Updated 2026-03-22: Pricing, features, and accuracy figures verified against the latest product release.
Quick Specs
Most email marketing platforms make you choose: pay more for features, or settle for less. MailerLite refuses to play that game.
It’s the platform I keep recommending to small businesses, side-project creators, and anyone who’s just realized their current email tool costs too much for what it does. Not because it’s perfect. It’s not. But because the gap between what you pay and what you get is wider here than almost anywhere else in email marketing.
I’ve signed up for the free plan, built test automations, clicked through every menu, and compared it side by side against the bigger names. Here’s what I found.
What MailerLite Does Well
The editor is a pleasure to use
I almost never say this about email editors. Most of them feel like they were designed by committee and tested by nobody. MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor is different. It’s clean. It’s responsive. Blocks snap where you expect them to. You can build a good-looking email in ten minutes without watching a tutorial.
You also get a rich text editor if you prefer something simpler, and an HTML editor if you want full control. Three editors, all included on every plan. That’s unusual.
The template library is solid too. Not the largest I’ve seen (AWeber has 700+), but the designs are modern and mobile-responsive out of the box. You won’t need to fight with formatting to get something that looks professional on a phone screen.
Pricing that makes competitors look expensive
This is MailerLite’s strongest card, and they know it. At 1,000 subscribers, the Growing Business plan costs $15/mo. Mailchimp charges $13/mo for the Essentials plan at the same subscriber count, but you get fewer features - no automations on Mailchimp’s free plan, limited reporting, and Mailchimp’s branding on your emails unless you pay more.
At 5,000 subscribers, the gap gets wider. MailerLite’s Growing Business plan is $39/mo. ActiveCampaign’s Starter plan hits $99/mo at that tier. Kit’s Creator plan is $89/mo.
The math is hard to argue with. And unlike some platforms that charge for unsubscribed contacts sitting in your list (looking at you, ActiveCampaign), MailerLite only counts active subscribers toward your plan limit.
The free plan actually includes automations
Here’s the thing most reviews won’t tell you: a lot of “free plans” in email marketing are basically lead magnets. They give you enough to get started and then lock everything useful behind a paywall.
MailerLite’s free plan includes automations. Real ones. You can set up welcome sequences, trigger emails based on subscriber actions, and build basic workflows without paying a cent. It’s capped at 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month, but for a side project or early-stage newsletter, that’s plenty.
Compare that to Mailchimp, where automations don’t unlock until you’re on a paid plan. Or Kit, where the free plan gives you 10,000 subscribers (impressive) but only one automation.
The interface stays out of your way
Some platforms feel like they’re trying to impress you with how many buttons they have. MailerLite keeps things simple. The navigation makes sense. Features are where you’d expect them to be. I didn’t have to search for anything.
This matters more than people think. If you’re a small business owner or a solo creator, you don’t have time to learn a complex tool. You need to write an email, set up a form, maybe build a landing page, and get back to running your business. MailerLite respects that.
Users on G2 and Capterra consistently mention the interface as a standout. “Easy to use” comes up in almost every positive review I’ve read. It’s the kind of tool you can hand to a team member who’s never touched email marketing software and they’ll figure it out within an afternoon.
Landing pages and a website builder on every plan
Every plan - including free - comes with a landing page builder and a website builder. You can create up to 10 landing pages on the free plan. The website builder won’t replace WordPress or Squarespace, but if you need a simple site to collect emails and share content, it works.
On the Advanced plan, you can also sell digital products and set up paid newsletter subscriptions through Stripe integration. That’s a feature set that some platforms charge significantly more for.
The landing page builder itself is straightforward. It won’t compete with dedicated tools like Unbounce or Leadpages, but for opt-in pages, waitlists, and simple product pages, it does the job. And the fact that it’s bundled into even the free plan means you’re not paying for a separate landing page tool while you’re starting out.
What MailerLite Doesn’t Do Well
No CRM
If you need a built-in CRM with sales pipelines, deal tracking, and contact scoring, MailerLite isn’t it. There’s no sales-focused functionality here. You can tag and segment subscribers, but that’s about it.
For CRM-integrated email, ActiveCampaign is the clear choice. It’s more expensive, but it combines email marketing with a proper sales CRM.
Automations have a ceiling
MailerLite’s automations handle the basics well - welcome sequences, abandoned cart emails, date-based triggers. But if you need complex multi-branch workflows with conditional logic, lead scoring triggers, or behavior-based paths that split five ways, you’ll hit a wall.
The automation builder is visual and clean, but it doesn’t go as deep as ActiveCampaign or even Drip. For most small businesses, it’s enough. For marketing teams running sophisticated funnels, it’s not.
The free plan has real limits
500 subscribers. 12,000 emails per month. No custom HTML templates. MailerLite branding in the footer. No A/B testing.
These are reasonable limits for a free plan, but don’t expect to run a serious newsletter on the free tier long-term. It’s a starting point, not a destination. Once you cross 500 subscribers, you’re paying.
Approval process can be slow
A common complaint on Reddit and G2: MailerLite reviews your account before you can start sending. This anti-spam measure is good for deliverability, but it can take 24-48 hours and some accounts get rejected without a clear explanation. If you’re in a rush to launch, this can be frustrating.
