Email marketing at 1,000 subscribers: what it costs (2026)
Monthly prices at 1,000 subscribers, read from each vendor's own page on 2026-09-27.
Short answer: At 1,000 subscribers MailerLite is the cheapest paid option we can price, at $19/mo. 2 of the 4 platforms here publish a free plan whose published ceiling still covers 1,000 subscribers (beehiiv, Kit (formerly ConvertKit)), so at this size the honest answer is often 'stay free' -- the table below shows which platforms let you.
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Every email platform we track, priced at 1,000 subscribers
| Platform | Cost at 1,000 subscribers | Free plan | Best for | Where the number came from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | $49 | Yes | Newsletter operators who want an ad network and paid subscriptions built in. | first-party prices, second-party tier ladder |
| Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | $33 | Yes | Creators who want the most generous free tier in email. | first-party prices, second-party tier ladder |
| MailerLite | $19 | Yes | Small lists that want a real free plan and cheap paid tiers. | first-party prices, second-party tier ladder |
| ActiveCampaign | $19 | No | Businesses that want serious automation and a CRM in one place. | first-party prices, second-party tier ladder |
Monthly billing, read from each vendor's own pricing page on 2026-09-27. Where a vendor renders its list-size ladder with JavaScript, the figure comes from the named third-party tracker in the last column.
Try Systeme.io
Systeme.io is free up to 2,000 contacts, then $17/mo Startup, $47/mo Webinar and $97/mo Unlimited on monthly billing. Annual billing gives you two months free.
See Systeme.io pricing →The ranking at 1,000 subscribers
| # | Tool | Cost at 1,000 subs | Best for | Where the number came from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MailerLite | $19 | Small lists that want a real free plan and cheap paid tiers. | first-party prices, second-party tier ladder |
| 2 | ActiveCampaign | $19 | Businesses that want serious automation and a CRM in one place. | first-party prices, second-party tier ladder |
| 3 | Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | $33 | Creators who want the most generous free tier in email. | first-party prices, second-party tier ladder |
| 4 | beehiiv | $49 | Newsletter operators who want an ad network and paid subscriptions built in. | first-party prices, second-party tier ladder |
Free plans that still cover 1,000 subscribers
beehiiv publishes a free plan. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) publishes a free plan. MailerLite publishes a free plan.
What you are actually buying at this size
Not sending capacity -- every platform here will send a newsletter to 1,000 people. You are buying automation, deliverability tooling and the removal of the vendor's branding. If you only need to send, the free tiers are enough and this page is telling you not to spend.
How we picked
Published price at 1,000 subscribers, read from each vendor's own page, sorted ascending. Free plans count as $0. Vendors that only quote custom pricing at this size are listed but cannot win a price ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest email marketing at 1,000 subscribers?
The cheapest paid plan at this size is MailerLite at $19/mo in our 2026-09-27 check. Two platforms here are $0 at 1,000 subscribers -- beehiiv (free to 2,500) and Kit (free to 10,000) -- so if you only need to send, you do not have to pay at all.
Should I pay at 1,000 subscribers?
Only if you need automation or you want the vendor's branding off your emails. For plain sending, beehiiv (2,500) and Kit (10,000) both cover 1,000 subscribers on a free plan; MailerLite's free plan stops at 250, so there you are paying.
What happens at 2,500 subscribers?
The free ceilings start to bite and the price ladder begins. We publish that comparison separately, at 2,500 and at 5,000.
How current are these prices?
Read from the vendors' own pages on 2026-09-27 and re-checked weekly.