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Brevo vs Mailchimp vs MailerLite (2026): cost at 1k to 25k subscribers compared
Last verified against official pricing pages · published 2 Nov 2026
Prices change often. Each price was checked on the platform's official pricing page on the date shown; plans, promos and taxes vary. Confirm on the official site before you buy. Not financial advice.
Short answer: Brevo is cheapest at every size we checked for a basic newsletter, and the same holds with automations. Brevo charges by emails sent per month, not list size; Mailchimp charges by stored contacts; MailerLite charges by subscriber tier. At 5,000 subscribers a basic newsletter costs $32/mo on Brevo Starter, $75/mo on Mailchimp Essentials, $49/mo on MailerLite Comfort. Note: with automations, Brevo wins on a plan where automations are capped; uncapped automations start at Standard (from $18/mo) on Brevo (see Key differences).
Who this is for: small businesses and newsletters that want a cheap all-round email tool. Ranked by cost only; no platform pays for its position. Price your exact list size in the calculator →
Cost at 1k, 5k, 10k and 25k subscribers
Basic newsletter (no automations)
| Subscribers | Brevo | Mailchimp | MailerLite | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $17 (Starter) | $26.50 (Essentials) | $19 (Comfort) | Brevo |
| 5,000 | $32 (Starter) | $75 (Essentials) | $49 (Comfort) | Brevo |
| 10,000 | $46 (Starter) | $110 (Essentials) | $89 (Comfort) | Brevo |
| 25,000 | $82 (Starter) | $270 (Essentials) | $179 (Comfort) | Brevo |
With automations (welcome sequences, drips)
| Subscribers | Brevo | Mailchimp | MailerLite | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $17 (Starter, limited) | $26.50 (Essentials, limited) | $19 (Comfort) | Brevo |
| 5,000 | $32 (Starter, limited) | $75 (Essentials, limited) | $49 (Comfort) | Brevo |
| 10,000 | $46 (Starter, limited) | $110 (Essentials, limited) | $89 (Comfort) | Brevo |
| 25,000 | $82 (Starter, limited) | $270 (Essentials, limited) | $179 (Comfort) | Brevo |
Monthly billing, excluding tax, cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and required features (the same numbers as our calculator). "limited" = feature is capped on that plan. Brevo is priced by emails sent, so its column assumes our standard sending frequency (4 emails a month to the whole list).
Key differences
| Brevo | Mailchimp | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | free: 300 emails a day (so about 300 subscribers per send); stores up to 100,000 contacts | free up to 250 subscribers | free up to 250 subscribers |
| Cheapest plan with uncapped automations | Standard (from $18/mo) | Standard (from $20/mo) | Comfort (from $12/mo) |
| Cheapest plan with own domain | not verified | not verified | Comfort (from $12/mo) |
| Cheapest plan without platform branding | Starter + No Brevo logo add-on (from $21/mo) | Essentials (from $13/mo) | Comfort (from $12/mo) |
| Plans | Free, Starter, Starter + No Brevo logo add-on, Standard, Professional | Free, Essentials, Standard, Premium | Free, Comfort, Power |
| Prices verified | 2026-10-27 | 2026-10-27 | 2026-10-27 |
Who each is best for
Brevo is best for
Senders with a large list who email infrequently (the price follows emails sent), and businesses that also want SMS and transactional email in the same account.
- Priced by monthly email volume, not by subscribers: Starter starts at $9/mo for 5,000 emails, and each volume tier also caps how many contacts you can store (500 contacts at 5,000 emails; 500,000 from 20,000 emails). source
- Free plan sends up to 300 emails per day and keeps Brevo branding. source
- Automations are limited to 2,000 contacts on Free and Starter, and unlimited from Standard. source
- Removing the Brevo logo is a $12/mo add-on on Starter ($129.60/yr on yearly billing) and included from Standard. source
Mailchimp is best for
Small businesses that want an all-round email marketing tool with automation flows (Standard and up) and are fine with contact-based pricing and overage billing.
- Priced by stored contacts (the peak in each billing period); each tier includes a monthly send limit of 10× (Essentials), 12× (Standard) or 15× (Premium) your contacts. source
- Going over the contact or send limit on a paid plan adds overage charges rather than pausing sending. source
- Free plan: 250 contacts and 500 emails/month (250/day), no automation flows, Mailchimp branding stays. source
- Annual billing is only available through sales (Standard and Premium, 10,000+ contacts). On 2026-10-20 the page offered 15% off the first 12 months at 10,000+ contacts. source
MailerLite is best for
Budget-conscious senders who want automations, landing pages and their own domain at a low monthly price.
Head-to-head comparisons
Mailchimp vs MailerLite · Brevo vs MailerLite · Brevo vs Mailchimp
Sources: Brevo pricing (checked 2026-10-27), Mailchimp pricing (checked 2026-10-27), MailerLite pricing (checked 2026-10-27); plan notes link to each platform's own help or pricing pages above.
FAQ
Which is cheapest: Brevo, Mailchimp, MailerLite?
In our data (monthly billing, cheapest plan that covers the list): basic newsletter, Brevo is cheapest at every size we checked. With automations, Brevo is cheapest at every size we checked. Prices verified 2026-10-27 on each platform's official pricing page.
Which has the biggest free plan?
Brevo: free: 300 emails a day (so about 300 subscribers per send); stores up to 100,000 contacts. Mailchimp: free up to 250 subscribers. MailerLite: free up to 250 subscribers. Brevo's free plan covers the most subscribers per send; free plans also cap emails, automations and branding (see the table).
How much do they cost at 10,000 subscribers?
Basic newsletter: $46/mo on Brevo Starter, $110/mo on Mailchimp Essentials, $89/mo on MailerLite Comfort. With automations: $46/mo on Brevo Starter, $110/mo on Mailchimp Essentials, $89/mo on MailerLite Comfort.
Which is cheapest with automations at 1,000 subscribers?
$17/mo on Brevo Starter, $26.50/mo on Mailchimp Essentials, $19/mo on MailerLite Comfort. "Limited" in the tables means the plan's automation features are capped. Note: with automations, Brevo wins on a plan where automations are capped; uncapped automations start at Standard (from $18/mo) on Brevo (see Key differences).
Related guides: Brevo Free plan limits (2026) · Brevo SMS pricing (2026) · Brevo WhatsApp pricing (2026) · Cheapest SMS marketing platform (2026) · Brevo vs Mailchimp vs Klaviyo (2026) · How much does Mailchimp cost? Per month, per year and per contact (2026) · How newsletter platform prices changed 2023–2026 (from archived pricing pages) · Mailchimp Free plan limits (2026) · all guides
Comparisons: Mailchimp vs MailerLite · Brevo vs MailerLite · Brevo vs Mailchimp · Cheapest for 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000 subscribers
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