Best email marketing software 2026: our comparison
Email marketing software centralizes your contact list, the design of your newsletters, the sending of your campaigns and marketing automation (workflows that fire automatically based on subscriber behavior). We continuously benchmark the leading platforms. Here is our 2026 shortlist, ranked on the free plan and its real limits, deliverability, automation power, compliance (GDPR and CAN-SPAM) and true price.
Our pick at a glance
Our pickBrevo, the best all-round value: send-based pricing, a genuinely generous free plan (up to 9,000 emails a month) and email, SMS and a light CRM in one place, with EU data hosting.
See ↓ Easiest to useMailerLite, the most intuitive drag-and-drop editor, with low pricing and unlimited sends on every paid plan.
See ↓ Most powerful automationActiveCampaign, the most advanced workflows and lead scoring in the comparison, for teams that want to industrialize their email.
See ↓ Most completeGetResponse, email plus conversion funnels, landing pages and webinars in a single platform, hosted in the EU.
See ↓ Best knownMailchimp, the household name, still feature-rich but hosted in the US and with a heavily trimmed free plan.
See ↓At a glance
The best email marketing software compared
| Software | Score | Free plan | Automation | Hosting | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Brevo Our pick | ★★★★½ 4.5 | ✓ 9,000/mo | Included | EU (France) | $9 | See → |
 MailerLite Simple | ★★★★½ 4.5 | ✓ 250 subs | Included | EU (Lithuania) | $12 | See → |
 ActiveCampaign | ★★★★½ 4.4 | ✗ 14-day trial | Very advanced | United States | $15 | See → |
 GetResponse | ★★★★☆ 4.2 | ✓ 500 contacts | Included | EU (Poland) | $19 | See → |
 Mailchimp | ★★★★☆ 4.0 | ✓ 250 contacts | Included | United States | $13 | See → |
Entry paid-plan prices, indicative and checked in July 2026, excluding tax, in US dollars. Prices scale with the number of contacts, send volume and engagement, and are usually lower on annual billing than month to month. Brevo bills on send volume rather than contact count. MailerLite’s free plan is capped at 250 subscribers and 2,500 sends a month since June 2026; Mailchimp’s at 250 contacts and 500 sends a month since January 2026.
Want to start without spending a cent?
Brevo has the most generous free plan in the comparison: up to 9,000 emails a month (300 a day) and a virtually unlimited contact list, because billing is based on sends, not contacts.
The top in detail
Our top 5 email marketing tools, analyzed
Brevo
The best all-round value for a small or mid-sized business
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Rare send-based pricing: you are billed on emails sent, not list size, so you can store up to 100,000 contacts even on the free plan.
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Genuinely usable free plan: up to 9,000 emails a month (300 a day) with automation, sign-up forms and 40+ templates.
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A full suite (email, SMS, WhatsApp, marketing automation, light CRM) in one affordable platform, with EU data hosting.
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The free plan carries a “Sent with Brevo” footer on your emails and caps automation to 2,000 contacts.
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The template editor is a touch less polished than MailerLite’s or Mailchimp’s.
Our verdict
Brevo takes the top spot for a simple reason: it is the only tool here to combine send-based pricing, a genuinely usable free plan (9,000 emails a month, near-unlimited contacts) and EU data hosting. The suite spans email, SMS, WhatsApp, automation and a light CRM. The catch: a slightly less refined template editor and a forced footer on the free plan.
MailerLite
The most intuitive way to build a clean newsletter
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One of the most intuitive editors on the market: clean, professional newsletters in minutes with no technical skills.
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Among the lowest prices and unlimited sends from the very first paid plan (billing is by subscriber count).
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Built-in landing pages and websites plus EU data hosting (Lithuania), great value for creators and small teams.
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The free plan was cut back in June 2026: just 250 subscribers and 2,500 sends a month (down from 1,000 subscribers).
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Automation is less deep than ActiveCampaign, and manual account approval can delay your first send.
