If you’re just starting out, it’s most likely not on your agenda to spend hundreds of dollars on subscriptions you’re not sure will work out. The good news is: there are free email marketing tools that can be just the right fit for your current needs.
Free plans are often there to get you started with capped features and capabilities, like a limit on your subscribers or monthly email sends, and the provider’s logo on your emails. While it’s not perfect, it’s a worthy trade-off for many.
Free email marketing tools are powerful enough to launch your first newsletter, build automated welcome sequences, grow your audience from zero, and check how well this channel resonates with your audience.
How to Pick the Best Free Email Tool
There are several factors you would be smart to consider before making your decision:
- Prioritize the limits. A 500-subscriber cap is very different from a 300-email daily cap. Consider which one you’re most likely to hit first. Also, accept that most free plans will have provider’s branding on your emails.
- Match the tool to your use case. Ecommerce tools need product feeds, while others may focus on CRM workflows.
- Check the automation depth. If the email marketing tool only allows for basic automation and segmentation, you may find yourself stuck when trying to create personalized flows or build splitting logics.
- Look at integrations. The email marketing tool should connect with your website or ecommerce store easily.
- Ensure deliverability. A good tool will guide you through setting up DKIM/SPF with clear instructions to maintain your sender’s reputation and avoid the spam folder.
- Consider scalability. Just because the free plan is excellent, doesn’t mean the first paid plan will be as well. Check how much it would cost to upgrade and whether it would be a sustainable pricing model for you.
- Define your email marketing goals. Once you understand exactly what you want to achieve with email marketing, it will become a lot easier to choose a tool, especially if you prioritize the features that matter the most to you.
While considering all of these factors is bound to take some time, at the end of the day, it will be better than jumping from one tool to another and migrating your database every time.
Best Free Email Marketing Tools
1. Omnisend
Omnisend is an ecommerce-first platform that packs email and SMS marketing into one. It comes with more generous automation capabilities on the free plan compared to most other solutions in the market.
The free tier is for businesses that are just starting out and want to test the waters. You get 250 contacts and 500 emails per month, which is more than enough when you don’t have a lot of emails to start with. It also includes most automation features, but will have Omnisend branding.
Pros
- Sophisticated ecommerce-focused automations.
- Product-focused templates.
- Powerful without being clunky.
- Segmentation tools.
- Pop-up forms for list growth.
- 24/7 live chat and email support.
Cons
- Very small contact cap.
- Advanced reporting is a paid option.
- No built-in CRM.
Best For
Omnisend’s free plan is best for new ecommerce brands testing automations before scaling. It’s also great for those needing responsive support often.
2. Brevo
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) stands out with its flexible contact model: instead of limiting your list size, it puts a strict cap on your daily sends, which can be both very good or very bad, depending on your database.
With the free plan, you get unlimited contacts, but you are limited to 300 emails per day. There’s no subscriber cap, but all emails will include Brevo branding.
Pros
- Contact-agnostic pricing path.
- Solid automations.
- Transactional emails.
- Easy scaling by volume.
Cons
- The 300/day limit slows larger sends.
- Brevo branding in your emails until you get a paid plan.
Best For
Brevo’s free plan is best for businesses that want to send steady but smaller daily volumes without contact caps.
3. MailerLite
MailerLite is famous for its clean and intuitive drag-and-drop editor and strong landing page builder. Its free plan is generous with sends, but has a firm ceiling on subscribers.
With Mailerlite’s free plan you can have up to 500 subscribers and send 12,000 emails per month.
Pros
- Generous monthly sends for small lists.
- Landing pages and forms.
- Basic automation.
Cons
- 500-subscriber ceiling.
- Some templates and features are gated.
Best For
MailerLite’s free plan is best for businesses with small contact lists that need strong publishing tools.
4. HubSpot (Email Marketing Free)
HubSpot’s free email tool is more like an entry to its CRM than a standalone email marketing solution. With built-in contact management and strong data capabilities, it’s one of the most valuable, and expensive, tools out there.
HubSpot’s free plan includes 2,000 marketing email sends per month, unlimited contacts, and features HubSpot branding.
Pros
- Native CRM.
- Forms and lists.
- Basic personalization.
- Scales into Marketing Hub.
Cons
- Low monthly send cap.
- Steeper learning curve.
Best For
HubSpot’s free plan is best for teams that want email and CRM functionality in one free stack.
5. EmailOctopus
EmailOctopus is a lightweight sender that wins on its generous free plan limits. It’s simple, straightforward, and gives you a lot of room to grow.
The free plan is one of the most generous in the market, giving 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month. It includes branding on free emails, and reporting is limited to 30 days.
Pros
- Higher free allowances than many.
- Easy forms and landing pages.
- Budget upgrades.
Cons
- Limited analytics history on a free plan.
- Fewer native integrations.
Best For
EmailOctopus’ free plan is best for businesses wanting newsletters with no-frills sending at a low cost.
6. Sender
Sender often flies under the radar but offers one of the most surprisingly generous free tiers available, competing directly with EmailOctopus on volume and features.
The free plan includes 2,500 subscribers and an impressive 15,000 emails per month. It comes with Sender branding on all free campaigns.
Pros
- Very high email allowance.
- Automation, segmentation, and pop-ups included.
- Quick to launch.
Cons
- Sender branding on free emails.
- Smaller integration ecosystem.
Best For
Sender’s free plan is best for small teams that need volume headroom.
7. Mailjet
Mailjet is a platform built for both marketing and transactional emails, with a unique focus on team collaboration, even on its free plan.
The free plan offers 6,000 emails per month, but it comes with a very restrictive 200-email-per-day cap. As a result, the 6,000 emails per month becomes nearly unrealistic since you would have to send the 200 emails every single day to reach the monthly limit.
Pros
- Team collaboration.
- Real-time editing.
- SMTP/transactional emails alongside campaigns.
- Simple upgrade path.
Cons
- The 200 email limit per day is restrictive.
- Advanced automation and segmentation is limited on the free plan.
Best For
Mailjet’s free plan is best for teams sending small and frequent batches or testing workflows.
8. Zoho Campaigns
Zoho Campaigns is a solid email marketing tool on its own, but it comes from a wider Zoho business suite, so you may have to consider using the entire suite for better sync and results. It also translates to spending potentially more money for features you won’t necessarily use.
The free plan is rather capable, offering 2,000 contacts and 6,000 emails per month. It includes 5 users, limited templates, and a compliance check.
Pros
- Tight Zoho CRM/app integration.
- Templates and basic automation.
- Clear contact-based caps.
Cons
- UI learning curve.
- More value if you use other Zoho apps.
Best For
Zoho is usually best for existing Zoho users who are looking for native email marketing solutions.
Conclusion
With so many different free email marketing tools for small businesses that offer different capabilities, it may be difficult to decide which one to choose. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is come up with a surface-level decision based on the daily or monthly limits without looking any deeper.
An ecommerce store needs different features than a B2B service. Your list size, sending frequency, tech stack, business goals, and integration needs will point you to the right choice.
Pick one or two choices from the list that you feel could be a good fit and run a small trial. Test the editor, check automation capabilities, user interface, segmentation logic, compliance features, and anything else that you may be using on a daily basis.