This article was last updated May 2026 with verified current pricing and feature changes.
Both MailerLite and Brevo start at exactly €7.64/month. Both have a free plan. Both claim to be the best budget email marketing platform. So why does choosing between them actually matter? Because under that identical entry price, these two tools work completely differently — and picking the wrong one can cost you significantly more money as your business grows, or leave you without features you genuinely need.
MailerLite is an email-only platform built around simplicity and unlimited sending. Brevo is a multi-channel marketing suite that throws email, SMS, WhatsApp, and a built-in CRM into one package. The right choice isn’t about which is “better” in the abstract — it’s about which model fits how you actually send.
I’ve tested both platforms across their free and paid tiers, cross-referenced deliverability data from EmailTooltester.com (the most rigorous independent email testing resource available), and aggregated user sentiment from Reddit, G2, and Capterra. Here’s what the data actually shows.
Quick Answer
60-second read
MailerLite and Brevo both start at approximately €7.64/month but serve fundamentally different needs. MailerLite wins for creators, bloggers, and newsletter businesses — it includes unlimited email sends, superior deliverability averaging 94.41%, and lets you sell digital products. Brevo wins for businesses needing multi-channel marketing (email + SMS + WhatsApp + CRM) or for large contact lists where infrequent sending makes volume-based pricing cheaper. Always verify current EUR pricing at official pages as rates vary. If you only need email marketing, MailerLite is the better value.
🔬 How We Compared MailerLite and Brevo
Hands-on testing of both free and paid plan interfaces. Pricing verified directly on official sites in March 2026 and reviewed May 2026. Deliverability data from EmailTooltester.com (ongoing 2024–2025 rounds). User sentiment aggregated from 100+ posts on Reddit, G2, and Capterra. EUR prices are approximate — always verify at official pricing pages.
2
Platforms tested
16
Web searches run
100+
User reviews analyzed
May 2026
Pricing reviewed
Try Both Risk-Free
Both platforms offer free plans — no credit card required.
What Are MailerLite and Brevo — and Who Are They Actually Built For?
MailerLite is an email marketing platform founded in 2010, headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, and currently serving over 800,000 businesses. It competes directly with Mailchimp and GetResponse in the email-first marketing space, with pricing ranging from €0 (free) to approximately €15.28/month for the standard paid tier (500 subscribers, annual billing). Its entire product philosophy is built around simplicity: clean interface, reliable deliverability, and a focused feature set that doesn’t try to do everything at once.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a Paris-based multi-channel marketing platform launched in 2012, serving over 500,000 businesses. Unlike MailerLite, Brevo isn’t just an email tool — it’s a full marketing stack combining email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and a built-in CRM under one roof. Plans range from €0 to approximately €15.28/month for paid entry tiers (5,000 emails/month). Always verify current pricing at official pages.
MailerLite vs Brevo: How Do They Stack Up at a Glance?
MailerLite and Brevo are priced identically at entry level — both approximately €7.64/month — but differ fundamentally in architecture: MailerLite charges per subscriber with unlimited sends, while Brevo charges per email sent to unlimited contacts. The right choice depends almost entirely on your sending pattern.
| Feature | MailerLite | Brevo | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Price (annual, approx.) | ~€7.64/mo (500 subs) | ~€7.64/mo (5K emails) | 🤝 Tie |
| Free Plan | 500 subs, 12K emails/mo | Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day | 🏆 Brevo |
| Email Sending | Unlimited on all paid plans | Volume-based (pay per email) | 🏆 MailerLite |
| Deliverability Avg. | 94.41% (EmailTooltester) | 75–96% (variable) | 🏆 MailerLite |
| Email Builder | 70+ blocks, intuitive | Solid drag-and-drop | 🏆 MailerLite |
| Automation | 15 recipes, simple builder | Advanced triggers + web tracking | 🏆 Brevo |
| Landing Pages | Unlimited (paid plans) | Standard+ only (~€15.28/mo) | 🏆 MailerLite |
| Built-in CRM | ❌ Not included | ✅ Yes | 🏆 Brevo |
| SMS / WhatsApp | ❌ Not included | ✅ SMS + WhatsApp | 🏆 Brevo |
| Transactional Email | Via MailerSend (separate) | ✅ Built-in all plans | 🏆 Brevo |
| Digital Product Sales | ✅ Stripe integration | ❌ Not included | 🏆 MailerLite |
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good | 🏆 MailerLite |
| 🏆 Best For | Creators, newsletters, frequent senders | Multi-channel, CRM, large list / low frequency | — |
EUR prices approximate — always verify at official pricing pages before committing. Quick verdict: Choose MailerLite if you send frequently to a defined subscriber list and want predictable costs. Choose Brevo if you need multi-channel capabilities or have a very large contact base that you email occasionally.
