Cheapest Email Marketing Software That Still Gets Results

The cheapest email marketing software that still gets results isn’t always the one with the lowest sticker price — it’s the one that delivers opens, clicks, and conversions without draining your budget on features you’ll never use. This guide compares six solid options across price tiers, from completely free plans to sub-$20/month paid tiers, so you can match the tool to your actual situation.

Photo: Julio Lopez (Pexels)

Why Price Alone Is a Misleading Metric

A $0/month plan sounds great until you hit a 500-subscriber cap and every email goes out with someone else’s branding stamped on the footer. Conversely, paying $49/month for automation features you won’t touch for another year is equally wasteful.

The smarter filter: look at the cost per 1,000 subscribers, what’s included at each tier (automation, segmentation, A/B testing), and whether the sending limits match your actual volume.

With that frame in mind, here are the six tools worth evaluating.

The 6 Cheapest Email Marketing Tools Compared

Prices verified at time of writing — always confirm on the tool’s official pricing page before subscribing.

Brevo — Best for Send Volume Over Subscriber Count

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) flips the standard pricing model. Instead of charging per subscriber, it charges per email sent. The free plan covers unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day. The Starter plan at $9/month unlocks up to 20,000 emails per month with no daily limit and removes Brevo branding.

That structure makes Brevo unusually affordable for anyone with a large list who sends infrequently — for example, a weekly newsletter to 5,000 subscribers costs far less here than on most subscriber-based tools.

Weaknesses: The free tier’s 300-email-per-day cap is restrictive if you need to send a broadcast quickly. Automation features are also limited on lower tiers compared to ActiveCampaign or Kit.

Our take: If you’re building a large list but emailing it less than twice a week, Brevo’s pricing model gives you more headroom per dollar than anyone else on this list.

GetResponse — Best Budget Option With Built-In Funnels

GetResponse’s free plan caps you at 500 contacts and one landing page, but it includes a functional autoresponder — something competitors like Mailchimp removed from their free tier. The paid Email Marketing plan starts at $19/month (up to 1,000 subscribers) and adds automation workflows, unlimited landing pages, and A/B testing.

A practical workflow: you can build a lead magnet landing page, collect subscribers, trigger a welcome sequence, and send weekly newsletters — all inside GetResponse without a separate page-builder subscription.

Weaknesses: The interface feels slightly dated compared to Kit. Deliverability is solid but not class-leading; heavier senders sometimes report needing to warm up new lists carefully.

Our take: GetResponse punches above its price class for bloggers and course creators who want automation without paying separately for a landing page tool.

AWeber — Best for Beginners Who Want to Keep It Simple

AWeber’s free plan allows up to 500 subscribers and includes access to its drag-and-drop email builder, basic automation, and a library of pre-built templates. The Lite plan at $15/month removes AWeber’s branding and raises the subscriber ceiling.

AWeber has been around since 1998, which shows in its stability and deliverability track record. The template library is large, and the onboarding process is one of the least intimidating on the market.

Weaknesses: Segmentation and tagging are less flexible than Kit or ActiveCampaign. If you anticipate building complex behavioral automations later, you may outgrow AWeber.

Our take: AWeber is the lowest-friction option for someone sending a straightforward newsletter. Don’t choose it if advanced automation is on your 12-month roadmap.

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Best Free Plan for Bloggers

Kit’s free plan is the most generous on this list for content creators: up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcast emails, and basic tagging. That’s a meaningful runway for a growing blog before you pay anything.

The Creator plan at $29/month (1,000 subscribers, scaling upward) unlocks the visual automation builder, third-party integrations, and the ability to sell digital products directly. Kit’s interface is built around the idea that subscribers are readers, not just data rows — the sequence and broadcast structure reflects that.

Weaknesses: Kit skews toward content creators and isn’t the strongest fit for e-commerce or complex CRM needs. The jump from free to paid is steep in absolute dollar terms, even if the value is there.

Our take: For bloggers and newsletter operators under 10,000 subscribers, Kit’s free plan is the cheapest email marketing software that still gets results — at literally $0/month for a serious feature set.

