Email marketing is one of the simplest ways to start in digital marketing. It’s cost-effective and beginner-friendly, with many platforms offering free plans to help you get started. Popular tools like MailerLite, Brevo, Moosend, Mailchimp, and Sender provide features like drag-and-drop email builders, basic automation, and analytics to track performance.
Here’s a quick rundown:
- MailerLite: Free for up to 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails/month. Great for simple automation and email design.
- Brevo: Unlimited contacts with a daily cap of 300 emails. Includes CRM and SMS tools.
- Moosend: 30-day free trial with unlimited emails. Offers advanced automation templates.
- Mailchimp: Free for 500 contacts and 1,000 emails/month. Includes basic templates and automations.
- Sender: Free for 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails/month. Full automation and 24/7 support.
Each platform has unique strengths, and the right choice depends on your subscriber list size, automation needs, and budget. For beginners, simplicity and affordability are key. Start with a free plan to test features and refine your email marketing skills. You can also attend free digital webinars to stay updated on the latest marketing trends.
1. MailerLite
Free Plan Subscriber and Email Limits
MailerLite’s free plan allows up to 500 active subscribers, with a monthly cap of 12,000 emails. Only "active" subscribers – those who haven’t unsubscribed or bounced – are counted. If your subscriber count goes over 500, your campaigns and automations will be paused until you either upgrade or clean your list. To manage this, you can use the platform’s "Clean up inactive" feature, which helps remove subscribers who haven’t engaged in six months.
Automation Capabilities
MailerLite offers some impressive automation tools, even on the free plan. The drag-and-drop automation builder lets you create up to 100 steps per month, with triggers based on user actions like joining a group, completing a form, or clicking a link. You can also set date-specific triggers, such as for birthdays. While free users are limited to single-trigger workflows, paid plans unlock multi-trigger workflows and pre-designed templates for tasks like welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and webinar invites.
A great example of MailerLite’s effectiveness comes from ProShot and Tidal Sports. By setting up a post-purchase email sequence, they saw a 58% increase in orders and a 48% boost in revenue. Daphne Bruno, their Head of Marketing, highlighted these results as a testament to MailerLite’s automation capabilities.
Template Variety and Design Tools
Design flexibility is another highlight of MailerLite. While free users need to build emails from scratch using basic content blocks, paid plans offer access to over 90 mobile-friendly email templates and more than 30 landing page templates. The platform features a drag-and-drop editor, a rich-text editor for simpler designs, and a custom HTML editor for advanced users.
Additional tools include countdown timers, surveys, quizzes, and YouTube video embeds. There’s even an AI writing assistant that can generate headlines and content in up to 30 languages, though full access to this feature is reserved for the Advanced plan.
Pricing for Paid Plans
MailerLite’s paid plans are reasonably priced and scale as your needs grow. The Growing Business plan starts at £10 per month for 500 subscribers and unlimited emails, increasing to £15 for 1,000 subscribers. For £20 per month, the Advanced plan adds features like AI tools, multi-trigger automations, and 24/7 live chat support. Discounts are available too: annual payments save 10%, and non-profits get 30% off. Plus, new users can try premium features free for 14 days – no credit card required. These pricing options make it easy to start small and expand as your campaigns grow.
2. Brevo
Free Plan Subscriber and Email Limits
Brevo’s free plan offers unlimited contact storage (up to 100,000) and allows you to send 300 emails per day. However, any unused emails won’t carry over to the next day. This daily limit resets every 24 hours. If your campaign exceeds 300 recipients, only the first 300 will receive the email. To reach a larger audience, you’d either need to split the campaign over several days or upgrade to a paid plan.
Automation Capabilities
Brevo’s free plan isn’t just generous; it also includes automation tools that can make your campaigns much more efficient. The drag-and-drop workflow builder lets you set up triggers (like newsletter sign-ups or link clicks), conditions (such as list membership), and actions (e.g., sending an email or adding a delay). Even on the free plan, you can automate marketing for up to 2,000 contacts and combine email and SMS triggers in one workflow. To simplify things further, there are pre-built templates for tasks like welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and birthday messages.
