Ranked by free contact headroom. Send caps, automation gates, and branding matter as much as the headline number — every row cites the vendor free-plan note we last checked.
| # | Tool | Free contacts | Sends / mo | Automations | Branding off? | At 10k paid | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Brevo | unlimited | ≈9,000 (300/day) | false | No | $0 | Visit |
| 2 |  Substack | unlimited | unlimited | false | No | $0 | Visit |
| 3 |  Kit | 10k | unlimited | false | No | $0 | Visit |
| 4 |  beehiiv | 2.5k | unlimited | false | No | $139 | Visit |
| 5 |  EmailOctopus | 2.5k | 10000 | false | No | $44.50 | Visit |
| 6 |  Sender | 2.5k | 15000 | true | No | $69 | Visit |
| 7 |  Systeme.io | 2k | — | true | No | $47 | Visit |
| 8 |  HubSpot | 2k | — | limited | No | Custom | Visit |
| 9 |  AWeber | 500 | 3000 | limited | No | $100 | Visit |
| 10 |  MailerLite | 250 | 2500 | true | No | $89 | Visit |
| 11 |  Mailchimp | 250 | 500 | false | No | $110 | Visit |
| 12 |  Omnisend | 250 | 500 | true | No | $132 | Visit |
| 13 |  Klaviyo | 250 | 500 | true | No | $150 | Visit |
| 14 |  Flodesk | — | 0 | false | No | $72 | Visit |
Free: upload contacts free; send up to 300 emails/day after approval. Starter adds volume from ~5,000 emails/mo. Pricing is primarily email-volume based.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full Brevo pricing · Alternatives
Free to publish. Monetization: Substack takes 10% of paid subscription revenue + Stripe fees. Not a traditional ESP.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full Substack pricing · Alternatives
Free up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts; no visual automations or sequences; branding stays.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full Kit pricing · Alternatives
Free up to 2,500 subscribers; unlimited sends; no automations or paid-sub tools; branding stays.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full beehiiv pricing · Alternatives
Free: 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/mo, branding on emails, 1 user/1 form/1 LP.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full EmailOctopus pricing · Alternatives
Free Forever: up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails/month.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full Sender pricing · Alternatives
Free: 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, 1 course. Startup $17/mo (5,000 contacts), Webinar $47, Unlimited $97.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full Systeme.io pricing · Alternatives
Free CRM/Marketing tools with limits; Marketing Hub Starter from ~$20/seat/mo + marketing contacts. Exact email send limits vary — confirm HubSpot calculator.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full HubSpot pricing · Alternatives
Free plan cited up to 500 subscribers / 3,000 emails/mo on third-party compares; confirm aweber.com/pricing. Lite from ~$15/mo ($12.49 annual) at 500.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full AWeber pricing · Alternatives
Free: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo, 3 automations (5 steps), branding stays. Sending locks if you exceed 250.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full MailerLite pricing · Alternatives
Free: 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo, 250/day. Sending paused if contact limit exceeded. Essentials from ~$13/mo (500 contacts); Standard from ~$20/mo.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full Mailchimp pricing · Alternatives
Free: 250 contacts / 500 emails/mo. Paid from ~$16/mo (Standard at 500 contacts per site meta).
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full Omnisend pricing · Alternatives
Free: up to 250 active profiles / 500 emails/mo. Email paid from ~$20/mo at 251–500 profiles.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full Klaviyo pricing · Alternatives
Free plan for list-building (forms/LPs) without email sending per Flodesk pricing FAQ.
Source: vendor page · checked 2026-10-28 · Full Flodesk pricing · Alternatives
These tools still appear in paid comparisons — open the tool page for trials and ladders.
By free contact headroom, Brevo leads among tools we track (unlimited / send-capped). Sends, automations, and branding rules still matter — use the comparison table.
Kit publishes a free Newsletter plan up to 10,000 subscribers with broadcast limits as stated on its pricing page. Automations and creator features sit on paid Creator/Pro. Always re-check the vendor page — prices change.
Often no. Many free tiers keep vendor branding and gate automations. Our free-plan table shows branding_removal and automations as published.