How Much Does Email Marketing Cost in 2026? Plans and Pricing Explained

Email marketing costs anywhere from $0 to several hundred dollars a month, and the price depends mostly on two things: how many people are on your list and how many emails you send. 

A small business with a few hundred contacts can start free or pay about $9 to $13 a month. A growing business with thousands of contacts usually lands in the $30 to $100 range. 

Large senders and teams that need advanced automation can pay $350 to $500 a month or more.

This guide walks through how the major platforms charge, what real plans cost, which extras add to the bill, and how to keep your spending in check. 

All prices below come from vendor pricing pages or dated third-party reviews checked between October 16 and October 19, 2026, and each one names its source. 

Vendors change plans often, so treat these numbers as a starting point and confirm them on the vendor's own page before you buy.

The Short Answer

• Free: Brevo, Mailchimp, MailerLite, and Kit all offer free plans, with limits on sends, contacts, or features.

• Entry paid plans: About $9 to $13 a month for a small list (Brevo Starter $9, Constant Contact Lite $12, Mailchimp Essentials $13).

• Mid-range plans: About $18 to $35 a month for automation and better segmentation (Brevo Standard $18, Mailchimp Standard $20, Constant Contact Standard $35).

• Advanced plans: $68 to $500 a month for large lists and heavy automation (Constant Contact Premium from $68 on annual billing, Mailchimp Premium $350, Brevo Professional from $499).

What Drives the Cost of Email Marketing

Your list size

Most platforms raise your price as your contact count grows. Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and MailerLite all price by contact tiers.

How many emails you send

Some tools charge by volume instead of list size. Brevo prices by monthly email sends, so a big list that gets one email a month can cost less than the same list on a contact-based tool.

Features you need

Basic newsletters are cheap. Automation, A/B testing, landing pages, advanced segmentation, and multiple users usually sit on higher plans.

Billing period

Annual billing often cuts the price. Constant Contact lists up to 15% off for prepaying 12 months, and MailerLite lists about 10% off for yearly billing.

Add-ons and usage fees

SMS, dedicated IP addresses, branding removal, and overage charges can push your real bill above the headline price.

How Email Marketing Platforms Charge

Contact-based pricing

You pay based on how many contacts you store. Mailchimp is a well-known example. Its pricing page shows tiers from 0 to 500 contacts up to 1,000,000 or more, and Standard and Premium plans have monthly send limits that scale with your contact tier.

Send-based pricing

You pay based on how many emails you send each month. Brevo uses this model. 

EmailToolTester's review notes that it favors people with big lists who email once or twice a month, while daily senders may find contact-based plans more predictable.

Pay-as-you-go credits

Some tools sell prepaid credits that don't expire. EmailToolTester lists Brevo credits at $32 for 5,000 emails and $275 for 100,000 emails. 

The review says this suits low or irregular sending, though credit packs lack landing pages and cap automation at 2,000 contacts a month.

Email Marketing Pricing by Platform

Sources: each vendor's pricing page, checked October 2026. Starting prices apply to the smallest contact tier.

Brevo Cost

Brevo prices by the number of emails you send, which makes it a common pick for small senders with growing lists. 

EmailToolTester's pricing review (updated August 5, 2026) lists these monthly prices:

The same review lists Professional plans from $499 a month at 150,000 emails and Enterprise around $10,000 a year. 

It also notes that its FAQ section gives different figures from its table, so use the table as a guide and check Brevo directly. 

Brevo's own pricing page, when checked, showed plan names and limits but no dollar amounts.

The free plan allows up to 300 emails a day. Starter plans start from 5,000 emails a month, and Standard adds features such as automation, A/B testing, and landing pages. Brevo also bundles a CRM and other channels. 

For a closer look at what each plan includes, see this guide to Brevo features and pricing, and confirm each figure on Brevo's own page.

Mailchimp Cost

Mailchimp's pricing page (checked October 2026) lists these plans for the smallest contact tier:

• Free: 250 contacts, up to 500 emails a month or 250 a day, one seat, and Mailchimp branding.

• Essentials: $13 a month for the first 12 months.

• Standard: $20 a month for the first 12 months, with up to 6,000 emails a month at that tier.

• Premium: $350 a month for the first 12 months, with up to 150,000 emails a month.

The page says the price after the first 12 months isn't shown, so budget for a rise. It also lists a 15% discount for tiers of 10,000 or more contacts, and a 14-day trial on Essentials and Standard that requires payment details at signup. 

Overage charges apply if you exceed your contact or send limits. Another review cites a different first-year discount, so check your checkout screen.

If you're deciding between Mailchimp and Brevo, this Mailchimp and Brevo comparison lays out the pricing models side by side. 

Constant Contact Cost

Constant Contact's page lists three main plans:

The page says plan prices depend on your contact count and sends, and it doesn't list prices for each contact tier. 

Sends above your allowance cost $0.002 each, or $2 per 1,000, and your emails still go out. Paid plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee.

MailerLite and Kit Cost

MailerLite's page lists a free plan with up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Comfort starts at $12 a month and Power at $25, with about 10% off yearly billing. Power offers unlimited sending under a fair use policy.

Kit's page lists a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers with limits on automation and branding. 

At 1,000 subscribers, Creator is $33 a month or $390 a year, and Pro is $66 a month, shown at $50 with a first-year offer. Kit's page only shows prices at 1,000 subscribers.

ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo

ActiveCampaign's pricing page offers a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, but it displayed no dollar amounts when checked. 

Prices depend on the contact band you choose, from under 500 up to over 250,000. Klaviyo's pricing page didn't load its figures during research, so this article doesn't quote its prices. Check both vendors directly.

