The best email platform depends on what the list needs to do. A creator selling digital products may prioritize sequences, tagging and selling tools; a service business may care more about CRM, transactional messaging or multiple communication channels.
Pricing and plan structure checked September 21, 2026. Email platforms change pricing and limits frequently, so confirm the vendor page before purchasing.
Disclosure: A Peart Company may add affiliate links to this guide. If that happens, qualifying purchases may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. Editorial conclusions are not based on commission availability.
A Peart note
Model the list you expect to have six to twelve months from now, not only the list you have today.
Quick comparison
| Platform | Current entry point | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Kit | Free up to 10,000 subscribers; Creator $33/mo at 1,000 subscribers when billed yearly | Creator-led newsletters, sequences and digital products |
| MailerLite | Free up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month; Comfort starts at $12/mo | Budget-conscious creators and small businesses |
| Brevo | Free with 300 email sends/day; Starter from $9/mo; Standard from $18/mo | Email plus transactional, SMS, WhatsApp or CRM-style workflows |
| Mailchimp | Free up to 250 contacts; Essentials starts at $13/mo; Standard starts at $20/mo | Businesses wanting a broad marketing ecosystem and mature integrations |
Kit: creator-first email plus selling tools
Kit’s current Free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers and includes unlimited landing pages and forms, broadcasts, tagging, segmentation, and digital-product or subscription selling. At 1,000 subscribers, Creator is currently $33 per month when billed yearly and adds visual automations, sequences, A/B subject-line testing, integrations, RSS campaigns and removal of Kit branding.
Check current Kit pricing and features →
MailerLite: strong value after its 2026 plan change
MailerLite changed its pricing structure on June 16, 2026. The current Free plan covers up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails. Comfort starts at $12 per month and expands templates, automation capacity, landing pages, digital products, forms and support. Power is positioned for higher-volume senders and teams.
Check current MailerLite pricing and limits →
Brevo: useful when email is only one channel
Brevo combines email with SMS, WhatsApp, chat and transactional messaging. Its Free plan includes 300 daily email sends and storage for up to 100,000 contacts. Starter currently begins at $9 per month and Standard at $18.
Check current Brevo plan details →
Mailchimp: broad ecosystem, but model list-based pricing
Mailchimp’s Free plan currently supports up to 250 contacts. Essentials starts at $13 per month and Standard at $20 per month before contact-based scaling and any promotional pricing. Mailchimp remains useful for businesses that want a familiar marketing ecosystem, but growing lists can materially change the cost.
Check current Mailchimp pricing →
Which platforms should you shortlist?
- Creator selling content or digital products: compare Kit and MailerLite first.
- Business needing transactional or multichannel communication: compare Brevo and Mailchimp.
- Very small list with minimal budget: compare free-plan subscriber and send limits against how often you plan to email.
- Automation-heavy business: map the exact sequences, triggers and branches you need before choosing a plan.
What to compare beyond the headline price
- How subscribers or contacts are counted
- Monthly or daily send limits
- Automation and sequence limits
- Tagging and segmentation
- Landing pages and embedded forms
- Digital-product selling tools
- Transactional email
- Integrations with your website and checkout
- Export and data portability
- Support at your plan tier
For more platform comparisons, browse Business & Creator Systems and Best Tools & Resources.
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