Pick by the job, not by the biggest free number
A free email plan is good for you only if its limits match the way you actually send. Three numbers matter: how many subscribers you can store, how many emails you can send per month (or per day), and whether the automation you need is on the free tier. A plan that holds 10,000 contacts but lacks your welcome sequence can still force an upgrade on day one.
Use this rule of thumb. A broadcast-first newsletter that is growing should look at Kit Free first. A small business list under 250 people that needs a short automated welcome should look at MailerLite Free. A sender who can spread mail across several days can consider Brevo, after reading its current daily cap.
Free plans side by side (checked October 29, 2026)
Prices rise with list size on both services. Treat the paid figures as starting points, not your invoice.
| Kit Free | MailerLite Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscriber cap | Up to 10,000 | 250 |
| Sending allowance | Unlimited email broadcasts | 2,500 emails per month |
| Automations on free | Sequences and Visual Automations listed as Creator additions | 3 active automations, 5 steps each |
| Users | 1 | 2 seats |
| Branding | Removing Kit branding is a Creator feature | Check the pricing table for your plan |
| First paid tier | Creator: $33/month at 1,000 subscribers, or $390/year | Comfort: from $12/month; Power: from $25/month; annual saves 10% |
Worked example: a list grows from 200 to 800
Assume four newsletters a month and no automated emails. At 200 subscribers that is 800 emails a month: inside MailerLite Free's 250-subscriber and 2,500-email limits, and inside Kit Free.
At 800 subscribers the same habit is 3,200 emails a month. That breaks both MailerLite Free limits (800 is above 250 subscribers and 3,200 is above 2,500 emails). Kit Free still covers it because it lists up to 10,000 subscribers and unlimited broadcasts. For Brevo, divide 800 recipients by its current daily cap to see how many days one announcement would take.
Now add a five-email welcome series. On MailerLite Free that fits inside 3 automations of 5 steps each, but only while the list stays at 250 or below. On Kit, confirm whether your series needs Creator ($33/month at 1,000 subscribers) before you promise it to new readers.
Who should skip each option
- Skip Kit Free if an automated multi-email welcome series is required and your account shows it only on Creator.
- Skip MailerLite Free if your list is already above about 200 people and growing; an upgrade is close, so compare the paid tier now.
- Skip a daily-capped free plan for time-sensitive announcements that must reach the whole list on the same day.
- Skip switching at all if your current sender already works; migration time and re-authenticating your domain are real costs.
Checklist before you sign up
This is arithmetic from published limits, not a deliverability test. We have not compared inbox placement, editors or support response across these services.
- Count current subscribers and your expected count in six months.
- Multiply subscribers by sends per month; compare to any monthly or daily cap.
- List the automations you need on day one and check each against the free tier.
- Write the paid price for your projected list size, monthly and annual.
- Plan the domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) you will need either way.
Watch demos / Official walkthroughs
See how the tools work.
Videos load from YouTube only when you press play. These are provider videos, not our own product tests.
Kit / Official video
Kit’s New Vertical Navigation: A Full Walkthrough
What to look for: Locate subscriber, email, and automation navigation before choosing a workflow.
Watch on YouTubeQuestions before you decide
Does Kit Free include automated welcome emails?
Kit's pricing page lists 'Unlimited email sequences' and 'Unlimited Visual Automations' as things Creator adds over Free. The Free card lists unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited broadcasts, tagging and segmentation, and selling digital products. If a multi-step welcome series is essential, confirm what Free allows in your account before you build around it.
What does the first paid tier cost?
On October 29, 2026, Kit Creator showed $33 a month at 1,000 subscribers, or $390 billed yearly. MailerLite's FAQ said Comfort starts at $12 a month and Power at $25 a month, with 10% off on annual billing. Both prices rise with list size, so read the checkout for your own subscriber count.
Why are there no Brevo numbers in the table?
Brevo's pricing and help pages refused our automated fetch on October 29, 2026, so we could not recheck its free-plan limits that day. Rather than repeat an older figure, we left it out. Our Brevo daily-limit guide explains how its daily cap works; check Brevo's own free-plan FAQ before deciding.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Kit pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- MailerLite pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.