Best Email Marketing Software for Small Business: 19 Tools Compared

The tools side by side

Each row is the plan I priced for this list and one user, so the table works as an email marketing platform comparison at one list size. Sender's, Kit's and Brevo's rows are free plans because the list fits them, with the catches each card explains, and HubSpot's row is a new-customer offer.

one small business list and one user: plan priced, monthly and annual cost, Users on this plan, Automation on this plan, Free start

Tool and plan	Cost per month	Users on this plan	Automation on this plan	Free start
MailerLiteComfort	$29.70annual $33 monthly	3	50	Free plan and a 14-day trial
BrevoFree	Free	1	Limited to 2,000 contacts	Free plan
SenderFree Forever	Free	1	Email automation included: unlimited workflows, triggers and automation steps (no SMS automation, no auto-resend to non-openers)	Free plan and a 14-day trial
KitFree	Free	1	No	Free plan and a 14-day trial
ActiveCampaignStarter	$39annual $49 monthly	1	5 actions per automation	14-day trial
OmnisendStandard	Not sold annually $44 monthly	unlimited	Email and push automation, pre-built and custom workflows; SMS Automation ticked on Pro only	Free plan
GetResponseStarter	$23.78annual $29 monthly	3	1 custom automation workflow	Free account and a 14-day trial
Constant ContactLite	$42.50annual Not sold monthly	1	1 automation template	Trial not published
HubSpotStarter	$82annual $110 monthly	1	Simple marketing automation: up to 10 automated actions	Free plan

Nine picks, in the order I'd consider them

Each one says who it is for, what it costs for a small business list, and what you give up.

1

MailerLite

Best overall for a small business

Desk research

Choose it if

You want one tool for newsletters, welcome emails and sign-up pages, and a small, predictable bill matters more to you than a long feature list.

Consider Sender instead if

You want to pay nothing at this list size and don't mind Sender's branding at the foot of every email.

Why it fits a small business list

MailerLite is the tool I'd hand a small business owner setting up email marketing for the first time. Comfort is $29.70/month billed annually for this list and keeps the same automation builder, landing pages and sign-up forms as the bigger plans, only fewer of each: 50 automations and 10 landing pages. 3 users are included, so a partner or assistant can log in at no extra cost.

The plan I priced

Comfort for this list is $33/month billed monthly, or $29.70/month billed annually. A 14-day trial of the paid features starts without a card.

Closest alternative

Brevo becomes the better choice when you send only a few campaigns a month and want SMS and a CRM beside your email for a smaller bill.

See MailerLite plans

A small business list: Comfort

Billed annually

$29.70/mo

Billed monthly

$33/mo

Above 200,000 subscribers: no bigger plan is published.

The trade-off

It isn't the cheapest way to email this list: Sender, Kit and Brevo all hold it on a free plan, each with a catch. MailerLite's own free plan stops at 250 subscribers, and paid plans step up to the next band and bill your card on their own once the list passes the limit.

What my review says

Best for: A small business owner who wants newsletters, automations and landing pages in one easy tool for a small monthly bill.

Skip it if you want to pay nothing until your list reaches the thousands, or you resell email to clients under your own brand.

Strengths

• Comfort includes 50 automations and 10 landing pages.
• 3 users on Comfort with no seat fee.

Limits

• The free plan stops at 250 subscribers.
• A growing list moves you up a price band automatically.

See MailerLite plansMy MailerLite reviewMailerLite pricingAffiliate link

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Business: 19 Tools Compared

2

Brevo

Best for a business that emails a few times a month

Hands-on

Choose it if

You send a newsletter or offer a few times a month, may want SMS from the same tool later, and like a bill that follows sending rather than list size.

Consider MailerLite instead if

You want more automations and landing pages on the plan you pay for, and more than one login.

