How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- Kit offers the most generous free tier for creators, with up to 10,000 subscribers and unlimited broadcasts at no cost.
- Mailjet and Zoho Campaigns give you the highest monthly send volumes on their free plans, which suits frequent newsletters.
- Mailchimp's free plan is the most limited of the big names, with 500 sends a month, so check whether it covers your list before you invest time in it.
- If you need automation on a free plan, Brevo and MailerLite include basic workflows that others reserve for paid tiers.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Mailchimp | beginners who want templates | Free | Yes |
 Brevo | high contact storage needs | Free | Yes |
 MailerLite | clean design on a budget | Free | Yes |
 HubSpot | CRM-linked email marketing | Free | Yes |
 Benchmark Email | simple newsletters | Free | Yes |
 Mailjet | developers and marketers together | Free | Yes |
 Kit | creators and newsletter writers | Free | Yes |
 Zoho Campaigns | Zoho ecosystem users | Free | Yes |
 GetResponse | all-in-one marketing starters | Free | Yes |
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Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Mailchimp remains the name most people reach for first, and the free plan is genuinely free with no card required. You get the drag-and-drop builder, basic templates, and signup forms. For a tiny list testing whether email marketing works, it is enough.
The catch is the ceiling. The free plan caps you at 500 sends a month, which a weekly newsletter to 150 people will exhaust in a month. Paid plans scale steeply, so Mailchimp rewards you for starting here and punishes you for staying.
What we like- Huge template library
- Generous brand recognition
- Easy signup forms
Watch out for- Free plan is tightly limited
- Paid plans get expensive fast
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) takes a different approach to free. Instead of capping your contacts, it caps your daily sends at 300. You can store a large list and mail it in batches, which suits slow list-building better than weekly blasts to thousands.
The platform also bundles SMS and chat, which few free tiers do. The daily send limit is the real constraint. If you want to email 5,000 people on launch day, you will be waiting over two weeks on the free plan.
What we like- 300 emails a day on free
- Stores up to 100,000 contacts
- Includes SMS
Watch out for- Daily cap blocks big single blasts
- Automation limited to 2,000 contacts
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
MailerLite has built its reputation on being the simpler, cheaper alternative to the big names. The free plan includes automation workflows, which is rare at this price point. The editor is clean and the learning curve is short.
New accounts go through a manual approval review, which can take a day or two and frustrates people who want to send immediately. The integration library is smaller than Mailchimp's, so check your stack before committing.
What we like- Intuitive drag-and-drop editor
- Includes automation on free
- Good deliverability
Watch out for- Approval process can delay new accounts
- Fewer integrations than Mailchimp
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
HubSpot's free email tools sit inside a genuinely useful free CRM, which changes the value equation. You get 2,000 email sends a month alongside contact management, forms, and reporting. For a small business that wants marketing and sales in one place, this is compelling.
The email builder itself is simpler than dedicated platforms. Advanced features like A/B testing and smart content need Marketing Hub Starter or higher. HubSpot's real play is getting you into the ecosystem, and the paid tiers reflect that.
What we like- Full CRM included free
- 2,000 sends a month
- Strong reporting
Watch out for- Email is basic without Marketing Hub
- Upsell pressure toward paid tiers
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Benchmark Email's forever-free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month, which is solid for a straightforward newsletter. The editor is uncomplicated and the platform stays out of your way. Support has a good reputation among small users.
This is not a tool for sophisticated funnels. Automation is limited and the template gallery looks older than competitors. If you want to write and send a clean newsletter, it works. If you want branching workflows, look elsewhere.
What we like- 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month free
- Easy template editor
- Responsive support
Watch out for- Automation is basic
- Template designs feel dated
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Mailjet's free tier is one of the strongest here: 6,000 emails a month, 1,000 contacts, and full API and SMTP access. Developers get the transactional tools they need while marketers use the drag-and-drop editor. Both work in the same place.
The 200-email daily cap means you cannot blast your whole list at once if it is large. Automation, landing pages, and A/B testing sit on Premium. Mailjet fits teams that send regularly in moderate volumes and want marketing and transactional email unified.
What we like- 6,000 emails a month free
- API and SMTP on every plan
- Real-time collaboration
Watch out for- 200 emails a day cap on free
- Automation needs Premium
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, has the most generous free tier in this list by a wide margin. The free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages, and forms. You can even sell digital products with no platform fee.
The trade is automation. The free plan includes only one basic visual automation, so sequences and complex funnels need the Creator plan. There is also Kit branding in the footer until you pay. For creators building an audience, the subscriber ceiling alone makes this the default pick.
What we like- Up to 10,000 subscribers free
- Unlimited broadcasts
- Built-in commerce
Watch out for- Only one basic automation on free
- Kit branding in email footer
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Zoho Campaigns' Forever Free plan is generous: 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails a month, and five users. If your business already runs on Zoho CRM or Zoho's other apps, the native integration is the selling point. Paid plans start very low, so the upgrade path is painless.
