What's the Best Free Email Marketing Tool for Small Businesses?

Short answer

MailerLite is the best free email marketing tool for most small businesses — generous free plan (1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month), clean interface, and no Mailchimp-style paywalls on basic features.

Free plan comparison

| Tool | Free subscribers | Free emails/month | Automation on free? | |------|-----------------|-------------------|---------------------| | MailerLite | 1,000 | 12,000 | Yes (basic) | | Brevo | Unlimited | 300/day | Yes | | Mailchimp | 500 | 1,000 | No | | ConvertKit | 10,000 | Unlimited | No |

The honest breakdown

MailerLite — Best overall free plan

Clean drag-and-drop editor, landing pages included, basic automation on free tier. The interface is much less cluttered than Mailchimp. Best for: local businesses, bloggers, small newsletters.

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — Best for high send volume

Unlimited contacts but only 300 emails/day free (9,000/month). Works well if you have a big list but email infrequently. Best for: businesses with large contact lists and occasional campaigns.

Mailchimp — Name recognition, but weakest free plan

The free plan is now very limited — 500 contacts, no automation, Mailchimp branding on emails. Only worth using if you plan to upgrade to a paid plan quickly.

ConvertKit — Best for creators and course sellers

10,000 free subscribers with unlimited sends, but no automation on the free plan. Best for: newsletters, coaches, online creators.

What to look for beyond the free plan

When you grow past the free tier, these features matter:

Automation — welcome sequences, abandoned cart, follow-ups
Segmentation — sending different emails to different groups
Analytics — open rates, click rates, unsubscribes
Integrations — connects with your website, CRM, and Shopify/WooCommerce

The honest verdict

Start with MailerLite. If you hit the limits or need more advanced automation, Klaviyo is the best upgrade for eCommerce and ConvertKit is best for content creators. Don't overthink it — the best tool is the one you'll actually use to send emails consistently.