TryToolFit Get matched
Compare tools Course platformsCommunity platformsFunnel buildersAgency CRMEmail marketingCheckout & cartsWebsite buildersWebinar softwareScheduling toolsSocial media tools Tool Advisor Pricing calculator How we review About Get matched

Best email marketing software in 2026

For most people, MailerLite is the best email marketing platform in 2026 — it pairs a clean, beginner-friendly editor with powerful automations, landing pages and unlimited emails at a price that undercuts nearly every rival. If you're a newsletter creator, beehiiv and Substack are stronger; if you run an ecommerce store, Klaviyo and Omnisend pull ahead.

We compared 14 ESPs on entry price, how fast costs scale with your subscriber count, free plans, automation depth and deliverability. Use the calculator to see your estimated monthly cost at your actual list size, since pricing diverges sharply once you pass a few thousand subscribers.

14 tools compared · pricing verified 2026 · updated for TryToolFit

Affiliate disclosure

Some links below are affiliate links — if you sign up, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our rankings or what we recommend. How this works →

Our top pick: MailerLite

Best overall fit for a typical email tools buyer. Here's why — and when something else wins.

★ Top pick

MailerLite

Clean, affordable email marketing with automations, landing pages and a generous-enough free tier.

Free plan

Why it fits: For most people, MailerLite is the best email marketing platform in 2026 — it pairs a clean, beginner-friendly editor with powerful automations, landing pages and unlimited emails at a price that undercuts nearly every rival.

From Free
Score
Txn fee 0%
  • Excellent value for money
  • Genuinely easy drag-and-drop editor
  • Free tier cut to 250 subscribers
Solopreneurs and small businessesCreators who want clean design on a budget
Visit MailerLite Read review

Quick pick by situation

All 14 email tools compared

Tool Score From Free Txn fee Best for Visit
MailerLite ★ Top pick Clean, affordable email marketing with automations, landing pages and a generous-enough free tier.
Free Lowest ✓ 0% Solopreneurs and small businesses Visit
beehiiv Newsletter platform built for growth, monetization and ads — with 0% take rate on paid subscriptions.
Free Lowest ✓ 0% Newsletter creators and writers Visit
Klaviyo Data-driven email and SMS for ecommerce with deep analytics, predictive AI and powerful segmentation.
Free Lowest ✓ 0% Scaling ecommerce and DTC brands Visit
Brevo Pay-per-email platform (formerly Sendinblue) with unlimited contacts, plus SMS, WhatsApp and CRM.
Free Lowest ✓ 0% Businesses with big lists, modest send volume Visit
Omnisend Omnichannel email, SMS and push built for ecommerce, with a free plan and pre-built automations.
Free Lowest ✓ 0% Ecommerce stores wanting email plus SMS Visit
Kit Email-first creator platform with landing pages, automations, and product sales.
Free Lowest ✓ 0% on email plans (Kit Commerce ~3.5% + $0.30 on product sales) Creators who lead with email and newsletters Visit
Mailchimp The best-known email marketing brand with broad templates, AI tools and a small free plan that scales pricey.
$13 ✓ 0% Brands wanting a familiar all-rounder Visit
ActiveCampaign Advanced email and marketing automation with an optional built-in CRM.
$15 — 0% Creators and SMBs focused on email automation Visit
AWeber Veteran email autoresponder with a free plan, landing pages and reliable deliverability for small lists.
Free Lowest ✓ 0% Small businesses wanting simple autoresponders Visit
GetResponse Email marketing with conversion funnels, landing pages, and built-in webinars.
Free Lowest ✓ 0% (email and funnel plans) Email-led marketers wanting funnels and webinars Visit
Substack Free newsletter and publishing platform that takes 10% of paid subscription revenue instead of a fee.
Free Lowest ✓ 10% of paid subscription revenue (+ Stripe fees) Independent writers and journalists Visit
Flodesk Design-first email tool with gorgeous templates, loved by creatives and small brands.
$25 — 0% Creatives, coaches and small brands Visit
Drip Ecommerce-focused email and SMS automation with strong segmentation and revenue tracking.
$39 — 0% Ecommerce and DTC stores Visit
Constant Contact Beginner-friendly email and event marketing with strong support, social posting and a simple editor.
$12 — 0% Small businesses and nonprofits Visit

Score is our composite of independent user ratings, value, and feature breadth — how we score. Prices are entry-tier estimates; verify current pricing on each site.

What you'll actually pay as you grow

Cost changes as your subscribers grow — drag to your size to compare.

Estimate by subscribers

Drag to your size — we'll sort the tools cheapest-first and show where each one jumps a tier.

