Email is still the only marketing channel you own outright, which makes the platform choice worth getting right the first time. We build the same welcome sequence and the same broadcast in every tool we review, then compare what it costs when the list actually grows.
We compared 12 email platforms on real pricing, features and workflow fit. Mailchimp is the easiest start, ActiveCampaign the worth-it upgrade, Kit for creators, Klaviyo for stores.
Read the buying guideEvery email marketing review we have published, newest first.
Email automation explained plainly: what workflows, triggers and tags mean, the six automations worth building first, what tools cost in 2026, and a one-hour starter plan.
Read the reviewA practical zero-to-10K email list plan: one promise, a lead magnet people actually want, forms where intent lives, and the weekly habit that compounds, with honest timelines.
Read the reviewMailchimp is still excellent at the fundamentals but pricing has grown more complicated than the tool. Which businesses should stay, which should graduate, and what to know before paying.
Read the reviewMailchimp wins on ease and ecosystem, ActiveCampaign wins on automation and per-contact value as you grow. Real pricing math at 500, 5,000 and 25,000 contacts decides most choices.
Read the reviewSeven free email marketing plans that are genuinely free, not trials: Brevo, MailerLite, Kit, HubSpot, EmailOctopus, Sender and Mailchimp, with real limits and a pick for each sender type.
Read the reviewMailchimp is still the gentlest starting point because the editor explains itself and the free plan is enough to learn on. Brevo is the better pick if your list is small but you send often, since it prices by send volume rather than by contact count.
Some are, some are trials wearing a costume. The genuinely free plans usually cap your contact count or your monthly sends and add the provider's branding to your emails. The trap to watch is a free plan that excludes automation, because automation is the reason most businesses adopt these tools at all.
Fewer than you think. A list of a few hundred engaged buyers usually out-earns several thousand cold signups, so start collecting addresses on day one and worry about volume later. The cost of starting early is close to zero on a free plan.
