How much does email marketing software cost?

Email marketing software typically costs $0–$100+ per month for a small business, depending mainly on how many contacts you have and which features you need. Larger lists, advanced automation, or high-volume sending can push costs into the hundreds per month.

A few current examples:

• Free plans: Some services offer limited free tiers; for example, Klaviyo advertises a free plan for small accounts. Limits apply. (klaviyo.com)
• Brevo: Its Standard plan starts at $18/month; pricing is tied partly to monthly send volume. (help.brevo.com)
• Constant Contact: Starts at $12/month for Lite, $35/month for Standard, and $80/month for Premium; your contact count affects the price. (constantcontact.com)

So, as a rough budget: a basic newsletter tool may be free or around $10–$30/month, while tools with more sophisticated automation and reporting often cost $30–$100+. Check whether the quoted price is introductory or annual-billing pricing, and whether it rises as your contact list grows.

Email marketing software ranges from free to several hundred dollars a month, and the price depends mostly on how many contacts you have. Most vendors bill by list size, so a tool that's cheap at 500 contacts can become expensive at 50,000.

Typical ranges

• Free: One guide describes free plans as basic email sends + editor, light automation (sometimes none), provider branding, which suits new lists and simple newsletters.
• Starter (about $7–$20/month): Covers 500–1,000 contacts or 5,000–15,000 emails/month, basic forms + templates.
• Pro (about $40–$100/month): Adds higher limits, better automation, A/B testing, segmentation.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for SSO, advanced reporting, dedicated support, security/legal.

Cost at different list sizes (approximate, from third-party comparisons)

• At 1,000 contacts: Most tools start around $10–$30/month. One comparison puts the median at $19/mo, and Kit and HubSpot have free tiers.
• At 10,000 contacts: The median is $120/mo. Brevo is cheaper there at $14/mo, while HubSpot is about $293/mo.
• At 50,000 contacts: The median is $430/mo. Klaviyo's per-subscriber pricing is steeper, at $720/mo at that size in one comparison.

Popular tools

• Mailchimp: Its free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month with no automation. Essentials starts at ~$13/mo for 500 contacts; branching automation requires Standard, and Premium from $350/mo at 10,000 contacts is the only tier with phone support.
• Klaviyo: It's aimed at ecommerce. Free to 250 profiles and 500 sends a month, and Reviews (from $25/mo), Marketing Analytics (from $100/mo), and Customer Agent AI (from $140/mo) are separate add-ons.
• Kit (formerly ConvertKit): Its Free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited forms, landing pages and broadcasts. The Creator plan is $33 a month at 1,000 subscribers ($390 billed yearly).
• Brevo: It charges by emails sent (not contacts), with paid plans starting at $15/month for 5,000 emails.
• MailerLite: Free for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, paid plans from $12/month.

Things to watch

• Pricing differs by source. For example, sources disagree on Mailchimp's free-tier limit (250 vs. 500 contacts) and on Klaviyo's cost at 1,000 contacts. Check the vendor's pricing page before you buy.
• Unsubscribed contacts can count. Mailchimp is cheapest to start but counts unsubscribed contacts, while ConvertKit only bills for active subscribers.
• Costs grow with your list. One guide notes that pricing scales with your subscriber count — what starts at $20/month can hit $500–2,000/month as your list grows.
• Add-ons cost extra. SMS and some analytics or AI features are often billed separately.

If you tell me your list size and whether you're a newsletter writer, ecommerce store, or small business, I can narrow this down to a few options.

The cost of email marketing software varies significantly depending on your business needs, ranging from $0 for basic free plans to several hundred dollars per month for advanced enterprise-level features.

Most small businesses using do-it-yourself (DIY) software typically spend between $9 and $150 per month for entry-level to mid-tier plans.

Common Pricing Models

Understanding how providers charge is key to estimating your true costs, as most platforms use one of the following models:

• Subscriber-Based: You pay based on the total number of contacts in your list. As your list grows, your monthly fee increases.
• Send-Based: You pay based on the volume of emails sent per month. This is often better for businesses with large lists that send emails infrequently.
• Feature-Based Tiers: Costs scale based on the features you unlock, such as advanced automation, predictive segmentation, or e-commerce integrations.

Estimated Price Ranges (2026 Trends)

Important Factors That Affect Your Bill

• List Size: Often the biggest driver of cost. As you add more subscribers, you will naturally move into higher pricing tiers.
• Hidden Costs: Keep in mind that software subscriptions are only one part of the expense. You may also incur costs for list cleaning, design services, professional copy, or third-party integrations.
• Labor vs. Software: If you are doing it yourself, your costs are limited to the software fee. If you hire a freelancer or agency to manage your email marketing, expect to pay significantly more—often ranging from $750 to $10,000+ per month depending on the scope of services.

Pro Tip: Before committing to a platform, estimate your usage based on your future growth, not just your current list size. This helps avoid "sticker shock" when your monthly bill jumps after a successful marketing campaign.

Email marketing software can cost nothing to several hundred dollars per month for most businesses; larger or high-volume plans can cost more.

• Free: Some providers offer free plans with sending limits. For example, Brevo’s free plan allows up to 300 emails per day. ¹
• Entry-level paid plans: Often around $9–$20/month. Brevo starts at $9/month, while Constant Contact’s Lite plan starts at $12/month. ¹¹⁵
• More features or a larger audience: Commonly $35–$130/month or more, depending on the provider, subscriber count, and email volume. Constant Contact’s Standard starts at $35/month; Brevo’s higher-volume plans scale with sends. ¹¹⁴¹⁵
• Advanced/high-volume plans: Can run into the hundreds per month. Brevo’s Professional plan starts at $499/month. ¹

The main pricing difference is what the provider counts: some charge based on subscribers, others on monthly sends, and plans may also differ in automation, users, support, and add-ons. ¹¹⁴¹⁵