Benchmark Email vs MailerLite: the bigger free plan or the documented automation builder?
Email marketing and CRM platforms · Verified · By Joonas Rotko
Benchmark Email
Desk research
From Pro, billed annually
$16/mo
$19/mo billed monthly
MailerLite
Desk research
From Comfort, billed annually
$10.80/mo
$12/mo billed monthly
vs
Quick answer
MailerLite is the better buy for most lists. At 5,000 contacts Comfort costs $49/month billed monthly, and Benchmark Pro costs $63/month billed monthly. Comfort also includes 3 seats where Benchmark charges $15/user per month for every extra user, and MailerLite documents an automation builder on every plan while Benchmark's feature list names none. Benchmark wins one case: a list of up to 500 contacts, which its free plan covers and MailerLite's free plan doesn't. Prices verified 1 Oct 2026.
Across the three setups below: MailerLite in 2 of 3 scenarios.
Which one fits you?
Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier
Benchmark Email
My pick
$0/mobilled annually
Benchmark's Free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month, so a 500-contact list costs nothing on either billing basis. MailerLite's free plan stops at 250 subscribers, so the same list needs Comfort at $12/month billed monthly, or $10.80/month billed annually.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if you need automated sequences, more than one login, or your list will grow past 500 soon. Benchmark Free has 1 user and can't add more, its feature list names no automation builder, and one contact past the cap moves you to Pro at $19/month billed monthly. MailerLite Comfort includes 50 automations and 3 seats.
At 5,000 contacts MailerLite Comfort costs $49/month billed monthly, or $44.10/month billed annually. Benchmark Pro costs $63/month billed monthly, or $54/month billed annually. MailerLite is cheaper on both billing bases and includes a documented automation builder.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if you want a send allowance written into the plan. Benchmark Pro publishes a monthly send cap (10x contact limit), while MailerLite doesn't publish a sending cap for Comfort or Power.
Three people on a 1,000-contact list fit MailerLite Comfort at $19/month billed monthly, or $17.10/month billed annually, because it includes 3 seats. Benchmark Pro includes 1 user and charges $15/user per month for each extra one, which brings the same setup to $49/month billed monthly, or $46/month billed annually.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if you need a fourth login. MailerLite Comfort stops at 3 seats and sells no per-seat add-on, so a bigger team moves to Power, which starts at $25/month billed monthly at 500 subscribers and costs more at 1,000. Benchmark adds users one at a time at $15/user per month each.
How are Benchmark Email and MailerLite really different?
Benchmark Email
MailerLite
Free plan ceiling
Benchmark's free plan holds twice the list. MailerLite's holds a second login and a working automation builder, which Benchmark's free plan doesn't document.
Benchmark Email
500 contacts, 2,500 emails a month, 1 user.
MailerLite
250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, 2 seats, 3 automations.
Automation
If you plan a welcome sequence or any drip, MailerLite is the one that states it on every plan. On Benchmark, open an account and look for the builder before you commit.
Benchmark Email
Benchmark's pricing, features and home pages name no automation or workflow builder.
MailerLite
3 automations on Free, 50 on Comfort, Unlimited on Power.
Seats
For a solo sender this doesn't matter. For a team of three on a 1,000-contact list, Benchmark costs $49/month billed monthly and MailerLite $19/month billed monthly.
Benchmark Email
1 user on Pro, each extra user $15/user per month. Free can't add users.
MailerLite
3 seats on Comfort, Unlimited on Power.
Price as the list grows
At 1,000 contacts the two cost the same on monthly billing. At 5,000 MailerLite is cheaper on both billing bases.
Benchmark Email
Pro: $19/month billed monthly, or $16/month billed annually, at its smallest band of 1,000 contacts.
MailerLite
Comfort: $12/month billed monthly, or $10.80/month billed annually, at its smallest band of 500 subscribers.
Going over your contact limit
Benchmark asks before it charges you more. MailerLite moves a paid plan up a band and bills the card on file.
Benchmark Email
Over the contact limit, Benchmark notifies you and offers an upgrade; it does not auto-upgrade.
MailerLite
Paid plans auto-upgrade to the next subscriber tier and bill the card on file when the active subscriber count exceeds the current limit; Free accounts get campaign and automation sending locked at 250 subscribers until you upgrade or trim the list
What will Benchmark Email or MailerLite cost for your setup?
The cheapest plan that covers each setup, add-ons included. Prices exclude VAT.
Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier
500 subscribers · mailed 3 times a month (for tools priced by emails sent) · 1 user
ToolMonthlyYearly, per month
Benchmark Email
My pick
$0
$0
Free
Above 500 subscribers: Pro (+$16/mo, billed annually).