Why it fits a small business list

Brevo charges for the emails you send rather than the contacts you keep, so a business that mails a few times a month pays little as the list grows. The free plan stores this list, and Starter, which lifts the daily sending limit, starts at $9/month billed monthly for its smallest band. SMS campaigns and a sales CRM live in the same account. It's the pick when the email bill matters more than extra tools.

The plan I priced

The free plan holds this list, capped at 300 emails a day. Starter is $9/month billed monthly, or $8.08/month billed annually, for its smallest sending band, and each larger band includes more contacts. It comes with 1 user.

Closest alternative

Sender becomes the better choice when you want this list on a free plan with no daily sending cap holding back a campaign.

See Brevo plans

A small business list: Free

Free plan

$0

Above 100,000 subscribers: Starter (+$28.75/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

The free plan sends 300 emails a day, so one campaign to a list this size takes days to go out, which is why Brevo has no bar in the cost chart. Starter's automation carries a cap: Limited to 2,000 contacts. Working out which sending band covers your contacts takes a minute of reading.

What my review says

Best for: A small business that sends a few campaigns a month and wants the bill to follow sending, not stored contacts.

Skip it if you need several logins on a low plan, or long automations for a large list.

Strengths

• The free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts.
• SMS campaigns and a sales CRM in the same account.

Limits

• The free plan sends 300 emails a day.
• Starter includes 1 user.

See Brevo plansMy Brevo reviewBrevo pricingAffiliate link

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Business: 19 Tools Compared

3

Sender

Lowest bill: this list fits the free plan

Desk research

Choose it if

Money is tight, your list is still in the low thousands, and a small Sender badge in your emails doesn't bother you.

Consider MailerLite instead if

You want more users and no vendor branding, and a small monthly bill is fine.

Why it fits a small business list

Sender is the one pick whose free plan covers this whole workload with automation switched on: 2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails a month and email automation workflows. For a small business testing whether email pays off, that takes the bill away until the list grows. Standard, the first paid plan, drops the branding and adds 3 users.

The plan I priced

This list fits Free at no cost. Past 2,500 subscribers, Standard starts at $9/month billed monthly for the smallest band and rises with the list. Yearly billing on Standard takes 30% off the first year only.

Closest alternative

Kit becomes the better choice when your business runs on a newsletter and you want a free plan with far more room for subscribers, without automation.

See Sender plans

A small business list: Free Forever

Free plan

$0

Above 2,500 subscribers: Standard (+$39/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

The free plan has 1 user and puts Sender branding in your emails, and this list sits right at the free ceiling, so the next wave of sign-ups moves you to Standard. Sender publishes no money-back guarantee.

What my review says

Best for: A small business with a list in the low thousands that wants email and automation without paying anything yet.

Skip it if you need more than one login on the free plan, or you want emails without vendor branding.

Strengths

• Free for 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month.
• Email automation on the free plan.

Limits

• Free emails carry Sender branding.
• No published money-back guarantee.

See Sender plansMy Sender reviewAffiliate link

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Business: 19 Tools Compared

4

Kit

Best when the newsletter is the business

Desk research

Choose it if

You're a coach, consultant or creator whose business runs on a newsletter, and you may sell digital products or paid subscriptions to the same readers.

Consider MailerLite instead if

You mostly send promotions and announcements for a local or service business and want landing pages for them.

Why it fits a small business list

Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is built for people who sell what they know. Its free plan holds 10,000 subscribers, so this list sends at no cost as long as one-off newsletters are all you need. Automations, 2 users and paid subscriptions come with Creator, which starts at $39/month billed monthly for the smallest band and rises with the list.

The plan I priced

This list fits the free plan. Creator starts at $39/month billed monthly, or $33/month billed annually, for the smallest band. Kit offers a 14-day trial without a card and a 30-day refund window.

Closest alternative

Sender becomes the better choice when you want automation without paying, and your list will stay in the low thousands for a while.

