Monthly cost at 500 contacts
| # | Tool | Plan tracked | Monthly | Free covers? | Note | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  AWeber | Lite | $0 | Yes | Long-running small-business ESP | Visit |
| 2 |  beehiiv | Lite | $0 | Yes | Newsletter platform with monetization, website, and ad network | Visit |
| 3 |  Brevo | Starter | $0 | Yes | Multi-channel (email/SMS); free plan is send-capped not contact-capped | Visit |
| 4 |  EmailOctopus | Pro | $0 | Yes | Budget ESP; free to 2,500 | Visit |
| 5 |  HubSpot | Marketing Hub Starter | Contact sales | Yes | CRM suite; Marketing Hub email is seat + contact pack priced | Visit |
| 6 |  Kit | Creator | $0 | Yes | Creator email OS (formerly ConvertKit) — generous free broadcasts | Visit |
| 7 |  Sender | Standard | $0 | Yes | Budget ESP with generous free forever plan | Visit |
| 8 |  Substack | Revenue-share | $0 | Yes | Writer platform; 10% of paid sub revenue, no monthly ESP fee | Visit |
| 9 |  Systeme.io | Startup | $0 | Yes | Funnels + email + courses; strong free plan | Visit |
| 10 |  Moosend | Pro | $9 | — | Budget automation ESP; trial not free forever | Visit |
| 11 |  Constant Contact | Lite | $12 | — | SMB email + marketing toolkit | Visit |
| 12 |  MailerLite | Comfort | $12 | No | Full-featured email + sites; Comfort is the value paid plan | Visit |
| 13 |  Mailchimp | Essentials | $13 | No | Well-known ESP; free plan now very limited | Visit |
| 14 |  Omnisend | Standard | $16 | No | Ecommerce email + SMS | Visit |
| 15 |  Ghost | cheapest (Starter≤1k else Publisher) | $18 | — | Open-source publishing + newsletters; hosted from $50/mo | Visit |
| 16 |  GetResponse | Starter | $19 | — | Email + funnels + webinars | Visit |
| 17 |  Klaviyo | $20 | No | Ecommerce CRM email/SMS; expensive per profile at scale | Visit | |
| 18 |  Flodesk | Lite | $25 | No | Design-first email; flat-ish pricing that now scales with list | Visit |
| 19 |  Drip | $39 | — | Ecommerce CRM email | Visit | |
| 20 |  ActiveCampaign | Starter | See vendor | — | Deep marketing automation + CRM; no free plan | Visit |
How to read this table
Prices are monthly list prices on the plan named in each tool’s ListCost page (for example Mailchimp Essentials, Klaviyo Email, Kit Creator). Annual-equivalent discounts are on individual tool pages. Volume-billed or seat-pack tools may show honest blanks — we refuse to guess.
Want a single tool’s full ladder? AWeber · beehiiv · Brevo · EmailOctopus · HubSpot
FAQ — email cost at 500
What is the cheapest email marketing tool for 500 subscribers?
Among tools with a verified public price at 500 contacts, AWeber is $0 (free plan covers this size) on the Lite plan we track. Unknown and contact-sales cells are excluded from “cheapest.” Confirm live on the vendor page.
Which email tools are free at 500 subscribers?
Verified free coverage at 500: AWeber, beehiiv, Brevo, EmailOctopus, HubSpot, Kit, Sender, Substack, Systeme.io. Free does not always mean unlimited automations or branding removal — read each free-plan note.
How often does ListCost re-check prices?
Each tool page cites last_checked dates from vendor pricing pages. Site-wide desk update: 29 Oct 2026. See /methodology for how blanks and volume-billed tools are handled.