Choosing email marketing software is mostly about matching the tool to how you sell and pricing it at your real list size. We compared nine tools for small businesses, coaches and creators on price, free plans, automation and landing pages, using each vendor's official pricing page in October 2026. You will find the best free plan, the cheapest paid plan and the best pick for each situation.
The best email marketing software for most coaches and creators is Kit, free for up to 10,000 subscribers. For the cheapest paid plan, pick Brevo from $9 a month or MailerLite from $12. Choose ActiveCampaign for detailed automation, Systeme.io for selling courses, Klaviyo for online shops and beehiiv for newsletters.
Who this is for: Small business owners, coaches and creators choosing or switching their email marketing software.
Choose Kit (formerly ConvertKit) if you are a coach or creator who wants a big free plan and simple automations that sell. Choose MailerLite or Brevo if you are a small business that wants the lowest monthly bill and an editor that is easy to pick up.
Here is the best pick by situation. Best free plan for coaches and creators: Kit, free for up to 10,000 subscribers. Cheapest paid plan: Brevo from $9 a month, then MailerLite from $12. Best for detailed automation and sales follow-up: ActiveCampaign. Best all-in-one for selling courses: Systeme.io. Best for good-looking emails with little effort: Flodesk. Best for online shops: Klaviyo. Best for a business built around a newsletter: beehiiv. Mailchimp is still the familiar generalist, and a fair choice if you sell physical products.
If you only remember one thing, pick the tool whose cheapest plan includes the welcome sequence you actually need. That is where most small businesses get caught out.
Independent comparison, last reviewed 29 October 2026. Product names are trademarks of their owners. Unbury is not affiliated with, sponsored by or paid by any company compared here. Features and prices change, so check each vendor before you decide.
Every price below comes from the vendor's own pricing page. We list the cheapest paid plan, and we say when a price is billed yearly, because several vendors show yearly prices first.
Kit suits coaches, course creators and newsletter writers who sell digital products. The Free plan on Kit's official pricing page covers up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts, tagging and the ability to sell digital products and subscriptions.
Creator is $39 a month on monthly billing for 1,000 subscribers, or $33 a month billed yearly ($390 a year). Note that Kit's page shows the yearly price by default. Creator adds unlimited visual automations and sequences, 24/7 email and chat support and free migration.
The catch: automated sequences are not on the Free plan, so a welcome series means paying for Creator. Price from: free, then $39 a month ($33 billed yearly). See Kit vs Mailchimp or our Kit alternatives if Kit feels too dear.
MailerLite suits solo business owners who want a clean editor and solid automation for little money. MailerLite's official pricing page lists two paid plans, Comfort from $12 a month and Power from $25 a month, with 10% off if you pay yearly. Comfort includes 50 active automations, 10 landing pages, 10 forms and 3 seats. Power removes those caps.
The Free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with 3 automations and one landing page.
The catch: the free plan is now small, so expect to pay once your list passes 250. Price from: free, then $12 a month. Our MailerLite vs Mailchimp comparison goes deeper.
Brevo suits businesses with a large list who send a few campaigns a month, because it prices mainly by emails sent. Brevo's official pricing page lists Starter at $9 a month on monthly billing ($8.08 billed yearly) for 5,000 emails and 500 contacts, and Standard at $18 a month ($16.17 billed yearly).
The Free plan lets you send up to 300 emails a day once Brevo approves your account. Standard adds unlimited automated workflows, A/B tests and landing pages.
The catch: marketing automation starts on Standard, not Starter, and removing the Brevo logo costs extra on Starter. Price from: free, then $9 a month. See Brevo vs Mailchimp.
Mailchimp suits small businesses and online shops that want a well-known tool with lots of integrations. Mailchimp's official pricing page lists Essentials from $13 a month and Standard from $20 a month for up to 500 contacts, both shown at 50% off for the first 12 months.
The Free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, with no automation flows. Essentials limits flows to 4 steps, so a proper nurture series really means Standard.
The catch: the advertised prices are the first-year discount, so plan around the higher price in year two. Price from: free, then $13 a month for the first 12 months. Not sure? Read our Mailchimp alternatives.
