Free Mailchimp Alternatives (Free Plans Compared Honestly)
Quick answer: The best free Mailchimp alternatives are Brevo (100,000 contacts, 300 emails/day, basic automation), Sender (2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails/month), and EmailOctopus (2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/month). Mailchimp’s own free plan is down to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month with no automation — every alternative here gives you more for $0. Verify the limits on each pricing page before you commit; free tiers change often.
Mailchimp used to be the obvious free choice for email marketing. It isn’t anymore. In February 2026, Mailchimp cut its free plan again — down to 250 contacts and 500 emails per month, with automation removed from the free tier entirely. If you started with Mailchimp years ago expecting the old limits to hold, they don’t.
The good news: the alternatives didn’t just catch up — several now give away more than Mailchimp ever did. I compared the current free plans of the five strongest contenders against official pricing pages and recent independent testing, and laid out exactly what each one limits, so you can pick without the trial-and-error.
What happened to Mailchimp’s free plan
Mailchimp’s free tier has been shrinking for years, and the cuts accelerated recently:
Before 2023: 2,000 contacts and 10,000 emails per month — genuinely generous.
2023: cut to 500 contacts and 2,500 emails per month.
Mid-2025: automation removed from the free tier entirely.
February 2026: cut again to 250 contacts, 500 emails per month, with a 250-per-day sending cap.
At 500 emails a month, a list of 250 contacts gets two emails each — barely a newsletter. And without automation, you can’t even run a welcome sequence. That’s the context for everything below: you’re not comparing these tools against the Mailchimp of 2020. You’re comparing them against 250 contacts and 500 sends.
The 5 best free Mailchimp alternatives
1. Brevo — the most generous free plan, period
Brevo’s free plan is built different from everyone else’s: instead of capping contacts, it caps sending. You get up to 100,000 contacts and 300 emails per day (around 9,000 a month), with basic form-triggered follow-up emails on the free tier — full multi-step workflow automation needs Standard from ~$18/month (see Brevo’s pricing page). The trade: every email carries a Brevo logo in the footer, and the daily cap means you can’t blast a huge list all at once — but for a growing small business sending a few campaigns a week, nothing free comes close. Paid plans start around $9/month. Best for: small businesses that want the biggest free runway before paying anything.
2. Sender — the closest Mailchimp replacement
Sender’s free plan holds 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month, with visual automation and a drag-and-drop editor that will feel familiar if you’re coming from Mailchimp. That’s 10x the contacts and 30x the sends of Mailchimp’s current free plan. Free emails carry a small Sender badge. Paid plans start around $7/month billed annually — among the cheapest entry prices in the category. Best for: Mailchimp refugees who want the same kind of tool, just with bigger free limits.
3. EmailOctopus — the simple, cheap workhorse
EmailOctopus keeps it deliberately simple: 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month free, including 1 landing page, 1 form, and up to three automations. The editor is more basic than Mailchimp’s or Sender’s, and advanced automation is limited — but if your needs are “send a good-looking newsletter reliably,” it does exactly that, and its paid plans undercut nearly everyone when you outgrow free. Best for: newsletter-focused businesses that value simplicity and low future prices over fancy automation.
4. MailerLite — great tool, shrinking free plan
MailerLite is still one of the best-designed email tools, but its free plan is a cautionary tale: on June 16, 2026, it was cut to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails per month, with caps of 3 automations, 3 forms, and 1 landing page (see MailerLite’s pricing page). On the plus side, the free plan now includes the drag-and-drop editor, templates, and even A/B testing — features Mailchimp locks behind paid plans. Paid plans start around $12/month. Best for: trying the platform’s excellent editor on a small list, with the expectation you’ll pay as you grow.
5. Kit — the creator pick with a huge free tier
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is built for creators selling newsletters, courses, and digital products — and its free plan is startling: up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts. The catch is that automation on the free tier is limited or absent compared to its paid plans (from around $33/month), and it’s less of a fit for traditional small-business marketing than for creators. But if you run a newsletter-first business, the free subscriber ceiling is unmatched. Best for: creators and newsletter businesses planning to monetize an audience.
