Independent guideAll prices in USDPrices checked Jul 29, 2026

Best Email Marketing for Small Business in the United States (2026)

For a US small business the best-value email marketing is Brevo: its free plan carries unlimited contacts and 300 emails a day, and paid plans start at $9 a month, the cheapest here. MailerLite is the best all-rounder for a small list at $12 a month with a clean free tier. Kit is the pick for a newsletter or creator, free up to 10,000 subscribers, and Constant Contact is the established, easy option at $12 a month.

Independent guide by SMBCompare. How we compare

Our top picks for small business

1Best value, and best free plan

Brevo

4.6Capterra$9/mo (Starter)

Brevo prices on emails sent rather than contacts stored, so its free plan holds unlimited contacts and 300 emails a day, which suits a small business with a decent list it emails now and then. Paid plans start at $9 a month, the cheapest serious option here, and you get email, SMS and a light CRM in one tool rather than email alone.

Free plan with unlimited contacts (capped at 300 emails a day)
Cheapest paid entry point at $9 a month
Email, SMS and CRM together

Watch out: The daily send cap on the free plan means a business that emails a large list on one day needs to upgrade.

Visit Brevo

2Best all-rounder for a small list

MailerLite

4.7Capterra$12/mo (Comfort)

MailerLite is the clean, easy all-rounder: good-looking templates, a simple automation builder and a genuinely usable free tier for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Paid plans start at $12 a month, and for most small businesses it hits the sweet spot of capable enough without being complicated.

Simple, well-designed builder and templates
Free plan for up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month
Affordable paid step at $12 a month

Watch out: Priced per subscriber, so the bill grows steadily as your list does.

Visit MailerLite

3Best for newsletters and creators

Kit

4.6Capterra$0 (free to 10K)

Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is built for newsletters, creators and audience-first businesses, and its free Newsletter plan runs to 10,000 subscribers, far more generous than the others on list size. The trade-off is that the free plan includes only one automation and no A/B testing, so it is superb for growing an audience and sending broadcasts, and you pay when you want serious automation.

Free up to 10,000 subscribers, the most generous list cap here
Built for newsletters, creators and audience growth
Clean subscriber and tagging model

Watch out: The free plan allows only one automation and no A/B testing, so automation-heavy users pay sooner.

Visit Kit

4Best simple, established option

Constant Contact

4.3Capterra$12/mo (Lite)

Constant Contact is a long-established, approachable platform known for ease of use, strong support and reliable deliverability. It has no free plan, a trial only, with paid plans from $12 a month, so it suits a small business that values a dependable, well-supported tool and is ready to pay from the start rather than grow on a free tier.

Easy to use with strong support and onboarding
Reliable deliverability and a broad template library
Established and widely trusted by small businesses

Watch out: No free plan, and automation is shallower than the value picks.

Visit Constant Contact

Compare the picks at your numbers

Enter your business details to see what each option would cost you. Prices are live from our database and shown in US dollars.

Subscribers

Emails /mo

Need automation?

Your current cost /mo

4 Providers	Brevo	MailerLite	Kit	Constant Contact
Est. Cost /mo (USD)	$0/moCheapest	$19/mo	$0/moCheapest	$35/mo
	Visit Brevo	Visit MailerLite	Visit Kit	Visit Constant Contact

Ratings
	4.6Capterra (3,204)	4.7Capterra (2,277)	4.6Capterra (236)	4.3Capterra (2,803)
Pricing & Plans
	Free	Comfort	Newsletter (Free)	Lite
	Per email volume	Per subscriber	Per subscriber	Per contact
	$9/mo (Starter)	$12/mo (Comfort)	Best$0 (free to 10K)	$12/mo (Lite)
	Unlimited contacts (billed by sends)	Active subscribers	Active subscribers	All contacts including unsubscribed until removed
	Yes (300 emails /day, unlimited contacts)	Yes (250 subscribers, 2,500 emails /mo)	Yes (10K subscribers, 1 automation, no A/B)	No (free trial)
Email Marketing Features
	Basic (Starter), Advanced (Business+)	Basic (Comfort), Advanced (Power)	Basic (Free), Advanced (Creator+)	Basic (Lite), Advanced (Standard+)
	Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Magento	Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace	Shopify, WooCommerce	Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce
	Yes (US supported)	No (separate Transactional product)	No	Yes (US SMS add-on)
	Advanced (behavioral, transactional)	Moderate (interests, activity, custom fields)	Basic (tags, segments)	Moderate (lists, tags, click segments)
	Yes (Business+)	Yes (Comfort+)	Yes (Creator Pro only)	Yes (Standard+, subject line)
	Yes	Yes	Yes (Creator+)	Yes
	Yes (embedded, pop-ups)	Yes (embedded, pop-ups, hosted)	Yes (embedded, hosted)	Yes (embedded, pop-ups, hosted)
	70+	100+	50+	200+
	High	High	High	High
AI
	Native (Aura)	Native (AI writing assistant)	Native (AI subject lines)	Native (AI content generator)
	Native MCP (official)	Native MCP (official, beta)	Native MCP (official)	Via 3rd-party (Zapier)
Integrations & Support
	Yes (unsubscribe, sender ID, address footer)	Yes (unsubscribe, sender ID, address footer)	Yes (unsubscribe, sender ID, address footer)	Yes (unsubscribe, sender ID, address footer)
	60+	140+	90+	300+
	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Business hours	Business hours	Business hours	Phone + chat
	No	No	No	No

Estimates based on $15,000/mo volume. Rates can change without notice, confirm current pricing with the provider before signing on.

