If you just want the short answer: the best free email marketing software for small business is Brevo. Its free plan gives you 300 emails a day with no subscriber cap, which is more generous than almost anyone else. MailerLite is the best free option if you want a clean, simple tool, and Mailchimp works if you stay tiny. Every free plan has a catch, though — subscriber limits, daily sending caps, or the tool’s logo on your emails. We tested them all, and we will tell you each catch.
Quick Comparison: 7 Free Email Marketing Tools
Here is the honest summary before we go deep:
- Brevo — Best overall free plan. 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts. Catch: daily sending cap.
- MailerLite — Best free plan for beginners. Simple and clean. Catch: subscriber cap and limited automations.
- Mailchimp — Best-known name. Catch: the free plan is small and expensive to outgrow.
- Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Best free plan for creators. Catch: free tier is stripped down.
- GetResponse — Best free plan with extras (landing pages, forms). Catch: 500-contact limit.
- Moosend — Best generous free tier. Catch: fewer brand-recognition integrations.
- HubSpot Email — Best free plan inside a CRM. Catch: HubSpot branding and low sending limits.
Now the full breakdown, with the catches nobody mentions.
Brevo: The Best Free Email Marketing Software for Small Business
Best for: Most small businesses. Shops, freelancers, agencies, anyone starting an email list.
Free limits: Brevo’s free plan lets you send 300 emails per day with no cap on the number of contacts you can store. That is rare. Most free plans kick you off once your list grows; Brevo does not. You also get basic automation, forms, and SMS credits to try.
Honest downside: The 300-email-per-day cap. If you have 1,000 subscribers, one newsletter takes four days to fully send. For a small list, you will never notice. For a growing list, it gets annoying fast. The free plan also includes Brevo branding on your emails, and phone support is not included.
Our take: We tested Brevo’s free plan against every tool on this list. It won for small businesses. The unlimited contacts model means your list can grow without forcing you to pay — a huge deal when you are starting out.
MailerLite: Best Free Plan for Beginners
Best for: People who want the simplest possible tool. Bloggers, solopreneurs, anyone who found Mailchimp confusing.
Free limits: As of 2026, MailerLite’s free plan covers up to 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails a month. You get the drag-and-drop editor, basic automation, forms, and landing pages. The free plan is a genuinely good product, not a demo.
Honest downside: The 500-subscriber ceiling. Cross it and you pay. Automation on the free plan is basic — multi-step workflows and advanced triggers need a paid plan. Like most free tiers, MailerLite branding appears on your emails.
Our take: If you want “easy,” pick MailerLite. It is the least confusing email tool we tested. Just know that 500 subscribers arrives faster than you think.
Mailchimp: The Big Name With a Small Free Plan
Best for: Very small lists and people who already use Mailchimp for something else.
Free limits: Mailchimp’s free plan is 500 contacts and 1,000 email sends a month, with basic templates and forms. It exists. That is the nicest thing we can say about it.
Honest downside: The free plan shrank over the years while competitors got more generous. 1,000 sends a month means one email to 500 people twice a month — and then you are done. Mailchimp branding sits on your emails, automation is minimal, and the moment you upgrade, Mailchimp is one of the pricier options per subscriber. Many businesses start on free Mailchimp and leave when the bill arrives.
Our take: Fine if you are truly tiny and already live in the Mailchimp ecosystem. For everyone else, Brevo or MailerLite gives you more for free.
Kit: Best Free Plan for Creators
Best for: Bloggers, YouTubers, course creators — anyone building an audience rather than a store.
Free limits: Kit’s free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, which sounds amazing. You get basic forms, one automation, and one email sequence. For a creator starting a newsletter, that is a real gift.
Honest downside: “One automation, one sequence” is the catch. The free plan is deliberately stripped down to push you toward paid. Advanced automations, multiple sequences, and the visual builder need a paid tier. Kit is also priced for creators with revenue — once you pay, it is not the cheapest.
Our take: Great free subscriber allowance for creators. But if you need real automation on day one, the free plan will frustrate you.
GetResponse: Best Free Plan With Extras
Best for: Small businesses that also need landing pages and forms, not just email.
Free limits: GetResponse’s free plan includes up to 500 contacts and 2,500 newsletter sends a month, plus landing pages, a website builder, and signup forms. You get more than email — a mini marketing toolkit.
Honest downside: 500 contacts and 2,500 sends is modest, and the free plan is the company’s way of getting you in the door. Automation and webinars need paid plans. The interface has more buttons than MailerLite, so it takes longer to learn.
Our take: Best free plan if you want landing pages bundled in. If you only need email, simpler tools win.
