# 4 Best Alternatives to MailerLite in 2026

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified September 15, 2026.

> The best alternative to MailerLite is Mailchimp (4.5/5, 17,674 Capterra reviews), best for small businesses and e-commerce brands that want built-in automation and AI content tools alongside email and SMS campaigns. ActiveCampaign, Brevo, and Kit are also strong picks, adding multi-channel behavior-triggered automation, email-volume-based pricing with unlimited contacts, and creator-focused monetization respectively.

From our data: Three of the five MailerLite alternatives listed here (Mailchimp, Brevo, and Kit) carry a genuinely free tier, matching MailerLite's own free plan, while ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact offer none, only a trial period before billing starts.

## Quick picks

- Best overall: [Mailchimp](https://findalternative.to/mailchimp/about)
- Best for branching, behavior-triggered automation: [ActiveCampaign](https://findalternative.to/activecampaign/about)
- Best for unlimited contacts billed by email volume: [Brevo](https://findalternative.to/brevo/about)

## MailerLite alternatives at a glance

| Alternative | Best for | Standout | Biggest weakness | Learning curve | Price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MailerLite (the incumbent) | creators and small businesses that want an easy-to-use email marketing platform with a genuinely usable free tier before paying for more subscribers or automations | A permanently free plan for up to 250 subscribers that includes automation, landing pages, and a website builder, not just a stripped-down trial of the paid product. | Advanced deliverability and account-support features (dedicated IP, account audits, deliverability support) are reserved for the custom-quoted Enterprise tier, and the Free and Comfort plans' subscriber-based pricing means costs climb as a list grows, even for a small business that doesn't need Power's unlimited automations. | Low | Free tier · paid from $12/mo |
| Mailchimp | small businesses and e-commerce brands that want to run email and SMS campaigns with built-in automation and AI content tools without a separate marketing stack | A drag-and-drop email builder combined with e-commerce automation triggers (abandoned cart, order follow-up) and AI content tools, backed by 300+ third-party integrations. | Pricing scales with contact-list size and jumps sharply between tiers ($13 to $20 to $350/month), so growing lists get expensive fast, and reviewers describe the cost as disproportionate to list growth on the higher tiers; the Free plan's support is email-only and expires after 30 days. | Low | Free tier · paid from $13/mo |
| ActiveCampaign | growing businesses that need branching, behavior-triggered automations across email, SMS, and WhatsApp rather than a flat newsletter tool | Visual automation builder that triggers personalized email, SMS, and WhatsApp sequences off subscriber behavior, combined with built-in lead scoring across all channels. | Contact-based pricing climbs steeply as a list grows past the advertised starter tier, no exact numbers are published on ActiveCampaign's own site, and Capterra reviewers commonly cite an unintuitive page/form builder and recurring bugs requiring workarounds. | Moderate | From $15/mo |
| Brevo | small businesses and marketers with large but mostly-inactive contact lists who want to be billed by emails sent rather than penalized for contacts stored | Prices every plan by monthly email volume rather than contact-list size, so accounts with large stored contact lists don't pay the premium that contact-based competitors like Mailchimp charge for the same sending activity. | The Free plan caps out at just 300 emails/day (roughly 9,000/month), and features like marketing automation and landing pages require jumping past Starter to the Business tier, a bigger price step than some competitors' mid-tier plans. | Low | Free tier · paid from $9/mo |
| Constant Contact | small businesses and nonprofits under a few thousand contacts who want phone support and an all-in-one email, social, and landing-page tool | Phone support is included on every paid tier, including the entry-level Lite plan, which is uncommon among lower-priced email marketing competitors | No permanently free plan, and price climbs steeply with list size — reported as high as $425/month at 25,000 contacts — which pushes growing lists toward competitors like Mailchimp or MailerLite that offer either a free tier or gentler scaling. | Low | From $12/mo |

## 1. Mailchimp — best MailerLite alternative for small businesses and e-commerce brands that want to run email and SMS campaigns with built-in automation and AI content tools without a separate marketing stack

Mailchimp is the best MailerLite alternative for small businesses and e-commerce brands that want deep e-commerce automation triggers (abandoned cart, order follow-up) built directly into the platform, going beyond MailerLite's simpler automation set. Mailchimp's Free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, close to MailerLite's own Free plan (250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month), and Essentials starts at $13/month, slightly above MailerLite's Comfort tier at $12/month. Mailchimp holds a 4.5/5 rating from 17,674 Capterra reviews, more than 7x MailerLite's own 2,322-review sample, and it integrates with more than 300 third-party tools including Shopify and WooCommerce for automated e-commerce triggers. AI-assisted content tools are included starting at the Standard tier. MailerLite is still the better choice for anyone who wants gentler pricing growth and longer free support: Mailchimp's pricing climbs steeply as contact-list size grows, jumping from $13 to $20 to $350/month across tiers, and Free-plan support ends after the first 30 days, while MailerLite's paid tiers start lower at $12/month and its Free plan includes real automation and a website builder, not just a stripped-down trial.