See Kit plans

A small business list: Free

Free plan

$0

Above 10,000 subscribers: Creator (+$141/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

The free plan has no automations, so even a welcome sequence means paying for Creator, which costs more than MailerLite's Comfort at the same list size. Kit offers less for a shop's promotions and product emails than the ecommerce tools further down.

What my review says

Best for: A coach, consultant or creator whose small business grows through a newsletter and digital products.

Skip it if you run a shop or a local business and mostly send offers and announcements.

Strengths

• The free plan holds 10,000 subscribers.
• A 30-day refund window on paid plans.

Limits

• No automations on the free plan.
• Creator costs more than MailerLite for the same list.

See Kit plansMy Kit reviewKit pricingAffiliate link

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Business: 19 Tools Compared

5

ActiveCampaign

Best when you're ready for real automation

Desk research

Choose it if

You want follow-ups that branch on clicks, purchases or form answers, and you expect to grow into a CRM.

Consider GetResponse instead if

You want automation and email for less, with more than one user on the entry plan.

Why it fits a small business list

ActiveCampaign is known for automation depth, and that is the reason to pay more for it. Starter for this list is $39/month billed annually, with a limit of 5 actions per automation. Plus lifts that limit and opens the CRM add-on. The marketing automation guide compares it with the other journey builders.

The plan I priced

Starter for this list is $49/month billed monthly, or $39/month billed annually. ActiveCampaign refunds within 30 days.

Closest alternative

GetResponse becomes the better choice when you want automation on a tighter budget and need a few users from the start.

See ActiveCampaign plans

A small business list: Starter

Billed annually

$39/mo

Billed monthly

$49/mo

Above 25,000 subscribers: Plus (+$410/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

There is no free plan, Starter includes 1 user, and SMS needs Plus or higher. For a business that sends a newsletter and the odd offer, most of what you pay for here goes unused.

What my review says

Best for: A small business ready to automate follow-ups based on what each contact does.

Skip it if you only send a newsletter and a few offers; simpler picks cost less.

Strengths

• Automation that branches on contact behavior.
• A 30-day refund window.

Limits

• No free plan.
• Starter has a limit of 5 actions per automation.

See ActiveCampaign plansMy ActiveCampaign reviewActiveCampaign pricingAffiliate link

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Business: 19 Tools Compared

6

Omnisend

Best for an online store

Desk research

Choose it if

You sell products online and want cart, browse and order emails set up from store templates.

Consider Sender instead if

Your store is small and you'd rather start free with a Shopify app and cart automation.

Why it fits a small business list

Omnisend reads store events such as an abandoned cart or a new order and sends the matching email, which is the work a shop's email tool exists to do. Standard for this list is $44/month billed monthly with unlimited users, and the free plan already runs cart recovery for 250 contacts. The ecommerce guide compares it with the other store tools.

The plan I priced

Standard for this list is $44/month billed monthly. Omnisend sells no yearly plan; an optional prepay for a few months is its only billing discount.

Closest alternative

Brevo becomes the better choice when you want SMS and a CRM in the same account for a smaller bill, and fewer store-specific templates are fine.

See Omnisend plans

A small business list: Standard

Billed monthly

$44/mo

Above 150,000 subscribers: no bigger plan is published.

The trade-off

It bills month to month with no yearly plan, and SMS needs Pro. For a business without a store, most of what Omnisend does goes unused.

What my review says

Best for: A small online store on Shopify or WooCommerce that wants cart and order emails working from day one.

Skip it if you don't sell products online.

Strengths

• Abandoned-cart automation on the free plan.
• Standard includes unlimited users.

Limits

• No yearly plan.
• SMS needs Pro.

See Omnisend plansMy Omnisend reviewOmnisend pricingAffiliate link

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Business: 19 Tools Compared

7

GetResponse

Best for a small team on a budget

Desk research

Choose it if

Two or three people share the email work and you want a low bill that still includes several logins.

Consider MailerLite instead if

You want many more automations on the entry paid plan.

