The Cheapest Email Marketing Platforms (2026)
The cheapest email marketing platform depends on two numbers: how many subscribers you have and how often you email them. Hosted platforms charge by subscriber count or by emails sent, every month. Self-hosted tools charge once, or nothing, and you pay a sending service like Amazon SES at about $0.10 per 1,000 emails.
Conflict of interest: we make Broadcast, one of the self-hosted options below. Prices for the others are their published list prices on monthly billing in 2026, linked from each row.
What each platform costs
Monthly cost, sending a weekly newsletter (four emails a month per subscriber):
| Platform | 1,000 subscribers | 10,000 subscribers | 50,000 subscribers | Automations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit (free plan) | $0 | $0 | Not available | No |
| Brevo Starter | $9 | $39 | Standard only, from $169 | Limited |
| MailerLite Comfort | $19 | $89 | $289 | Yes, 50 active |
| Mailchimp Essentials | About $27 | $110 | $385 | Up to 4 steps |
| Kit Creator | $39 | $139 | $379 | Yes |
| ActiveCampaign Plus | $59 | $239 | $759 | Yes |
| Listmonk + Amazon SES | Under $1 + server | $4 + server | $20 + server | No |
| Sendy + Amazon SES | Under $1 + server | $4 + server | $20 + server | Autoresponders |
| Broadcast + Amazon SES | Under $1 + server | $4 + server | $20 + server | Yes, with branching |
Self-hosted rows are Amazon SES fees only. Add a small server, usually a few dollars a month, and the software’s one-time price: Listmonk is free, Sendy is about $69, Broadcast is $250.
The cheapest option for each situation
Under 10,000 subscribers, no automations: Kit’s free plan. It costs nothing and covers broadcasts, forms and landing pages.
A big list you email once or twice a month: Brevo. It charges by emails sent, so a large, quiet list stays cheap.
A small list that needs automations, fully managed: MailerLite Comfort. It is the cheapest hosted plan with a proper automation builder.
10,000 subscribers or more, emailed weekly: self-hosted software on Amazon SES. The sending cost is a few dollars a month at any size, and the software is a one-time cost or free. Over a year, that is hundreds or thousands of dollars less than any hosted plan.
Pay once instead of every month
Self-hosted tools move the cost from a monthly subscription to a one-time purchase. Here is what the first year looks like at 10,000 subscribers:
- MailerLite Comfort: $1,068.
- Mailchimp Standard: $1,620.
- Broadcast: $250 once, about $48 in SES fees and around $60 for a small server. Roughly $360 in year one, and about $110 a year after that.
The trade-off is real: you run the server, apply updates and set up your sending domain. Listmonk is the cheapest self-hosted option if you only need to send newsletters. Sendy is cheap if you only use Amazon SES. Broadcast adds sequences with branching, segments, an API and support. See email marketing you pay for once for what a one-time license includes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest email marketing platform?
For a free newsletter under 10,000 subscribers, Kit’s free plan. At larger sizes, self-hosted software on Amazon SES, where sending costs about $0.10 per 1,000 emails and there is no monthly subscription.
What is the cheapest email marketing platform with automations?
Among hosted tools, MailerLite. Self-hosted, Broadcast includes automations for a one-time $250.
Is self-hosted email marketing really cheaper?
For lists above a few thousand subscribers, yes, by a wide margin. The cost you add is your time, or someone’s, to run the server.
