MailerLite is the budget pick for creators who want real email automation without paying ActiveCampaign prices. Every plan, including Free, gets the visual automation builder, and the paid tiers add a website builder, landing pages and digital product sales. The catch is that the free plan is now small, so expect to pay as soon as your list grows past a few hundred people.
We assessed MailerLite alongside the rest of our newsletters & email reviews, including Substack, Buttondown and beehiiv, so the score below is relative to that field.
What it does well
Automation on every plan. The visual builder handles trigger-based sequences and conditional splits. Free includes 3 active automations of up to 5 steps, Comfort raises that to 50, and Power makes automations unlimited and adds multiple triggers per automation.
A website you control. MailerLite includes a website builder with a blog section and SEO tools for sites. Free gets 1 website and 1 landing page, Comfort gets 10, Power is unlimited. For a creator without a site, that turns the email platform into a home base you own, not a social profile you rent.
Selling built in. Comfort includes 5 digital products or bookings, and paid newsletter subscriptions run through MailerLite's Stripe integration.
Low prices at small and mid-size lists. At 1,000 subscribers, Comfort lists at $19 a month, well below most creator-focused rivals.
Easy to leave. MailerLite documents CSV subscriber export, so your list stays portable.
Where it falls short
- Small free plan. 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. MailerLite locks sending if you go over 250 active subscribers until you upgrade or trim the list.
- Paid-newsletter fee isn't stated. The pricing and paid-newsletter pages we checked don't say whether MailerLite takes a cut on top of Stripe. Confirm before you launch a paid tier.
- Deliverability is hard to judge from outside. A dedicated IP is an Enterprise add-on, so smaller senders share infrastructure, and we haven't seen independent data ranking its inbox placement.
- Segmentation at scale. MailerLite offers fewer advanced segmentation options than CRM-style tools once a list grows.
- Support depends on plan. Free is community support only. Email support starts on Comfort, 24/7 live chat on Power.
- Fewer templates than beehiiv, and no recommendation network or ad marketplace.
Pricing in practice
Prices in USD. Paying yearly saves 10%.
| Plan | 500 subscribers | 1,000 | 10,000 | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | n/a | n/a | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo, 3 automations, 1 site, 1 landing page |
| Comfort | $12/mo ($10.80/mo yearly) | $19/mo ($17.10/mo yearly) | $89/mo ($80.10/mo yearly) | 3 seats, 50 automations, 10 sites; monthly sends capped at 10x your subscriber tier |
| Power | $25/mo ($22.50/mo yearly) | $39/mo | $129/mo | Unlimited emails, seats, automations and sites; 24/7 live chat |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | 200K+ subscribers, success manager, dedicated IP add-on |
Example. Assumptions: 1,000 subscribers, one newsletter a week plus a welcome sequence, monthly billing. Comfort at $19/month allows up to 10,000 emails a month, enough for four or five weekly sends to the full list plus automation emails. Move to Power only if you send more often or need multiple triggers.
Who should pick it (and who shouldn't)
Pick it if you're building a list from zero, price per subscriber matters more than ad or sponsorship tools, and you want automations and a simple website on the cheapest paid tier. Try MailerLiteAFFILIATE.
Skip it if you need enterprise-grade segmentation at large list sizes, want a platform network to bring you subscribers, or need a confirmed 0% fee on paid subscriptions today.
Alternatives worth comparing
- Kit: creator-first, with a free plan up to 10,000 subscribers. See Kit vs beehiiv.
- beehiiv: for newsletters that earn from ads and sponsors.
- ActiveCampaign: deeper automation and CRM, at a much higher price.
- Buttondown: minimalist, pay-per-feature.
See the full best newsletter platforms roundup, and BestSends for business email marketing comparisons.
What changed (Oct 8, 2026)
- Plan names, prices and limits now match MailerLite's official pricing page as checked on Oct 8, 2026.
- We corrected statements in the review text that no longer matched the product or its documentation.
- We revised the pros and cons to match current features and pricing.
SOURCES (CHECKED OCT 19, 2026)
| Claim | Source URL | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Plans, prices and plan limits in the pricing table | https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing | 2026-10-19 |
| Cited in the review text | https://bestsends.com | 2026-10-08 |
| Official product site | https://mailerlite.com | 2026-10-19 |
| PLAN | PRICE | WHAT YOU GET |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails per month, 2 user seats, 3 active automations (5 steps each), 1 website and 1 landing page, 3 forms, community support |
| Comfort | From $12/mo billed monthly or $10.80/mo billed yearly (500 subscribers); price rises with list size | 3 seats, 50 automations, 10 websites and landing pages, 5 digital products or bookings, unlimited templates, preference center, AI writing assistant, logo removal |
| Power | From $25/mo billed monthly or $22.50/mo billed yearly (500 subscribers); price rises with list size | Unlimited emails, seats, automations, landing pages and forms, multiple automation triggers, 24/7 live chat support |
| Enterprise | Custom (200K+ subscribers) | Dedicated success manager, deliverability support, dedicated IP as an add-on |
Small creators and side-project newsletters watching costs closely.
you need enterprise-grade segmentation at large list sizes — if that's a dealbreaker, see every newsletters & email tool we've reviewed.
- Is MailerLite worth it in 2026?
A budget-friendly email platform that punches well above its price with automation and landing page tools most cheap tools skip. We rate it 8/10, and it's the strongest pick for small creators and side-project newsletters watching costs closely.
- How much does MailerLite cost?
MailerLite is free for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Comfort starts at $12/mo billed monthly or $10.80/mo billed yearly, and Power at $25/mo or $22.50/mo billed yearly (both at 500 subscribers; prices rise with list size). Enterprise is custom for 200K+ subscribers. List prices change often, so confirm with the vendor before you buy.
- What are the downsides of MailerLite?
Dedicated IP only available as an Enterprise add-on. Fewer advanced segmentation options at scale. Free plan gets community support only; email support starts on Comfort and 24/7 live chat on Power. Template design options more limited than Beehiiv.
- How did BestCreates review MailerLite?
Editorially reviewed: An editorial evaluation of verified product information, official documentation, pricing and features, informed by Carlos Gil's professional experience. Available demos and screenshots may inform the review; documented product use is required for a hands-on label. The score is relative to the other tools we cover in this category.
A budget-friendly email platform that punches well above its price with automation and landing page tools most cheap tools skip.
Editorially reviewed. An editorial evaluation of verified product information, official documentation, pricing and features, informed by Carlos Gil's professional experience. Available demos and screenshots may inform the review; documented product use is required for a hands-on label. Read our review standards.
BestCreates is written and edited by Carlos Gil. Every tool is assessed against the same documented framework — the jobs creators hire it for, ease of use, pricing accuracy, support and integrations — and each review states in the open how it was assessed.
LAST UPDATED OCT 9, 2026
SIGNED BY CARLOS GIL · FOUNDER & EDITOR, THE BEST NETWORK · OUR DISCLOSURE POLICY