Why it fits a small business list

GetResponse costs less than MailerLite's Comfort for this list and still includes 3 users on Starter, at $23.78/month billed annually. The 14-day trial needs no card, and a free version for 500 contacts stays open after it ends.

The plan I priced

Starter for this list is $29/month billed monthly, or $23.78/month billed annually. Marketer, with full automation, starts at $59/month billed monthly for the smallest list.

Closest alternative

MailerLite becomes the better choice when automations matter more than the extra logins, and a slightly higher bill is fine.

See GetResponse plans

A small business list: Starter

Billed annually

$23.78/mo

Billed monthly

$29/mo

Above 100,000 subscribers: no bigger plan is published.

The trade-off

Starter allows 1 custom automation workflow, and abandoned-cart emails start on Marketer. The free version adds GetResponse branding to your emails.

What my review says

Best for: A small business where two or three people share email marketing and the budget is tight.

Skip it if you want several automations on the entry plan.

Strengths

• 3 users on Starter.
• A 14-day trial with no card.

Limits

• Starter allows 1 custom automation workflow.
• Abandoned-cart emails start on Marketer.

See GetResponse plansMy GetResponse reviewGetResponse pricingAffiliate link

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Business: 19 Tools Compared

8

Constant Contact

Best for paying a year up front, with a refund window

Desk research

Choose it if

You plan to pay for a year up front, you're in the US, and you may want SMS from the same account later.

Consider MailerLite instead if

You want more automations and landing pages for less, on monthly or yearly billing.

Why it fits a small business list

Constant Contact publishes yearly prices for every list band and backs them with a 30-day money-back window, which makes the first year low risk. Lite is $42.50/month billed annually for this list. Nonprofits get a bigger discount for prepaying, which is why it also appears in the nonprofit guide.

The plan I priced

Lite for this list is $42.50/month billed annually. Constant Contact publishes a monthly price only for its smallest list band, so this card has no monthly figure for this list.

Closest alternative

Brevo becomes the better choice when you want monthly billing and a free plan to try first.

See Constant Contact plans

A small business list: Lite

Billed annually

$42.50/mo

Above 50,000 subscribers: no bigger plan is published.

The trade-off

Lite includes 1 automation template and 1 user, so most small businesses end up looking at Standard. SMS on Lite is a paid add-on for US customers only.

What my review says

Best for: A US small business or nonprofit that wants to prepay a year and keep a refund window.

Skip it if you want monthly billing at this list size, or more than one automation on the entry plan.

Strengths

• A 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Yearly prices published for every list band.

Limits

• Lite includes 1 automation template.
• SMS is for US customers only.

See Constant Contact plansMy Constant Contact reviewConstant Contact pricingAffiliate link

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Business: 19 Tools Compared

9

HubSpot

Best if a CRM will run your sales

Hands-on

Choose it if

Your sales happen through calls, quotes and follow-ups, and you want every email tied to a contact's deal history.

Consider Brevo instead if

You want email and a basic sales CRM for far less at this list size.

Why it fits a small business list

HubSpot is the costliest pick here for this list and earns its place only because its CRM is the strongest. Starter includes 1,000 marketing contacts, so a list this size needs extra contact blocks, and the bill reaches $82/month billed annually. Contacts you don't mark for marketing are stored free, so leads you only phone don't add to it.

The plan I priced

Starter for this list is $110/month billed monthly, or $82/month billed annually, at the new-customer price, with 1 seat.

Closest alternative

Brevo becomes the better choice when the email bill matters more than CRM depth and a simpler deals view is enough.

See HubSpot plans

A small business list: Starter

Billed annually

$82/mo

Billed monthly

$110/mo

Above 100,000 subscribers: Enterprise (+$4,768/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

The Starter price is a limited-time offer for new customers; the list price is $20/user per month billed monthly. Every further block of marketing contacts raises the bill again.