ActiveCampaign suits coaches and consultants with a longer sales process, where follow-up depends on what each lead does. ActiveCampaign's official pricing page shows Starter from $15 a month billed yearly ($19 on monthly billing) for 1,000 contacts and 10,000 emails a month, and Plus from $49 a month billed yearly. Multi-step automation is on every plan.
There is no free plan, only a 14-day free trial.
The catch: Starter caps each automation at 5 actions and has no landing pages, which arrive on Plus. Monthly billing costs more than the yearly prices shown. Price from: $15 a month billed yearly. See ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp.
Systeme.io suits coaches who want email, sales funnels, a checkout and courses in one place. Systeme.io's official pricing page lists a Free plan for up to 2,000 contacts with unlimited email sends, 3 sales funnels and 1 course. Startup is $17 a month for 5,000 contacts.
The catch: the free plan allows only 1 automation rule and 1 email campaign, and the email editor is simpler than a specialist tool. Price from: free, then $17 a month.
Flodesk suits visual brands, coaches and creators who want polished emails without design skills. Flodesk's official pricing page lists Lite at $25 a month on monthly billing or $19 a month billed yearly for up to 1,000 subscribers, with unlimited email sends. Pro is $28 a month, or $25 billed yearly, and adds unlimited workflows.
The catch: the Free plan lets you build forms and landing pages but not send email, and Lite caps you at 25,000 subscribers. Price from: $19 a month billed yearly. See Flodesk vs Mailchimp.
Klaviyo suits stores, especially on Shopify, where email is driven by what people browse and buy. Klaviyo's official pricing page lists a Free plan for up to 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month, and the Email plan from $20 a month, priced by active profiles.
The catch: it is built for ecommerce, so a coach selling calls pays for data tools they will not use, and the price climbs quickly as your list grows. Price from: free, then $20 a month. Our Klaviyo vs Mailchimp guide covers shops in detail.
beehiiv suits people whose newsletter is the product, earning from sponsors, ads or paid subscriptions. beehiiv's official pricing page lists a Free plan for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends and landing pages. Lite is $49 a month billed yearly for 1,000 subscribers and adds paid subscriptions and automations.
The catch: it is a publishing tool first, so sales sequences for a coaching offer are less flexible than in Kit or ActiveCampaign. Price from: free, then $49 a month billed yearly. If you are weighing it against Substack, read beehiiv vs Substack.
This table uses each vendor's own pricing page at the time of writing (October 2026), in US dollars. "Price from" is the cheapest paid plan at its starting contact level.
| Tool | Price from | Free plan | Contacts on cheapest plan | Automation | Landing pages or forms | Deliverability help | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | $39 a month ($33 billed yearly) | Up to 10,000 subscribers | 1,000 | Unlimited on Creator | Unlimited, even on Free | Deliverability reporting on Pro | Coaches and creators |
| MailerLite | $12 a month | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month | 500 | 50 on Comfort, unlimited on Power | 10 landing pages on Comfort | Check current pricing | Small budgets |
| Brevo | $9 a month ($8.08 billed yearly) | Up to 300 emails a day | 500 | Unlimited from Standard ($18) | Landing pages from Standard | Specialist help on Professional | Big lists, fewer sends |
| Mailchimp | $13 a month for the first 12 months | 250 contacts, 500 emails a month | 500 | 4 flow steps on Essentials | Forms on every plan | Check current pricing | Shops and generalists |
| ActiveCampaign | $15 a month billed yearly | No, 14-day trial | 1,000 | Multi-step on every plan | Landing pages from Plus | Check current pricing | Detailed automation |
| Systeme.io | $17 a month | 2,000 contacts, unlimited sends | 5,000 | 1 rule free, more on paid plans | 3 funnels free | Check current pricing | Courses and funnels |
| Flodesk | $19 a month billed yearly | Forms and pages, no sending | 1,000 | Unlimited workflows on Pro | Yes, even on Free | Check current pricing | Visual brands |
| Klaviyo | $20 a month | 250 profiles, 500 emails a month | 500 | Ecommerce flows | Sign-up forms | Check current pricing | Online shops |
| beehiiv | $49 a month billed yearly | Up to 2,500 subscribers | 1,000 | From Lite | Landing pages on Free | Check current pricing | Newsletter businesses |
If you run a coaching business, our guide to the best email marketing platform for coaches walks through the choice by how you sell.