MailerLite
$12
$10.80
Comfort
Above 200,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.
For each tool I price every current plan plus the add-ons a setup needs, from the vendor's published prices only, and take the cheapest. Monthly and annual billing are priced separately. When a limit or price isn't published, the tool shows as not fitting instead of a guess.
Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier: A list of about 500 contacts, just past the free tiers most vendors offer. One login. Tools priced by emails sent are costed at three mailings per subscriber a month.
Growing list, sending regularly: A list of 5,000 contacts, sending regularly. One login. Tools priced by emails sent are costed at three mailings per subscriber a month.
Small team managing one list together: Three people logging in to the same 1,000-contact list. Seats, not list size, are the deciding limit. Tools priced by emails sent are costed at three mailings per subscriber a month.
Benchmark Email vs MailerLite side by side
I compare email/CRM platforms on: Real cost per list size, both billing bases; Free-tier contact ceiling before you must pay anything; Team seats included, and the seat price past that; List segmentation depth; Automation workflow depth and any step/action limits; Deliverability and sending limits (emails per month, per day, or per rolling window); CRM and ecommerce integration depth; What happens past your plan's contact ceiling (overage pricing vs a forced upgrade).
Benchmark Email and MailerLite compared on the main buying criteria
Criterion
Benchmark Email
MailerLite
Free plan
Yes, up to 500 contacts.
Yes, up to 250 subscribers.
Free trial of paid features
Benchmark doesn't state a trial length. The Pro button says "Try for free", and the free plan is the usual way in.
14 days, no card required, then the account drops back to Free.
Entry paid plan, monthly billing
Pro: $19/month billed monthly at 1,000 contacts.
Comfort: $12/month billed monthly at 500 subscribers.
Entry paid plan, annual billing
Pro: $16/month billed annually at 1,000 contacts.
Comfort: $10.80/month billed annually at 500 subscribers.
Real cost at 5,000 contacts
Pro: $63/month billed monthly, or $54/month billed annually.
Comfort: $49/month billed monthly, or $44.10/month billed annually.
All details, including automation and AI workflows
All compared details for Benchmark Email and MailerLite
Criterion
Benchmark Email
MailerLite
Team seats included, and the seat price past that
1 user on Pro, extra users $15/user per month each.
2 on Free, 3 on Comfort, Unlimited on Power. No per-seat add-on is sold.
Automation workflow depth
No automation builder named on the vendor's pricing or feature pages.
3 on Free, 50 on Comfort, Unlimited on Power.
Sending limits
2,500 emails a month on Free. Pro has a monthly send cap of 10x contact limit.
2,500 emails a month on Free. MailerLite doesn't publish a cap for Comfort or Power.
Plan ladder
Free, then Pro priced by contact count up to 100,000 contacts. Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing; 100,000+ contacts.
Free, then Comfort and Power, both priced by subscriber count. Enterprise is a custom quote for very large lists.
What the paid plan unlocks
Every feature is on every plan, Free included. Pro raises the limits and lets you remove Benchmark branding.
Every paid plan carries the same builder at every list size. Comfort removes MailerLite branding and opens full API sending. Power lifts automations, landing pages and seats to unlimited.
Power plan entry price
Not applicable. Benchmark has one self-serve paid plan.
Power: $25/month billed monthly, or $22.50/month billed annually, at 500 subscribers.
API access
2 API keys on Free, 10 API keys on Pro.
Limited (no sending) on Free. Full API access, sending included, on Comfort and Power.
Landing pages
Benchmark doesn't list a landing page allowance per plan.
1 on Free, 10 on Comfort, Unlimited on Power.
AI features
150 AI credits a month on Free, 1,000 on Pro.
An AI landing page builder, usable once on Free and without that limit on Comfort and Power.
Support
Free and Pro: chat and email. Enterprise: chat, email and phone, plus dedicated account management.
Community support on Free.
Refunds
Benchmark doesn't publish a refund window on its pricing page.
Refund requests within 30 days, granted at MailerLite's discretion, not guaranteed.
Who should pick Benchmark Email, and who should pick MailerLite?
Benchmark Email
Desk research
Best for solo marketers and small businesses
Benchmark Email has a free plan for up to 500 contacts, and Pro starts at $19/month billed monthly ($16/month billed annually) at the entry band, rising with contact count up to 100,000 contacts. Past that it is a contact-sales quote. Every feature is on every plan, including Free, so the price you pay buys room (contacts, sends, domains, users) rather than features. The one thing to check before committing is automation, because the vendor's feature list names no automation builder.