The free plan excludes automation workflows entirely, which is a bigger gap than most competitors. The interface works but looks and feels older than MailerLite or Kit. This is a practical pick for Zoho shops, less so for everyone else.
What we like- 2,000 contacts and 6,000 emails a month free
- 5 users included
- Cheap paid tiers
Watch out for- No automation on free
- Interface feels dated
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
GetResponse's free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,500 newsletters a month, plus a landing page and signup forms. The platform goes beyond email with webinars, funnels, and a website builder, which suits entrepreneurs who want one subscription.
New free accounts get 14 days of premium features, then the plan drops to its permanent limits. Some users find the interface busy compared to MailerLite. If you want an all-in-one marketing suite rather than a pure email tool, GetResponse's free tier is a reasonable starting point.
What we like- 500 contacts and 2,500 newsletters a month free
- Includes landing pages
- Webinar tools
Watch out for- 14-day premium window then features drop
- Interface can feel cluttered
When free stops being enough
Every free plan on this list is designed to convert you to paid eventually. The question is where the wall hits for your specific use. For most senders, it is one of three limits: contact count, monthly sends, or automation.
Contact caps bite first for growing lists. Kit's 10,000-subscriber ceiling is the outlier; most others cap free contacts between 500 and 2,000. Send caps bite first for frequent mailers. A daily newsletter to 1,000 people needs 30,000 sends a month, which no free plan here covers. Automation is the quietest wall. If your welcome sequence or abandoned-cart flow matters, check whether the free tier includes it before you build your list on that platform.
The practical move is to map your next 12 months. Estimate your list size, your send frequency, and whether you need automation. Then pick the free tier whose wall is furthest from those numbers. Switching email platforms later is painful, so the cheapest long-term choice is the free plan you outgrow last.
How we chose
We compared the free tiers of nine email marketing platforms using their official pricing pages, feature lists, and public documentation. We weighed the actual free limits (contacts, monthly sends, daily caps) against what a small sender realistically needs. We also considered automation availability, template quality, and integration depth, drawing on public reviews from G2, Capterra, and Reddit to check how the free plans perform in practice. No hands-on testing was performed; every fact comes from vendor-published pages or widely reported user experience.
What to check before you commit
Start with the send math. Multiply your list size by your planned send frequency to get monthly volume, then compare it against each free tier's cap. A 2,000-person list emailed weekly needs 8,000 sends a month, which rules out several free plans immediately.
Check the automation question early. If you need a welcome sequence, drip campaign, or any triggered email, confirm the free plan includes it. Several platforms here reserve automation for paid tiers, and rebuilding workflows after a migration wastes weeks.
Look at the upgrade pricing, not just the free tier. The platform with the best free plan is not always the cheapest when you grow. Compare what 5,000 contacts costs on each platform's paid tiers, since that is where most successful lists land within a year or two.
Test deliverability before you commit your domain. Send test campaigns to seed addresses across Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo, and check spam placement. A generous free tier means nothing if your emails land in promotions or spam.
Finally, check the export terms. Make sure you can export your full contact list with all custom fields at any time, without paying. Every platform here allows exports, but the ease varies, and you never want your list held hostage.
Frequently asked questions
Is free email blast software really free?
Yes, with limits. Every tool on this list offers a genuinely free tier with no credit card required. The limits vary: contacts, monthly sends, daily caps, or feature restrictions. Read the pricing page carefully so you know where the free tier ends before you build your list there.
Which free plan allows the most subscribers?
Kit allows up to 10,000 subscribers on its free Newsletter plan, which is far more than any other tool here. Most competitors cap free contacts between 500 and 2,000. If list size is your main concern, Kit is the clear pick.
Can I send unlimited emails on a free plan?
No. Every free plan caps sends, either monthly or daily. Mailjet allows 6,000 a month, Zoho Campaigns allows 6,000 a month, and Brevo allows 300 a day. Calculate your monthly volume before choosing, since exceeding the cap means upgrading or waiting.
Do free plans include automation?
Some do, some do not. Brevo and MailerLite include basic automation on their free tiers. Kit includes one basic automation. Zoho Campaigns and several others reserve automation for paid plans. If triggered emails matter to you, verify this before signing up.
Will my emails have branding on a free plan?
Most free plans add the platform's branding to your emails or footer. Kit, GetResponse, and Mailjet all include their logo on free sends. Removing it requires a paid plan. For most small senders this is a minor issue, but check if brand control matters to your business.
Sources we checked (11)
- https://mailchimp.com
- https://www.brevo.com
- https://mailerlite.com
- https://hubspot.com
- https://www.benchmarkemail.com
- https://www.mailjet.com
- https://www.mailjet.com/pricing/
- https://kit.com
- https://www.zoho.com/campaigns/
- https://www.getresponse.com
- https://www.getresponse.com/pricing/free
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.