You’ve decided it’s time to put more energy into your business. Maybe you’re still running things from your bedroom, but your customers don’t have to know that.
Up until now, you’ve been sending emails to a list of around 50–200 people you’ve gathered over the past few months. But Outlook isn’t doing the job anymore. Messages often end up in spam folders, and once, you mistakenly used CC instead of BCC. That led to a few unsubscribes, which you then had to remove by hand.
Surely, there’s a better solution.
This might be the moment to switch to a professional email marketing service and build a proper email strategy. Don’t worry—professional doesn’t always mean costly. In fact, there are plenty of free email marketing tools that work really well. That means no more lost emails and no more awkward privacy mishaps. Considering that email marketing delivers an ROI of around 3500% (about $36 for every dollar spent), using a free service could help your business grow significantly.
You may be surprised at how much these platforms offer without charging a penny. Some even let you add unlimited subscribers or send unlimited emails each month.
Many also include extra features like landing pages, automation, and transactional emails—handy bonuses that can really boost your campaigns.
The features that matter most will depend on your business needs, but here are some things to check before choosing a free email marketing service:
- Are free email templates included, and do they look professional?
- Does the free plan provide landing pages, and are the designs good? (Especially useful if you don’t yet have a website.)
- Is automation available, and can you segment your contact lists?
- Do the reports give you the insights you need?
- Is there a limit to how many forms you can create?
- Are transactional emails offered, if that’s something you require?
- Will the provider’s logo appear on your emails, and if so, is it subtle or distracting?
- What integrations are available with other tools, especially for ecommerce?
- What level of support is included? For example, Mailchimp is known for limited support on its free plan.
1. MailerLite – Covers Most Essentials
As the name implies, MailerLite is all about providing a simple and straightforward email marketing platform. It’s easy to use, yet still offers valuable features like landing pages, signup forms, and automation. Their “Free Forever” plan includes most—but not all—of these tools.
What we liked
MailerLite’s interface is very beginner-friendly, making it simple to launch campaigns even if you’re new to email marketing. With under 1,000 subscribers, you can send up to 12,000 emails each month. The free plan also allows you to set up basic automation workflows and create landing pages at no cost.
Where it could improve
One limitation is that email templates aren’t available on the free plan, so you’ll need to design your own. (If ready-to-use templates are important, Brevo offers a comparable set of features with templates included.) There’s also no built-in spam or design testing. While the automation editor is clean and workflow-based, it only supports a few basic functions like trigger-based emails or updating contact fields.
Another downside is the strict approval process. You’ll need to verify your website—or explain if you don’t have one. Some users also report sudden account suspensions even after approval, with reactivation proving difficult.
Who should use the free plan?
MailerLite is a solid choice among free email marketing tools, particularly for businesses that want a cost-effective, straightforward platform to manage inbound marketing campaigns.
2. Kit – Designed for Bloggers and Newsletter Creators
Kit (previously known as ConvertKit) is built with creators and bloggers in mind. It comes with tools like landing pages, subscriber segmentation, advanced sequence setups, and even the ability to sell digital products or subscriptions directly from the platform.
One reason it ranks high among free email marketing services is its generous plan, which supports up to 10,000 subscribers and includes unlimited emails, forms, and landing pages.
Paid plans unlock more features, such as unlimited automations and sequences (compared to just one in the free plan), plus extras like paid recommendations and third-party integrations. Pricing starts at $15 per month for users with fewer than 300 subscribers. Check for more – Web Believers!
What we liked
Kit excels with its responsive and helpful customer support. Its tagging system makes subscriber management flexible, letting you personalize and target messages effectively. The landing page editor is another strong point, allowing creators to grow their audience even without a website—perfect for social media campaigns. On top of that, the built-in monetization option, enabling sales of digital products and subscriptions, sets Kit apart from most competitors.
Where it could improve
The free plan has its drawbacks—you can’t remove Kit’s branding, and you must display recommended newsletters when people subscribe to yours. These limitations mean the platform’s true value is unlocked with a paid plan, which can become costly for larger audiences.