Our verdict
MailerLite is our pick to ship a clean newsletter fast: its drag-and-drop editor is the most intuitive in the comparison and pricing stays among the lowest, with unlimited sends from the first paid plan. Data is hosted in Lithuania (EU). Two caveats: a free plan sharply trimmed in June 2026 (250 subscribers) and manual account approval that can slow your first send.
ActiveCampaign
The most powerful choice to industrialize your workflows
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The most powerful marketing automation in the comparison: conditional workflows, scoring, fine-grained behavioral segmentation and 900+ workflow templates.
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Built-in sales CRM and 970+ native integrations, ideal for connecting the whole customer journey from lead to sale.
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Excellent deliverability and detailed reporting to steer performance.
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No free plan: only a 14-day trial limited to a small number of contacts.
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US data hosting and pricing that climbs quickly with contact count; useful extras like landing pages sit on higher tiers.
Our verdict
ActiveCampaign is for teams that want to industrialize: it has the deepest automation in the comparison, with conditional workflows, fine lead scoring and a built-in sales CRM. Deliverability and reporting are excellent. In return, there is no free plan (14-day trial only) and US data hosting that means framing your data transfer to stay GDPR-friendly if you email EU subscribers.
Need advanced automation and scoring?
ActiveCampaign offers the deepest workflows in the comparison, with a built-in sales CRM and more than 970 native integrations.
GetResponse
The most complete: email plus funnels and webinars
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Far more than an email tool: conversion funnels, landing pages, forms and even webinars in a single platform, hosted in the EU (Poland).
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Unlimited sends on every paid plan and a strong AI campaign generator to speed up production.
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Permanent free plan up to 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month to test the waters.
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The free plan is limited to basic autoresponders and stamps the GetResponse logo on emails.
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The bill rises fast: the first real marketing plan starts higher than Brevo or MailerLite.
Our verdict
GetResponse is the most complete: beyond email, it bundles conversion funnels, landing pages, forms and even webinars in one platform, hosted in Poland (EU). A permanent free plan up to 500 contacts lets you test. The downside: the free tier is limited to basic autoresponders and the bill climbs quickly once you move to a real marketing plan.
Mailchimp
The household name, rich but with a trimmed free plan
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The most recognized and one of the richest platforms: polished editor, templates, AI recommendations and a huge integrations ecosystem.
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Full reporting and advanced e-commerce features for online stores.
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Large community and abundant documentation to learn from.
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Data hosted in the US: the weak point for GDPR compliance if you email EU subscribers.
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The free plan was trimmed in January 2026 (250 contacts, 500 sends a month) and pricing scales steeply with your list.
Our verdict
Mailchimp is still the most recognized and one of the richest platforms: polished editor, templates, AI recommendations and a huge integrations ecosystem, with solid e-commerce features. But two points weigh on it: US data hosting (a GDPR concern for EU subscribers) and a free plan trimmed in January 2026 (250 contacts, 500 sends a month), with pricing that rises fast as your list grows.
Our criteria
Comparison: deliverability, automation and compliance
Beyond the sticker price, it is deliverability, automation power and compliance that separate these platforms day to day. Here is our detailed, criterion-by-criterion analysis to help you decide.
Our method. We cross our hands-on interface tests (campaign builder, automation, segmentation) with official pricing grids and public industry deliverability reports, re-checked at every price change. Last verified: July 2026.
Deliverability (inbox placement)
Deliverability is the share of your emails that actually land in the inbox rather than the spam folder. It depends on the vendor’s sending infrastructure (IP addresses, reputation, SPF, DKIM and DMARC authentication) as much as on your own practices.
Share of emails landing in the inbox · indicative
Indicative figures based on public industry deliverability tests (July 2026). The longer the bar, the better.
- ActiveCampaign and MailerLite post the highest rates, backed by well-maintained sending infrastructure.
- Brevo holds a very good level while handling large transactional volumes: it also runs an SMTP sending service.
- The gaps stay small: your real deliverability will hinge above all on the quality of your list and on authenticating your domain.