"Brevo transformed our email marketing. We saw a 47% increase in open rates within the first month. The automation features are incredibly powerful yet easy to use." – Sarah Mitchell, Marketing Director, TechFlow Solutions
Template Variety and Design Tools
Once your workflows are in place, Brevo’s design tools help you create visually appealing campaigns. It offers between 40 and 60 responsive templates that adapt seamlessly to desktops, tablets, and smartphones. The drag-and-drop editor caters to beginners, while HTML and text editors are available for those with coding skills. For users on the Starter plan or higher, the AI content generator can craft subject lines and email copy. Additionally, AI-driven send time optimisation determines the best time to deliver your emails for maximum impact.
Pricing for Paid Plans
Brevo’s paid plans are based on the number of emails sent. The Starter plan begins at £9/month for over 5,000 emails, removing the daily cap and including the AI content generator. The Standard plan, priced at £18/month, adds features like marketing automation, A/B testing, and detailed analytics. For larger needs, the Professional plan starts at £449/month, offering 150,000+ emails, a dedicated IP, and priority support. There’s also a pay-as-you-go option for added flexibility. These pricing tiers make Brevo an appealing choice for those new to email marketing or looking to scale up.
3. Moosend
Free Plan Subscriber and Email Limits
Moosend provides a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. This trial supports up to 1,000 subscribers and allows unlimited email sends, giving you full access to premium features. During this period, you can explore all the tools necessary to kickstart your email marketing efforts.
Automation Capabilities
Moosend simplifies campaign management with its visual automation builder, which uses a "recipe" system that requires no coding. You can select from over 18 pre-designed automation templates for tasks like welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and birthday messages. The workflows include conditional logic (if/then/else statements), enabling you to tailor content based on subscriber actions. Unique features like weather-based triggers let you customise campaigns further – for example, promoting umbrellas during rainy weather. With a deliverability rate of around 98%, your automated emails are highly likely to reach your audience’s inboxes.
"After going through Mailchimp, and other platforms, we decided to stay with Moosend because there is no other tool matching the feature set & price point offered." – Dipak Raghuwansi, Email Marketing Associate, Vogue
Template Variety and Design Tools
Moosend offers more than 130 mobile-friendly templates categorised by industry and purpose. Its drag-and-drop editor includes advanced features like countdown timers, embedded videos, and product blocks, all designed to be user-friendly – even for those without design experience. An AI Writer helps craft subject lines and email copy, while the built-in spam score checker flags potential deliverability issues. The editor also includes History Mode for reverting to earlier versions and Comments Mode to facilitate team collaboration, making it easier to refine your campaigns.
Pricing for Paid Plans
Moosend’s Pro plan starts at £9/month for up to 500 subscribers with unlimited email sends. For 1,000 subscribers, the cost is £16/month, and for 5,000 subscribers, it’s £48/month. Opting for annual billing reduces costs by 20%, bringing the 500-subscriber plan to about £7.20/month. Verified nonprofits enjoy an additional 25% discount, which can be combined with the annual discount for total savings of up to 45%. For those who send emails less frequently, a pay-as-you-go option is available, starting at £350 for 350,000 email credits that never expire. These flexible pricing options make Moosend an appealing choice for new and experienced email marketers alike.
I Tried 26 Email Marketing Tools – These Are The Best
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4. Mailchimp
Mailchimp stands out as a user-friendly platform packed with features, making it an excellent choice for beginners looking to dive into email marketing.
Free Plan Subscriber and Email Limits
Mailchimp’s Free plan allows up to 250 contacts and 500 email sends per month, with a daily cap of 250 emails. This tier includes one audience and one user seat, along with basic automations like welcome emails and abandoned cart reminders. If you exceed the limits, sending is paused until the next monthly cycle begins. To avoid hitting the 250-contact cap, it’s a good idea to regularly clean your list by removing inactive subscribers. New users can also take advantage of a 14-day free trial of the Standard or Essentials plans to explore advanced features such as A/B testing before committing to a paid plan.