Pricing Breakdown
MailerLite offers three main plans. Here’s what they cost at different subscriber counts:
Free Plan - $0/mo
- Up to 500 subscribers
- 12,000 emails/month
- 1 user
- Automations included
- Landing pages (10)
- Website builder
- Signup forms and popups
- MailerLite branding on emails
Growing Business Plan
| Subscribers | Monthly Price |
|---|---|
| 500 | $10/mo |
| 1,000 | $15/mo |
| 2,500 | $25/mo |
| 5,000 | $39/mo |
| 10,000 | $73/mo |
Everything in Free, plus: unlimited emails, 3 users, no MailerLite branding, A/B testing, dynamic emails, auto-resend campaigns, unlimited websites and blogs.
Advanced Plan
| Subscribers | Monthly Price |
|---|---|
| 500 | $20/mo |
| 1,000 | $30/mo |
| 2,500 | $40/mo |
| 5,000 | $50/mo |
| 10,000 | $110/mo |
Everything in Growing Business, plus: Facebook integration, custom HTML editor, promotion popups, multiple automation triggers, digital product sales, paid newsletter subscriptions, unlimited users, and priority support.
The price difference between Growing Business and Advanced is small enough that I’d recommend most businesses start with Growing Business and upgrade when they need the extra features. At 2,500 subscribers, the difference is only $15/mo.
Annual billing gets you a discount of roughly 15-20%. If you’re committed and planning to stick around for a year, it’s worth locking in.
One thing I appreciate: MailerLite’s pricing page is transparent. No hidden fees, no confusing tier names, no “contact sales” walls until you’re at enterprise scale. You can see exactly what you’ll pay at any subscriber count before you sign up. That’s refreshing in an industry where pricing pages often feel designed to confuse you into a sales call.
Who Should Use MailerLite
Small businesses watching their budget. If you need email marketing, landing pages, and basic automations without spending $50+/mo, this is your platform. The Growing Business plan at $15/mo for 1,000 subscribers is hard to beat.
Beginners and first-time email marketers. The interface is one of the cleanest in the industry. You won’t feel overwhelmed. Everything is designed to be approachable without being dumbed down.
Side projects and hobby newsletters. The free plan with automations gives you a legitimate foundation to start building an audience. When you outgrow it, the paid plans are affordable enough that a side project can absorb the cost.
Mailchimp refugees. If you’re tired of Mailchimp’s pricing creep and shrinking free plan, MailerLite gives you more features for less money. The migration path is straightforward, and the learning curve is minimal. MailerLite even offers free migration assistance if you’re bringing over an existing list.
Who Should NOT Use MailerLite
Businesses that need a CRM. No sales pipelines, no deal tracking, no contact scoring. If email and sales need to live in one tool, look at ActiveCampaign instead.
Teams running complex automation workflows. If your marketing strategy depends on multi-branch automations with conditional splits, predictive sending, and deep behavioral triggers, MailerLite won’t keep up. ActiveCampaign or Drip are better fits.
Large enterprises. Once you’re past 50K-100K subscribers, you’ll want a platform with enterprise-grade features, dedicated account management, and more granular permissions. MailerLite is built for small and mid-sized businesses, and it shows at scale.
Ecommerce stores needing deep integrations. MailerLite integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce, but if you need revenue attribution, predictive product recommendations, and pre-built ecommerce workflows, Klaviyo or Drip are purpose-built for that.
How MailerLite Compares
MailerLite vs Mailchimp: MailerLite wins on pricing and features at nearly every tier. The free plan includes automations (Mailchimp’s doesn’t). The paid plans cost less and include more. Mailchimp still has stronger brand recognition and more integrations (300+), but for most small businesses, MailerLite is the better deal. Read our MailerLite vs Mailchimp comparison for the full breakdown.
MailerLite vs Kit: Different tools for different people. Kit is built for creators who want to monetize audiences through paid newsletters, digital products, and a built-in creator network. MailerLite is built for small businesses that want solid email marketing at a low price. Kit’s free plan supports 10,000 subscribers (impressive), but paid plans start at $39/mo vs MailerLite’s $10/mo.
MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign is the better tool if automation depth and CRM functionality are your priorities. ActiveCampaign starts at $19/mo for 1,000 contacts and scales steeply from there. At 5,000 contacts, you’re paying $79+/mo for ActiveCampaign’s Starter plan vs $39/mo for MailerLite’s Growing Business plan. MailerLite is the better tool if you want 80% of the functionality at 40% of the price. If you don’t need a CRM or advanced branching logic, the savings add up fast.
Final Verdict
MailerLite is the sensible choice. It’s not the most powerful email platform. It’s not the flashiest. But it delivers a remarkable amount of value for what it costs, and it does it through an interface that’s actually pleasant to use.
For small businesses, solo creators, and anyone who’s been overpaying for email marketing, it’s the first platform I’d recommend trying. The free plan is generous enough to start with, and the paid plans are priced fairly enough that upgrading doesn’t feel like a punishment.
Start with the free plan. Build a few automations, test the editor, set up a landing page. If you outgrow it, the Growing Business plan at $10/mo is one of the lowest entry points in the industry. You’ll know within a week whether MailerLite is the right fit.
It earns its 8.5 rating. If MailerLite added a basic CRM and deeper automation branching, it would be a 9+. But for what it is - a clean, affordable, full-featured email marketing platform - it’s hard to find a better deal.
Pricing last verified: March 2026. Some links are affiliate links. How we make money.
