Best email marketing software for small businesses
BEST FIT
If you keep a list and write to it now and then — about a send a week: Mailjet Essential. At this list size its sending tier undercuts every contact-priced plan we read.
How to use this guide
Start with the recommendation and the business situation it fits.Check when another tool becomes the better choice.Use the comparison table when pricing units, limits, or another trade-off could change the choice.
FREE · NO ACCOUNT · NO SALES CALL
Watch this decision
Currently watching the facts used by Best email marketing software for small businesses. We send one email only when a published fact or calculation used here changes.
Buyer decision
Buyer-first recommendation
WHY
If you write to your list every day: MailerLite Power — the daily branch of the fork above, where price follows sends and the meter passes every flat plan here.
If you are between 1,000 and 3,000 subscribers on Kit: check the step before you commit. There is no 2,500 tier, so at 2,500 you pay the 3,000 price.
CHOOSE MAILERLITE IF
A list of about 2,500: the step lands on your size instead of above it, which is rare in this category.
Walk away if: Your list is about to cross 2,500. The next step is a different price, and landing exactly here is this tool's whole advantage.
IMPORTANT LIMIT
MailerLite: The price shown is the yearly-commitment rate. Paying month to month costs more, and the page shows the yearly figure first. Checked Aug 21, 2026 on the vendor's page.
CHOOSE MAILCHIMP INSTEAD IF
A list anywhere from 1,501 to 2,500: the whole band pays the same, so the top of it is where the price works hardest.
Walk away if: Your list sits just over a band boundary. You pay the entire band above, for contacts you do not have.
CHOOSE KIT INSTEAD IF
A list at or just under 1,000, or already at 3,000 — the two sizes where the tier lands on you rather than above you.
Walk away if: You are between 1,000 and 3,000 subscribers. There is no step in between, so you pay the 3,000 price for a list that is not.
CHOOSE MAILJET INSTEAD IF
A list Starter's 2,000-contact allowance covers, sending under 8,000 emails a month — or any list size at all from Essential up, where contacts are unlimited and the sending tier is the whole bill.
Walk away if: You send more than 50,000 emails a month. The only plan that continues past that point costs more than every flat plan on this page that can take the volume.
WATCH OUT
You have no list yet. Every price on this page follows a number you do not have, and the free tiers cover the first few hundred contacts. Build the list first; the bill starts when it exists.
EVIDENCE
Publisher evidence and limits are used where they support the choice; unsupported claims stay out of the recommendation.
Use this evidence when
Which option fits this buyer, using only what these vendors publish?
◇ The answer holds for the source-backed evidence this guide names and compares — nothing beyond it.
◇ The main graphic answers the breakpoint / crossover, decision frontier and seat / user map question for the stated buying condition.
◇ The comparison table adds real cost, free tier, billing / transaction limits, integrations / addons, plan limits, volume / billing unit, platform fit and usage limits where vendor evidence supports it.
· No vendor on this page supports automation strongly enough yet — those stay unknown rather than guessed.
│ The answer changes when the buyer condition moves onto a different observed dimension, limit, billing unit, or proven breakpoint.
Decision-changing axes
What can change the answer
Free tier
Changes the answer when a free plan is viable only inside its published limits.
Supported by the vendor evidence used on this page.Billing and transaction limits
Changes the answer when invoices, payments, transactions or card volume create operating cost.
Supported by the vendor evidence used on this page.Integrations and add-ons
Changes the answer when the tool has to fit an existing stack or paid add-ons move the real cost.
Supported by the vendor evidence used on this page.Plan limits
Changes the answer when the cheapest plan excludes the limit, tier or capability the buyer needs.
Supported by the vendor evidence used on this page.
Starter, one send a week — 10,001-15,000 emails/month tier, the first that includes 2,500 contacts, billed monthly
the same Brevo: $74.00 at 80,000 — no longer the cheapest there
between 10,000 and 80,000
no single winner between the two ends
→→→→
only Mailjet and Brevo and MailerLite ever lead — it changes at 15,000 · 20,000 · 25,000 · 50,000
at 80,000 emails / month
MailerLite Power costs least
MailerLite Power
$49
Billed yearly; $529.20/year up to 2,500 subscribers ($49/month billed monthly)
Brevo
$74.00
Starter, one send a day — 60,001-80,000 emails/month tier (500,000 contacts included), billed monthly
Mailchimp: no published plan reaches 80,000 sends at 2,500 contacts (its plans stop at 37,500)
Prices shown as published by vendors on August 21, 2026; sending grids and quotas checked August 23, 2026 (Mailjet: August 24, 2026). All prices on monthly billing.
