Email tool pricing is quoted at list sizes nobody stays at. So we compared six tools at the sizes a solopreneur actually hits: 1,000 subscribers within months, 5,000 if the thing works. At 5,000 subscribers the same list costs $0 on one tool here and $100 on another, every month, for a job all six of them do.
Three things changed recently that most comparison pages have not caught up with: ManyChat cut its free plan from 1,000 contacts to 25 in March 2026, Mailchimp's free tier is down to 250 contacts with no automation, and Kit went the other way, raising its entry plan to $39 while opening its free plan to 10,000 subscribers. All three still get described from outdated articles.
8.5/10StrongHow this score is built
The score is our own summary of the criteria this comparison publishes, weighted as the list below is ordered. It is not an average of user reviews, no vendor sees it before publication, and no vendor pays for it.
- 1.Prices verified July 2026 against official pricing and docs pages, in USD, monthly billing unless stated. Where vendors only publish adjacent tiers, the 5,000-subscriber figure is interpolated and marked with a tilde.
- 2.We price the plan a solopreneur would really need, not the crippled entry tier: if branding removal or automation requires an upgrade, we say so.
- 3.Weaknesses are compiled from user reviews and community complaints, not vendor comparison pages.
- 4.Most tools here run affiliate programs paying between 25% and 60% recurring. We are not currently in any of them, and two entries make the point on their own: Kit, ranked second, is linked with a plain link we earn nothing on, and Mailchimp, whose program is the weakest in the category, is on the page purely because you asked about it. Where a link does earn us something, the button says so.
- 8.0 and up
- Strong. Wins its category on the criteria below, with a known trade-off.
- 7.0 and up
- Solid. Right answer for a specific reader, wrong one for others.
- 6.0 and up
- Adequate. Works, and something on this page does the same job better.
- under 6.0
- Weak. We would not buy it at this price.
The most complete toolkit per dollar for a one-person business.
- Price
- $19/mo
Starter: $19/mo at 1,000 contacts (about $15.60/mo on annual billing). Around $45 to $54/mo at 5,000 contacts. Unlimited sends on paid plans.
- Free plan
- 500 contacts, no automation
Yes: 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/mo, 1 landing page, signup forms. No automation workflows on free.
What holds up
- +Genuinely all-in-one: email, autoresponders, landing pages, webinars and automation, which replaces two or three other subscriptions
- +24/7 live chat support even on the cheapest paid plan
- +40-60% recurring affiliate commissions mean it is over-recommended elsewhere; the tool itself still earns its rank
Where it falls short
- −Price scales quickly as your list grows: budget for the 5,000-contact tier before you get there
- −Landing page builder is fiddly and report customization is limited
- −Scattered but recurring complaints about account restrictions and support responsiveness at bad moments
The rest of the readings
- Price at 1,000 subs
- Flagged: reading in your favour. $19/mo
- Price at 5,000 subs
- ~$45-54/mo
- Automation
- Flagged: reading in your favour. Full, on paid plans
- Removes branding
- Flagged: reading in your favour. On all paid plans
- Support
- Flagged: reading in your favour. 24/7 chat, all paid plans
- The catch
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Price climbs fast with list size
Who this is for
It replaces an email tool, a landing page builder and webinar software in one $19 subscription.
Do not buy GetResponse if
- ·You are a pure newsletter writer who will never touch landing pages or webinars. You would pay for a suite and use a tenth of it: Kit does that job for nothing up to 10,000 subscribers, and MailerLite does it for less than this.
If that is you, buy Kit instead. It is ranked #2 on this page.
For a solopreneur who sells anything, GetResponse is the strongest package: the automation is real, the landing pages are good enough to skip a separate builder, and chat support answers at 2 a.m. It is not the cheapest at scale and its affiliate program is generous enough that you should distrust most rankings that include it, this one included. Check the table, the numbers are the argument.
✓This link earns us nothing.GetResponse pays through PartnerStack, which declined our partner account on 6 August 2026. This link earns us nothing.
8.3/10StrongHow this score is built
The score is our own summary of the criteria this comparison publishes, weighted as the list below is ordered. It is not an average of user reviews, no vendor sees it before publication, and no vendor pays for it.
