, a free plan, and built-in SMS and CRM tools. Kit is best for creators, ActiveCampaign is best for deep automation, and Sender is cheapest for simple sending. The right pick depends on your list size and the features you actually use.
Is there a free alternative to MailerLite?
Yes, several. Brevo offers a free plan with 300 emails a day, Kit offers a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers with limited automation, and Sender and GetResponse offer free plans for small lists. MailerLite's own free plan now caps at 250 subscribers, so these free alternatives are more generous for growing lists.
Why are people switching from MailerLite?
The common reasons are the smaller free plan, basic automation without conditional splits, features gated behind higher tiers, and pricing that rises as lists grow. Support quality by plan tier is another complaint in public reviews. None of these make MailerLite a bad tool, but they push growing teams toward alternatives that fit better.
Is Brevo better than MailerLite?
For most growing teams, yes, because Brevo prices by emails sent rather than contacts, includes SMS and a CRM, and offers deeper automation. MailerLite still wins for senders who prefer a simpler editor and a cleaner interface for basic campaigns. Compare both at your list size and sending frequency before deciding.
Can I migrate from MailerLite to another platform easily?
Yes, contacts export by CSV from MailerLite and import into every platform on this list. Templates and automations usually need rebuilding by hand, which takes an afternoon for a typical setup. Most platforms offer free migration help or guides, so ask about it before signing up.
Which MailerLite alternative is best for ecommerce?
Omnisend is the best MailerLite alternative for ecommerce, with prebuilt cart, welcome, and post-purchase workflows and email plus SMS in one flow. Brevo and Klaviyo are also strong for stores, depending on list size and budget. Store owners should prioritize the platform with the best integration for their shop system.
Sources
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