Why the answer depends on you
Brevo and Mailjet are billed on emails sent; MailerLite, Mailchimp, Kit are billed on what you store — at equal contacts, only Brevo and Mailjet see their bills move when you send more.
Where the lead changes, and why
10,000–15,000Mailjet Essential $17
15,000–20,000Brevo $32.00
20,000–25,000MailerLite Comfort $33
25,000–50,000Mailjet Essential $37 — the previous leader's quota ends here
50,000–80,000MailerLite Power $49 — the previous leader's quota ends here
Brevo's own pricing API (pricing-backend.brevo.com), checked August 23, 2026 — monthly billing; yearly is -10%. Tiers to 100,000 sends are Brevo's Starter plan; 100,001-500,000 are its Standard plan (same API, same source check).
What was checked, when — and what remains outside the comparison
MailerLite Comfort$33/month; Billed yearly; $356.40/year up to 2,500 subscribers ($33/month billed monthly); sending: 25,000 monthly emails — Comfort gives you 10x the ceiling of your subscriber tier each month
MailerLite Power$49/month; Billed yearly; $529.20/year up to 2,500 subscribers ($49/month billed monthly); sending: Unlimited monthly emails, subject to our fair use policy
Mailchimp Essentials$45/month; Free for 14 days; $38.25 per month for 12 months; sending: 10X contacts — the monthly email send limit for Essentials plans is 10 times your maximum contact count (10 x 2,500)
Mailchimp Standard$60/month; Free for 14 days; $51 per month for 12 months; sending: 12X contacts (12 x 2,500)
Mailchimp Premium$350/month; $297.50 per month for 12 months; sending: 15X contacts (15 x 2,500)
Mailjet Starter$9/month to 8,000 sends; Billed monthly ($8.10/month billed annually); 8,000 emails/month — its own ceiling at every slider position; up to 2,000 stored contacts
Mailjet Premium$27/month to 15,000 sends · $55/month to 50,000 sends · $105/month to 100,000 sends · $250/month to 250,000 sends · $470/month to 500,000 sends; Billed monthly ($24.30/month billed annually); 15,000 emails/month tier; unlimited stored contacts
Brevo sending grid: Brevo's own pricing API (pricing-backend.brevo.com), checked August 23, 2026 — monthly billing; yearly is -10%. Tiers to 100,000 sends are Brevo's Starter plan; 100,001-500,000 are its Standard plan (same API, same source check).
Mailjet sending grid: mailjet.com/pricing, checked August 24, 2026 from a United States residential egress — slider-driven, cross-checked against the page's embedded static data; monthly billing
Prices checked August 21, 2026; sending grids and quotas checked August 23, 2026 (Mailjet: August 24, 2026). All prices on monthly billing unless stated.
How many contacts, how many sends — who costs least?
Mailjeteverywhere outside the 3 regions below — 101 of the 252 readings$9 to $37 / month
Brevo79 readings between 1,000–200,000 contacts and 20,000–500,000 sends$32.00 to $429.00 / month
MailerLitethe small-list, high-volume corner: its 40 wins all sit at 10,000 contacts or fewer, sending 20,000 a month or more$25 to $129 / month
Kit21 readings between 3,000–50,000 contacts and 60,000–500,000 sends$59 to $379 / month
=11 tied readings: Brevo = Mailjet, Kit = MailerLite. No winner on this map.
Mailchimp wins none of the 252 checks on price alone. Paid plans, monthly billing.
Beyond 500,000 sends, Brevo/Mailjet have no further tier; where this map could change.
Each cell is a checked published tier, never an interpolation. Brevo's own pricing API (pricing-backend.brevo.com), checked August 23, 2026 — monthly billing; yearly is -10%. Tiers to 100,000 sends are Brevo's Starter plan; 100,001-500,000 are its Standard plan (same API, same source check). contacts 500–200,000 · sends 5,000–500,000; tie prices $9.00, $17.00, $39; grids checked August 23, 2026 (Mailjet: August 24, 2026); prices as published on the checked date.
More than one of you in the tool — who costs least?
BrevoStarter — a team of one (1 seat included)$25 / month
MailerLiteComfort — teams of 2 to 3 (3 seats included)$33 / month
MailerLitePower — teams of 4 and up (unlimited seats included)$49 / month
Mailchimp: no size; tool covers that many seats for less under monthly billing.
Kit: no size; tool covers that many seats for less under monthly billing.
To 10 seats: Brevo add-on is published to 10; bigger team changes nothing on this map.
Seats as published by each vendor (their own pricing APIs and pages, checked August 23, 2026); prices use the same published grids as the objects above, at the same fixed point. prices as published on the checked date. Not on this map: Mailjet — its pricing page publishes no seat count for any plan — multi-user access appears only on Premium and Custom, without a number (checked August 24, 2026).