Key takeaway. No tool guarantees 100% deliverability. Authenticate your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), clean your list regularly and never buy lists: that is what matters most. For more, see our guide to the average email open rate.
Automation and workflows
Marketing automation fires emails automatically based on subscriber behavior: sign-up, purchase, click, inactivity. Here is what each platform covers.
✓ available · ✗ absent or very limited. Scroll the table horizontally if needed.
| Software | Welcome email | Abandoned cart | Conditional workflows | Lead scoring | A/B testing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brevo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (paid) | ✓ |
| GetResponse | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mailchimp | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Standard+) | ✓ |
| MailerLite | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (basic) | ✗ | ✓ |
- ActiveCampaign remains the reference: unlimited visual workflows, nested conditions and multi-criteria scoring.
- Brevo, GetResponse and Mailchimp cover every common scenario, scoring included (sometimes on higher tiers).
- MailerLite handles simple automations well but has no lead scoring: fine for a newsletter, a little short for an SMB scaling up.
Key takeaway. For advanced automation (scoring, conditional branching), ActiveCampaign stands out. For a good balance of automation, price and compliance, Brevo is enough for the vast majority of small businesses.
Pricing by volume
The price of email marketing software depends on its billing basis: the number of contacts stored (most vendors) or the volume of emails sent (Brevo). That difference changes everything as your list grows.
Indicative prices, excluding tax, checked in July 2026, in US dollars.
| Software | Billing basis | Free plan | Entry plan | Higher tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | By send volume | 9,000 emails/mo | $9/mo (Starter) | $18/mo (Business) |
| MailerLite | By subscribers | 250 subs | $12/mo (500 subs) | $39/mo (5,000 subs) |
| GetResponse | By contacts | 500 contacts | $19/mo (1,000) | $29/mo (2,500) |
| Mailchimp | By contacts | 250 contacts | $13/mo (500) | $75/mo (5,000) |
| ActiveCampaign | By contacts | 14-day trial | $15/mo (1,000) | $49/mo (Plus) |
- Brevo is the only one billing on send volume: you can store a huge list at no extra cost, ideal if you have many contacts but email rarely.
- With the others, the bill rises with the contact count: Mailchimp goes from $13 to $75/mo between 500 and 5,000 contacts.
- Annual billing saves roughly 10% to 18% depending on the vendor.
Key takeaway. Estimate both your contact list AND your send volume first. Large list, few sends: Brevo is unbeatable. Small list, frequent sends: MailerLite or Mailchimp on a contact plan can be enough.
Data hosting and compliance (GDPR/CAN-SPAM)
All five vendors comply with US CAN-SPAM rules (clear sender, easy unsubscribe). The key difference is data hosting: if you email subscribers in the EU or UK, a vendor that hosts in the EU makes GDPR compliance simpler, while US platforms involve a cross-border data transfer you must frame with the right safeguards.
| Software | Vendor HQ | Data hosting | EU data option | GDPR-friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | France | EU (France, Germany) | ✓ | ✓ |
| MailerLite | Lithuania | EU (Lithuania) | ✓ | ✓ |
| GetResponse | Poland | EU (Poland) | ✓ | ✓ |
| ActiveCampaign | United States | United States | ✗ | ✗ (transfer to frame) |
| Mailchimp | United States | United States | ✗ | ✗ (transfer to frame) |
- Brevo, MailerLite and GetResponse host in the EU: the simplest option for GDPR-compliant processing of EU subscribers.
- Brevo adds a European vendor with EU support, a decisive argument for many privacy-conscious teams.
- ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp stay compliant if you document the transfer (standard contractual clauses), but that adds a legal step.
Key takeaway. If data sovereignty matters (public sector, healthcare, sensitive data or EU subscribers), favor an EU-hosted vendor like Brevo. Also see our guide to email marketing laws.
Which tool for which use case?
