Best Email Marketing Software for Startups
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Startups typically need to send email campaigns and automate follow-ups without committing to a large monthly bill, and many want to test the water on a free or near-free tier before paying. This ranking compares six email marketing platforms using only their published pricing tiers and feature data, weighing entry cost, whether a free plan exists, and how early automation, AI writing help, and A/B testing become available. Platforms that gate core automation or transactional email behind expensive Enterprise tiers rank lower, since that mismatches a startup's need for functionality at low seat counts and contact volumes.
Full ranking
Best for: Startups that want to start free and only pay as sending volume grows
Brevo offers a Free plan with 300 emails per day forever with no credit card, then a Starter plan at $9/month for 5,000 emails per month, making it the cheapest path to a working email program. The Standard plan at $18/month adds marketing automation and A/B testing, and AI content generation is already included from the Starter tier.
- Free forever plan
- Marketing automation workflows
- AI content assistant
Best for: Small-list startups needing free-to-cheap automation with ecommerce hooks
MailerLite's Free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails with 2 user seats, and the Comfort plan at $12/month (or $10.80/month billed annually) raises that to 500 subscribers with 50 automations and an AI writing assistant. Built-in Stripe, Shopify, and WooCommerce integrations make it a fit for early-stage ecommerce startups.
- Free forever plan
- Marketing automation workflows
- E-commerce integrations
Best for: Startups expecting fast contact growth who want low-cost scaling
Moosend's Pro plan starts at $9/month with a contact-tier slider that scales up to 1,000,000 contacts, and its 30-day free trial (no credit card required) supports unlimited sends for up to 1,000 contacts. Marketing automation workflows, A/B testing, and an AI Writer are listed as available on all plans, including the trial, though there's no permanent free tier.
- Marketing automation workflows
- A/B testing
- AI content assistant
Best for: Startups that want a widely recognized brand and are fine with limited automation until they upgrade
Mailchimp's Free plan works for under 250 contacts, and Essentials starts at $13/month with 3 seats and 3 audiences, though automation is capped at 4 flow steps on that tier. Standard at $20/month raises automation to 200 flows and adds generative AI features at no extra cost, but the jump to Premium at $350/month is steep for a startup budget.
- Free forever plan
- A/B testing
- Marketing automation workflows
Best for: Startups past the earliest bootstrap stage who can commit to a paid plan from day one
GetResponse has no free plan and starts at $19/month for the Starter tier, which includes only 1 custom automation workflow; unlimited workflows require the $59/month Marketer plan. AI-powered content generators are included from Starter, but SMS marketing and transactional email are restricted to the custom-priced Enterprise plan.
- Marketing automation workflows
- AI content assistant
- Landing page builder
Best for: Startups with funding that already need a combined CRM and marketing platform
HubSpot's Free tier supports up to 2 users at $0/month, which suits a very early team, but scaling up jumps sharply to $890/month for Professional (2,000 marketing contacts, 3 Core Seats) and $3,600/month for Enterprise, both with required one-time onboarding fees of $3,000 and $7,000 respectively. That pricing structure is hard to justify for a typical startup budget despite built-in CRM lead scoring.
- Free forever plan
- Built-in CRM / contact scoring
- Marketing automation workflows
Buying guide
For startups, the first filter should be whether a permanent free plan exists versus a time-limited trial: Brevo, MailerLite, Mailchimp, and HubSpot all offer an ongoing free tier, while Moosend only offers a 30-day trial and GetResponse has no free option at all. The second filter is entry-level pricing once you outgrow free: Brevo's Starter is $9/month, Moosend's Pro is also $9/month, MailerLite's Comfort is $12/month, and Mailchimp's Essentials is $13/month, all considerably cheaper than GetResponse's $19/month Starter or HubSpot's $20/month Starter (and its much steeper Professional/Enterprise jumps). Third, check whether automation and AI writing tools are available at the entry tier or gated further up — Brevo includes AI content assist from Starter and automation from Standard ($18/month), while GetResponse limits Starter to 1 workflow and Mailchimp caps Essentials at 4 flow steps. Finally, factor in extras relevant to your model: ecommerce integrations (MailerLite, Brevo), built-in CRM scoring (HubSpot, Brevo Professional), or SMS marketing (Mailchimp add-on, GetResponse Enterprise only) before locking into a platform you'll need to migrate away from later.
Frequently asked questions
Which of these tools is cheapest for a startup just getting started?
Brevo and Moosend both start paid plans at $9/month (Brevo Starter, Moosend Pro), and Brevo also has a Free plan with 300 emails per day forever with no credit card required, making it the lowest-cost entry point among the options listed.
Is there a truly free plan, not just a trial?
Brevo, MailerLite, Mailchimp, and HubSpot all list an ongoing Free plan ($0/month). Moosend instead offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, and GetResponse has no free plan in the data provided.
Who is HubSpot best suited for versus a cheaper tool like Brevo?
HubSpot's Free tier fits very small teams (up to 2 users), but its Professional plan is $890/month with a $3,000 one-time onboarding fee and Enterprise is $3,600/month with a $7,000 onboarding fee, so it suits funded startups needing built-in CRM lead scoring rather than budget-conscious early teams, where Brevo's $9-18/month tiers fit better.
Which platforms include marketing automation without an expensive upgrade?
Brevo includes marketing automation from its $18/month Standard plan, MailerLite includes automation (with limits) even on its Free plan and Comfort tier, and Moosend lists automation workflows on all plans including the free trial. GetResponse restricts unlimited automation workflows to its $59/month Marketer plan and above.
Do any of these tools support ecommerce features for a startup selling products?
MailerLite lists Stripe, Shopify, and WooCommerce integrations as included, and Brevo offers advanced ecommerce features like AI recommendations and back-in-stock alerts starting at its Professional tier. GetResponse adds abandoned cart recovery and sales funnels from its Marketer tier and above.