Email Marketing
Which email marketing platforms offer the best value for under $50 per month?
By the First Person Marketing editorial team · · 3 min read
The short answer
Under $50 a month, MailerLite and Brevo give the most for general newsletters, Kit suits creators thanks to a large free plan, and Klaviyo and Omnisend are the value picks for online stores. The best choice depends on whether your price is driven by list size or by how many emails you send.
Disclosure: First Person Marketing is a marketing accelerator and offers the services discussed here. We describe our own plans in a clearly marked section and include where we are not the right fit.
Six platforms compared
Platform: MailerLite
- Free plan
- 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month
- Entry paid plan
- From $12 a month
- Best for
- Newsletters and simple automations
- The catch
- Price rises in steps with subscribers
Platform: Brevo
- Free plan
- 300 emails a day
- Entry paid plan
- From about $9 a month
- Best for
- Small lists that send often
- The catch
- Priced by emails sent, so big sends cost more
Platform: Kit
- Free plan
- Up to 10,000 subscribers
- Entry paid plan
- Creator from $33 a month, billed yearly, at 1,000
- Best for
- Creators and newsletters
- The catch
- Automations need a paid plan
Platform: Mailchimp
- Free plan
- 250 contacts, 500 emails a month
- Entry paid plan
- Essentials from about $13 at 500 contacts
- Best for
- Familiar tools and many integrations
- The catch
- Costs climb quickly as the list grows
Platform: Klaviyo
- Free plan
- 250 profiles, 500 emails a month
- Entry paid plan
- About $20 at 500, $30 at 1,000 profiles
- Best for
- Online stores
- The catch
- Billed on all active profiles, not just emailed ones
Platform: Omnisend
- Free plan
- 250 contacts, 500 emails a month
- Entry paid plan
- Standard $16 a month at 500 contacts
- Best for
- Stores wanting email and SMS
- The catch
- SMS is charged on top
| Platform | Free plan | Entry paid plan | Best for | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month | From $12 a month | Newsletters and simple automations | Price rises in steps with subscribers |
| Brevo | 300 emails a day | From about $9 a month | Small lists that send often | Priced by emails sent, so big sends cost more |
| Kit | Up to 10,000 subscribers | Creator from $33 a month, billed yearly, at 1,000 | Creators and newsletters | Automations need a paid plan |
| Mailchimp | 250 contacts, 500 emails a month | Essentials from about $13 at 500 contacts | Familiar tools and many integrations | Costs climb quickly as the list grows |
| Klaviyo | 250 profiles, 500 emails a month | About $20 at 500, $30 at 1,000 profiles | Online stores | Billed on all active profiles, not just emailed ones |
| Omnisend | 250 contacts, 500 emails a month | Standard $16 a month at 500 contacts | Stores wanting email and SMS | SMS is charged on top |
These prices come from each vendor's pricing page and recent guides in November 2026. They change often and rise with list size, so check the current figure before you sign up.
Two pricing models, and why it matters
Most platforms charge by the size of your list. Brevo charges mainly by the number of emails you send. If you have a large list you email rarely, send-based pricing is cheaper. If you have a small list you email often, list-based pricing usually wins.
Also check how a platform counts contacts. Some count unsubscribed or inactive people until you remove them, which quietly raises the bill.
Which one to pick
- A newsletter or service business: MailerLite or Brevo
- A creator or writer building an audience: Kit's free plan
- A Shopify or WooCommerce store: Klaviyo, or Omnisend if you want SMS too
- Already using Intuit tools: Mailchimp for the integration
The tool is the cheap part
Under $50 a month buys good software. What makes email pay is the welcome series, the automations, a template that looks right on phones and a steady sending rhythm. Most small businesses lose more to half-built automations than to picking the wrong platform.
We're a marketing accelerator and sell email marketing ourselves, so take this as our pitch: we set up the platform you choose, build the automations and a reusable template, and run monthly campaigns on plan hours from 10 hours a month for $790. Template design on its own is a fixed $495.
Questions people also ask
What is the cheapest email marketing platform?
For small lists, the free plans from MailerLite, Brevo, Kit, Mailchimp, Klaviyo and Omnisend cost nothing. Kit's free plan allows the most subscribers; Brevo's allows the most sending per month.
Is a free email marketing plan enough?
To start, often yes. You'll usually need a paid plan for automations beyond a welcome email, for removing the platform's branding, or once your list passes a few hundred people.
Can I switch email platforms later?
Yes. Lists export as CSV files, but automations and templates have to be rebuilt, so choose with the next two years in mind.
Sources
Prices and plans of third-party tools change often; check the vendor before you buy.