Exact:

    The rest, ranked & reviewed

    2

    beehiiv

    Newsletter platform built for growth, monetization and ads — with 0% take rate on paid subscriptions.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Generous 2,500-subscriber free plan
    • Powerful growth and monetization tools
    • Less suited to ecommerce automation
    Newsletter creators and writersPublishers monetizing an audience
    Visit beehiiv Read review
    3

    Klaviyo

    Data-driven email and SMS for ecommerce with deep analytics, predictive AI and powerful segmentation.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Best-in-class ecommerce data and AI
    • Powerful segmentation and flows
    • Bills on all active profiles, not just engaged
    Scaling ecommerce and DTC brandsData-driven marketers
    Visit Klaviyo Read review
    4

    Brevo

    Pay-per-email platform (formerly Sendinblue) with unlimited contacts, plus SMS, WhatsApp and CRM.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Unlimited contacts on every plan
    • Cheap for large lists with low send volume
    • Daily send cap on the free plan
    Businesses with big lists, modest send volumeTeams wanting email plus SMS and CRM
    Visit Brevo Read review
    5

    Omnisend

    Omnichannel email, SMS and push built for ecommerce, with a free plan and pre-built automations.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Strong omnichannel features for ecommerce
    • Free plan includes all features
    • SMS now limited to Pro for new users
    Ecommerce stores wanting email plus SMSShopify and store owners
    Visit Omnisend Read review
    6

    Kit

    Email-first creator platform with landing pages, automations, and product sales.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 0% on email plans
    • Genuinely free up to 10,000 subscribers
    • Best-in-class email automation for creators
    • Lighter on funnel/checkout page design than dedicated builders
    Creators who lead with email and newslettersSelling digital products to a subscriber list
    Visit Kit Read review
    7

    Mailchimp

    The best-known email marketing brand with broad templates, AI tools and a small free plan that scales pricey.

    Free plan
    From $13/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Huge template and integration library
    • Recognized, trusted brand
    • Expensive as your list grows
    Brands wanting a familiar all-rounderMarketers who value integrations
    Visit Mailchimp Read review
    8

    ActiveCampaign

    Advanced email and marketing automation with an optional built-in CRM.

    From $15/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Best-in-class automation depth for the price
    • Low entry cost for small lists
    • Price scales sharply with contact count
    Creators and SMBs focused on email automationBusinesses needing sophisticated workflows
    Visit ActiveCampaign Read review
    9

    AWeber

    Veteran email autoresponder with a free plan, landing pages and reliable deliverability for small lists.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Long-standing, reliable deliverability
    • Free plan up to 500 subscribers
    • Interface feels dated
    Small businesses wanting simple autorespondersBeginners on a free plan
    Visit AWeber Read review
    10

    GetResponse

    Email marketing with conversion funnels, landing pages, and built-in webinars.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • All-in-one: email, funnels, landing pages, webinars
    • Free plan and a low $19 entry point
    • Automation limited on the cheapest plan
    Email-led marketers wanting funnels and webinarsBudget all-in-one on a growing list
    Visit GetResponse Read review
    11

    Substack

    Free newsletter and publishing platform that takes 10% of paid subscription revenue instead of a fee.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 10% of paid subscription revenue
    • Completely free until you charge readers
    • Built-in audience and discovery network
    • 10% cut of paid revenue is steep at scale
    Independent writers and journalistsCreators starting a paid newsletter
    Visit Substack Read review
    12

    Flodesk

    Design-first email tool with gorgeous templates, loved by creatives and small brands.

    From $25/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Best-looking templates in the market
    • Very intuitive for non-designers
    • No free plan, only a trial
    Creatives, coaches and small brandsAnyone prioritizing email design
    Visit Flodesk Read review
    13

    Drip

    Ecommerce-focused email and SMS automation with strong segmentation and revenue tracking.

    From $39/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Excellent ecommerce segmentation
    • Unlimited sends and no feature gating
    • No free plan
    Ecommerce and DTC storesMarketers wanting deep segmentation
    Visit Drip Read review
    14

    Constant Contact

    Beginner-friendly email and event marketing with strong support, social posting and a simple editor.

    From $12/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Excellent customer support
    • Strong event-marketing features
    • No free plan, only a trial
    Small businesses and nonprofitsOrganizations running events
    Visit Constant Contact Read review

    Head-to-head comparisons

    MailerLite KitBrevo MailchimpKlaviyo Omnisend

    Get our current email tools pick

    We email when pricing changes or a better option appears. One useful email, no spam.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the best email marketing software in 2026?

    For most users, MailerLite offers the best balance of price, ease of use and features. Newsletter creators often prefer beehiiv or Substack, while ecommerce stores tend to choose Klaviyo or Omnisend.

    Which email marketing tool has the best free plan?

    Kit offers a free newsletter plan up to 10,000 subscribers, and beehiiv is free to 2,500 with monetization tools. MailerLite, Brevo and Omnisend also have solid free tiers, while Substack is free until you charge readers.

    How is email marketing pricing calculated?

    Most platforms charge by the number of subscribers (or active contacts) you store, so costs rise as your list grows. Brevo is an exception that bills by emails sent, and Substack takes a 10% cut of paid subscriptions instead of a monthly fee. Use the calculator above to estimate your cost at your real list size.

    Mailchimp vs MailerLite — which should I choose?

    MailerLite is cheaper, easier to use and includes automations on lower tiers, making it the better pick for most small businesses. Mailchimp has a more recognizable brand and a larger integration library, but its pricing climbs faster as contacts grow.

    Which email platform is best for ecommerce?

    Klaviyo leads for data-rich ecommerce thanks to deep store integrations and predictive AI, while Omnisend is a more affordable omnichannel option with email, SMS and push. Drip is another strong segmentation-focused choice for stores.