How we calculate this

Estimated cost: each provider’s published prices and rates applied to the inputs you set above (such as volume, team size, or invoices), plus any fixed monthly fees.
Providers with an incomplete cost (shown as “+ processing”) and quote-only providers are never ranked as the cheapest while a complete-cost option exists. A “+ payroll” tag means payroll is not built in, so you would run it on separate software; those providers are still ranked on cost, and you can hide them with the Payroll included filter.
These are estimates. Published rates can change and your final pricing depends on your business, so confirm current pricing with the provider before switching.

Compare all Email Marketing

For a small business, email marketing is one of the cheapest ways to reach customers who already know you, and the good news is you can start for nothing. The real decision is not the headline price but the free tier's caps and how fast the paid plans step up once you outgrow them, because a "free" plan that is unlimited on one axis and tight on another can flip which tool is cheapest for you. Below are our ranked picks, then a live comparison table and calculator to cost each at your list size.

How we chose

For a small business we weighted the free tier and its real caps first, then ease of use, the quality of core sending and automation, and how quickly the paid plans step up as your list and send frequency grow. We paid particular attention to what each free plan actually limits, contacts, sends, or automation, because that is where the honest cost of a "free" tool hides. Pricing is live from our database in US dollars.

What a small business should prioritise

Match the tool to how you will actually use it. If you have a large list you email occasionally, Brevo's send-based pricing and unlimited-contact free plan is hard to beat. If you send regularly to a small, growing list, MailerLite's per-subscriber pricing and clean builder fit well. If you are really running a newsletter or audience-first business, Kit's 10,000-subscriber free tier is the standout, and if you want a dependable, well-supported tool from day one, Constant Contact earns its place. Read each free plan's caps before you commit, because the limit you hit first decides when you start paying.

Free tiers, and the caps that actually bite

Every free plan is generous on one axis and tight on another, so the useful question is which cap you will hit first. Brevo is unlimited on contacts but stops at 300 emails a day. MailerLite covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Kit runs to 10,000 subscribers, the most generous list cap here, but limits you to one automation and no A/B testing. Constant Contact offers only a trial, not an ongoing free plan. Knowing your list size and send pattern tells you which free tier lasts longest for you.

The verdict

Brevo is the best value for a US small business: a free plan with unlimited contacts and the cheapest paid step at $9 a month. MailerLite is the best all-rounder for a small growing list at $12. Kit is the pick if you run a newsletter or creator business, free to 10,000 subscribers, and Constant Contact is the established, easy option at $12 a month for those who want a proven, well-supported tool from the start. Use the calculator above to cost each at your list size and send frequency.

Running an online store?

If your list is tied to an online store and you care most about cart recovery and post-purchase flows, the ranking changes. See our guide to the best email marketing for ecommerce, where Klaviyo and Omnisend lead on store integration.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best email marketing platform for a small business in the US?

For value it is Brevo: a free plan with unlimited contacts and 300 emails a day, and the cheapest paid entry at $9 a month. MailerLite is the best all-rounder for a small list at $12 a month, Kit is the pick for a newsletter or creator with a free tier to 10,000 subscribers, and Constant Contact is the established, easy option at $12 a month. Use the calculator above to compare at your list size.

Is there genuinely free email marketing for a small business?

Yes, with caps worth understanding. Brevo's free plan holds unlimited contacts but caps sends at 300 emails a day. MailerLite's free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Kit's free Newsletter plan runs to 10,000 subscribers but allows only one automation and no A/B testing. Constant Contact has no free plan, only a trial. All are genuine ongoing plans except Constant Contact's.

How quickly does email marketing pricing step up?

It depends on the billing model. MailerLite, Kit and Constant Contact price per subscriber or contact, so the cost rises as your list grows. Brevo prices on emails sent, so a large list you email occasionally stays cheap while frequent sending pushes you up. Paid entry points are $9 for Brevo and $12 for both MailerLite and Constant Contact; the calculator above shows the real figure at your list size and send frequency.

Which free email plan has the highest subscriber limit?

Kit, by a wide margin: its free Newsletter plan runs to 10,000 subscribers, against 250 subscribers on MailerLite's free plan. Brevo's free plan is unlimited on contacts but caps you at 300 emails a day. If growing a large list for free is the priority and you can live with one automation, Kit is the clear pick.

How does SMBCompare choose the best email marketing for small business?

We are independent and not owned by any provider. Our picks weigh price, features and US fit for small business, using live pricing from our database, last checked July 29, 2026. The comparison table lets you estimate each option at your own numbers. See How we compare for our full method.

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