- 1.Prices verified July 2026 against official pricing and docs pages, in USD, monthly billing unless stated. Where vendors only publish adjacent tiers, the 5,000-subscriber figure is interpolated and marked with a tilde.
- 2.We price the plan a solopreneur would really need, not the crippled entry tier: if branding removal or automation requires an upgrade, we say so.
- 3.Weaknesses are compiled from user reviews and community complaints, not vendor comparison pages.
- 4.Most tools here run affiliate programs paying between 25% and 60% recurring. We are not currently in any of them, and two entries make the point on their own: Kit, ranked second, is linked with a plain link we earn nothing on, and Mailchimp, whose program is the weakest in the category, is on the page purely because you asked about it. Where a link does earn us something, the button says so.
- 8.0 and up
- Strong. Wins its category on the criteria below, with a known trade-off.
- 7.0 and up
- Solid. Right answer for a specific reader, wrong one for others.
- 6.0 and up
- Adequate. Works, and something on this page does the same job better.
- under 6.0
- Weak. We would not buy it at this price.
The most generous free plan in email, bolted to the most expensive upgrade.
- Price
- $0 free, $39 Creator
Free up to 10,000 subscribers. Creator: $39/mo at 1,000 subscribers, $59 at 3,000, $89 at 5,000. Creator Pro: $79 at 1,000, $139 at 5,000. Annual billing charges 10 months for 12.
- Free plan
- 10,000 subs, 1 automation
Yes, and it is the outlier of the category: 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, unlimited forms and landing pages. Capped at 1 visual automation, 1 email sequence, 1 user, and Kit branding you cannot remove.
What holds up
- +The largest free tier here by an order of magnitude: 10,000 subscribers, where Mailchimp gives 250 and everyone else gives 500
- +Billing counts unique confirmed subscribers once, so unsubscribed, unconfirmed and bounced contacts stay off your invoice: the exact trap Mailchimp sets
- +Unlimited sends, forms and landing pages on the free plan, so a newsletter can run for years without a card on file
Where it falls short
- −The most expensive paid entry on this page: $39/mo at 1,000 subscribers, against $19 on GetResponse for a deeper toolkit
- −The free plan allows exactly one automation and one sequence, so a welcome email is the whole ceiling
- −Cold subscribers keep billing: Kit does not purge or discount inactive contacts, so a stale list pays full rate
- −Thin template library, a clumsy editor and shallow reporting; content A/B testing and engagement scoring are locked to Creator Pro
The rest of the readings
- Price at 1,000 subs
- Flagged: reading in your favour. $0 free, $39 Creator
- Price at 5,000 subs
- Flagged: reading in your favour. $0 free, $89 Creator
- Automation
- 1 on free, full on Creator
- Removes branding
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Creator and up
- Support
- Email only on free
- The catch
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Automation two costs $39
Who this is for
It is the only tool here that will carry a 5,000-subscriber newsletter for nothing, as long as one welcome email is all the automation you need.
Do not buy Kit if
- ·You run a pure deals list as an affiliate marketer. Kit's acceptable use policy, updated May 2026, bans content that is 100% affiliate based, including selling other people's software. Disclosed affiliate links inside real editorial are fine, a list that is nothing but offers is a suspension risk.
- ·You can see a second automation coming. That step costs $0 to $39 with nothing in between.
If that is you, buy GetResponse instead. It is ranked #1 on this page.
Kit has the most disruptive free offer in email and the most punishing upgrade behind it. Ten thousand subscribers, unlimited sends, unlimited landing pages, zero dollars: for a writer who publishes and sells occasionally, nothing on this page competes. Then you want a second automation and the bill goes from nothing to $39 a month, more than any other tool here charges at the same list size. Treat the free plan as an excellent parking spot and read the exit toll before you drive in.
✓This link earns us nothing.Kit pays through PartnerStack, which declined our partner account on 6 August 2026. This link earns us nothing.
8.1/10StrongHow this score is built
The score is our own summary of the criteria this comparison publishes, weighted as the list below is ordered. It is not an average of user reviews, no vendor sees it before publication, and no vendor pays for it.
