Cheapest Email Marketing Software in 2026

MailerLite is the gold standard for budget email marketing. Its free plan allows up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month — a level of generosity that most competitors don't match. The paid plan starts at just $9/month and unlocks unlimited emails, all automation features, custom HTML editors, and priority support.

The interface is clean and beginner-friendly without feeling dumbed down. You get a visual automation builder, landing pages, pop-ups, and A/B testing on all paid plans. Deliverability is consistently strong, and the drag-and-drop editor produces professional-looking emails without any design experience needed.

If you're starting out or running a lean operation, MailerLite is the easiest recommendation. Also see our full MailerLite Review 2026.

Moosend punches well above its weight class. At $9/month for up to 500 subscribers, you get unlimited email sends, a visual automation workflow builder, advanced list segmentation, A/B testing, and landing pages — features competitors charge 2–3x more to access.

What sets Moosend apart at the budget tier is the depth of its automation. You can build multi-step sequences triggered by subscriber behavior, purchases, or time-based events — the kind of logic that usually requires upgrading to a mid-range plan elsewhere. The reporting dashboard is clean and the email editor is fast.

It lacks a permanent free plan (only a 30-day trial), but for anyone ready to pay, Moosend offers the best automation-per-dollar ratio in 2026. Read our full Moosend Review 2026 for deeper analysis.

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is priced by email volume, not subscriber count — which makes it uniquely cheap if you have a large list but send infrequently. The free plan allows unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day, making it one of the most generous free tiers available for contact-heavy use cases.

The Starter plan at $9/month lifts the daily limit and unlocks 5,000 emails/month, with no Brevo branding. Brevo also includes transactional email, SMS marketing, and a basic CRM — rare at this price point. Automation is available but slightly less polished than MailerLite or Moosend's visual builders.

ConvertKit — now rebranded as Kit — is the go-to platform for content creators, bloggers, and newsletter writers. Its free plan supports up to 1,000 subscribers with unlimited sends, which is excellent value. However, automations and the ability to sell digital products are locked behind the $25/month Creator plan, making it less competitive on pure budget terms.

For creators who want a clean, text-first email experience with subscriber tagging and simple sequences, the free plan is hard to beat. But if automation is your priority, MailerLite or Moosend offer more at a lower cost once you upgrade.

ActiveCampaign has the most powerful automation engine of any platform on this list — but it's not the cheapest. Starting at $15/month for 1,000 contacts (billed annually), it competes on features rather than price. The automation builder is genuinely world-class, with deep CRM integration, predictive sending, and hundreds of workflow triggers.

If your business has complex needs — multi-step sales funnels, lead scoring, CRM sync — ActiveCampaign pays for itself quickly. But for pure budget email marketing, you'll get better value from MailerLite or Moosend. Consider ActiveCampaign when you've outgrown the cheaper options.