Pricing intelligence
36 observed series · full ledger retained
CHANGEDNo comparable price change proven
The current ledger does not connect heterogeneous billing bases into a trend.
STABLE1 stable price series
MailerLite · Free · Contacts · 2500 contacts: $0/month across 16 readings, Aug 21, 2026 - Sep 7, 2026.
MULTIPLE OPTIONS3 series cannot honestly be one timeline
Mailjet · Starter · Monthly sends · 8k sends: $9 -> $9.00/month, effective Sep 9, 2026. Mailjet · Essential · Monthly sends · 15k sends: $17 -> $19.00/month, effective Sep 9, 2026. 6 more announced changes remain in the full proof.
PRICE HISTORY LIMIT32 series have too few comparable readings
The detailed ledger remains available below; the default decision surface does not repeat the same insufficient-history state 32 times.
View all observed series (36)
All publisher announcements
Mailjet · Starter · Monthly sends · 8k sends — The publisher has announced a price change effective 9 September 2026 (in 19 days): $9 → $9.00/month. Read 29 August 2026 at the publisher's own page.
Mailjet · Essential · Monthly sends · 15k sends — The publisher has announced a price change effective 9 September 2026 (in 19 days): $17 → $19.00/month. Read 29 August 2026 at the publisher's own page.
Mailjet · Essential · Monthly sends · 50k sends — The publisher has announced a price change effective 9 September 2026 (in 19 days): $37 → $40.00/month. Read 29 August 2026 at the publisher's own page.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 15k sends — The publisher has announced a price change effective 9 September 2026 (in 19 days): $27 → $29.00/month. Read 29 August 2026 at the publisher's own page.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 50k sends — The publisher has announced a price change effective 9 September 2026 (in 19 days): to $59.00/month. Read 29 August 2026 at the publisher's own page.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 100k sends — The publisher has announced a price change effective 9 September 2026 (in 19 days): to $112.00/month. Read 29 August 2026 at the publisher's own page.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 250k sends — The publisher has announced a price change effective 9 September 2026 (in 19 days): to $265.00/month. Read 29 August 2026 at the publisher's own page.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 500k sends — The publisher has announced a price change effective 9 September 2026 (in 19 days): $470 → $499.00/month. Read 29 August 2026 at the publisher's own page.
MailerLite · FreeContacts · 2500 contacts
$0/monthStable price21 Aug 2026 - 7 Sept 2026Observed period16Dated readings
Observed price stable at $0/month across 16 dated readings from 21 Aug 2026 to 7 Sept 2026.
Evidence coverage for MailerLite · Free · Contacts · 2500 contacts: 16 readings · latest read 7 Sept 2026 · mailerlite.com · 1 long gap · longest 6d
MailerLite · ComfortContacts · 2500 contacts
Multiple price options observedmultiple price options or billing bases were observed in the same reading — no single comparable price-history line can be drawn
No single current price or price change is claimed for this collapsed series. The observed options are $29.70/month · $10.80 · $10.80/month, billed annually · $129.60. Readings span 21 Aug 2026 to 7 Sept 2026.
Multiple price options observedmultiple price options or billing bases were observed in the same reading — no single comparable price-history line can be drawn
No single current price or price change is claimed for this collapsed series. The observed options are $44.10/month · $22.50 · $22.50/month, billed annually · $270.00. Readings span 21 Aug 2026 to 7 Sept 2026.
Mailchimp · Free · Contacts · 2500 contacts: Checked 2 times at the source, 21 Aug 2026 to 22 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 2 so far.
Mailchimp · Essentials · Contacts · 2500 contacts: Checked 2 times at the source, 21 Aug 2026 to 22 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 2 so far.
Mailchimp · Standard · Contacts · 2500 contacts: Checked 2 times at the source, 21 Aug 2026 to 22 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 2 so far.
Evidence coverage for Mailchimp · Standard · Contacts · 2500 contacts: 2 readings · latest read 22 Aug 2026 · mailchimp.com
Mailchimp · PremiumContacts · 2500 contacts
$350/monthCurrent price, checked 22 Aug 2026.
Mailchimp · Premium · Contacts · 2500 contacts: Checked 2 times at the source, 21 Aug 2026 to 22 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 2 so far.
Kit · Newsletter · Subscribers · 3000 subscribers: Checked 2 times at the source, 21 Aug 2026 to 22 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 2 so far.
Multiple price options observedmultiple price options or billing bases were observed in the same reading — no single comparable price-history line can be drawn
No single current price or price change is claimed for this collapsed series. The observed options are $50/mo · $33/month, billed annually · $390/month · $390/month, billed annually. Readings span 21 Aug 2026 to 7 Sept 2026.