Compared to MailerLite: more than 7x the Capterra review volume (17,674 vs 2,322), deep e-commerce automation triggers (Shopify, WooCommerce) built in, 300+ third-party integrations

- Wins: 4.5/5 rating from 17,674 Capterra reviews, more than 7x MailerLite's 2,322-review sample · Deep e-commerce automation triggers (abandoned cart, order follow-up) via Shopify and WooCommerce integrations · 300+ third-party integrations, a broader ecosystem than MailerLite's 100+
- Loses: Pricing climbs steeply as contact-list size grows, jumping from $13 to $20 to $350/month across tiers, versus MailerLite's gentler $12 to $25/month structure · Free-plan support ends after the first 30 days, while MailerLite's Free plan includes ongoing automation and a website builder · Advanced automation flows and predictive segmentation are gated behind the Standard and Premium tiers
- Pros: Free tier is genuinely usable for small lists up to 250 contacts.; Drag-and-drop builder and template library make campaign creation fast for beginners.; Deep e-commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce) enable automated triggers like abandoned-cart emails.; AI content and automation tools are included starting at the Standard tier.
- Cons: Pricing climbs steeply as contact count grows, with users calling the cost disproportionate at scale.; Advanced automation flows and predictive segmentation are gated behind Standard and Premium tiers.; Free plan email support ends after the first 30 days.; Premium tier jumps to $350/month, a large gap from Standard's $20/month.
- **Pricing:** Free tier · paid from $13/mo (verified undefined NaN, NaN) — $13/month (Mailchimp Essentials) vs MailerLite's $12/month (Comfort)
- Ratings: Capterra 4.5/5 (17,674 reviews)
- Details: https://findalternative.to/mailchimp/about
- 5 alternatives to Mailchimp: https://findalternative.to/mailchimp

## 2. ActiveCampaign — best MailerLite alternative for growing businesses that need branching, behavior-triggered automations across email, SMS, and WhatsApp rather than a flat newsletter tool

ActiveCampaign is the best MailerLite alternative for growing businesses that need branching, behavior-triggered automations across email, SMS, and WhatsApp rather than MailerLite's more limited 50-automation cap on its Comfort tier. ActiveCampaign's Starter tier runs roughly $15/month at 1,000 contacts billed annually (sourced from third-party pricing trackers, since exact figures are no longer published on ActiveCampaign's own site), close to MailerLite's Comfort tier at $12/month; both scale price with contact or subscriber count. ActiveCampaign holds a 4.6/5 rating from 2,568 Capterra reviews, slightly above MailerLite's 4.7/5 from 2,322 reviews but with a larger sample. Built-in lead scoring and a lightweight CRM reduce the need for a separate sales-tracking tool, and 1,000+ native integrations connect it to common e-commerce, CRM, and analytics platforms. MailerLite is still the better choice for anyone who wants a genuinely free tier or simpler onboarding: ActiveCampaign has no free plan, only a 14-day trial, its Starter and Plus tiers cap accounts at 1 user, and Capterra reviewers report the page and form builder as unintuitive with recurring bugs requiring workarounds.

Compared to MailerLite: branching, behavior-triggered automation across email, SMS, and WhatsApp, built-in lead scoring and a lightweight CRM, 1,000+ native integrations to e-commerce and CRM platforms

