Email · Ranked guide
The best email marketing software in 2026, ranked
The best email marketing software for most senders is Brevo: the strongest free plan and the lowest entry price, with transactional email, SMS and a CRM included. MailerLite is the easiest for small lists, ActiveCampaign wins on automation depth, and GetResponse on all-in-one value with webinars. The table below ranks them on the differences that decide it.
| Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Automation | Transactional email | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | 300 emails/day (about 9,000/mo), up to 100,000 contacts | $9/mo, priced on emails sent | Visual multichannel builder; unlimited-contact automation from Standard ($18/mo) | Included on every plan | Cheapest paid tiers cap contacts at 500 to 2,500 |
| MailerLite | 2,500 emails/mo, up to 250 subscribers | $12/mo, priced on subscribers | Visual builder on every plan including free; branching via conditions | Separate product (MailerSend) | Comfort caps monthly sends at 10x your subscriber tier |
| ActiveCampaign | No free plan (14-day trial) | $15/mo billed annually, priced on contacts | Branching builder and CRM; Starter caps at 5 actions, unlimited from Plus ($49/mo) | Separate product (Postmark) | New accounts billed for all contacts, including unsubscribes |
| GetResponse | 2,500 emails/mo, up to 500 contacts | $19/mo ($15.58 annually), priced on contacts | 1 workflow on Starter; unlimited from Marketer ($59/mo) | Enterprise plan only | Self-serve tops out at 100,000 contacts |
| Mailchimp | 500 emails/mo (250/day), up to 250 contacts, no automation | $13/mo (Essentials), priced on contacts | None on free; multi-step journeys from Standard ($20/mo) | Separate product (Mailchimp Transactional) | Counts unsubscribed contacts until you archive them |
| Kit | Unlimited sends, up to 10,000 subscribers (1 automation) | $39/mo (Creator), priced on subscribers | Visual branching; 1 automation on free, unlimited on Creator | Not offered | Highest entry price here; scales by subscriber tier |
How the ranking is built: we weigh the same five columns above, free-plan strength, entry price and what it is priced on, automation depth, whether transactional email is included, and the limit that bites at scale. Brevo leads on the balance of those, with MailerLite a close second. Mailchimp and Kit are shown for comparison but sit outside our recommended picks, so they link to their own sites rather than a review. Every figure was checked against each vendor in July 2026.
#1 Brevo
The best all-round pick and the strongest free plan here: 300 emails a day against up to 100,000 stored contacts, because Brevo bills by emails sent, not contacts stored. Paid plans start at $9 a month, transactional email is included on every tier, and SMS and a CRM sit on the same bill. The cheapest paid tiers do cap contacts at 500 to 2,500.
Best for: Small businesses that want email, SMS, a CRM and transactional email on one bill.
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#2 MailerLite
The easiest tool to learn and the best value for small, simple lists. Paid plans start at $12 a month priced by subscriber, the free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, and automation is on every plan. There is no built-in CRM or SMS, and transactional email is a separate product, MailerSend.
Best for: Creators and small businesses who want a clean, approachable tool over sheer breadth.
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#3 ActiveCampaign
The pick when automation depth decides it: branching workflows and a CRM a class above the others here. Paid plans start at $15 a month billed annually, but Starter caps automations at five actions, so most buyers need Plus at $49. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and new accounts are billed for every contact, including unsubscribes.
Best for: Teams whose results hinge on advanced, behaviour-driven automation.
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#4 GetResponse
The all-in-one value option, and the only one here with webinars and courses built in. Paid plans start at $19 a month ($15.58 billed annually) with unlimited sends on every paid tier. The free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month, and transactional email is limited to the Enterprise plan.
Best for: Small teams who sell through webinars or courses and want them in one platform.
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How this ranking is decided
Every platform is ranked on the same public differences shown in the table above: free-plan strength, entry price and whether it is priced on contacts or emails sent, automation depth, whether transactional email is included, and the limit that bites at scale. Everything is research-based and drawn from official documentation and pricing. We settle the order on merit first, then check which platforms have affiliate programs; the commission never moves a platform up the list. MailerLite and Brevo have full reviews: read the MailerLite review and Brevo review, weigh the alternatives in our ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse comparison, see how GetResponse stacks up against Mailchimp in our GetResponse vs Mailchimp guide, or browse every email marketing review we've published, or dig into the underlying numbers in our email platform pricing index, which tracks what each platform bills you on, the free-plan limits, and the send caps, sourced from vendor pages and refreshed monthly. You can also read the full methodology on our about page and how we make money on our disclosure page.
A note on the scores: this ranking is editorial, checked against each platform's current pricing in July 2026. ActiveCampaign and GetResponse are ranked from research and our comparisons, without a full review yet. Our reviews are research-based rather than first-hand testing, and we attribute any figure to its source.