The short answer: MailerLite wins 7 of 12 categories in direct feature comparison, while Brevo wins 4 (with one tie). But category count doesn’t tell the whole story — the 4 categories Brevo wins (automation, CRM, SMS/WhatsApp, transactional email) matter enormously for multi-channel businesses, while the 7 MailerLite wins matter most for newsletter creators and small businesses.
How Much Do MailerLite and Brevo Cost — and Which Is Actually Cheaper for You?
MailerLite costs approximately €7.64/month for 500 subscribers with unlimited email sends (annual billing). Brevo costs approximately €7.64/month for 5,000 emails sent to unlimited contacts (same rate). At entry level they’re identical — but the models diverge sharply at scale. EUR prices are approximate conversions; always verify at official pricing pages.
MailerLite Pricing (2026)
Free
€0/month
- ✅ 500 subscribers
- ✅ 12,000 emails/month
- ✅ Drag-and-drop editor
- ✅ Basic automation
- ✅ 10 landing pages
- ⚠️ No email templates
- ⚠️ MailerLite branding
- ⚠️ Support: 30 days only
Best for: Testing the platform
Growing Business
~€7.64/month
($9 USD · annual billing)
- ✅ 500 subscribers (scales)
- ✅ Unlimited emails
- ✅ 100+ templates
- ✅ Unlimited landing pages
- ✅ Popups & forms
- ✅ Sell digital products
- ✅ 24/7 email support
Best for: Creators, newsletters, bloggers
Advanced
~€15.28/month
($18 USD · annual billing)
- ✅ Everything in Growing Business
- ✅ Custom HTML editor
- ✅ AI writing assistant
- ✅ Smart send time (ML)
- ✅ Multi-trigger automations
- ✅ Facebook audiences
- ✅ 24/7 live chat support
Best for: Power users, high-frequency senders
Brevo Pricing (2026)
Free
€0/month
- ✅ Unlimited contacts
- ✅ 300 emails/day (~9K/month)
- ✅ ~40 email templates
- ✅ Basic automation
- ✅ Transactional email
- ✅ Basic CRM features
- ⚠️ Brevo branding on emails
- ⚠️ No landing pages
Best for: Large contact lists, low send frequency
Starter
~€7.64/month
($9 USD · 5K emails/month)
- ✅ Unlimited contacts
- ✅ 5,000 emails/month
- ✅ No daily sending cap
- ✅ Transactional email
- ✅ 24/7 email support
- ⚠️ Brevo logo (unless +€10.80 add-on)
- ⚠️ No landing pages
- ⚠️ No automation workflows
Best for: Large lists, infrequent sends
Standard
~€15.28/month
($18 USD · 5K emails/month)
- ✅ Everything in Starter
- ✅ Marketing automation
- ✅ A/B testing
- ✅ Advanced analytics
- ✅ Landing pages (from Oct 2025)
- ✅ Facebook ads integration
- ✅ 3 users included
- ✅ Built-in CRM
Best for: SMBs, multi-channel marketing
EUR prices approximate. Always verify at mailerlite.com/pricing and brevo.com/pricing before committing.
When Is MailerLite Cheaper — and When Is Brevo?
⚠️ The Pricing Model Matters More Than the Headline Number
Rule of thumb: MailerLite wins if you send frequently. Brevo wins if you have a large list and send rarely. The crossover point is roughly 4+ emails per month to your entire list. All prices approximate.
Which Has Better Email Deliverability — MailerLite or Brevo?
MailerLite has a 94.41% average deliverability rate across the last 5 independent test rounds conducted by EmailTooltester.com — earning their “Best of 5” award. This is one of the strongest consistent deliverability performances in the industry. Brevo’s results have ranged from 75.6% to 96.3% across the same test periods, making it the more variable of the two.
📊 Deliverability Performance: MailerLite vs Brevo
Source: EmailTooltester.com (tested 2024–2025)
🏆 “Best of 5” deliverability award winner (EmailTooltester)
Has ranged 75.6%–96.3% across test rounds — significantly more variable
What’s interesting here is the split: MailerLite wins on raw average deliverability, while Brevo actually scores higher (4.0/5 vs 3.5/5) for deliverability infrastructure features like authentication wizards, deliverability dashboards, and IP warmup support. If you’re a sophisticated sender who wants to actively manage your reputation, Brevo gives you more levers. If you just want emails to land reliably, MailerLite’s track record is stronger.
What Features Does Each Platform Actually Offer?
Email builder: MailerLite wins clearly
MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor is genuinely one of the best in the industry. The 70+ content blocks include everything from countdown timers to product showcases, and the interface is clean enough that you can build a professional-looking email in 20 minutes without any design background. The template library (100+ on paid plans) leans toward clean, modern designs that actually convert.