Another limitation is its template design. Since most are text-based, Kit isn’t the best option for those who want to send visually rich, image-heavy emails.
Who should use the free plan?
Kit’s free plan is ideal for bloggers and creators starting out or managing smaller lists. It provides the essential tools to build and nurture an audience. However, as subscribers grow and more advanced features are needed, upgrading to a paid plan becomes almost inevitable.
3. Beehiiv – A Strong Alternative to Kit
Beehiiv is an all-in-one newsletter platform created for writers, bloggers, and content creators. It combines publishing, website building, and email marketing in a single solution, making it a go-to option for those looking to grow and monetize their audience.
It has quickly gained recognition as one of the best tools for newsletter creators, even outperforming well-known platforms like Kit and Substack. However, its free plan is slightly more limited compared to Kit’s.
With the Launch plan (free), you can send unlimited emails to as many as 2,500 subscribers. The plan also includes helpful extras such as a website builder, subscriber tagging and segmentation, and the ability to manage up to three separate newsletters.
What we liked
Beehiiv’s free plan stands out with unlimited email sending, a website builder that supports custom domains (a rare feature at no cost), and the ability to manage multiple newsletters. Its built-in recommendation network makes it easy to collaborate with other creators by sharing subscriber recommendations. On top of that, its tagging and segmentation options are straightforward and effective, helping you organize your audience and target your messaging.
Where it could improve
Despite its strengths, Beehiiv’s free plan leaves out some important features. Monetization tools like subscription or sponsorship sales are only available with paid upgrades, making it less competitive than Kit in this area. Another drawback is the lack of automation options, such as welcome sequences or triggered emails.
The pricing jump is also notable—going from a free plan straight to the $49/month Scale plan may feel expensive for smaller creators, especially without a mid-tier option. Additionally, free users must display Beehiiv branding in their newsletters, which can only be removed with higher-tier plans like Max or Enterprise.
Who should use the free plan?
Beehiiv’s Launch plan is best for new creators or those working with smaller audiences. It’s a solid starting point, but as your subscriber list expands or monetization becomes a priority, upgrading will be necessary to unlock key features like automation and revenue tools.
4. Omnisend – A Strong Free Ecommerce Option
Omnisend is an email marketing service built with ecommerce in mind. It offers impressive features such as advanced automation workflows, the ability to pull products directly from your store into newsletters, and fun extras like scratch cards and gift boxes. Even better, these tools are all included in the free plan, along with website tracking, detailed reports, landing pages, and 24/7 customer support.
However, Omnisend’s recent pricing changes have significantly reduced its free plan allowances. Previously, you could send up to 15,000 emails a month (2,000 per day), but now the limit is just 500 emails total, with a cap of 250 subscribers.
This makes Omnisend’s free plan suitable if you’re looking for a feature-rich solution and have only a small list. But for most businesses, the limited subscriber and email count will likely feel restrictive quite quickly.
5. GetResponse – Now with a Website Builder
GetResponse only recently introduced a free plan, and it’s a welcome addition. We’ve tracked their updates over the years and noticed some standout features, although many of their more advanced tools—like webinars, sales funnels, and sophisticated automation—are reserved for paid plans.
What we liked
The free plan comes with a website builder offering 5 GB of bandwidth, plus signup forms and popups. You can connect your own domain and take advantage of built-in SEO tools. Another highlight is their library of over 500 email templates, paired with an intuitive, flexible editor.
Where it could improve
The biggest drawback is the storage cap—only 500 subscribers can be managed on the free plan, which is small compared to other providers. They also recently cut back email limits from unlimited sends to just 2,500. In addition, you can only create one landing page, while autoresponders and automation features are locked behind paid tiers. As expected, GetResponse branding will appear on all emails.
Who should use the free plan?
This plan works best for businesses with a small subscriber base that want a free option for running email campaigns while also setting up a simple website.