- 1.Prices verified July 2026 against official pricing and docs pages, in USD, monthly billing unless stated. Where vendors only publish adjacent tiers, the 5,000-subscriber figure is interpolated and marked with a tilde.
- 2.We price the plan a solopreneur would really need, not the crippled entry tier: if branding removal or automation requires an upgrade, we say so.
- 3.Weaknesses are compiled from user reviews and community complaints, not vendor comparison pages.
- 4.Most tools here run affiliate programs paying between 25% and 60% recurring. We are not currently in any of them, and two entries make the point on their own: Kit, ranked second, is linked with a plain link we earn nothing on, and Mailchimp, whose program is the weakest in the category, is on the page purely because you asked about it. Where a link does earn us something, the button says so.
- 8.0 and up
- Strong. Wins its category on the criteria below, with a known trade-off.
- 7.0 and up
- Solid. Right answer for a specific reader, wrong one for others.
- 6.0 and up
- Adequate. Works, and something on this page does the same job better.
- under 6.0
- Weak. We would not buy it at this price.
The cheapest serious option, with an approval process that bites.
- Price
- ~$15/mo
Growing Business: about $15/mo at 1,000 subscribers on monthly billing (less on annual). Around $29 to $39/mo at 5,000. Entry pricing from about $10/mo.
- Free plan
- 500 subs, automation incl.
Yes: 500 subscribers (cut from 1,000 in Sept 2025), automation included, but templates are locked to paid plans and MailerLite branding stays.
What holds up
- +Cheapest cost per subscriber of any serious tool on this page
- +Automation is available even on the free plan, which nobody else here offers
- +Clean, modern interface with the gentlest learning curve of the group
Where it falls short
- −Strict account approval, and documented sudden suspensions, notably for affiliate links and imported lists
- −Support is slow on lower tiers
- −Free plan ships without templates, so you build every email from scratch
The rest of the readings
- Price at 1,000 subs
- Flagged: reading in your favour. ~$15/mo
- Price at 5,000 subs
- Flagged: reading in your favour. ~$29-39/mo
- Automation
- Flagged: reading in your favour. Full, even on free
- Removes branding
- Paid plans only
- Support
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Slow on lower tiers
- The catch
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Suspends affiliate senders
Who this is for
It is the best price-to-quality ratio for content newsletters and simple product updates.
Do not buy MailerLite if
- ·You are an affiliate marketer. This is not a footnote: MailerLite suspends accounts for affiliate-heavy sending, sometimes without warning. If your emails contain affiliate links, pick GetResponse or AWeber.
If that is you, buy GetResponse instead. It is ranked #1 on this page.
MailerLite would be our pick on price alone: it undercuts everyone while keeping real automation and a pleasant editor. The reason it sits second is its enforcement culture. Accounts get approved manually, and affiliate links or imported lists can get you suspended mid-campaign. Know which kind of sender you are before choosing it.
✓This link earns us nothing.We are not in MailerLite's affiliate programme. This link earns us nothing.
7.6/10SolidHow this score is built
The score is our own summary of the criteria this comparison publishes, weighted as the list below is ordered. It is not an average of user reviews, no vendor sees it before publication, and no vendor pays for it.
- 1.Prices verified July 2026 against official pricing and docs pages, in USD, monthly billing unless stated. Where vendors only publish adjacent tiers, the 5,000-subscriber figure is interpolated and marked with a tilde.
- 2.We price the plan a solopreneur would really need, not the crippled entry tier: if branding removal or automation requires an upgrade, we say so.
- 3.Weaknesses are compiled from user reviews and community complaints, not vendor comparison pages.
- 4.Most tools here run affiliate programs paying between 25% and 60% recurring. We are not currently in any of them, and two entries make the point on their own: Kit, ranked second, is linked with a plain link we earn nothing on, and Mailchimp, whose program is the weakest in the category, is on the page purely because you asked about it. Where a link does earn us something, the button says so.
- 8.0 and up
- Strong. Wins its category on the criteria below, with a known trade-off.
- 7.0 and up
- Solid. Right answer for a specific reader, wrong one for others.
- 6.0 and up
- Adequate. Works, and something on this page does the same job better.
- under 6.0
- Weak. We would not buy it at this price.
