Straight answer
Best free email marketing tools for small businesses and nonprofits
Last checked Nov 3, 2026. Every price comes from the tool's own pricing page.
The short answer
Start with Kit if your list is small and you want the most room free: its free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers. MailerLite Free covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, Brevo Free sends up to 300 emails a day, and Mailchimp Free covers under 250 contacts.
Nonprofits: MailerLite takes 30% off paid plans and Mailchimp takes 15%, on request with proof of status.
All prices and limits were read from each tool's own pricing page on Nov 3, 2026.
Compared, with sources
| Tool | What it does for you | Free plan and paid starting price | Free plan | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | Newsletter and email sequences built for creators and small shops; the free plan is the largest we found. | Free $0 up to 10,000 subscribers · Creator $33/mo for 1,000 subscribers, paid yearly | Yes | Pricing page checked Nov 3, 2026 |
| MailerLite | Newsletters, automations, landing pages and signup forms, with a free plan and a nonprofit discount. | Free: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month · Comfort from $12/mo · Power from $25/mo · 30% nonprofit discount | Yes | Pricing page checked Nov 3, 2026 |
| Brevo | Email, SMS and transactional email, with a free plan that is limited by emails per day rather than contacts. | Free: up to 300 emails a day · paid plans start from 5,000 emails a month (price not shown on the page we fetched) | Yes | Pricing page checked Nov 3, 2026 |
| Mailchimp | A long-established email tool, with a small free plan and a 15% nonprofit discount. | Free: under 250 contacts, 500 sends a month (250 a day) · paid price depends on contacts · 15% nonprofit discount | Yes | Pricing page checked Nov 3, 2026 |
Order: largest free plan first. Plans and limits are summarized from each pricing page; open the source for the full list.
Questions people ask
What is the best free email marketing tool for a small business?
On Nov 3, 2026 Kit had the largest free plan we found, at up to 10,000 subscribers. MailerLite Free covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, Brevo Free sends up to 300 emails a day, and Mailchimp Free covers under 250 contacts and 500 sends a month.
Do any of them give nonprofits a discount?
Yes, two of them say so on their pricing pages. MailerLite gives nonprofits 30% off paid plans, and Mailchimp gives nonprofits and charities 15% off; both ask you to contact them with proof of your status. Kit and Brevo did not list a nonprofit discount on the pages we read.
What does the cheapest paid plan cost?
MailerLite lists Comfort as starting at $12 a month and Power at $25 a month. Kit Creator was $33 a month for 1,000 subscribers when paid yearly. Brevo and Mailchimp do not show a plain paid price until you pick a contact or email tier, so check their pages for your list size.
Is a free plan enough for a newsletter?
For a new list, usually yes. Check the limits first: some plans cap contacts, some cap emails a month or a day, and some remove the sender logo only on paid plans. Whoever you pick, keep a physical mailing address and an unsubscribe link in every email, which US law (CAN-SPAM) requires.
How were these prices checked?
Each price was read from the tool's own pricing page on Nov 3, 2026 and is linked in the table. Nothing on this page is sponsored, and the order is not for sale.
Sorted for usefulness, not payment: nothing on this page is sponsored. Prices change, so check the tool's own page before you buy. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. How we check prices
New tools and price changes, once a week
One short email. Every price has its source and the date we checked it. At most one sponsor per issue, marked “Sponsored.”
Free guide: 18 AI tools under $20 a month for a small business, every price sourced and dated. No sign-up needed to read it.