Core operating stack · Email marketing
Email marketing for small business: by list size, sending pattern and store
Short answer. For a list under a few hundred, MailerLite and Mailchimp have free plans; Kit’s free plan goes much higher if you mainly send newsletters. If you have many contacts but email them rarely, Brevo prices by emails sent rather than contacts. Owners who want phone support should look at Constant Contact. Online stores get the most from Klaviyo, which uses store data for segments and flows.
Pick by the size of your business
Starting a list
MailerLite
Free plan with automations and a landing page for up to 250 subscribers.
Newsletter-led expert or creator
Kit
Free plan up to 10,000 subscribers for broadcasts and forms.
Large list, occasional sends
Brevo
Priced by emails sent, so a big list does not cost more by itself.
Online store with order data
Klaviyo
Store data drives segments and automated flows.
The options, and what each one costs you in effort
Starting out
MailerLite
Free plan with automations, a website and a landing page for small lists.
You give up: The free plan stops at 250 subscribers.
When you grow: Free (250 subscribers) → paid plans by subscribers.
Familiar, with paid tiers to grow into
Mailchimp
Free plan for 250 contacts; Essentials and Standard scale with contacts and add sending volume.
You give up: Contact-based pricing rises with list size.
When you grow: Free (250 contacts) → Essentials → Standard → Premium.
Newsletters at scale for free
Kit
Free plan to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited forms, landing pages and broadcasts.
You give up: Sequences and visual automations need a paid plan.
When you grow: Free → Creator → Creator Pro.
Big list, infrequent sends
Brevo
Free plan stores many contacts and sends 300 emails a day; paid plans priced by monthly sends.
You give up: The free plan’s daily cap splits large campaigns across days.
When you grow: Free (300 sends/day) → Starter and higher by monthly sends.
Owners who want phone support
Constant Contact
Phone and chat support on every plan, plus event tools.
You give up: No free plan, only a trial.
When you grow: Lite → Standard → Premium.
Ecommerce
Klaviyo
Uses store data for segments and flows, with SMS on upgraded plans.
You give up: Store profiles count toward limits, so syncing history can push you over the free plan.
When you grow: Free (250 active profiles) → email and SMS plans by profiles.
Worksheet
| Product | Smallest practical team | Setup | Users | Locations | Try first | Pricing model | Data out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | 1 person | Light setup: Simple editor, automations and a landing page on the free plan. | By plan | — | Free plan + trial | By contacts | Subscriber export |
| Mailchimp | 1 person | Light setup: Templates and guided setup; plan price scales with contacts. | By plan | — | Free plan + trial | By contacts | Contact export |
| Kit | 1 creator or expert | Light setup: Free plan up to 10,000 subscribers; sequences and visual automations are paid. | By plan | — | Free plan | By contacts | Free migration on paid plans |
| Brevo | 1 person | Light setup: Free plan stores many contacts; price is driven by emails sent. | By plan | — | Free plan | By emails sent | Contact export |
| Constant Contact | 1 person who wants phone support | Light setup: Phone and chat support on every plan; event tools included. | By plan | — | Free trial | By contacts | Contact export |
| Klaviyo | An online store | Some setup: Store data (orders, browsing) syncs in and drives segments and flows; profiles from the store count toward limits. | By plan | — | Free plan | By contacts | Profile export |
“Not stated” means the vendor pages we checked do not say, not that the feature is missing. Check current prices on each vendor’s pricing page.
Signs you are outgrowing your current setup
- You pay for contacts you never email.
- You need automated sequences triggered by behaviour or purchases.
- Several people build campaigns and you need roles and approvals.
How size changes the decision
For a small list, the free plan and an easy editor matter most. As the list grows, the pricing model decides cost: per contact (Mailchimp, MailerLite, Constant Contact, Klaviyo) or per email sent (Brevo). For stores, the deciding factor is how well the tool uses order data.
Before you choose
Export your list, check consent records, and set up your sending domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) before the first campaign; deliverability depends on it.
Sources
| Source | Used for | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | MailerLite: free plan | |
| Mailchimp | Mailchimp: plan limits | |
| Kit | Kit: plans | |
| Kit | Kit: free plan | |
| Brevo | Brevo: free plan limits | |
| Constant Contact | Constant Contact: plans, support, events | |
| Klaviyo | Klaviyo: free plan | |
| Klaviyo | Klaviyo: active profiles |
More size guides
- Accounting software for small business: what fits one person, a small team or fifty staff
- CRM for small business: the right CRM for one person, a small team or a growing sales team
- Inventory software for small business: from a hundred items to multichannel stock
- Invoicing software for small business: send invoices and get paid without a full accounting system
- POS systems for small business: from one card reader to several locations