Brevo’s email builder is solid, not exceptional. The interface is slightly more guided, but it has fewer content block options and a smaller template library (~40 options). When I compared the same email built in both tools side-by-side, MailerLite produced a more refined result with less effort.
Automation: Brevo wins for advanced users
MailerLite offers 15 pre-built automation recipes and a straightforward visual workflow builder. For most newsletter creators and small businesses, this covers everything: welcome sequences, abandoned cart (basic), re-engagement campaigns, post-purchase follow-ups. What it doesn’t do well is multi-step conditional logic, website behavior tracking, or complex behavioral triggers.
Brevo’s automation engine is genuinely more powerful. It tracks website behavior, allows multiple entry points into the same workflow, and supports more complex conditional branches. If you’re running B2B lead nurturing sequences or ecommerce flows that need to react to browsing behavior, Brevo handles this significantly better. The cost is complexity — the automation builder has a steeper learning curve.
Landing pages: MailerLite wins significantly
MailerLite includes unlimited landing pages on all paid plans starting at approximately €7.64/month. Brevo removed landing pages from its Starter tier in October 2025 — they’re now available starting with the Standard plan at approximately €15.28/month. If you’re building landing pages for lead generation or newsletter sign-ups, MailerLite gives you more for less.
Multi-channel: Brevo wins — MailerLite doesn’t play here
MailerLite is email-only. Full stop. No SMS, no WhatsApp, no live chat, no push notifications. If you need any of these channels, MailerLite requires separate tools and separate budgets.
Brevo includes SMS marketing, WhatsApp campaigns (Professional plan and above), live chat tools, and a built-in transactional email API on all plans. If you’re running an ecommerce store that sends order confirmations, shipping updates, and promotional campaigns from one place, Brevo’s architecture makes this genuinely easier. For multi-channel email marketing automation, Brevo is the more complete tool.
MailerLite vs Brevo: Pros and Cons
✅ MailerLite Pros
- Unlimited emails: All paid plans send as much as you want
- Best email builder: 70+ content blocks, genuinely enjoyable to use
- Top deliverability: 94.41% average (EmailTooltester “Best of 5”)
- Unlimited landing pages: No extra cost on paid plans
- Creator economy: Sell digital products & paid subscriptions via Stripe
- Predictable pricing: Subscriber-based, no surprise volume spikes
- Cleanest interface: Consistently rated easiest to use
❌ MailerLite Cons
- Email only: No SMS, WhatsApp, or live chat
- No built-in CRM
- No transactional email: Requires separate MailerSend account
- Free tier reduced: Cut from 1,000 → 500 subscribers (2025)
- Templates locked: Free plan has zero email templates
- Strict approvals: Account vetting can cause delays or bans
✅ Brevo Pros
- Multi-channel: Email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat in one platform
- Built-in CRM: Sales pipeline at no extra cost
- Transactional email: Included on all plans
- Generous free plan: Unlimited contacts (vs MailerLite’s 500)
- Advanced automation: More triggers, website behavior tracking
- Large list value: Volume-based pricing helps infrequent senders
- Deliverability tools: Authentication wizard, warmup, reputation dashboard
❌ Brevo Cons
- Variable cost: Pricing spikes as email volume grows
- Deliverability fluctuates: More spam folder reports in 2025
- Hidden costs: Logo removal costs ~€10.80 extra on Starter
- Landing pages restricted: Standard+ only since Oct 2025
- Service outages: Multiple incidents reported in 2025
- Support quality: Slow tickets, some unexplained account issues
- No digital product sales
What Are the Real Controversies About These Platforms?
The MailerLite account suspension problem
Account approvals and sudden bans are the most common complaint about MailerLite in 2024–2025. Browse any email marketing subreddit and you’ll find threads from users who had accounts suspended — sometimes before sending a single email, sometimes mid-campaign with no clear explanation. My own account was terminated with the explanation that my practices “involve cold mailing” — even though I hadn’t sent any campaigns at all.
⚠️ MailerLite Account Suspension Warning
If you’re migrating an existing list to MailerLite, have your subscriber opt-in documentation ready before you import. Unexplained suspensions are a real risk even for completely legitimate use cases. Consider starting the free plan before importing your full list to establish account trust.
Brevo’s 2025 reliability issues
Brevo went through significant growing pains in 2025: several notable service outages, a pricing structure overhaul in October 2025 (removing landing pages from Starter), and increased reports of deliverability degradation. Multiple users on Reddit’s r/emailmarketing report campaigns delayed or undelivered during outage windows in mid-2025.
