Email marketing platforms all send emails, but they optimize for different businesses. The right choice depends less on feature count and more on whether you're selling products, growing an audience, or nurturing leads.
At a glance
| Platform | Free tier | Paid from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | 500 contacts | $13/mo | General marketing |
| Kit (ConvertKit) | 10k subs | $15/mo | Creators, newsletters |
| Klaviyo | 250 contacts | $20/mo | E-commerce |
| Brevo | 300 emails/day | $9/mo | Value pricing |
| MailerLite | 1,000 subs | $10/mo | Simple & affordable |
Mailchimp
Mailchimp remains the most complete general-purpose platform, bundling email with landing pages, forms, and basic automation, starting at $13/mo after its free tier[1]. It's the safest default for a small business that wants marketing in one place.
Kit (ConvertKit)
Kit is built for newsletter-first creators, with a generous free tier (up to 10,000 subscribers) and pricing that scales with your audience[2]. Its tagging and automation are tailored to content creators selling courses or digital products.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo leads in e-commerce, with deep integrations for Shopify and WooCommerce and powerful purchase-based segmentation[3]. If revenue-per-email and product recommendations matter, it's the strongest tool — at a higher price.
Value picks: Brevo & MailerLite
Brevo prices by email volume rather than contacts, making it cheap for large lists, while MailerLite offers a clean, affordable option for straightforward campaigns. Both are excellent when you don't need advanced e-commerce automation.
The verdict
Pick Mailchimp for general marketing, Kit for newsletters, Klaviyo for e-commerce, and Brevo or MailerLite to keep costs down.