Automation Capabilities
On the Free plan, you can set up simple single-step automations triggered by actions like signups or purchases. For more advanced workflows, the Standard and Premium plans offer the Customer Journey Builder, a drag-and-drop tool that supports branching logic with up to 200 steps per flow. Triggers include actions like link clicks, purchases, or even subscriber inactivity. In June 2023, Yuool, a footwear company co-founded by Eduardo Rocha Abichequer, achieved a 7.4% click-through rate in their welcome flows using Mailchimp’s Automation Flows.
"Automations Flows help us be more efficient and productive, because by inputting all the information, we just need to let the magic happen." – Eduardo Rocha Abichequer, Co-Founder and CEO, Yuool
Mailchimp also ensures high deliverability, maintaining an inbox acceptance rate between 96% and 99%, so your automated emails reliably reach your audience.
Template Variety and Design Tools
Mailchimp offers over 130 professionally designed, mobile-responsive templates that you can customise without any coding skills. Its drag-and-drop email builder includes a Content Studio for managing your brand assets, while the AI-powered Creative Assistant generates designs that match your branding automatically. The Subject Line Helper provides instant feedback to help improve open rates. For paid plans, the Intuit Assist feature leverages generative AI to craft copy and headlines. Advanced users can also design their own HTML templates for complete creative freedom. Josh Skinner, Studio Manager at R. Wood Studio, shared:
"The out-of-the-box design layouts have made our jobs easy. We can create visually appealing emails in just 5 minutes!"
Pricing for Paid Plans
Mailchimp’s paid plans cater to businesses of all sizes. The Essentials plan starts at £11/month for 500 contacts, allowing up to 10x the number of emails as your contact count. The Standard plan begins at £17/month for 500 contacts, with a 12x email multiplier, while the Premium plan starts at £290/month for 10,000 contacts, offering up to 15x the email volume. Annual subscriptions include a 15% discount for 12 months. Mailchimp also integrates with over 300 apps, including Canva, Shopify, and Salesforce, making it easy to sync with your existing tools.
5. Sender
Sender’s Free Forever plan is a great option for newcomers looking to try email marketing without spending a penny.
Free Plan Subscriber and Email Limits
With the Free Forever plan, you can manage up to 2,500 active subscribers and send up to 15,000 emails per month. This tier includes unlimited automation workflows, access to professional templates, and 24/7 live chat and email support. However, emails and forms will display Sender branding unless you upgrade to a paid plan. If you exceed the 2,500-subscriber limit, your campaigns will be paused, as unsubscribed and duplicate contacts still count towards the total unless manually removed.
Automation Capabilities
Sender’s free plan offers full automation features through an intuitive drag-and-drop workflow builder – no coding required. You can create pre-built sequences for tasks like welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups. Automations can be triggered by subscriber actions such as clicking a link, visiting a page, or completing a purchase. Sender boasts a 99.98% deliverability rate and a 96.4% inbox placement rate over 90 days, ensuring your automated emails reach their targets. User Joseph D. shared his experience:
"Sender practically gives you a premium experience even in the free plan. Their detailed analytics and responsive support enhance the premium feel of the free plan."
These automation tools work hand-in-hand with Sender’s design features for a smooth user experience.
Template Variety and Design Tools
Sender offers over 100 mobile-responsive, professionally designed templates that are easy to customise with its drag-and-drop editor. You can add interactive elements like animated countdowns, surveys, and product blocks, enabling recipients to shop directly from your emails. For ecommerce users, integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce allow automatic syncing of product details. Additional features include converting YouTube links into high-quality GIFs and an in-app image editor for tweaking visuals – no need for external tools.