- Wins: Branching, behavior-triggered automation across email, SMS, and WhatsApp, beyond MailerLite's 50-automation cap on the Comfort tier · Built-in lead scoring and a lightweight CRM reduce the need for a separate sales-tracking tool · 1,000+ native integrations connect it to common e-commerce, CRM, and analytics platforms
- Loses: No free plan; only a 14-day trial, while MailerLite offers a permanently free tier for up to 250 subscribers · Starter and Plus tiers cap accounts at 1 user, forcing an upgrade for any team collaboration · Capterra reviewers report the page and form builder as unintuitive and hard to customize, with recurring bugs requiring workarounds
- Pros: Automation builder supports complex, multi-channel branching logic across email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one workflow.; Built-in lead scoring and lightweight CRM reduce the need for a separate sales-tracking tool for small teams.; Deliverability and reporting are frequently praised by reviewers as more detailed than basic email tools.; 1,000+ native integrations connect it to common ecommerce, CRM, and analytics platforms.
- Cons: No free plan; only a 14-day trial, and pricing rises quickly as contact count grows past the entry tier.; Starter and Plus tiers cap accounts at 1 user, forcing an upgrade for any team collaboration.; Capterra reviewers report the page and form builder as unintuitive and hard to customize.; Users report encountering bugs and inconsistent features that require repeated troubleshooting.
- **Pricing:** From $15/mo — About $15/month (ActiveCampaign Starter, ~1,000 contacts, third-party sourced) vs MailerLite's $12/month (Comfort)
- Ratings: Capterra 4.6/5 (2,568 reviews)
- Details: https://findalternative.to/activecampaign/about
- 5 alternatives to ActiveCampaign: https://findalternative.to/activecampaign

## 3. Brevo — best MailerLite alternative for small businesses and marketers with large but mostly-inactive contact lists who want to be billed by emails sent rather than penalized for contacts stored

Brevo is the best MailerLite alternative for marketers with large but mostly-inactive contact lists who want every plan to include unlimited stored contacts, priced by monthly email volume instead. Brevo's Free plan sends up to 300 emails/day with unlimited contacts, a different structure than MailerLite's Free plan, which caps at 250 subscribers regardless of send volume; Brevo's Starter tier runs from roughly $9/month for 5,000 emails, close to MailerLite's Comfort tier at $12/month. Brevo holds a 4.6/5 rating from 3,512 Capterra reviews, more than MailerLite's own 2,322-review sample. Every paid Brevo plan includes unlimited stored contacts, SMS, live chat, and a lightweight CRM bundled alongside email, and Enterprise pricing starts around $499/month for high-volume senders needing dedicated support. MailerLite is still the better choice for anyone who wants automation and a website builder included from the entry paid tier: Brevo's marketing automation and landing pages require jumping to the $18/month Business tier, a bigger step than MailerLite's Comfort tier, which already includes 50 automations and a website builder at $12/month.

Compared to MailerLite: every plan includes unlimited stored contacts billed by email volume instead of subscriber count, bundled SMS and live chat, larger Capterra review sample (3,512 vs 2,322)

- Wins: Every paid plan includes unlimited stored contacts, billed by email volume rather than subscriber count the way MailerLite is · Bundles SMS, live chat, and a lightweight CRM alongside email in one platform · 3,512 Capterra reviews at 4.6/5, a larger sample than MailerLite's 2,322 reviews
- Loses: Marketing automation and landing pages require the $18/month Business tier, a bigger step than MailerLite's $12/month Comfort tier, which already includes both · Free plan's 300 emails/day cap (roughly 9,000/month) is more restrictive for a large but active list than MailerLite's 2,500 emails/month at 250 subscribers · Some users report unclear account policy and compliance enforcement that can affect sending reliability
- Pros: Every paid plan includes unlimited stored contacts, since pricing is based on email volume instead.; Free plan requires no credit card and includes core email marketing functionality.; Bundles SMS, live chat, and a lightweight CRM alongside email in one platform.; Transactional email and SMS APIs are available on the same account as marketing campaigns.
- Cons: Free plan's 300 emails/day cap is restrictive for anything beyond very small lists.; Marketing automation and landing pages require the Business tier, a larger jump than Starter alone provides.; Some users report unclear account policy and compliance enforcement that can affect sending reliability.; Higher-volume Starter pricing (up to ~$69/month for 100,000 emails) scales quickly compared to flat-rate competitors.
- **Pricing:** Free tier · paid from $9/mo — $9/month (Brevo Starter, from 5,000 emails) vs MailerLite's $12/month (Comfort)
- Ratings: Capterra 4.6/5 (3,512 reviews)
- Details: https://findalternative.to/brevo/about
- 5 alternatives to Brevo: https://findalternative.to/brevo

## 4. Constant Contact — best MailerLite alternative for small businesses and nonprofits under a few thousand contacts who want phone support and an all-in-one email, social, and landing-page tool

