Our verdict: start from the free limit, then price the next tier live
For a list under 2,500, we would first check whether a free plan covers the features you need, because Kit and beehiiv both list free plans at that size. [1] [4] Above that, paid prices depend on the exact subscriber tier, and the pricing pages show most of those numbers only through an interactive slider. We list what we could read and mark the rest as not verified.
Who this fits: a small business budgeting a newsletter for the next year. Who should skip it: anyone already happy on a platform whose renewal fits the budget; switching costs time and can disrupt automations.
Cost by list size
Figures read on each official pricing page on 2026-10-13, in USD. Not verified on page means the figure was not visible to us; check the vendor's slider.
| Platform | Priced by | 1,000 subscribers | 2,500 subscribers | 5,000 subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | Subscribers [1] | Free $0; Creator $33/mo or $390/yr [1] | Free $0 [1] | Free $0; Creator not verified on page [1] |
| MailerLite | Active subscribers [2] | Above Free's 250; Comfort starts at $12/mo, tier price not verified on page [2] | Not verified on page | Not verified on page |
| Brevo | Emails per month [3] | Depends on sends; Starter $9/mo, From 5,000 emails per month [3] | Depends on sends [3] | Depends on sends [3] |
| beehiiv | Subscribers [4] | Free $0 [4] | Free $0, at the limit [4] | Paid; Lite $49/mo yearly billing shown, tier not verified on page [4] |
What each free plan actually allows
- Kit: Free up to 10,000 subscribers, counting only unique and active subscribers. The comparison table does not show the visual automation builder or automated email sequences on Free. [1]
- MailerLite: Free up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails. When active subscribers exceed 250, sending is locked for campaigns and automations. [2]
- Brevo: Free plan with up to 300 emails per day once the account is approved for sending. [3]
- beehiiv: Free up to 2,500 subscribers; the FAQ says paid plans start at $59 per month for monetization and other features. [4]
Worked example: Brevo by volume
Hypothetical example: 1,000 subscribers receiving 4 newsletters a month is 4,000 emails. That stays under the 5,000 emails per month shown on the Starter card, listed at $9 per month on monthly billing, or $96.96 for a year. [3] Sending weekly plus two extra promotions, 6 emails, makes 6,000 a month and pushes you past that entry volume. Run the same arithmetic with your schedule before comparing Brevo with a subscriber-priced tool.
Worked example: a list growing from 1,000 to 3,000
Hypothetical example: a shop starts the year with 1,000 subscribers and expects 3,000 by December, sending 4 newsletters a month plus a welcome sequence. On Kit, the whole year stays within Free's 10,000-subscriber limit, but the Free comparison table does not show automated email sequences, so the welcome sequence would need Creator, listed at $33 per month at 1,000 subscribers. [1] On beehiiv, the list passes Free's 2,500 limit partway through the year, so budget a paid plan from that month. [4] On MailerLite, Free's 250-subscriber limit is already exceeded on day one. [2]
On Brevo, the cost follows sends: 3,000 subscribers at 4 sends is 12,000 emails a month, above the 5,000 entry volume on the Starter card, so the Starter price at that volume needs to be read from the slider. [3] In each case the cost changes during the year, so budget the December figure, not the January one.
Procedure and pitfalls
- Count active subscribers today and project 12 months ahead.
- Count sends per month, including automations, for Brevo and for MailerLite Comfort, whose email limit is 10 times the top of your subscriber tier. [2]
- Set each vendor's slider to your projected count and record monthly and annual prices on the same day.
- MailerLite counts any address active during the billing cycle, even if deleted later, so cleaning the list mid-cycle does not lower that month's count. [2]
- Kit's Pro card showed a first-year promotional price that renews at the standard rate; budget the renewal, not the promotion. [1]
Our decision rule
Stay on a free plan while it covers your list and the features you use. When you outgrow it, compare the live slider price for your 12-month projected count on each platform, add the annual renewal, and choose the cheapest one that runs your existing welcome sequence without a rebuild.
Questions before you decide
Which platform is free at 2,500 subscribers?
On their pricing pages, Kit lists Free for up to 10,000 subscribers and beehiiv lists Free up to 2,500. MailerLite Free is listed up to 250 subscribers. Free plans differ in features, so check that the one you pick covers your automations.
Why is Brevo priced differently?
Brevo's plan cards are labeled by email volume, such as From 5,000 emails per month for Starter, and its Free plan allows up to 300 emails per day once the account is approved. Your cost depends on how often you send, not only on list size.
Why is Mailchimp not in the table?
Mailchimp's tier prices are not quoted here, so it is left out of the table; check its official pricing page for current figures.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Kit pricing Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- MailerLite pricing Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Brevo pricing Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- beehiiv pricing Accessed 13 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.