Pricing for Paid Plans
Sender’s paid plans expand on the free tier with added benefits. The Standard plan starts at €6.03/month (around £5/month when billed annually) and includes email sends up to 12 times your subscriber count, while also removing Sender branding. The Professional plan begins at €12.05/month (roughly £10/month when billed annually) and offers email sends up to 24 times your subscriber count, advanced automation tools, and free SMS credits. For those who send emails less frequently, pay-as-you-go credits are available from approximately €4.99 per 1,000 emails. Trusted by over 180,000 businesses globally, Sender also integrates with popular tools, making it easy to incorporate into your existing workflow.
Tool Comparison Table
Email Marketing Tools Comparison: Free Plans and Pricing for Beginners
Here’s a quick breakdown of each tool’s free limits, features, and entry-level pricing. This table pulls together the essential details, helping you weigh up your options at a glance.
| Tool | Free Subscriber Limit | Free Email Limit | Key Free Features | Paid Starts At |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sender | 2,500 | 15,000/month | Full automation, 24/7 chat, landing pages | £5/month |
| MailerLite | 500 | 12,000/month | 10 landing pages, single-step automation | £7.50/month |
| Brevo | Unlimited | 300/day (approx. 9,000/month) | CRM, SMS/WhatsApp tools, basic automation | £6.70/month |
| Mailchimp | 500 | 1,000/month | Basic templates, 1‑click automation | £10.80/month |
| Moosend | N/A (30‑day trial) | Unlimited during trial | Visual workflow builder, AI recommendations | £7.50/month |
Sender stands out with a generous free subscriber limit of 2,500 and offers full automation even on its free tier. Brevo, on the other hand, allows unlimited contacts but limits free users to 300 emails per day. For those looking at paid options, Sender provides the most affordable entry-level plan at £5/month, followed by Brevo at £6.70/month. MailerLite and Moosend both start at £7.50/month, while Mailchimp has the highest starting price at £10.80/month.
For a deeper dive into each tool’s features, check the detailed sections above.
Conclusion
When considering beginner-friendly email marketing tools, it’s important to weigh their standout features alongside how easy they are to use.
Each platform brings something different to the table. MailerLite is celebrated for its user-friendly design, while Mailchimp is praised for its reliable delivery rates. Meanwhile, tools like Sender, Brevo, and Moosend offer features that make managing campaigns straightforward, ensuring there’s an option to match various preferences and requirements.
Choosing the right tool often comes down to factors like the size of your subscriber list, your automation goals, or your budget. Free trials are a great way to explore key features and find the perfect fit before making a commitment.
For those looking to build their skills further, combining hands-on practice with structured learning can be incredibly effective. NowSkills offers government-funded apprenticeships in Digital Marketing and Content Creation, blending expert instruction with practical experience. With 91% of apprentices securing employment or continuing their education within six months, and 75% staying with the same employer, these programmes open doors to a career in the industry.
Whether you’re diving into these tools on your own or through formal training, the most important step is to get started. Pick a platform from the comparison table, run a test campaign, and let experience guide your learning journey.
FAQs
Which tool is best for my list size?
When choosing the right tool, it’s all about matching it to your list size and growth ambitions. If your subscriber base is small (up to 500 people), MailerLite and Mailchimp are excellent choices. They’re easy to use and come with free plans, making them perfect for those just starting out.
For medium-sized lists or if you’re scaling up quickly, Flodesk and EmailOctopus stand out. They’re budget-friendly and offer great automation features to streamline your email marketing efforts.
Once your list grows into the thousands, you’ll need something more robust. Platforms like ActiveCampaign or Omnisend provide advanced tools and capabilities to handle larger audiences effectively.
What automations are available on free plans?
Free plans typically come with basic automation features such as welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and simple drip campaigns. However, the specific tools available often depend on the platform and are usually more restricted compared to what’s offered in paid plans.
How can I avoid exceeding free plan limits?
To stay within the limits of free plans on email marketing tools, look for platforms offering generous free options and keep a close eye on your email activity. Some tools let you store unlimited contacts but cap the number of emails you can send daily or monthly. To make the most of these plans, monitor your usage regularly, segment your audience for more focused campaigns, and schedule your emails wisely to avoid running out of allowance.