Most of these tools look cheap at the start and grow with your list, so the price that matters is the one at your real size. A coach with 800 subscribers and a coach with 8,000 can pay very different amounts for the same plan.
Three things catch people out. First, yearly prices shown by default: Kit, ActiveCampaign, Flodesk and beehiiv all show prices billed yearly, and monthly billing costs more. Second, first-year discounts: Mailchimp's prices are 50% off for 12 months. Third, features on the wrong plan: on Kit's Free plan, Brevo Starter and Mailchimp Free, the automation you need for a welcome series is either missing or limited.
A simple test before you sign up: write down your list size today, your list size in a year, and the one automation you must have. Then price each tool at the bigger number with that automation included. That usually rules out half the list.
None of these tools will fix emails that land in spam or the Promotions tab, a lead magnet nobody wants, or a welcome email that goes out three days late. Inbox placement depends mostly on your domain records (SPF, DKIM and DMARC), how clean your list is and how people engage with you. All of that comes with you when you move platform.
So if your current tool works and the bill is fair, think twice before switching. Moving means rebuilding forms, rewriting automations and setting up your domain again, which can take a few weekends. A switch makes sense when the price at your real list size is clearly lower elsewhere, or when you need something your tool cannot do, such as sequences on a free plan.
Before you decide, run your domain through our free email deliverability checker. If the problem is your setup, fix that first and keep the tool you know.
One more point: cold outreach to people who never signed up is a different job, and none of the tools above are built for it. They expect an opted-in list. If cold email is part of your plan, read Instantly vs Lemlist instead.
Answer these three questions and the list usually narrows to one or two tools.
1. How big is your list, and how often do you email? Under 10,000 subscribers and you want free for as long as possible: Kit. A large list you email a few times a month: Brevo. A small list on a tight budget: MailerLite.
2. What do you sell? Courses and low-priced products with a checkout: Systeme.io or Kit. Booked calls and high-ticket coaching with a longer follow-up: ActiveCampaign. Physical products: Klaviyo or Mailchimp. A sponsored or paid newsletter: beehiiv.
3. Who will build and run it? If you will set it up yourself, pick the simplest tool that does the job, which usually means Kit, MailerLite or Flodesk. A tool you understand and use every week beats a powerful one you never finish setting up.
A done-for-you studio fits when you know email should be bringing in clients but you do not have the hours to write the sequences, build the automations and check the numbers each week. That is the work we do at Unbury: we find where your marketing is losing people, build the fix on whichever tool suits you, and run it with you. If that sounds useful, start with a free marketing audit.
For coaches and creators it is Kit, whose Free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts. Systeme.io is free for up to 2,000 contacts with unlimited sends if you also sell courses. Neither free plan includes full automated sequences, so expect to pay once you need a proper welcome series.
At the time of writing, Brevo Starter is $9 a month on monthly billing, MailerLite Comfort starts at $12 a month and Mailchimp Essentials at $13 a month for the first 12 months. Brevo can be cheapest for a large list because it prices mainly by emails sent. Compare prices at your real list size, not just the starting price.
It is still a capable, familiar tool, especially for online shops. For coaches and creators, Kit and MailerLite often fit better because of a bigger free plan or cheaper automation. Mailchimp's Free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, with no automation flows.
For coaches and creators, usually yes, because Kit's free plan holds up to 10,000 subscribers and its automations are simple to build. Mailchimp is often the better fit for shops that rely on its ecommerce integrations. Pick on what you sell, not on the longest feature list.
Less than most people think. Among reputable platforms, your domain authentication, list quality and how people engage with your emails matter far more than which tool sends them. Fix your SPF, DKIM and DMARC records and clean your list before you blame the platform.
Send us your setup and we will tell you honestly where it is leaking customers and what to fix first. Free, no pitch.