The Best MailerLite Alternatives in 2026
Tolodora Editorial Team
Independent software reviews for founders and small businesses.
Quick answer
The best MailerLite alternatives in 2026 are Brevo, Kit and beehiiv. Brevo is our top overall pick, best for small businesses that want email, SMS and light CRM without per-contact pricing. See the full ranked comparison below.
MailerLite has long been a favorite for its clean editor and friendly pricing, but 2026 plan changes — including a leaner free tier — have more senders weighing their options. If you're near a subscriber-count jump, hitting a feature wall, or just want to see what else is out there, it's a good moment to compare.
The right alternative depends on what you send. Creators and newsletter writers want a tool built around audience growth and simple broadcasts. Small businesses often want email plus a bit of CRM, SMS and automation in one place. And cost-watchers want the most generous free or low-cost tier that won't nickel-and-dime them as the list grows. We've scored each pick on value, support, ease of use and features below.
If you want to go deeper on specific options, see our Brevo alternatives, Kit (ConvertKit) alternatives and beehiiv alternatives comparisons too.
| Tool | Value | Support | Ease of use | Features | Overall | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | 8.6 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 8.2 | Small businesses that want email, SMS and light CRM without per-contact pricing |
| Buttondown | 8.8 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 7.2 | 8.0 | Writers and developers who want a simple, elegant newsletter tool |
| EmailOctopus | 9.0 | 7.4 | 8.4 | 7.0 | 8.0 | Budget-minded senders who want simple, affordable email |
| Kit | 6.8 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 7.8 | Creators, writers and course sellers focused on audience growth |
| beehiiv | 6.4 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 7.7 | Newsletter publishers who want growth and monetization built in |
| Mailchimp | 5.2 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 8.6 | 7.3 | Businesses that want a mature, full-featured marketing platform |
Comparing against the original?
See MailerLite's profile, rating & reviews on Tolodora →
| # | Tool | Best for | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brevo | Small businesses that want email, SMS and light CRM without per-contact pricing | 4.1/5 |
| 2 | Kit | Creators, writers and course sellers focused on audience growth | 3.9/5 |
| 3 | beehiiv | Newsletter publishers who want growth and monetization built in | 3.9/5 |
| 4 | EmailOctopus | Budget-minded senders who want simple, affordable email | 4.0/5 |
| 5 | Buttondown | Writers and developers who want a simple, elegant newsletter tool | 4.0/5 |
| 6 | Mailchimp | Businesses that want a mature, full-featured marketing platform | 3.7/5 |
Brevo
- Pricing
- 8.6/10
- Functionality
- 8.4/10
- Ease of use
- 8.0/10
- Support
- 7.6/10
What I like
Its free and entry tiers are priced on emails sent rather than contacts stored, so a big list doesn't automatically mean a big bill — plus email, SMS and a CRM in one.
Best for
Small businesses that want email, SMS and light CRM without per-contact pricing
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a strong all-in-one for small businesses leaving MailerLite. Because it prices on emails sent rather than contacts stored, it can be far cheaper for large but lightly-mailed lists. You get a drag-and-drop editor, marketing automation, SMS, a built-in CRM and transactional email under one roof. The interface is a little busier than MailerLite's, but the breadth and the send-based pricing are the draw.
Kit
- Pricing
- 6.8/10
- Functionality
- 8.2/10
- Ease of use
- 8.2/10
- Support
- 8.0/10
What I like
Purpose-built for creators — tag-based subscribers, visual automations, and a landing-page and commerce layer for selling digital products.
Best for
Creators, writers and course sellers focused on audience growth
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the go-to for creators who treat their email list as a business. It uses a flexible tag-and-segment model instead of rigid lists, has clean visual automations, strong deliverability, and built-in tools to sell digital products and subscriptions. It's less of a 'corporate marketing' suite and more a creator platform, which is exactly why writers, course creators and solopreneurs pick it over a general ESP.
beehiiv
- Pricing
- 6.4/10
- Functionality
- 8.6/10
- Ease of use
- 8.0/10
- Support
- 7.8/10
What I like
Built for newsletter growth, with referral programs, a recommendation network, a web home for your archive, and ad-network monetization baked in.