Other Tools and Typical Prices

CostBench, a third-party comparison site, lists many more tools but doesn't show when each price was checked, so treat its numbers as approximate. 

It lists GetResponse Starter at $19 for 1,000 contacts, $29 for 2,500, and $54 for 5,000, Omnisend Standard at $16, Sender Standard at $7, and Beehive Scale at $49.

If you're comparing more tools, this list of Brevo alternatives in 2026 may help you widen the field.

What You'll Pay at Different Business Stages

These examples use the published prices above. Real costs depend on your sending habits.

A new business with 500 contacts, sending 4 emails a month (about 2,000 emails):

• Brevo's free plan allows 300 emails a day, which covers this volume. Starter at $9 also covers it.

• Mailchimp's free plan caps you at 500 emails a month, so Essentials at $13 is the realistic option.

• Constant Contact Lite is $12 a month.

A growing business with 5,000 contacts, sending 4 emails a month (about 20,000 emails):

• Brevo Starter at 20,000 emails costs $29 a month, and Standard costs $65.

• Mailchimp and Constant Contact price by contact tier, and their pages don't show 5,000-contact prices, so request a quote or use each vendor's calculator.

A large sender with 100,000 emails a month:

• Brevo lists Starter at $69 and Standard at $129 per EmailToolTester.

• Mailchimp Premium starts at $350 and covers up to 150,000 emails at its smallest tier.

Hidden Costs That Raise Your Bill

• Branding: Free plans show vendor branding. EmailToolTester says removing Brevo's logo on Starter costs about $10 a month.

• SMS: Brevo sells SMS credits separately, priced by country. Constant Contact SMS starts at $10 a month for 1 to 500 messages, US only.

• Dedicated IP: EmailToolTester lists a Brevo dedicated IP at $251 a year.

• Overages: Mailchimp charges overages, and Constant Contact charges $2 per 1,000 extra sends.

• Inbox previews: Constant Contact's Inbox Preview add-on is $10 a month.

• Price rises after year one: Mailchimp's page shows first-year prices and not the renewal rate.

• Your time or a freelancer's: Template design, copywriting, and list cleaning take work, and platform pricing doesn't cover them.

Legal and Deliverability Costs You Can't Skip

Sending email comes with rules. The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says each email that breaks the law can draw a penalty of up to $53,088. 

You must include a valid postal address, make opting out easy, and honor opt-out requests within 10 business days. 

Hiring someone else to send your email doesn't transfer your legal responsibility (FTC, page last modified July 22, 2025).

Gmail also expects bulk senders to authenticate with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, keep spam complaint rates low, and offer one-click unsubscribe on marketing mail (Google Workspace Admin Help, email sender guidelines). Most platforms help you set these up, but you must complete the steps on your domain.

Also Read: Email Marketing Pricing Guide for Businesses

How to Keep Email Marketing Costs Down

1. Start with a free plan. Test your list and content before paying.

2. Match the pricing model to your habits. Frequent senders with small lists often do well on contact-based plans. Occasional senders with large lists often do well on send-based plans.

3. Clean your list. Remove inactive contacts so you don't pay for people who never open.

4. Pay annually if you're sure. Annual billing discounts range from about 10% to 15% on the pages above.

5. Check renewal prices. Ask what the plan costs after any first-year offer ends.

6. Pick only the features you use. Automation and A/B testing matter, but many small lists don't need advanced tiers.

7. Compare at your real list size. Entry prices apply to the smallest tier.

How to Choose a Platform

1. Count your contacts and sends. Estimate both today and a year from now.

2. List must-have features. Automation, landing pages, and multiple users change which plan you need.

3. Price two or three tools at your real numbers. Use each vendor's calculator.

4. Read the fine print. Look at trial terms, overages, renewal rates, and cancellation.

5. Test with real sends. Most tools offer a free plan or trial.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is email marketing free?

Several platforms have free plans. Brevo allows 300 emails a day, Mailchimp allows 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, MailerLite allows 250 subscribers, and Kit allows up to 10,000 subscribers. Free plans limit features and often add vendor branding.

How much should a small business spend on email marketing?

Many small businesses spend $9 to $60 a month on software. The right amount depends on list size, sending frequency, and the features you need.

Is Brevo cheaper than Mailchimp?

Brevo lists Starter at $9 a month for 5,000 emails, and Mailchimp lists Essentials at $13 for its smallest contact tier. Which one costs less depends on how many contacts you have and how often you send, so price both at your real numbers.

Do email marketing prices go up every year?

They can. Mailchimp's page lists first-year prices and doesn't show what plans cost afterward. Ask about renewal rates before you commit.

Can I switch platforms later?

Yes. Most tools let you export your contacts as a file and import them elsewhere. Check how each platform handles automations and templates, since those often need rebuilding.

Does a bigger list always cost more?

On contact-based platforms, yes. On send-based platforms such as Brevo, cost follows how many emails you send, so a large list that you email rarely can stay cheaper.

The Bottom Line

Start free if your list is small, and move to a paid plan when you hit send limits or need automation. 

Expect about $9 to $13 a month for a basic paid plan, $18 to $35 for mid-range features, and $350 to $500 or more for advanced plans and large volumes. 

Price each tool at your real list size, check what happens at renewal, and confirm every number on the vendor's own page before you pay.

Sources

• Federal Trade Commission, CAN-SPAM Act: a compliance guide for business. Page last modified July 22, 2025.

• Google Workspace Admin Help, Email sender guidelines.

• EmailToolTester, Brevo pricing. Updated August 5, 2026.