In short, here is our recommendation by profile:
| Your profile | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | MailerLite | The simplest editor for a first newsletter |
| SMB | Brevo | EU-friendly, automation included and a generous free plan |
| E-commerce | Mailchimp | Product recommendations and deep e-commerce features |
| Newsletter / creator | MailerLite | Polished layouts, unlimited sends and built-in sites |
| Nonprofit / tight budget | Brevo | 9,000 free emails a month, near-unlimited contacts |
| High volume / automation | ActiveCampaign | The deepest workflows and scoring in the comparison |
How did we build this ranking?
Each email marketing platform is scored on six weighted axes: deliverability (how reliably campaigns land in the inbox), automation and workflows (autoresponders, conditional workflows, scoring), the editor and templates (how easily you build clean campaigns), segmentation (how finely you can target), compliance (GDPR data hosting and CAN-SPAM, EU data options) and value for money (cost per contact or send tier, monthly versus annual billing, hidden add-ons and the real limits of the free plan). We favor tools that genuinely fit small and mid-sized businesses, and we re-check offers every time a pricing grid changes, hence the update date at the top of the page. Because the Mailchimp and MailerLite free plans were both cut back in early 2026, this comparison reflects the state of the market in July 2026.
How do you choose the right email marketing software?
Start by estimating your monthly send volume and your list size: that is what drives price with most vendors. A small business sending one newsletter a week to a few hundred subscribers can live on a free or entry plan; a company that industrializes campaigns with triggered workflows needs a real automation engine like ActiveCampaign. Next, weigh the pricing model: send-based pricing (Brevo) rewards large but lightly emailed lists, while subscriber-based pricing (MailerLite, Mailchimp) suits smaller lists emailed often. Then check data hosting and compliance: if you email EU or UK subscribers, an EU-hosted vendor (Brevo in France, MailerLite in Lithuania, GetResponse in Poland) simplifies GDPR, while every tool here already meets CAN-SPAM. Finally, watch the hidden limits of free plans: forced logos on your emails, daily send caps, throttled automation. A generous free plan like Brevo’s lets you start for real; the Mailchimp and MailerLite free plans, now capped at 250 contacts, are mostly there to test the tool. If you sell online, also check native e-commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce) before committing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best email marketing software in 2026?
For most small and mid-sized businesses, Brevo offers the best balance: send-based pricing, a very generous free plan (up to 9,000 emails a month with near-unlimited contacts) and email, SMS and a light CRM in one place. For the easiest experience, MailerLite has the most intuitive editor; for advanced automation, ActiveCampaign is the most powerful, though it has no free plan.
Which free email marketing software should you choose?
Brevo has the most generous free plan: up to 9,000 emails a month (300 a day) and a near-unlimited contact list, because its billing is based on send volume. GetResponse allows up to 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month. By contrast, the MailerLite (250 subscribers, 2,500 sends a month) and Mailchimp (250 contacts, 500 sends a month) free plans were heavily cut in 2026 and are now mostly for testing.
Which email marketing tool has the best automation?
ActiveCampaign has the most advanced marketing automation in this comparison: conditional workflows, lead scoring, behavioral segmentation, a built-in sales CRM and 900+ ready-made workflow templates. Brevo and GetResponse include capable automation too, and are easier to start with, but ActiveCampaign remains the reference for teams that want to industrialize their email program.
Is email marketing software GDPR and CAN-SPAM compliant?
All five tools support CAN-SPAM requirements (clear sender identity, easy unsubscribe). GDPR compliance depends mostly on where data is hosted and on your own practices (consent, easy unsubscribe, record of processing). Vendors that offer EU data hosting, such as Brevo, MailerLite and GetResponse, make it simpler if you email EU subscribers. US-based platforms like Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign remain usable but involve a data transfer outside the EU that you need to frame correctly with the appropriate safeguards.
How much does email marketing software cost for a small business?
Expect anywhere from $0 to $30 a month to get started, depending on your volume. Entry paid plans begin around $9 a month with Brevo, $12 with MailerLite, $13 with Mailchimp, $15 with ActiveCampaign and $19 with GetResponse (indicative prices, July 2026). Cost then rises by contact or send tier, and annual billing is almost always cheaper per month than paying monthly.