Best for: Small senders who want a plain newsletter and campaign tool with a free plan, a single contact-based price ladder and no feature gating between plans.
Strengths
A free plan that covers 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month, with API access, so you can run a real list before paying.
One clear ladder: Pro is priced by contact count, from $19/month billed monthly at the entry band to 100,000 contacts, with annual billing lowering every band (entry band $16/month billed annually).
Every feature is on every plan, so moving from Free to Pro raises limits and removes the Benchmark branding instead of unlocking tools.
Limits
The vendor's feature list names no automation or workflow builder, so a drip-sequence use case needs to be checked in a trial account before you rely on it.
Paid plans include a single user; each extra user costs $15/user per month, and the Free plan cannot invite teammates at all.
Pro prices only up to 100,000 contacts. Larger lists go to Enterprise on a contact-sales quote, and the page gives no number for it.
Skip it if you need a visual automation builder with drip sequences, or more than 1 login without paying $15/user per month for each extra user.
MailerLite prices by subscriber count, not by locking features behind tiers, so a $12/month billed monthly plan gets the same automation builder and landing pages as the top tier, just fewer of each. The free plan is a real permanent plan, not a trial, capped at 250 subscribers.
Best for: A small business or solo marketer who wants full features at a low subscriber count and doesn't want to pay for a bigger list than they have yet.
Strengths
A genuine free plan at 250 subscribers, not a time-limited trial.
A 14-day trial of paid features with no card required.
Automation and landing pages scale by count, not by locking the builder away from cheaper tiers.
Limits
Removing the MailerLite logo needs Comfort or above.
API and MCP access on Free is limited and can't send.
Refunds are discretionary, not a guaranteed money-back window; MailerLite's terms only commit to a refund if it cancels your service on you first.
Skip it if you resell email under your own brand (MailerLite offers no white-label version), you need logo removal on the free plan, or you need unrestricted API sending without upgrading past Free.
Neither vendor publishes a migration service, so plan on exporting your contacts as a file and re-importing them, then rebuilding templates and any automations by hand. Both free plans let you test the move first: Benchmark up to 500 contacts, MailerLite up to 250 subscribers plus a 14-day trial of its paid features.
What would change my pick?
Benchmark documenting an automation builder with clear limits would close the biggest gap, and I'd look at it again for small lists.
Benchmark including more than one user on Pro would remove most of MailerLite's lead for teams.
MailerLite raising its free plan to cover a 500-contact list would take away Benchmark's one clear win.
A price change on either side. The scenario picks recalculate when a vendor changes a published price.
Benchmark Email vs MailerLite: questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Benchmark Email or MailerLite?
MailerLite, once you pay. At 5,000 contacts Comfort costs $49/month billed monthly and Benchmark Pro $63/month billed monthly. At 1,000 contacts on one login they cost the same on monthly billing. Benchmark is only cheaper for a list of up to 500 contacts, which its free plan covers.
How big are the free plans on Benchmark Email and MailerLite?
Benchmark Free covers 500 contacts with 1 user. MailerLite Free covers 250 subscribers with 2 seats and 3 automations. Both cap sending at 2,500 emails a month. So Benchmark holds the bigger list, and MailerLite gives you more to work with on a small one.
Does Benchmark Email have marketing automation?
Benchmark's pricing, features and home pages don't name an automation or workflow builder, and the vendor says every feature is on every plan. If automated sequences matter, check for the builder inside a free account before you pay. MailerLite documents its builder on every plan, with 50 automations on Comfort.
Which is better for a small team?
MailerLite. Comfort includes 3 seats, so three people on a 1,000-contact list pay $19/month billed monthly. Benchmark Pro includes 1 user and charges $15/user per month for each extra one, which brings the same team to $49/month billed monthly.
What happens if my list goes over the plan limit?
Benchmark notifies you and offers an upgrade, and doesn't upgrade you on its own. MailerLite moves a paid plan to the next subscriber band and charges the card on file, and on Free it pauses sending until you upgrade or trim the list.
Does either offer a free trial?
MailerLite does: 14 days of paid features with no card, after which the account returns to Free. Benchmark doesn't state a trial length on its pricing page. Its free plan is the way to test it.
How I verified this
Every price and limit here comes from the vendors' own pages, last checked . Benchmark Email: desk research. MailerLite: desk research.
: New page. MailerLite is the overall pick: cheaper at 5,000 contacts on both billing bases and much cheaper for a three-person team. Benchmark Email takes the 500-contact scenario because its free plan covers that list.
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