ActiveCampaign — Best When You Need CRM Without a Separate Tool

ActiveCampaign doesn’t offer a free plan, but its Starter tier (billed annually) starts at $15/month for up to 1,000 contacts. That price includes marketing automation, a built-in CRM pipeline, lead scoring, and conditional content inside emails.

No other tool on this list packs CRM-level functionality at this price point. If your sales process involves follow-up calls, deal tracking, or multi-step nurture sequences based on behavior, ActiveCampaign’s cost-per-feature ratio is hard to beat.

Weaknesses: There’s a steeper learning curve than AWeber or GetResponse. The interface is dense, and setting up even moderate automations takes time investment upfront. Also, the $15/month entry requires annual commitment; month-to-month is pricier.

Our take: If you’re running any kind of sales funnel alongside email marketing — lead nurture, product launches, client follow-ups — ActiveCampaign earns its cost more quickly than cheaper-seeming alternatives.

Who Should Pick Which Tool

So which is the cheapest email marketing software that still gets results for your situation? Here’s the short version:

• You have a big list but email infrequently → Brevo (send-based pricing saves money)
• You want automation + landing pages in one tool for under $20/month → GetResponse
• You’re a complete beginner and want a simple newsletter setup → AWeber
• You’re a blogger or newsletter writer under 10,000 subscribers → Kit free plan
• You need CRM + email automation under $20/month (annual billing) → ActiveCampaign
• You want a well-known brand with a large template library → Mailchimp Essentials ($13/month, though the free plan removed autoresponders in 2023)

What “Getting Results” Actually Requires

The cheapest email marketing software that still gets results depends partly on what “results” means to you. Open rates, click-through rates, and conversions are influenced by:

1. Deliverability — Does the tool have good sender reputation infrastructure? AWeber and ActiveCampaign have historically strong deliverability. Brevo improved significantly after rebranding.
2. Segmentation — Can you send the right message to the right subset of your list? Even basic tagging (available in Kit’s free plan) outperforms blasting everyone with the same email.
3. Automation — A welcome sequence triggered immediately after signup consistently outperforms manual sends. GetResponse and Kit both support this on entry-level plans.
4. Clean list hygiene — No tool can fix a list full of unverified or disengaged addresses. Most tools charge by subscriber count, so pruning inactive subscribers every 90 days directly reduces your bill.

According to Campaign Monitor’s email benchmarks, average email open rates across industries sit around 21–23% — but well-segmented lists regularly exceed 35%. The tool matters less than how you use it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which email marketing tool has the best free plan?

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) offers the most generous free plan for bloggers and content creators — up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, and basic tagging at $0/month. Brevo’s free plan is best if you have a large list but send infrequently, since it allows unlimited contacts with a 300-email daily cap.

Is free email marketing software reliable enough for a real business?

Yes, with caveats. The free tiers of Kit, Brevo, AWeber, and GetResponse all use the same sending infrastructure as paid plans, so deliverability isn’t meaningfully different. What you lose on free plans is usually automation depth, sending volume, and third-party integrations — not reliability.

What’s the difference between subscriber-based and send-based pricing?

Subscriber-based pricing (AWeber, Kit, ActiveCampaign, GetResponse) charges you based on how many contacts are on your list, regardless of how often you email them. Send-based pricing (Brevo) charges based on how many emails you send per month. If you have a large list but email it rarely, send-based pricing is almost always cheaper.

Do I need automation to get results from email marketing?

Not immediately. A single well-written welcome email sent automatically when someone subscribes already outperforms no automation at all. Start with a simple 3-email welcome sequence, then layer in more complex automations as your list and strategy develop. GetResponse and Kit both make this straightforward on their entry-level plans.

Is ActiveCampaign worth the cost for a small list?

If your list is under 500 subscribers and you’re just sending newsletters, ActiveCampaign is probably overkill. Its value becomes clear when you’re running multi-step sales sequences, scoring leads, or managing a small CRM alongside your email program. At $15/month on annual billing, it’s competitive — but only if you’ll actually use the CRM and automation features.

Finding the cheapest email marketing software that still gets results is less about finding the lowest number and more about matching the tool’s feature set to your current stage. A free Kit account for a 2,000-subscriber newsletter gets better results than an underused $50/month plan with features you haven’t configured.

Start with what fits your list size and workflow today. Upgrade when the platform limits you — not before.

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