MailerLite vs Brevo: Budget Email Marketing Compared (2026)
MailerLite and Brevo are two of the most affordable email marketing platforms. We compare pricing, features, automation, and deliverability to help you choose.
Not sure which platform is right for you?
Compare all 9 email marketing tools side-by-side →Top Picks from This Article
MailerLite and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) are two of the most popular budget-friendly email marketing platforms. Both undercut bigger names like Mailchimp on pricing, but they take fundamentally different approaches to billing and features.
Here is how they compare across the dimensions that matter.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | MailerLite | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per subscriber | Per email volume |
| Free plan | 1,000 subs, 12K emails/mo | Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day |
| Starting price | $9/mo | $9/mo (Starter) |
| SMS marketing | No | Yes |
| No | Yes | |
| Live chat | No | Yes |
| Website builder | Yes | No |
| Landing pages | Yes (free plan) | Yes (paid plans) |
| Automation | Visual builder (all plans) | Visual builder (all plans) |
| CRM | No | Built-in |
Pricing: Different Models, Similar Cost
The key difference is how they charge. MailerLite charges by subscriber count with unlimited emails. Brevo charges by email volume with unlimited contacts.
MailerLite pricing (Growing Business):
| Subscribers | Price |
|---|---|
| 500 | Free |
| 1,000 | $9/mo |
| 2,500 | $15/mo |
| 5,000 | $29/mo |
| 10,000 | $47/mo |
| 25,000 | $139/mo |
Brevo pricing (Starter):
| Monthly emails | Price |
|---|---|
| 5,000 | $9/mo |
| 10,000 | $16/mo |
| 20,000 | $25/mo |
| 40,000 | $32/mo |
| 60,000 | $49/mo |
| 100,000 | $69/mo |
Which is cheaper? If you have a small list and send frequently, MailerLite wins. If you have a large list but send infrequently (1-2 times per month), Brevo’s unlimited contacts model saves money.
For example: 10,000 contacts sending 2 emails/month = 20,000 emails. MailerLite charges $47/mo; Brevo charges $25/mo. But 2,000 contacts sending 10 emails/month = 20,000 emails. Same Brevo price ($25/mo), but MailerLite only charges $15/mo.
Winner: Depends on your sending pattern.
Email Design
MailerLite has a clean, intuitive drag-and-drop editor with modern templates. Content blocks include countdown timers, product listings, surveys, and RSS feeds. The editor loads fast and is easy to learn.
Brevo offers a capable editor with a decent template library. It is functional but not as polished as MailerLite’s. Template designs are adequate but fewer in number and less modern.
Winner: MailerLite.
Automation
Both platforms include automation on free plans, which is rare.
MailerLite’s visual workflow builder handles welcome sequences, abandoned carts, date-based triggers, and conditional branching. It is available on all plans including free.
Brevo’s automation supports multi-channel workflows combining email, SMS, and WhatsApp. The workflow builder is visual and includes if/else conditions, time delays, and contact attribute filters. Free plan automation is limited to 2,000 contacts in workflows.
If you need email-only automation, both are equally capable. If you need multi-channel automation (email + SMS + WhatsApp), Brevo is the only option.
Winner: Brevo for multi-channel. MailerLite for email-focused simplicity.
Multi-Channel Marketing: Brevo Wins
This is Brevo’s strongest differentiator. Beyond email, Brevo includes:
- SMS marketing with global coverage
- WhatsApp campaigns (Business API integration)
- Live chat widget for your website
- Transactional email (SMTP relay)
MailerLite focuses on email marketing with landing pages and a website builder. There is no SMS, no chat, and no WhatsApp.
If your business communicates across multiple channels, Brevo consolidates tools you would otherwise pay for separately.
Winner: Brevo.
Website and Landing Pages
MailerLite includes a full website builder and landing page editor on all plans, including the free tier. You can build a simple website, blog, and landing pages without a separate tool.
Brevo offers landing pages on paid plans but no website builder.
Winner: MailerLite.
CRM
Brevo includes a built-in CRM with deal pipelines, contact management, and task tracking. It is basic compared to dedicated CRMs like HubSpot, but useful for small teams.
MailerLite has no CRM functionality. Contact management is limited to subscriber profiles with tags and custom fields.
Winner: Brevo.
Deliverability
Both platforms maintain strong deliverability rates. Independent tests show inbox placement above 95% for both. Neither has a consistent edge over the other.
Both support SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Brevo offers a dedicated IP option on higher plans, which can improve deliverability for high-volume senders.
Winner: Tie.
Who Should Choose MailerLite?
- Budget-conscious businesses focused on email marketing
- Creators and small businesses who want a website builder included
- Users who value a clean, modern email editor
- Anyone who needs automation on a free plan
- Small businesses looking for the best value in pure email marketing
Read our full MailerLite review for more details.
Who Should Choose Brevo?
- Businesses that need email + SMS + WhatsApp in one platform
- Companies with large contact lists but low send frequency
- Teams that want a built-in CRM
- Ecommerce stores that need transactional email (order confirmations, shipping updates)
- Anyone who communicates across multiple channels
See our Brevo vs Mailchimp comparison for how Brevo stacks up against the market leader.
The Verdict
MailerLite is the better pure email marketing platform. It has a cleaner editor, more modern templates, a website builder, and transparent per-subscriber pricing.
Brevo is the better multi-channel marketing platform. If you need SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, CRM, and transactional email alongside your campaigns, Brevo delivers more functionality per dollar.
Both offer generous free plans — test both with your actual workflow before deciding. For a broader comparison, see our best email marketing software roundup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is MailerLite or Brevo cheaper?
It depends on your usage. MailerLite charges by subscriber count (from $9/mo), while Brevo charges by email volume with unlimited contacts. For small lists with frequent sends, MailerLite is cheaper. For large lists with infrequent sends, Brevo is cheaper.
Does Brevo have a free plan?
Yes. Brevo's free plan allows 300 emails per day (about 9,000/month) with unlimited contacts. MailerLite's free plan allows 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month.
Which has better automation, MailerLite or Brevo?
Both offer solid automation. MailerLite includes automation on its free plan with a visual workflow builder. Brevo's automation is available on the free plan as well but limited to 2,000 contacts in workflows. For most small businesses, both are sufficient.
Can Brevo replace MailerLite for multi-channel marketing?
Yes. Brevo offers email, SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat in one platform, while MailerLite focuses primarily on email. If you need multi-channel communication, Brevo is the stronger choice.
Looking for the right email marketing tool?
Compare all 9 email marketing platforms side-by-side →