Compare the Best Email Marketing Software of 2026
Seven platforms, the same 5,000-contact list, the same four campaigns sent to 40 seed inboxes at Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and iCloud, and the same three automations built in each. We scored inbox placement, the editor and automation builder, segmentation and data, ease, and the monthly price at 5,000 contacts.
Last Updated: Sep 2026Suggested email marketing software for you
BBrevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Good
8.3
5,000 contacts mailed four times a month costs $...Learn More
KKit (formerly ConvertKit)
Good
8.3
Free up to 10,000 subscribers — the most generou...Learn More
All 7
Mailchimp alternativesFree email marketing toolsNewsletter platformsEmail marketing for small businessEmail marketing for ecommerceEmail automation softwareCheapest Email Marketing at 5,000 Contacts
1
MailerLite (Growing Business) - The best inbox placement in our test, a clean editor, real automation and landing pages — at a third of Mailchimp's price Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- 97% inbox placement — best here
- $39 at 5,000 contacts with automation and unlimited emails
- Landing pages, forms and a site builder included
Excellent
9.0
Visit Site
$0 · checked Sep 11
39 USD/mo
Yes, 1,000 subscribers
2
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) (Starter) - Priced by emails sent, not contacts — a big, quiet list costs almost nothing — with transactional email, SMS and a CRM included Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- 5,000 contacts mailed four times a month costs $25
- Transactional email API and SMS in the same account
- Built-in CRM and meetings
Good
8.3
Visit Site
$0 · checked Sep 11
25 USD/mo
Yes, 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts
3
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) (Creator) - Built for people who publish: tags instead of lists, a visual automation builder, paid newsletters and a creator network that grows your list Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Free up to 10,000 subscribers — the most generous free tier here
- Tag-based subscriber model suits creators
- Sell products and paid newsletters without another tool
Good
8.3
Visit Site
$0 · checked Sep 11
79 USD/mo
Yes, 10,000 subscribers (Newsletter plan)
4
Klaviyo (Email) - The ecommerce platform: every Shopify order, browse and cart in every profile, predictive analytics and the flows that make store email pay Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Abandoned-cart flow built from templates in minutes with product data already there
- Predicted next-order date and lifetime value on every profile
- 96% inbox placement
Good
8.3
Visit Site
$0 · checked Sep 11
100 USD/mo
Yes, 250 contacts
5
beehiiv (Scale) - A newsletter platform with its own ad network, referral programme, paid subscriptions and a website — for growing a publication, not running a store Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Referral programme and Boosts grew our test list from other newsletters
- Ad network pays publishers per send
- Free to 2,500; $39 to 10,000
Good
8.2
Visit Site
$0 · checked Sep 11
39 USD/mo
Yes, 2,500 subscribers
6
ActiveCampaign (Plus) - The deepest automation builder in the test — conditions, splits, goals, lead scoring, a CRM — for businesses whose email is a sales process Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Our re-engagement flow with scoring and branching was only fully possible here
- CRM with pipelines on Plus
- Site tracking and conditional content
Good
8.1
Visit Site
$79 · checked Sep 11
79 USD/mo
No (14-day trial)
7
Mailchimp (Standard) - The most integrations, the most templates and the name everyone knows — now priced like a premium product with a shrunken free tier Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Integrates with everything — QuickBooks, Shopify, Canva, Salesforce
- Largest template library; generative AI writing
- Customer journeys are flexible on Standard
Fair
7.8
Visit Site
$0 · checked Sep 11
100 USD/mo
Yes, 500 contacts (limited)
Frequently asked questions about email marketing software
Which platform lands in the inbox most?
On our seed test MailerLite, Kit and Klaviyo placed 96–97% of sends in the inbox; Mailchimp and Brevo 94%; ActiveCampaign 93%; Beehiiv 92%. Differences this small mostly come from your own list hygiene and authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), which every platform here walks you through.
How much should I pay at 5,000 contacts?
From $0 (Beehiiv, up to 2,500 free, then $39) to about $100 (Klaviyo) a month. Mailchimp Standard is about $100 at this size; MailerLite about $39; Kit about $79; Brevo prices by emails sent, not contacts, so a small list that mails often pays less.
Newsletter tool or marketing platform?
Creators who write a newsletter and sell a few things: Kit or Beehiiv. Stores: Klaviyo, which knows what each subscriber bought. Everyone else — services, nonprofits, B2B — Mailchimp, MailerLite, Brevo or ActiveCampaign depending on how much automation you want.
How do you test email platforms?
The same 5,000-contact opt-in list is imported into each platform with the same custom fields. We send four campaigns to 40 seed addresses across four providers and record inbox, promotions-tab and spam placement. We build a welcome series, an abandoned-cart flow and a re-engagement flow in each, time a first campaign, and price the plan at 5,000 contacts with automation.
*Scores: Deliverability 25 · Editor & automation 25 · Segmentation & data 15 · Ease of use 15 · Value 20; score = Σ ÷ 10, ties break on the earlier test date. Prices shown were checked on the date beside each and may change. Affiliate links are added only after a score is locked and can never change it. How we rank.
#1 MailerLite9.0 · $0
Visit Site