MailerLite Review | What It Does, Pricing, Alternatives, My Verdict
EMAIL MARKETING · TOOL REVIEW

MailerLite

★★★★★★

The honest value recommendation for most small businesses. It does the job cleanly and costs less than everything comparable.

CATEGORY
Email platform
PRICE
Free / Paid
MY RATING
4.5 / 5
LINK TYPE
Affiliate
BEST FOR
Small businesses wanting capable email without paying much

What it is

MailerLite is an email marketing platform covering broadcasts, automation, forms, landing pages and basic segmentation, at prices below every comparable tool.

It is not the most powerful platform in any single respect. It is the one that does what most small businesses actually need without charging for what they do not.

When somebody asks which email tool to use and has no unusual requirements, this is my answer.

What it does

Broadcasts with a clean drag-and-drop editor and a plain-text option, plus scheduling and A/B testing on subject lines.

Automation covers the workflows that matter: welcome sequences, abandoned cart for connected stores, date-based and behaviour-based triggers.

Forms, pop-ups and landing pages are included, so list building needs no additional tool.

Segmentation by behaviour, fields and engagement is straightforward, and the interface is uncluttered enough that people actually use the features.

Who it's for

01Small businesses sending a monthly note and a few automations.
02Anyone starting a list who wants room to grow cheaply.
03Local businesses emailing past customers.
04Bloggers and consultants on a budget.
05People who found Mailchimp's pricing unreasonable.

Features

Clean broadcast editor
Drag-and-drop or plain text, with scheduling.
Automation
Welcome, behavioural and date-based workflows.
Forms, pop-ups and landing pages
List building included.
Segmentation
By behaviour, fields and engagement.
A/B testing
Subject lines and content.
Basic e-commerce integration
Store connection and simple abandoned cart.

Pros and cons

PROS
Best value at every list size.
Clean interface people actually use.
Automation included on cheap tiers.
Forms and landing pages built in.
Genuinely usable free tier.
CONS
Account approval process can be slow.
Fewer integrations than the big names.
Automation less powerful than ActiveCampaign.
Reporting is basic.
E-commerce features shallow next to Klaviyo.

Pricing

PLAN WHAT YOU GET WORTH IT FOR
Free Up to 1,000 subscribers with limited monthly sends. Starting a list.
Growing Business Unlimited sends, automation, more features. Most small businesses. The tier to buy.
Advanced Multiple users, priority support, extra features. Larger lists and teams.
Pay-as-you-go Credits for infrequent senders. Occasional campaigns.

Priced by subscriber count and considerably cheaper than Mailchimp or Kit at the same size. Annual billing reduces it further.

MY RECOMMENDED PLAN

Free up to 1,000 subscribers, then Growing Business. Build the welcome sequence on the free tier before you pay anything.

Alternatives

Kit
Clearer sequences and better creator features, at a higher price.
Brevo
Cheaper for large lists mailed infrequently, priced on sends.
Mailchimp
More familiar, more expensive, no longer better.
Klaviyo
Necessary if you sell physical products.

My verdict

MailerLite is what I recommend when somebody wants email marketing to be a solved problem rather than a project. It sends well, the automation covers the workflows that make money, and the price is roughly half what the better-known platforms charge.

Where it is beaten: Kit has a clearer sequence model, Klaviyo owns e-commerce, ActiveCampaign goes deeper on automation. If none of those describe your situation, none of them is worth the difference.

One practical note: their approval process is stricter than most, so set the account up before the week you need to send something.

Try MailerLite →

Who should use it

01Small businesses wanting good value email.
02Anyone starting a list with room to grow.
03Local businesses emailing past customers.
04Bloggers and consultants on a budget.

Who should avoid it

01E-commerce stores needing Klaviyo's depth.
02Teams needing complex branching automation.
03Businesses requiring many niche integrations.
04Anyone needing detailed revenue reporting per email.

Affiliate disclosure

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the price you pay. It also does not decide what appears on this page: I recommend tools with no affiliate programme just as readily, and leave off tools with generous ones when they do not deserve the space.

All recommended tools Last reviewed September 2026