Best Free Email Marketing Software That's Actually Usable

Let's cut through the marketing fluff. Every email marketing platform claims to have a "generous free plan" but the limits vary wildly. Some are genuinely useful for small businesses, others are basically demos designed to force an upgrade.

I've tested each of these free plans and compared what actually matters: how many emails you can send, how many subscribers you can store, and what features are actually included vs. locked behind paywalls.

Quick Comparison: Free Email Marketing Limits

Best Overall: Brevo (Formerly Sendinblue)

Brevo wins for one reason: unlimited contacts. You can store up to 100,000 contacts on the free plan, which is insane compared to everyone else's 500-subscriber cap.

The catch? You're limited to 300 emails per day. That's roughly 9,000 emails per month if you max it out every day. For a weekly newsletter to a few thousand subscribers, that's actually workable.

What You Get Free with Brevo

• 300 emails/day (no rollover)
• Up to 100,000 contacts stored
• Marketing automation (limited to 2,000 contacts in workflows)
• Drag-and-drop email editor
• Signup forms and basic landing pages
• SMS marketing (credits sold separately)
• Free CRM included

What's Missing

• Can't remove Brevo branding on emails
• No landing page builder (locked to Business plan at $18/month)
• Basic analytics only - no heatmaps or geography reports
• Can't schedule campaigns in advance once you hit daily limit

The daily limit is annoying if you're sending campaigns to larger lists. If you have 1,000 subscribers and want to send a blast, you'll need to spread it across 4 days. For consistent, smaller sends though, it's hard to beat.

Want more details on their paid tiers? Check out our Brevo pricing breakdown or read our full Brevo review.

Best for Beginners: MailerLite

MailerLite has the most usable free plan for people actually doing email marketing, not just storing contacts. You get real features that competitors lock behind $50+/month plans.

MailerLite Free Plan Includes

• 500 subscribers
• 12,000 emails/month
• Automation workflows (actually functional ones)
• A/B testing
• 10 landing pages
• 1 website
• Drag-and-drop editor
• Signup forms and popups

The Downside

MailerLite recently cut their free plan from 1,000 subscribers to 500. If you exceed 500 subscribers, your campaigns and automations stop working immediately - no grace period. You either upgrade (starting at $10/month) or delete subscribers.

The MailerLite branding appears on all emails, which looks less professional. And after your 14-day trial ends, you lose access to live chat support and premium templates.

For someone just starting with email marketing who wants to learn automation without paying, MailerLite is the best option. The interface is clean, the automation builder makes sense on first use, and you can actually accomplish something meaningful.

Best for CRM Integration: HubSpot

If you already use HubSpot's free CRM (or plan to), their email marketing makes sense. Your contact data flows directly into email campaigns without integration headaches.

HubSpot Free Email Limits

• Unlimited contacts in CRM
• 2,000 marketing emails/month total (not per user)
• Drag-and-drop email builder
• Basic automation (single thank-you emails after form submissions)
• AI subject line and copy generation
• Basic reporting

Major Limitations

• Can't authenticate your sending domain (emails come from HubSpot's domain)
• HubSpot branding on all emails
• No A/B testing
• Only 2 users can access the account
• Advanced automation requires Marketing Hub Professional ($800+/month)

That 2,000 email limit across your entire account sounds reasonable until you do the math. A team sending weekly newsletters to 600 subscribers uses their full monthly allowance in less than a month. And the inability to authenticate your domain can hurt deliverability - your emails might look suspicious to recipients.

HubSpot's free email is best as a trial of their ecosystem, not a permanent solution. If you grow into their paid plans ($45/month for Starter), it scales nicely. If not, you'll probably switch platforms.

Looking for better CRM options? See our guide to free CRM software or our small business CRM roundup.

Most Recognizable: Mailchimp

Everyone knows Mailchimp. It's been the default choice for years. But their free plan has gotten progressively worse.