Boring, reliable deliverability from a company older than Gmail.
- Price
- $25/mo
Lite: $25/mo at 1,000 subscribers (about $20.83/mo annual). $60/mo at 5,000; the Plus tier that removes branding and caps is $90/mo at 5,000. Official docs prices, higher than most affiliate articles still claim.
- Free plan
- 500 subs, branded
Yes, lifetime: 500 subscribers, 3,000 emails/mo, 1 list, 1 automation, AWeber branding not removable.
What holds up
- +Strong deliverability reputation, running on its own sending infrastructure since 1998
- +Genuinely free forever plan with human support culture, including phone
- +Affiliate-friendly: it will not suspend you for monetized newsletters
Where it falls short
- −Automation is basic and dated next to GetResponse or MailerLite
- −The Lite tier keeps AWeber branding and feature caps, so the real product is the pricier Plus tier
- −Reporting is limited
The rest of the readings
- Price at 1,000 subs
- $25/mo
- Price at 5,000 subs
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. $60/mo (Plus: $90)
- Automation
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Basic
- Removes branding
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Plus tier only
- Support
- Flagged: reading in your favour. Chat + phone culture
- The catch
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Real product is the Plus tier
Who this is for
It is the pick when inbox placement matters more to you than fancy workflows.
Do not buy AWeber if
- ·You want modern multi-step automation.
- ·You are price-sensitive at scale: $60 to $90 a month at 5,000 subscribers is the top of this table for a dated feature set.
If that is you, buy GetResponse instead. It is ranked #1 on this page.
AWeber is the Toyota Corolla of email: unexciting, slightly overpriced for its features, and it starts every morning. Deliverability and tolerance of affiliate content are its real products. Note that its current official prices are higher than most 2026 'reviews' claim, because those reviews recycle old data; ours come from AWeber's own docs.
✓This link earns us nothing.We have not applied to AWeber's affiliate programme. This link earns us nothing.
6.2/10AdequateHow this score is built
The score is our own summary of the criteria this comparison publishes, weighted as the list below is ordered. It is not an average of user reviews, no vendor sees it before publication, and no vendor pays for it.
- 1.Prices verified July 2026 against official pricing and docs pages, in USD, monthly billing unless stated. Where vendors only publish adjacent tiers, the 5,000-subscriber figure is interpolated and marked with a tilde.
- 2.We price the plan a solopreneur would really need, not the crippled entry tier: if branding removal or automation requires an upgrade, we say so.
- 3.Weaknesses are compiled from user reviews and community complaints, not vendor comparison pages.
- 4.Most tools here run affiliate programs paying between 25% and 60% recurring. We are not currently in any of them, and two entries make the point on their own: Kit, ranked second, is linked with a plain link we earn nothing on, and Mailchimp, whose program is the weakest in the category, is on the page purely because you asked about it. Where a link does earn us something, the button says so.
- 8.0 and up
- Strong. Wins its category on the criteria below, with a known trade-off.
- 7.0 and up
- Solid. Right answer for a specific reader, wrong one for others.
- 6.0 and up
- Adequate. Works, and something on this page does the same job better.
- under 6.0
- Weak. We would not buy it at this price.
The famous default, now the worst value on this page.
- Price
- ~$26.50/mo
Essentials: about $26.50/mo at the 1,500-contact tier (the one that covers 1,000 subs). $75/mo at 5,000; Standard is $100/mo at 5,000.
- Free plan
- 250 contacts, no automation
Barely: 250 contacts, 500 emails/mo, no automation, Mailchimp branding. It held 2,000 contacts in 2022.
What holds up
- +The biggest integration ecosystem in the industry (300+), it connects to everything
- +Polished templates and reporting
Where it falls short
- −Bills for unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts unless you archive them manually, a quiet tax most users never notice
- −Relentless price increases and free-plan shrinkage since the Intuit acquisition
- −Deliverability complaints around shared IPs, and support is paywalled on lower tiers
The rest of the readings
- Price at 1,000 subs
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. ~$26.50/mo
- Price at 5,000 subs
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. $75-100/mo
- Automation
- Paid plans only
- Removes branding
- Paid plans only
- Support
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Paywalled on lower tiers
- The catch
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Bills unsubscribed contacts
Who this is for
It still makes sense if your e-commerce stack has a deep, Mailchimp-only integration you cannot replace.