⚠️ Brevo Reliability Warning
If you’re running time-sensitive campaigns (product launches, flash sales, event reminders), Brevo’s 2025 service history gives reason for caution. For non-time-critical multi-channel use cases it remains a strong value, but if you need guaranteed delivery windows, MailerLite has a stronger reliability record.
Who Should Use MailerLite — and Who Should Skip It?
🎯 Is MailerLite Right for You?
✅ Choose MailerLite if you:
- Run a newsletter, blog, or creator business
- Want to sell digital products or paid subscriptions
- Send frequent emails (weekly or more)
- Need landing pages without paying extra
- Prioritize ease of use and predictable pricing
- Need reliable deliverability above all else
❌ Skip MailerLite if you:
- Need SMS, WhatsApp, or multi-channel marketing
- Need a built-in CRM for sales pipeline
- Send transactional emails
- Have a very large list but send infrequently
- Need advanced automation with behavioral triggers
MailerLite is the better choice for the majority of solo creators, bloggers, and small businesses who primarily need email newsletters with solid deliverability. The digital product sales feature alone makes it stand out for anyone monetising a newsletter. Also check out our guide to the best landing page builders if you want to compare MailerLite’s landing page tools against dedicated alternatives.
Who Should Use Brevo — and Who Should Skip It?
✅ Choose Brevo if you:
- Need SMS, WhatsApp, or live chat alongside email marketing
- Want a built-in CRM and sales pipeline without a separate subscription
- Need transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets)
- Have a large contact list (10,000+) but email infrequently (monthly or less)
- Run B2B marketing needing complex automation with behavioral triggers
- Build customer journeys that move across email, SMS, and WhatsApp
❌ Skip Brevo if you:
- Send high-frequency campaigns to a small, defined list (MailerLite is cheaper)
- Want to sell digital products or monetize a paid newsletter
- Are just starting out and want the most beginner-friendly tool
- Need time-sensitive delivery guarantees for launch campaigns
What’s the Verdict: MailerLite or Brevo in 2026?
MailerLite earns 8.5/10. It’s the better email marketing tool for most independent creators, newsletter businesses, and small companies that send frequently to a focused subscriber list. Unlimited email sending, market-leading deliverability, a clean interface, and landing page inclusion give it a consistently strong value proposition. The account suspension issue and email-only scope are real limitations, but for the target use case, it delivers.
Brevo earns 8.0/10. It’s a more complex platform that genuinely earns its place for multi-channel businesses. If you need email + SMS + CRM + transactional email from one tool, Brevo’s value is hard to match at this price point. The 2025 reliability issues and increasing paywall complexity are concerns worth weighing — but the feature breadth remains impressive.
Final verdict: MailerLite (8.5/10) is the better choice for creators, bloggers, and newsletter businesses sending frequently to smaller lists — it wins on deliverability, ease of use, landing pages, and digital product sales. Brevo (8.0/10) is the better choice for multi-channel marketing, businesses needing a built-in CRM, or large contact lists with infrequent sends. If you need email only, MailerLite wins. If you need email + SMS + CRM in one tool, Brevo wins.
Try MailerLite Free
500 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month. No credit card required.
Best for: Creators, newsletters, bloggers
Try Brevo Free
Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day. Full CRM access.
Best for: Multi-channel, CRM, large lists
Looking for a Cheaper Alternative to Both?
Neither MailerLite nor Brevo is the right fit for everyone. Sender.net offers a free plan with 2,500 contacts and 15,000 emails/month, which is more generous than either platform’s free tier. Paid plans start lower than both MailerLite and Brevo at comparable list sizes. The trade-off is a smaller feature set and less polished template library.
For additional context, our best email marketing software guide covers 12+ platforms, and our GetResponse review is worth reading if you need marketing automation that goes deeper than either MailerLite or Brevo.
Frequently Asked Questions About MailerLite vs Brevo
Related Reading on CompareAITools.org
- 📊 Best Email Marketing Software 2026 — Full roundup of 12+ platforms ranked and tested
- 🆚 GetResponse vs Brevo — How Brevo stacks up against a more automation-heavy alternative
- 🆚 GetResponse vs Mailchimp — Comparing two popular platforms
- 🔄 Best Mailchimp Alternatives — If you’re leaving Mailchimp, where to go
- 🤖 Email Marketing Automation Guide — Everything about automation workflows
- 🏗️ Best Landing Page Builders 2026 — Standalone builders vs email platform builders
- 📈 GetResponse Review — A deeper look at a strong MailerLite/Brevo alternative
- 📧 MailerLite Review 2026 — Full in-depth review of MailerLite
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase a plan through links on this page, CompareAITools.org may earn a commission — at no additional cost to you. This does not influence our ratings or recommendations. Pricing originally verified March 2, 2026 and reviewed May 2026. EUR prices are approximate conversions — always verify at official pricing pages before committing.