What my review says

Best for: A small business that sells through conversations and wants email inside a real CRM.

Skip it if you mainly send newsletters and offers to a list.

Strengths

• Free CRM tools for 2 users.
• Contacts not marked for marketing are stored free.

Limits

• The costliest pick for this list.
• The Starter price is a new-customer offer.

See HubSpot plansMy HubSpot reviewHubSpot pricingAffiliate link

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Business: 19 Tools Compared

What a small business list really costs

The bars show the plan that covers this list for one user, on yearly billing where the vendor sells it and monthly where it doesn't. Brevo has no bar because its free plan's daily cap can't send one campaign to the whole list in a day, and HubSpot has none because its price is a new-customer offer.

Also worth a look, and when they beat the picks

Every tool below sends campaigns and automated emails to a list you own, like the picks. Each one beats the picks for a narrower reader, and its line says which. Transactional email APIs, enterprise suites and tools that need a developer to send a newsletter are outside this guide.

• 

  Klaviyo

  The store-email specialist, built around what customers buy. Its free plan holds 250 contacts and paid plans start at $20/month billed monthly for the smallest list. For an online store, compare it with Omnisend in the ecommerce guide.

• 

  beehiiv

  Built for a business that grows through its newsletter, with a website and growth tools in one place. The free plan holds 2,500 subscribers but has no automations; paid plans start at $59/month billed monthly. If the newsletter is the business, compare it with Kit.

• 

  AWeber

  A long-running tool for a business that needs newsletters and simple autoresponders and little else. It has no free plan; Lite starts at $15/month billed monthly for the smallest list.

• 

  Moosend

  One of the lowest starting prices here: Pro starts at $9/month billed monthly for the smallest list, with unlimited emails a month. It has no free plan. A good fit for a business that sends often to a list that is still small.

• 

  Mailjet

  A free plan with 6,000 emails a month for up to 1,000 contacts, and Starter covers 2,000. A list of about 2,500 contacts needs Essential, at $19/month billed monthly, the first plan with no contact cap. It suits a business that also sends emails from its own app.

• 

  Sequenzy

  The AI-native option. I've tested Sequenzy several times, and it works well with Claude Code through its MCP server. The free plan sends 2,500 emails a month with automations, and Scale starts at $19/month billed monthly. It is a young vendor, so pick it if you already work through AI tools.

• 

  EmailOctopus

  A plain, low-cost tool for a free newsletter. A business that mixes offers, automations and sign-up pages gets more from the picks above; it appears in the free and nonprofit guides.

• 

  Zoho Campaigns

  Best value for a business already running other Zoho apps. On its own, MailerLite or Brevo gives a small business more.

• 

  Campaign Monitor

  Polished templates and client management aimed at agencies; it leads the agencies guide.

What I wouldn't pick, and why

Mailchimp is the email tool most small business owners already know, so it gets a straight answer here instead of a place in the ranking.

• 

  Mailchimp

  For this list of about 2,500 contacts, Mailchimp Essentials costs $45/month billed monthly, while MailerLite's Comfort plan costs $33/month billed monthly and includes 50 automations and 10 landing pages. Mailchimp's free plan stops at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, with no automation. I'd only choose it if your team already works in Mailchimp, or a tool you depend on connects to Mailchimp and little else.

How I chose, and how I earn from this page

Who is behind this guide

Joonas Rotko

I co-ran a marketing agency in Finland and spent more than ten years buying SEO and marketing software with real client budgets. I write these guides for the person who has to pay for the tool and use it.

• Hands-on with 2 of these 9 tools
• Prices checked 27 Oct 2026
• How this page earns

More about me and how I review

Questions people ask

Compare two of them head to head

• MailerLite vs Brevo
• MailerLite vs Sender
• MailerLite vs Mailchimp
• Kit vs MailerLite
• MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign
• MailerLite vs GetResponse
• Omnisend vs Mailchimp
• Constant Contact vs MailerLite