Do not buy Mailchimp if
- ·You are a solopreneur starting from zero in 2026. There is no scenario where it beats the tools above on price or features. Choose it only if a specific integration you depend on exists nowhere else.
If that is you, buy GetResponse instead. It is ranked #1 on this page.
Mailchimp coasts on the reputation of a product that no longer exists. The 2,000-contact free plan is down to 250, automation left the free tier, and the billing model charges you for people who have unsubscribed unless you do janitorial work in your audience tab. Its affiliate program is also the weakest here, so when we say skip it, note that it costs us nothing to say and we said it anyway.
✓This link earns us nothing.We are not in Mailchimp's affiliate programme. This link earns us nothing.
6.8/10AdequateHow this score is built
The score is our own summary of the criteria this comparison publishes, weighted as the list below is ordered. It is not an average of user reviews, no vendor sees it before publication, and no vendor pays for it.
- 1.Prices verified July 2026 against official pricing and docs pages, in USD, monthly billing unless stated. Where vendors only publish adjacent tiers, the 5,000-subscriber figure is interpolated and marked with a tilde.
- 2.We price the plan a solopreneur would really need, not the crippled entry tier: if branding removal or automation requires an upgrade, we say so.
- 3.Weaknesses are compiled from user reviews and community complaints, not vendor comparison pages.
- 4.Most tools here run affiliate programs paying between 25% and 60% recurring. We are not currently in any of them, and two entries make the point on their own: Kit, ranked second, is linked with a plain link we earn nothing on, and Mailchimp, whose program is the weakest in the category, is on the page purely because you asked about it. Where a link does earn us something, the button says so.
- 8.0 and up
- Strong. Wins its category on the criteria below, with a known trade-off.
- 7.0 and up
- Solid. Right answer for a specific reader, wrong one for others.
- 6.0 and up
- Adequate. Works, and something on this page does the same job better.
- under 6.0
- Weak. We would not buy it at this price.
The best DM automation tool, wearing an email tool costume.
- Price
- $29/mo (Pro)
Essential: $14/mo for 250 active contacts. Pro: $29/mo for 2,500. At 5,000 contacts: Pro plus overages, or Business at $69/mo for 7,500. Priced by active contacts, not list size.
- Free plan
- 25 contacts since Mar 2026
Gutted in March 2026: 25 active contacts, 2 channels, 4 automations. Down from 1,000 contacts; it is a demo now, not a plan.
What holds up
- +Best-in-class Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp automation, including comment-to-DM triggers nothing else matches
- +Official Meta partner
Where it falls short
- −The email channel is rudimentary next to every dedicated tool on this page
- −March 2026 pricing overhaul cut the free plan from 1,000 contacts to 25 and was widely criticized
- −Email-only support with multi-day delays and recurring billing complaints; the AI add-on costs an extra $29/mo and underdelivers
The rest of the readings
- Price at 1,000 subs
- $29/mo (Pro)
- Price at 5,000 subs
- $29 + overages, or $69/mo
- Automation
- DM: excellent. Email: basic
- Removes branding
- Paid plans
- Support
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Email only, slow
- The catch
- Flagged: this reading costs you money. Not really an email tool
Who this is for
It is the right buy for Instagram-first creators, run alongside a real email tool, not instead of one.
Do not buy ManyChat if
- ·Your primary channel is email. This page exists to answer an email question, and the honest answer is that ManyChat is the wrong category, however often it appears in email tool roundups.
If that is you, buy GetResponse instead. It is ranked #1 on this page.
ManyChat is on this page because people search for it as an email tool, and the useful thing we can tell you is: it is not one. As DM automation it is excellent and has no serious rival. As an email platform it is an afterthought with a 50% affiliate commission attached, which explains the roundups that pretend otherwise. Buy it for comments and DMs, pair it with GetResponse or MailerLite for email.
✓This link earns us nothing.ManyChat pays through PartnerStack, which declined our partner account on 6 August 2026. This link earns us nothing.