Brevo vs MailerLite (2026): Which Is Cheaper for Your List?
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🧮 Skip to the answer. Use the Brevo vs MailerLite cost calculator below to price both tools at your exact list size.
MailerLite is cheaper for small and mid-sized lists that email every week. Brevo is cheaper for big lists that email a few times a month, because it charges by emails sent instead of by subscribers.
Need automation? Brevo locks it behind Standard, while every MailerLite plan includes it. That one detail decides the winner for most small businesses.
Brevo vs MailerLite at a glance
Both tools are popular Mailchimp alternatives with drag and drop editors, signup forms and automation. They differ most in how they charge you.
| Brevo | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing based on | Emails sent per month | Number of subscribers |
| Free plan | 300 emails a day, up to 100,000 contacts | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month |
| Cheapest paid plan | Starter from $9 a month | Comfort from $12 a month |
| Automation on cheapest plan | No, it starts on Standard ($18) | Yes, 50 automations on Comfort |
| Logo removal | Standard, or $10.80 add on with Starter | Included on all paid plans |
| Yearly discount | 10% | 10% |
| Extra channels | SMS, WhatsApp, transactional email, sales CRM | Websites, landing pages, digital products |
| Best for | Large lists, occasional campaigns, multichannel | Creators and small businesses sending weekly |
Sources: brevo.com/pricing checked 4 November 2026, and mailerlite.com/pricing checked 29 October 2026.
The pricing difference that actually matters
MailerLite charges by subscribers. Comfort lets you send up to 10 emails per subscriber each month, which covers two newsletters a week.
Brevo charges by emails sent. A list of 20,000 people that gets one email a month only needs a 20,000 email plan.
There is a catch most comparisons skip. On Brevo’s lower paid tiers, contacts are capped: 500 contacts at 5,000 emails, 1,500 at 10,000 and 2,500 at 15,000 (Brevo pricing guide).
From the 20,000 email tier, the contact limit jumps to 500,000. So a 3,000 person list on Brevo needs at least the 20,000 email tier, even if you send one email a week.
Brevo vs MailerLite cost calculator
Enter your list size and how often you email. The calculator picks the cheapest plan on each tool that actually fits.
Monthly prices in USD from official pricing pages. Brevo Standard above 100,000 emails and MailerLite above 50,000 subscribers are priced on request here, so check the official pages.
Real costs at four list sizes
Here is what each tool costs on monthly billing for a weekly sender, which is 4 emails per subscriber a month. Automation is included in both columns, so Brevo is on Standard.
| Subscribers | Emails a month | MailerLite | Brevo (Standard) | Brevo (Starter, no automation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 4,000 | $19 | $35 | $17 |
| 2,500 | 10,000 | $33 | $49 | $25 |
| 5,000 | 20,000 | $49 | $69 | $32 |
| 10,000 | 40,000 | $89 | $89 | $46 |
Brevo rows use the cheapest tier that fits both the email volume and the contact limit. MailerLite rows use Comfort.
The pattern is clear. With automation, MailerLite wins until about 10,000 subscribers, where the two tie.
Without automation, Brevo Starter is the cheapest option at almost every size. It suits list owners who only send newsletters and are happy to show the Brevo logo.
Now flip the frequency. A 10,000 person list that gets one email a month needs only 10,000 emails on Brevo, but the 1,500 contact cap pushes it to the 20,000 tier at $32 on Starter. MailerLite still charges $89 for those 10,000 subscribers.
Brevo free plan vs MailerLite free plan
Brevo Free
- Up to 100,000 contacts stored
- 300 emails a day, about 9,000 a month
- Transactional email included
- Brevo logo on every email
MailerLite Free
- Up to 250 subscribers
- 2,500 emails a month
- Automations, forms and a landing page
- Knowledge base support only
Brevo’s free plan stores far more contacts. The daily cap means you cannot send one newsletter to 2,000 people in one go.
MailerLite’s free plan is small but complete, with automations included. If you expect to grow past 250 subscribers soon, compare all options in our free email marketing plans comparison.
Features compared
Email editor and templates
Both have clean drag and drop editors and ready templates. MailerLite’s editor feels simpler for first timers, and its templates lean toward creators and newsletters.
Brevo’s editor is equally capable and adds dynamic content blocks. It also handles transactional emails such as order confirmations from the same account.
Automation
MailerLite gives you 50 automations on Comfort and unlimited on Power. Welcome series, birthday emails and abandoned cart flows are all available on the cheapest paid plan.
On Brevo, marketing automation, A/B testing and send time optimisation start on Standard. Starter is a campaign only plan.
Websites, landing pages and products
MailerLite includes a website builder, landing pages and digital product sales. Comfort covers 10 sites and 5 digital products.
Brevo includes one landing page on Standard. It is built for sending, not for building a site.
SMS, WhatsApp and CRM
This is where Brevo pulls ahead. SMS and WhatsApp campaigns are priced by volume and country, and a sales CRM is available from $27.92 per seat.
MailerLite is email first and does not offer SMS or WhatsApp campaigns. If you want one tool for every channel, Brevo is the stronger pick.
Why email is still worth the money
Email remains one of the highest return channels for small businesses. Litmus research puts the average return at about $36 for every $1 spent (Litmus).
That is why picking the cheaper tool for your sending pattern matters. A $40 monthly gap is $480 a year that could go into growing your list.
Who should pick Brevo, and who should pick MailerLite?
You send weekly
- You have under 10,000 subscribers
- You want automation on the cheapest plan
- You need landing pages, a site or digital products
- You want no logo on paid plans
You send occasionally
- You have a big list and email once or twice a month
- You also want SMS or WhatsApp
- You send transactional emails from your store
- You only need simple campaigns
Still unsure? Take our email tool quiz, or read the full Brevo review and MailerLite review.
Our verdict
For most small businesses and creators who email weekly, MailerLite is the better value. You get automation, landing pages and no logo from $12 a month.
Brevo wins for big lists with low sending frequency and for anyone who wants SMS, WhatsApp and email in one place. Run your own numbers in the calculator above before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brevo cheaper than MailerLite?
It depends on how often you email. Brevo is cheaper for large lists that get one or two emails a month, while MailerLite is usually cheaper for lists under 10,000 that get weekly emails and need automation.
Which has the better free plan, Brevo or MailerLite?
Brevo’s free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts but limits you to 300 emails a day. MailerLite’s free plan allows 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with automations included.
Does Brevo charge by contacts or by emails?
Brevo charges by emails sent each month. Its lower paid tiers also cap contacts at 500, 1,500 and 2,500, and the cap rises to 500,000 from the 20,000 email tier.
Does MailerLite include automation on every plan?
Yes. The Free plan includes basic automations, Comfort includes 50 and Power includes unlimited automations.
Can I move from Brevo to MailerLite or the other way?
Yes. Both let you export and import contacts as a CSV file, and both offer import tools for lists from other platforms.
Which is better for SMS marketing?
Brevo. It offers SMS and WhatsApp campaigns priced by volume and country, while MailerLite focuses on email only.
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