Constant Contact is the best MailerLite alternative for small businesses and nonprofits that want phone support included on every paid tier, including the entry-level Lite plan, an uncommon inclusion at this price point that MailerLite's listing doesn't describe. Constant Contact's Lite tier starts at $12/month at the 500-contact base rate, essentially matching MailerLite's Comfort tier at $12/month, and Standard and Premium add A/B testing, segmentation, and advanced automation as list size grows. Constant Contact holds a 4.3/5 rating from 2,942 Capterra reviews, a larger sample than MailerLite's 2,322 reviews, though at a lower score (4.3 vs 4.7). Prepaying 12 months upfront cuts prices by up to 15% across every tier. MailerLite is still the better choice for anyone who wants to start for free: Constant Contact has no permanently free plan, only a short trial before billing starts, and price climbs steeply with list size, reported as high as $425/month at 25,000 contacts, well above MailerLite's more gradual scaling.

Compared to MailerLite: phone support included on every paid tier including entry-level Lite, larger Capterra review sample (2,942 vs 2,322) at a lower score (4.3 vs 4.7), 12-month prepay discount up to 15%

- Wins: Phone support included on every paid tier, including entry-level Lite, not gated to a top plan · 2,942 Capterra reviews, a larger sample than MailerLite's 2,322 reviews, though at a lower 4.3 vs 4.7 score · 12-month prepay discount cuts effective monthly price by up to 15% across every tier
- Loses: No permanently free plan; only a short trial before billing starts, versus MailerLite's genuinely free tier for up to 250 subscribers · Price scales steeply with contact list size, reported as high as $425/month at 25,000 contacts · Basic Lite tier lacks A/B testing and segmentation, which MailerLite includes even on its Free plan's automation features
- Pros: Phone support included on every paid tier, not gated to the top plan.; Combines email, social posting, landing pages, and automation in one product.; 12-month prepay discount cuts effective monthly price by up to 15%.; 4.3/5 rating from nearly 3,000 Capterra reviews reflects a large, established user base.
- Cons: No permanently free plan; only a short trial before billing starts.; Price scales steeply with contact list size, reported as high as $425/month at 25,000 contacts.; Trustpilot reviews skew lower than Capterra, with recurring complaints about cancellation friction and auto-renewal billing.; Basic Lite tier lacks A/B testing and segmentation, which are standard even on entry tiers at some competitors.
- **Pricing:** From $12/mo — $12/month (Constant Contact Lite, 500-contact base) vs MailerLite's $12/month (Comfort)
- Ratings: Capterra 4.3/5 (2,942 reviews)
- Details: https://findalternative.to/constant-contact/about
- 3 alternatives to Constant Contact: https://findalternative.to/constant-contact

## Which one fits you?

- You need deep e-commerce automation triggers like abandoned-cart emails. → **Mailchimp**
- You want branching, behavior-triggered automation across email, SMS, and WhatsApp. → **ActiveCampaign**
- You have a large but mostly-inactive contact list and want to pay by email volume, not contacts. → **Brevo**
- You want phone support included on every paid tier, even the cheapest one. → **Constant Contact**
- You want the largest independent review sample among these alternatives. → **Mailchimp**

## FAQ

### Is there a free alternative to MailerLite?

Yes. Mailchimp and Brevo both offer a genuinely free tier, similar to MailerLite's own free plan for up to 250 subscribers. ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact have no free plan, only a trial period before billing starts.

### What is the closest alternative to MailerLite for creator monetization?

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the closest match, with built-in support for selling paid newsletter subscriptions and digital products directly to subscribers, though its Creator tier starts at $25/month, more than double MailerLite's $12/month Comfort tier.

### Can Mailchimp replace MailerLite?

Mailchimp can replace MailerLite for businesses that want deep e-commerce automation triggers and 300+ integrations, backed by a 4.5/5 rating from 17,674 Capterra reviews, but its pricing climbs more steeply with list size, reaching $350/month at the Premium tier.

### Which MailerLite alternative charges by email volume instead of contact count?

Brevo prices every plan by monthly emails sent rather than contacts stored, so accounts with large but mostly-inactive lists don't pay the premium that contact-based competitors like Mailchimp or MailerLite charge for the same sending activity.

### Which MailerLite alternative includes phone support on its cheapest plan?

Constant Contact includes phone support on every paid tier, including its entry-level Lite plan at $12/month, an inclusion uncommon among lower-priced email marketing competitors.

## Related

- [Email Marketing & Newsletters](https://findalternative.to/categories/email-marketing)

---

Markdown mirror of https://findalternative.to/mailerlite — findalternative.to, honestly ranked software alternatives. AI info: https://findalternative.to/ai