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Cheapest email marketing for ecommerce in 2026
Ecommerce email pricing is driven by list size, not by features. Here is what each platform we track actually charges, and where the free tiers stop.
Prices read from the vendors' own pricing pages on 2026-09-27. Re-checked weekly. How we check.
The short answer
- Cheapest paid tier: MailerLite. Free to 250 subscribers, then Comfort from $12/mo. The lowest paid entry price of the four. Check MailerLite →
- Best free tier: Kit (formerly ConvertKit). Free up to 10,000 subscribers on the Newsletter plan, which is the most generous free tier in email. Check Kit (formerly ConvertKit) →
- Best if you also want a newsletter business: beehiiv. Free to 2,500 subscribers and it pays out on referrals, so the list can earn before it costs. Check beehiiv →
Real prices, side by side
| Tool | Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | Free | Free | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo, 2 user seats, 1 website, 1 landing page, 3 signup forms |
| Comfort | $12/mo ($10.8/mo billed annually) | Starts at 250 subscribers, 3 user seats, 50 automations, 10 websites and landing pages, 5 digital products | |
| Power | $25/mo ($22.5/mo billed annually) | Starts at 250 subscribers, unlimited monthly emails, unlimited user seats, unlimited automations and landing pages | |
| Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | Free (Newsletter) | Free | Up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited broadcasts, tagging and segmentation, sell digital products |
| Creator | $33/mo ($390/yr) | Everything in Free plus unlimited visual automations, unlimited sequences, A/B subject lines, SMS, remove Kit branding | |
| Pro | $66/mo ($790/yr) | Everything in Creator plus Subscriber Signals, engagement analytics, unlimited users, deliverability reporting, newsletter referral system | |
| beehiiv | Launch | Free | Up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, 3 publications, 1 team seat |
| Scale | $49/mo ($43/mo billed annually) | Up to 100,000 subscribers, ad network, boosts, 0% take on paid subscriptions, automations, 3 seats | |
| Max | $109/mo ($96/mo billed annually) | Everything in Scale plus remove branding, sponsorship storefront, audio newsletters, up to 10 publications, unlimited seats | |
| ActiveCampaign | Starter | $19/mo ($15/mo billed annually) | 1 user, limited segmentation, 5 actions per automation |
| Plus | $59/mo ($49/mo billed annually) | 1 user, standard segmentation, unlimited automation actions, landing pages | |
| Pro | $99/mo ($79/mo billed annually) | 3 users, advanced segmentation, predictive and conditional content, attribution | |
| Enterprise | $179/mo ($145/mo billed annually) | 5 users, premium segmentation, custom objects, SSO, dedicated account team |
What each one is actually for
MailerLite
MailerLite is free up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Comfort starts at $12/mo and Power at $25/mo at 250 subscribers, and both rise with list size.
Best for: Small lists that want a real free plan and cheap paid tiers.
Not for: Big lists — the free plan shrank to 250 subscribers and the ladder climbs fast.
The entry prices and free-plan caps are first-party, read from mailerlite.com/pricing. The annual rates and the subscriber-tier ladder are third-party (EmailToolTester, updated 5 Aug 2026) because MailerLite computes those numbers in JavaScript.
See MailerLite pricing →Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers on the Newsletter plan. Creator is $33/mo ($390/yr) and Pro is $66/mo ($790/yr) at 1,000 subscribers, and both scale with list size.
Best for: Creators who want the most generous free tier in email.
Not for: Anyone who needs advanced automation on the free plan — it is one basic automation.
Free / Creator / Pro and the annual totals were read from kit.com/pricing itself, at 1,000 email subscribers. Kit's paid plans scale with list size, so the price shown is the price at 1,000 subscribers, not a flat rate.
See Kit (formerly ConvertKit) pricing →beehiiv
beehiiv is free up to 2,500 subscribers. Scale is $49/mo ($43/mo billed annually) and Max is $109/mo ($96/mo annually) at up to 1,000 subscribers, and both climb with your list size.
Best for: Newsletter operators who want an ad network and paid subscriptions built in.
Not for: Plain email marketing — you are paying for newsletter monetization you may never use.
The annual rates and the monthly Scale rate are first-party, read from beehiiv.com/pricing. The monthly Max rate and the subscriber-tier ladder are third-party (PassiveKit, verified July 2026) because beehiiv renders them with JavaScript.
See beehiiv pricing →ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign starts at $19/mo Starter, $59/mo Plus, $99/mo Pro and $179/mo Enterprise at 1,000 contacts on monthly billing, or $15 / $49 / $79 / $145 per month billed annually.
Best for: Businesses that want serious automation and a CRM in one place.
Not for: Anyone on a tight budget — the price climbs steeply with contacts.
ActiveCampaign hides its prices behind a JavaScript widget and a 'request pricing' form, so nothing on this page came off the vendor's own page. Verify in the widget before you buy.
See ActiveCampaign pricing →How to choose in one minute
- Write down the number of people who will log in. That is your seat count, and it is what the price scales on.
- Check the free tier against your real list size or contact count, not the marketing number.
- Only pay for the tier that removes the wall you have actually hit.
- Re-check the price before you buy — every number here is re-read weekly, but vendors change tiers without notice.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change the prices shown, which are read from the vendors' own pages. Full disclosure.