Best for
Newsletter publishers who want growth and monetization built in
beehiiv is a newsletter-first platform created by ex-Morning Brew operators, and it shows in the growth tooling: referral programs, a cross-newsletter recommendation network, polished web archives, and an ad network to monetize. If your MailerLite use is really 'running a newsletter' rather than 'marketing emails for a store', beehiiv is purpose-built for exactly that. Note it adjusted pricing in 2026, so check current tiers against your list size.
EmailOctopus
- Pricing
- 9.0/10
- Functionality
- 7.0/10
- Ease of use
- 8.4/10
- Support
- 7.4/10
What I like
A genuinely generous free plan and low-cost paid tiers for straightforward sending, without features (or prices) you don't need.
Best for
Budget-minded senders who want simple, affordable email
EmailOctopus is the value pick: a simple, affordable email tool with a generous free tier and low-cost paid plans. You get a clean editor, lists, basic automation and good deliverability without the weight or price of a full marketing suite. It's deliberately lean — if you need deep CRM, SMS or elaborate automations it won't be enough — but for newsletters and simple campaigns on a budget, it's excellent value.
Buttondown
- Pricing
- 8.8/10
- Functionality
- 7.2/10
- Ease of use
- 8.2/10
- Support
- 7.8/10
What I like
Minimalist and writer-friendly, with Markdown composing, a clean API and a privacy-respecting, no-bloat approach to email.
Best for
Writers and developers who want a simple, elegant newsletter tool
Buttondown is a minimalist newsletter tool beloved by writers and developers. You compose in Markdown, it stays out of your way, and it offers a clean API, good deliverability, paid-subscription support and a privacy-respecting stance. It's intentionally simple rather than a marketing powerhouse, so teams needing visual automations or CRM should look elsewhere — but for an elegant, low-friction newsletter, it's a delight and very fairly priced.
Mailchimp
- Pricing
- 5.2/10
- Functionality
- 8.6/10
- Ease of use
- 7.8/10
- Support
- 7.8/10
What I like
The most mature all-in-one — deep automation, reporting, an app marketplace and marketing features well beyond email.
Best for
Businesses that want a mature, full-featured marketing platform
Mailchimp is the established all-in-one marketing platform, with deep automation, detailed reporting, a huge integration marketplace, landing pages, and increasingly broad marketing features. It's the most feature-complete option here and a safe choice for businesses that want everything in one mature tool. The catch is price: it's the most expensive on this list as your list and feature needs grow, and its contact-based pricing is part of what sends people to MailerLite in the first place.
The verdict
For most small businesses, Brevo offers the best balance of value and features thanks to its send-based pricing. Creators and writers will feel most at home on Kit, newsletter publishers on beehiiv, and anyone watching costs should look hard at EmailOctopus or Buttondown. Choose Mailchimp only if you specifically want the deepest, most mature all-in-one and can absorb the price.
Whatever you shortlist, run your real work through it for a week before committing — the right tool is the one that quietly disappears and lets you get back to it. And if you build software like this yourself, you can list it on Tolodora free.
Frequently asked questions
Why are people switching from MailerLite in 2026?
MailerLite remains well-liked for its clean editor and pricing, but 2026 plan changes — including a leaner free tier — have prompted some senders to compare options, especially those near a subscriber-count price jump or needing features on higher tiers. Switching is also simply easier than it used to be, so it's a natural moment to shop around.
What is the best MailerLite alternative for creators?
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the strongest fit for creators, writers and course sellers thanks to its tag-based audience model, visual automations and built-in tools for selling digital products. For newsletter publishers specifically, beehiiv is purpose-built around growth and monetization.
Which MailerLite alternative has the best free plan?
EmailOctopus and Brevo stand out on value. EmailOctopus has a genuinely generous free tier for simple sending, while Brevo's free plan is priced on emails sent rather than contacts stored, which can be much cheaper for large lists that you email infrequently.
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