Kit · Creator Pro · Subscribers · 3000 subscribers: Checked 2 times at the source, 21 Aug 2026 to 22 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 2 so far.
Evidence coverage for Kit · Creator Pro · Subscribers · 3000 subscribers: 2 readings · latest read 22 Aug 2026 · kit.com
$17.00 per monthCurrent price, checked 21 Aug 2026.
Brevo · Starter — weekly send · Monthly sends · 0 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 21 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
$74.00 per monthCurrent price, checked 21 Aug 2026.
Brevo · Starter — daily send · Monthly sends · 0 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 21 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Free · Monthly sends · 8000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Free · Monthly sends · 15000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Free · Monthly sends · 50000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Free · Monthly sends · 100000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Free · Monthly sends · 250000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Free · Monthly sends · 500000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Starter · Monthly sends · 8000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Starter · Monthly sends · 15000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Starter · Monthly sends · 50000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Starter · Monthly sends · 100000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Starter · Monthly sends · 250000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Starter · Monthly sends · 500000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Essential · Monthly sends · 8000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Essential · Monthly sends · 15000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Essential · Monthly sends · 50000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Essential · Monthly sends · 100000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Essential · Monthly sends · 250000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Essential · Monthly sends · 500000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 8000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 15000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 50000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 100000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 250000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
Mailjet · Premium · Monthly sends · 500000 sends: Checked once at the source so far, on 30 Aug 2026. A price trend needs at least 3 dated checks; this one has 1 so far.
There is no 2,500 step: the tiers go 0 → 1,000 → 3,000, and a list of 2,500 pays the 3,000 price.
Publisher fact checked Aug 21, 2026View at Kit ↗Official source
MMailjet$9/month
The cheapest plan that takes a list of 2,500 is Essential: Starter stops at 2,000 stored contacts, and its 8,000 emails a month is its own ceiling at every position of the pricing slider.
The bill moves with how often you write: the same list of 2,500 costs $25.00 a month at a send a week (each sending tier includes a contact allowance, and 2,500 needs the 15,000-emails tier) and $74.00 at a send a day.
Publisher fact checked Aug 21, 2026View at Brevo ↗Official source
Prices are shown only when the source gives enough evidence for the buyer to act.THEY BILL THE CONTACTS YOU STORE · 2,500 CONTACTSTHEY BILL THE SUBSCRIBERS YOU KEEP · 2,500 SUBSCRIBERSTHEY BILL THE EMAILS YOU SENDBREVO'S OWN PRICING API (PRICING-BACKEND.BREVO.COM), CHECKED AUGUST 23, 2026 — MONTHLY BILLING; YEARLY IS -10%. TIERS TO 100,000 SENDS ARE BREVO'S STARTER PLAN; 100,001-500,000 ARE ITS STANDARD PLAN (SAME API, SAME SOURCE CHECK).
Why the table is split
An email tool does two things that cost money in different ways: it stores a list, and it sends messages to that list. Every vendor here does both. What separates them is which of the two they put on the invoice.
That choice is not a detail of packaging. It decides whether your bill follows the list you keep or the mail you send — and those two numbers move independently.
This is why the table below is split. Two tools on different axes do not have a cheaper one and a dearer one — they have prices that answer different questions. Putting them in one column would invent a comparison that does not exist.
Read the group that matches how you work, then compare inside it. Across groups, the only honest question is which axis suits you, and that one you answer, not us.
Don't buy anything if…
You send fewer than one campaign a month. At that rate the free tiers hold for a long time, and a paid plan buys you features you will not open.
Nobody has decided what the emails are for. A tool cannot fix an empty reason to write, and the subscription runs whether you write or not.
Questions people actually ask
Why is the table split into groups?
Because these vendors do not bill for the same thing. Two of them charge for the contacts you store, one for the subscribers you keep, one for the emails you send. A single column would put four prices side by side as if they answered the same question. They do not.
What does “no 2,500 step” mean in practice?
Kit's tiers go from 1,000 to 3,000 subscribers with nothing in between. A list of 2,500 pays the 3,000 price. The granularity of the tiers is part of the price, and it is rarely published.
Why does Brevo show two prices?
Because its bill follows how often you write, not how many contacts you keep. The same list of 2,500 costs one amount at a send a week and another at a send a day. We show both volumes rather than pick a “typical” one, because the choice would be ours and the bill is yours.
Proof trail
● Official vendor and pricing pages checked 2026-08-21.
Visible claims keep their source and check date; Advisor calculations stay marked separately.