The Cheapest Email Marketing Tools That Are Actually Good (2026–2027)
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Cheap email tools have a dirty secret: the advertised price is for a tiny list, and the real cost shows up at 5,000 subscribers when you’re locked in.
These five are different. We re-check their pricing daily — these are the ones that stay honest as you grow.
1. EmailOctopus — the price benchmark
The lowest per-subscriber prices we track, from a focused product that doesn’t pretend to be a CRM. Free up to 2,500 subscribers. The trade-off: fewer features (no landing pages) and a smaller integration library.
2. MailerLite — the value benchmark
Not always the absolute cheapest, but the most features per dollar: automations, forms, landing pages and a website builder included from the entry tier. Free up to 1,000 subscribers.
3. Sender — the free-plan champion
Free up to 2,500 subscribers with SMS included. Paid tiers stay cheap and simple.
4. Brevo — the volume exception
Priced by emails sent per month, not contacts stored. If you have a big list you rarely mail (think event lists, annual updates), this is dramatically cheaper than per-contact pricing. Free tier: 300 emails/day.
5. Moosend — no feature-gating
Every feature on every tier, starting under $10/month. No permanent free plan, but the trial is enough to evaluate.
How to actually pay less
- Check the per-contact price at YOUR list size, not the advertised entry price.
- Volume-based billing (Brevo) vs contact-based (most others) — pick by how often you actually send.
- Annual billing typically saves 15–20% everywhere, but only after the free trial convinces you.
Pricing verified 31 October 2026 — vendors reprice often, so confirm on their sites before committing.
Prices and terms in this post were accurate when published — check the linked pages for today's numbers.