Buyer’s guide · Technology
Best Email Marketing Software in 2026: Pricing & Comparison
We compared four email marketing platforms on public pricing, free plan limits, contact or profile billing, and core automation so you can shortlist by list size and channel needs.
- Very small lists or testing: Mailchimp Free or Klaviyo Free — limited free tiers for up to 250 contacts or profiles.
- Creators building newsletters: Kit (ConvertKit) Free — generous free plan up to 10,000 subscribers without automations.
- Ecommerce brands that need SMS and profiles: Klaviyo Email — published starting price based on active profiles.
- Teams that need deep automation and CRM features: ActiveCampaign Starter — published contact-based pricing with trial.
Email marketing software lets businesses collect subscribers, send campaigns and newsletters, build automations, and track engagement. Pricing is usually based on contact or subscriber count, with free plans, trials, and higher tiers for advanced features.
We used the same fields for every vendor: published pricing, free plan or trial, core focus, and main limitation. The order is not a quality ranking. We sorted by public $0 or published list price first, then higher or quote-led tiers last.
| Platform | Published pricing | Free plan or trial | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Mailchimp | Free (250 contacts); Essentials from ~$13/mo; Standard from ~$20/mo; Premium higher | Forever free for 250 contacts; trials on paid | Small businesses starting with email campaigns | Visit → |
| 2. Klaviyo | Free (250 profiles); Email from $20/mo at 500 profiles; Marketing higher | Forever free for 250 active profiles | Ecommerce brands that want profile-based billing and SMS | Visit → |
| 3. Kit (ConvertKit) | Free (up to 10,000 subscribers); Creator from $39/mo at 1,000; Pro from $79 | Forever free plan with subscriber limit | Creators and newsletter operators | Visit → |
| 4. ActiveCampaign | Starter from $15/mo at 1,000 contacts (annual); Plus, Pro, Enterprise higher | 14-day trial; no permanent free plan | Teams that need advanced automation and segmentation | Visit → |
Prices are public list prices in USD where published, checked 16 October 2026; they change often and scale with contacts — confirm on the vendor’s pricing page. How we evaluated: see methodology below.
The four companies in detail
Mailchimp
Best for small lists starting out
Best for: small businesses and beginners that want templates, basic campaigns, and a free tier to test.
| Attribute | Mailchimp |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Free (250 contacts); Essentials from ~$13/mo; Standard from ~$20/mo at entry tier |
| Free plan or trial | Forever free for up to 250 contacts and limited sends |
| Core focus | Campaigns, basic automations, templates, audience management |
| Main limitation | Free plan is tightly limited; pricing scales sharply with contacts |
- Published free plan for very small lists.
- Familiar interface and strong template library.
- Higher contact counts push costs up quickly; advanced journeys on Standard+.
Klaviyo
Best for ecommerce profile-based billing
Best for: ecommerce stores that want strong integrations, SMS, and pricing based on active profiles.
| Attribute | Klaviyo |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Free (250 profiles); Email from $20/mo at 500 active profiles |
| Free plan or trial | Forever free for up to 250 active profiles |
| Core focus | Email, SMS, flows, ecommerce data, predictive analytics |
| Main limitation | Active profile model charges for contacts that can be emailed; SMS is extra |
- Published free tier and clear profile-based starting price.
- Strong ecommerce integrations and automation.
- Costs rise with active profiles; mobile messaging billed separately.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Best for creators and newsletters
Best for: creators, coaches, and newsletter operators who need forms, landing pages, and a generous free plan.
| Attribute | Kit |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Free up to 10,000 subscribers; Creator from $39/mo at 1,000; Pro from $79 |
| Free plan or trial | Forever free plan with high subscriber limit (automations limited) |
| Core focus | Newsletters, forms, landing pages, creator commerce, automations on paid |
| Main limitation | Advanced automations and sequences require paid plans |
- Generous free plan up to 10,000 subscribers for basic sending.
- Strong creator tools and landing pages.
- Visual automations and sequences are on Creator and higher.
ActiveCampaign
Best for advanced automation teams
Best for: marketing and sales teams that need deep segmentation, automation, and CRM-style features.
| Attribute | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Starter from $15/mo at 1,000 contacts (annual billing examples); higher tiers published |
| Free plan or trial | 14-day trial; no permanent free plan |
| Core focus | Email, advanced automations, segmentation, CRM integrations |
| Main limitation | No free forever plan; pricing scales with contacts and user limits on lower tiers |
- Published contact-based starting prices with annual discounts.
- Strong automation builder and segmentation.
- Trial only; user seats limited on lower plans.
I am a creator building a newsletterWant free up to thousands of subscribers
Kit Free covers basic sending up to 10,000 subscribers.
I run an ecommerce storeNeed profile data and SMS later
Klaviyo is built for that with published profile-based pricing.
I need advanced automations and segmentationMarketing team
ActiveCampaign Starter is the published entry point.
Buying tip
Always model the price at your actual contact or active profile count, not the entry tier. List hygiene matters because most tools charge for contacts you can email, not just those you send to each month.
Which email tool has the most generous free plan?
How is pricing usually calculated?
Most charge by contact, subscriber, or active profile count. The price jumps at thresholds as your list grows.
Is SMS included?
Usually not in the base email price. Klaviyo and others bill SMS or mobile messaging separately.
Do these tools have free trials?
Yes. ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day trial. Others have free forever tiers or paid plan trials.
Related comparisons
Last updated 16 October 2026 · Pricing checked 16 October 2026.
Disclosure: Kurums is reader-supported. Some links may be affiliate or sponsored links, marked as such; they never affect rankings.
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