MailerLite

This MailerLite review covers what the email marketing service is used for, its features, MailerLite pricing after the 2026 update, the free plan, where it shines and falls short, and how it compares with other email marketing platforms. MailerLite combines a drag and drop email editor, marketing automation, signup forms, landing pages and a simple website builder in one account. It is known for a clean interface and an affordable price, which makes it a common first email marketing tool for small businesses, bloggers and creators. The company was founded in Lithuania in 2010 and also runs MailerSend for transactional email and MailerCheck for list verification.

What is MailerLite used for?

MailerLite is used to grow an email list and send email marketing campaigns to it. Typical uses are weekly newsletters, welcome sequences for new subscribers, product launches, blog digests via RSS campaigns, and simple ecommerce emails for a Shopify or WooCommerce store. Many small businesses also use it to build a landing page for a lead magnet or a small website, so they don't need a separate site builder.

Creators use MailerLite to sell digital products and paid newsletter subscriptions directly from their account, with Stripe handling payments. Agencies and freelancers use it for clients who need email marketing without the cost or complexity of a larger platform. It suits teams that send one newsletter a week to a few thousand subscribers far better than large ecommerce brands with complex segmentation.

Key features

MailerLite offers all the features most small businesses need for email campaigns and email marketing automation, from one MailerLite account.

• Drag and drop editor: a drag and drop builder for emails, landing pages and websites, with newsletter templates on paid plans. A rich-text editor and a custom HTML editor are also available.
• Automation: visual workflows for welcome series, abandoned carts and date-based emails. The free plan allows 3 automations, Comfort 50 and Power an unlimited number, with multiple automation triggers per workflow on Power.
• Signup forms and pop-ups: embedded forms, promotional pop ups and a double opt-in flow, plus an unsubscribe page builder.
• Landing pages and websites: a landing page builder with landing page templates, and a website builder with a custom domain on paid plans.
• Digital products and paid newsletters: sell downloads and subscriptions from the account through Stripe.
• Campaign tools: A/B testing of the subject line and content, auto resend campaigns to people who didn't open, RSS campaigns, and smart sending, which sends when each subscriber usually opens.
• AI writing assistant: drafts subject lines and email copy on paid plans.
• Integrations: Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Zapier, Make and an API.

MailerLite pricing

MailerLite prices by the number of active subscribers. The prices below come from the MailerLite pricing page and Email Tool Tester's pricing guide as of September 2026, billed monthly.

• Free plan: $0 for up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, 2 user seats, 3 automations, 1 landing page or website, 3 signup forms and community support. The free forever plan has no time limit.
• Comfort plan: from $12 a month for 500 subscribers, $19 for 1,000, $49 for 5,000 and $89 for 10,000. It adds unlimited templates, 50 automations, 10 landing pages, the AI writing assistant, A/B testing and 24/7 email support. The monthly email limit is ten times the subscriber tier.
• Power plan: from $25 a month for 500 subscribers, $39 for 1,000, $69 for 5,000 and $129 for 10,000. It adds unlimited monthly emails under a fair use policy, unlimited automations, landing pages and user seats, digital products, 24/7 live chat support and partner discounts.
• Enterprise plan: custom pricing from 200,000 subscribers, with a dedicated success manager, onboarding and an optional dedicated IP.

Monthly plan or annual plan

You can switch between a monthly plan and an annual plan at any time. Yearly plans save money: about 10% compared with paying month by month. Your pricing plan follows the number of subscribers, so check how many subscribers you expect before you choose a subscriber tier; if your current plan hits its subscriber limit, you move up a tier. Nonprofits get 30% off with proof of status (MailerLite help).

MailerLite's recent pricing update is the cost surprise to know. On 1 July 2026 the free plan shrank from 500 to 250 subscribers and from 12,000 to 2,500 emails a month, and the free trial of paid features went from 30 to 14 days (EmailOctopus, a competitor). Paid prices rose 10 to 30%, and the Growing Business and Advanced plans were renamed Comfort and Power. The second surprise is how subscribers are counted: every email address that was active at any point in the billing cycle counts, even if you delete it later. Go over the subscriber limit or the monthly email limit and MailerLite automatically upgrades you to the next subscriber tier and charges a pro-rated amount.

MailerLite free plan vs premium features

MailerLite's free plan is still a real starting point, but it is smaller than before. With 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails you can send about two campaigns a month to a full list, run three automations and publish one landing page or website. Landing pages, websites and signup forms all use the same builder. New paid plans start with a 14-day free trial of the premium features. Premium features you don't get include newsletter templates, the AI writing assistant, A/B testing, auto resend and email support. The MailerLite logo shows in free emails; MailerLite users on paid plans can remove it. Many older reviews still describe a free plan for 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails; those numbers are no longer correct.

New accounts also go through an approval process before they can send. MailerLite checks the website, the signup method and the domain to protect deliverability. It can take time and some accounts are refused, which is worth knowing if you plan to launch the same day.

MailerLite vs Mailchimp

The comparison most people make is MailerLite vs Mailchimp. MailerLite is cheaper at the same subscriber count, and its editor and automation builder are simpler to learn. Mailchimp has more integrations, deeper ecommerce reporting and a larger template library, but its paid plans cost more as the list grows. For a newsletter or a small business sending regular email campaigns, MailerLite usually covers the same needs for less. Brands that need detailed segmentation, predictive analytics or many ecommerce flows are better served by Mailchimp or Klaviyo.

Where MailerLite shines — and where it falls short

Strengths:

• Clean, easy drag and drop editor and automation builder.
• Affordable price for small and medium lists.
• Landing pages, a website builder and digital products included.
• Good deliverability tools, including smart sending and double opt-in.

Trade-offs:

• The free plan is now limited to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails.
• Reporting and CRM features are basic compared with larger platforms.
• Account approval can delay the first send.
• Automatic upgrades when you pass a subscriber limit can raise the bill without warning.

How MailerLite compares

• Mailchimp: the best-known email marketing platform, with more integrations and higher prices.
• Kit (ConvertKit): built for creators, with tagging and a creator network.
• Flodesk: design-focused emails with simple workflows.
• Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): priced by emails sent instead of subscribers, with SMS and CRM.
• ActiveCampaign: advanced automation and CRM for sales teams.
• GetResponse: email marketing with webinars and funnels.
• Klaviyo: ecommerce email and SMS with deep store data.
• AWeber: a long-standing email tool for small businesses.

Is MailerLite worth it?

MailerLite is worth it for small businesses, bloggers and creators at the start of their email marketing journey who want email marketing software that is affordable and easy to learn. Its starter plans are cheaper than most paid plans elsewhere. The Comfort plan covers most newsletters, and the Power plan adds unlimited emails and automations at a price below most rivals. It is less of a fit for large ecommerce stores that need advanced segmentation and reporting, or for anyone who wants a generous free plan, since the 2026 update cut it back. If you want help setting up automations, landing pages or a migration to MailerLite, the email marketing agencies and developers on LowCodeDevs can take it on.

Sources

• MailerLite pricing: plans, features and limits.
• MailerLite free plan: what the free forever plan includes.
• MailerLite plan and billing help: subscriber counting, automatic upgrades and the nonprofit discount.
• MailerLite pricing guide, Email Tool Tester: prices per subscriber tier and the July 2026 changes.
• MailerLite pricing update, EmailOctopus: old and new free plan limits (written by a competitor).
• MailerLite review, Moosend: approval process and support (written by a competitor, dated 2023; its free plan of 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails and its plan names are outdated).