Moosend: The Generous Underdog
Best for: Small businesses that want real automation without paying yet.
Free limits: Moosend’s free plan is one of the most generous around — it covers up to 1,000 subscribers with unlimited emails, plus automation workflows that competitors lock behind paid plans.
Honest downside: It is a smaller company with fewer native integrations. If your whole business runs on tools Moosend does not connect to directly, you will need workarounds. Support is slower than the big names. And Moosend branding appears on free-plan emails.
Our take: We were surprised how good the free plan is. If automation matters to you and you do not need fifty integrations, Moosend punches above its weight.
HubSpot Email: Best Free Plan Inside a CRM
Best for: Businesses that already use HubSpot’s free CRM and want email in the same place.
Free limits: HubSpot’s free email tool gives you 2,000 sends a month inside the HubSpot CRM. Contacts, deals, and emails all live in one dashboard, which is genuinely useful.
Honest downside: The sending limit is low, every email carries HubSpot branding, and the real power of HubSpot unlocks only on paid plans that get expensive fast. As a standalone email tool, it is weaker than Brevo or MailerLite. It only makes sense if you already live in HubSpot.
Our take: Pick it because of the CRM, not because of the email tool. If you are not using HubSpot already, do not start here.
What Is the Catch With Free Email Marketing Software?
Every free plan has one or more of these catches. Now you will see them coming:
- Subscriber caps. Grow past 500 or 1,000 contacts and the free plan ends. Brevo is the rare exception with unlimited contacts.
- Sending caps. Daily or monthly limits on how many emails you can send. Fine for a newsletter; painful for a growing list.
- The tool’s branding on your emails. Free plans usually stamp their logo in your footer. It looks unprofessional to some customers.
- Automation is stripped down. The free plan sends newsletters; the paid plan runs the automations that actually make you money.
- Your list is your leverage — and their hook. Free plans are marketing for the paid plans. They are designed to feel just good enough that upgrading feels easy when you hit the limit.
Nobody tells you this upfront. Now you know.
When Should You Upgrade From Free to Paid?
Stay free until one of these happens:
- Your list outgrows the cap. Hitting 500 subscribers on MailerLite or Mailchimp is the most common trigger.
- You need automation that sells. Welcome sequences, abandoned-cart emails, and re-engagement campaigns usually need a paid tier.
- The branding bothers you. Removing the tool’s logo from your emails almost always requires paying.
- You are sending regularly. A weekly newsletter to a growing list will hit sending caps fast.
Here is our honest rule: if email is making you money — even a little — stop using the free plan. Paid plans start around $10 to $20 a month on most of these tools, and one sale usually covers it. Free is for testing and starting. Paid is for growing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there really a free email marketing tool with no limits?
No. As of 2026, every free plan has some limit — subscribers, sends, features, or branding. Brevo comes closest with unlimited contacts on its free plan, but it caps you at 300 emails a day.
Which free email marketing software is best for a small business?
Brevo. The free plan’s unlimited contacts and 300 emails a day beat every competitor for a growing small business. MailerLite is the best pick if you want the simplest tool.
Can I send newsletters for free without the tool’s logo on them?
Almost never. Removing branding requires a paid plan on every major tool we tested. If a clean, professional footer matters to you, that alone is a reason to upgrade.
How many emails can I send for free per month?
It varies a lot. Roughly: Brevo gives you about 9,000 a month (300/day), MailerLite gives 12,000, Mailchimp gives 1,000, and HubSpot gives 2,000. Always check the current limits on the official site — they change.
When does it make sense to hire someone for email marketing?
When your list is growing but your emails are not making money. A good email marketer pays for themselves with better subject lines, automation sequences, and campaigns that turn subscribers into customers. If you are stuck on the free plan because the paid tools feel complicated, that is also a sign.
Final Verdict
For most small businesses, start with Brevo’s free plan. It gives you the most room to grow without paying — unlimited contacts, 300 emails a day, and real automation basics. If you want the simplest possible tool, pick MailerLite. If you are a creator, Kit’s free subscriber allowance is hard to beat.
But here is the honest truth: free plans are a starting line, not a strategy. They cap your list, stamp their logo on your emails, and hold back the automations that actually drive sales. The moment email starts working for your business, the free plan starts costing you growth.
That is exactly where we come in. Adii Digital’s email marketing services take you from “sending newsletters” to “email that sells” — list building, automation sequences, campaigns, and strategy, done for you. If you have outgrown the free plan (or never want to wrestle with it), talk to us:
Get email marketing help on our services page →
Start free. Upgrade when your list starts earning.