Mailchimp Free Plan Reality

• 500 contacts max (used to be 2,000)
• 1,000 emails/month (500/day limit)
• Single audience only
• 7 basic templates
• Landing page builder (branded URLs)
• Basic reporting
• 30 days of email support, then you're on your own

What They Took Away

Mailchimp removed automations from the free plan entirely. You can build and preview customer journeys, but to actually use them you need Essentials ($13/month). No scheduled sends either - you send campaigns immediately or not at all.

The contact counting is also sneaky. Mailchimp counts everyone in your list toward your limit, including people who unsubscribed or never confirmed. Your "500 contact" limit might actually be 350 people you can email.

Mailchimp's free plan feels like a demo, not a functional tool. It'll get you started but you'll hit paywalls constantly. For the same effort, MailerLite or Brevo give you significantly more.

Best Phone Support: AWeber

AWeber is the old-school choice that's stuck around for a reason. Their free plan is modest on limits but includes something rare: actual human support.

AWeber Free Plan

• 500 subscribers
• 3,000 emails/month
• Full drag-and-drop editor
• 700+ email templates
• 1 automation workflow
• 3 landing pages
• 24/7 phone, email, and chat support (yes, even free users)

The 3,000 email limit means you can send about 6 emails/month to 500 subscribers. Not terrible for getting started. And their deliverability rates consistently rank above average.

The Trade-offs

AWeber branding appears on your emails. Only one automation and three landing pages means you'll hit the upgrade wall fast if you're serious about marketing. The Lite plan ($15/month) isn't much better - it still includes AWeber branding and limits you to 3 automations.

If phone support is your priority and you're okay with modest limits, AWeber works. For most people, the feature restrictions make competitors more appealing.

Ready to explore AWeber's paid options? Check out our AWeber pricing guide.

How to Choose Your Free Email Marketing Platform

Choose Brevo if:

• You have a large contact list but send infrequently
• You want unlimited contact storage
• You're okay spreading sends across multiple days
• You want a free CRM included

Choose MailerLite if:

• You're learning email marketing and want real automation
• You have under 500 subscribers
• You value a clean, intuitive interface
• A/B testing matters to you

Choose HubSpot if:

• You're already in the HubSpot ecosystem
• CRM integration is your priority
• You might upgrade to paid HubSpot later

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You need brand recognition ("Powered by Mailchimp" is familiar)
• You're sending very low volume
• You just want to test email marketing as a concept

Choose AWeber if:

• Phone support is non-negotiable
• You're an affiliate marketer (AWeber is affiliate-friendly)
• You trust established deliverability over features

When Free Plans Stop Making Sense

Free tiers work until they don't. Here's when to expect the upgrade conversation:

• List growth: Most caps are 500 subscribers. Growing a real business, you'll pass this within months.
• Sending volume: Weekly newsletters to 500+ people will hit limits quickly.
• Branding: "Powered by [Tool]" footers look unprofessional to some audiences.
• Automation needs: Free plans restrict workflow complexity. Welcome sequences, abandoned cart emails, lead nurturing - these typically need paid plans.
• Team access: Most free plans are single-user. Growing teams need collaborative features.

The good news: paid plans start around $9-15/month for most platforms. That's less than most business software and potentially high-ROI if email drives revenue for you.

Bottom Line

For most small businesses starting out, MailerLite offers the best balance of usable features and reasonable limits. You can actually learn email marketing and implement real strategies.

If you have a larger list but send infrequently, Brevo's unlimited contacts with daily send limits might work better.

Everyone else falls into niche use cases: HubSpot for CRM-first users, AWeber for phone support lovers, Mailchimp for people who just want something familiar.

Start with one that fits your current needs, but don't get too attached. Migration between platforms is annoying but doable. Pick based on where you are now, not where you hope to be in two years.

Looking for more marketing tools? Check out our guide to best email marketing software or email marketing for small businesses.