Free plans compared honestly
| Tool | Free contacts | Free emails/month | Automation on free? | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Up to 100,000 | ~9,000 (300/day) | Basic only | Brevo logo in footer; daily send cap; full automation needs Standard |
| Sender | 2,500 | 15,000 | Yes | Sender badge on free emails |
| EmailOctopus | 2,500 | 10,000 | Yes (up to 3) | Basic editor; 1 form, 1 landing page |
| Kit | Up to 10,000 | Unlimited broadcasts | Limited | Creator-focused; paid plans from ~$33/mo |
| MailerLite | 250 | 2,500 | Yes (up to 3) | Tiny list cap since June 2026 cuts |
| Mailchimp | 250 | 500 (250/day cap) | No | Mailchimp badge; no free automation |
Limits verified against the official pricing pages linked above and independent testing published September–October 2026. Free tiers change — confirm the current numbers on each pricing page before you migrate.
The “free” trap: Moosend isn’t free anymore
You’ll still see Moosend on “best free email marketing” lists. As of 2026, it no longer offers a permanent free plan — only a 30-day free trial (no credit card required, unlimited sends to up to 1,000 contacts during the trial). After 30 days, you pay. It’s a reasonable tool to trial, but any roundup listing it as a free option is working from outdated information. I left it out of the table for exactly that reason.
How to switch without losing subscribers
1. Export everything from Mailchimp first. Audience → View Contacts → Export. Download your segments and tags too — those don’t always survive a raw CSV import, so screenshot your segment rules.
2. Import into the new tool and warm up gradually. Don’t blast your full list on day one from a brand-new account; deliverability systems treat sudden volume spikes as suspicious. Send to your most engaged segment first, then widen.
3. Rebuild your key automation before you cancel. The one thing people forget: welcome sequences and abandoned-cart flows. Rebuild at least your welcome email in the new tool and test it with your own address before pointing your signup forms at it.
4. Keep Mailchimp read-only for 30 days. Don’t delete the account immediately — keep it as a backup while you confirm the new tool’s deliverability and reporting match your expectations.
FAQs
As of October 2026, Brevo’s free plan is the most generous: up to 100,000 contacts with 300 emails per day (about 9,000/month) and basic form-triggered follow-up automation (full multi-step workflows need the paid Standard plan). Sender is the best all-rounder at 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails/month. EmailOctopus gives 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails/month with a simpler editor.
Yes — exporting your audience as a CSV from Mailchimp and importing it into Brevo, Sender, EmailOctopus, MailerLite, or Kit is standard and supported by all of them. Export your segments and tags too, since those don’t always survive a raw CSV import. Keep your Mailchimp account read-only for 30 days as a backup.
No. Mailchimp removed automation from its free tier in mid-2025. If you want welcome sequences or abandoned-cart emails on Mailchimp, you need a paid plan. Sender and EmailOctopus include automation on their free tiers; Brevo’s free tier includes only basic form-triggered follow-up emails. One of the biggest practical reasons to switch.
Because it isn’t one anymore. As of 2026, Moosend offers only a 30-day free trial (unlimited sends to up to 1,000 contacts during the trial), not a permanent free plan. Many roundups still list it as free from outdated information.
Match the tool to your sending pattern. Under 300 emails a day with a big list: Brevo. Familiar Mailchimp-style tool with big free sends: Sender. Simple newsletter, lowest future prices: EmailOctopus. Creator business or paid newsletter: Kit. Small list where you love the editor: MailerLite. Then verify the current limits on the pricing page — free tiers change.
Yes, with the daily cap in mind: 300 emails per day means about 9,000 a month. A business sending two campaigns a week to a list under ~1,000 contacts will never touch the ceiling. The Brevo logo in the email footer is the main trade-off, and it disappears on paid plans starting around $9/month. Note: full multi-step automation needs Standard (~$18/month), not the free plan.
Final Thought
Mailchimp earned its reputation when its free plan was genuinely generous. That plan no longer exists — 250 contacts and 500 emails a month with no automation isn’t a free tier, it’s a trial with no expiry date. The honest comparison above shows every serious alternative now gives you more for $0: Brevo if you want the biggest runway, Sender if you want the familiar all-rounder, EmailOctopus if you want simple and cheap, Kit if you’re a creator. Pick the one whose limits match how you actually send, verify the current numbers on its pricing page, and don’t look back.
