The best low cost email marketing tools for startups are Brevo, MailerLite, HubSpot, and Klaviyo all of which offer free plans or startup discounts that let you start sending without spending anything.
Email marketing is still one of the cheapest ways to reach customers. No ad spend. No algorithm. Just a list, a message, and a send button. For startups watching every penny, picking the right tool at the right price matters more than picking the most famous brand.
The problem is that “free” in email marketing is a moving target. Mailchimp cut its free plan from 2,000 contacts down to just 250, and stripped out automation entirely by mid-2025. MailerLite halved its free subscriber limit from 1,000 to 500 in September 2025. Prices are tightening across the board.
That makes it worth knowing exactly what you get before you sign up.
Quick Comparison: Startup Email Marketing Tools
| Tool | Free Plan | Paid From | Best For |
| Brevo | 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts | $9/month | Volume-based sending, growing lists |
| MailerLite | 500 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month | $10/month | Automation on a budget |
| HubSpot | 2,000 sends/month, 1 automation | $9/seat/month | CRM and email in one place |
| Klaviyo | 250 contacts, 500 emails/month | $20/month | E-commerce startups |
| Mailchimp | 250 contacts, 500 emails/month | $13/month | Brand recognition, basic campaigns |
Brevo: The Best Free Plan for Startups With Growing Lists
Brevo’s free plan lets you store unlimited contacts and send up to 300 emails per day making it one of the most generous free tiers available for early-stage startups.
Most email tools charge you based on how many contacts you have. Brevo charges based on how many emails you send, not how many contacts you store. For a startup building a list before it has the budget to blast everyone, that is a meaningful difference.
The free plan is completely free forever with no credit card required, and you can stay on it for as long as you like. You also get marketing automation and basic analytics included at no cost, which are features most tools lock behind a paywall.
When you are ready to scale, the Starter plan begins at $9 per month for 5,000 monthly email sends. That is a reasonable step up without a painful jump in cost.
Who it suits: Startups with a growing contact list that send infrequently or in smaller batches. Also works well for founders who want automation without paying for it on day one.
Watch out for: The 300 emails per day cap. If you need to send a campaign to 2,000 people at once, Brevo will spread it across multiple days unless you upgrade.
MailerLite: Automation Included, Price Kept Low
MailerLite’s free plan covers 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month, with automation, A/B testing, and landing pages included at no extra cost.
MailerLite halved its free subscriber limit from 1,000 to 500 in September 2025, though the monthly email send limit of 12,000 stayed the same. It is still one of the more useful free plans on the market, especially because automation is not stripped out.
When you first sign up even on the free plan you get a 14-day trial of all paid features, so you can test templates and advanced tools before deciding whether to upgrade. After 14 days, the account drops back to free plan limits unless you choose to pay.
The first paid plan starts at $10 per month for up to 500 subscribers with unlimited emails. That is one of the lowest paid entry points available.
One thing to be aware of: email templates are not included on the free plan. You start from a blank canvas every time, which slows things down slightly at the start.
Who it suits: Startups that need basic automation from day one, such as welcome sequences, lead magnet delivery, and onboarding flows, without paying for it.
Watch out for: The 500-subscriber ceiling on the free plan. If your list grows quickly, you will hit it sooner than you expect.
HubSpot: CRM and Email Marketing in One Place
HubSpot’s free plan includes 2,000 email sends per month and one automation workflow, making it the strongest free option for startups that want email and CRM connected from the start.
Most startups eventually need both a CRM and an email tool. HubSpot gives you both under one roof, which saves you from paying for two separate platforms and wrestling with integrations.
The free tier includes email marketing with HubSpot branding, basic forms, one email automation, live chat, and basic reporting, all at no cost. For a pre-revenue startup, that is a solid foundation.
When the free plan gets tight, the Starter plan begins at $9 per month per seat billed annually, or $15 per month billed monthly.
HubSpot for Startups Discount
If your startup is eligible, the pricing gets far more interesting.
HubSpot for Startups offers newly founded companies a significant reduction on their bill. Depending on eligibility, startups can save between 30% and 90% in the first year, with possible ongoing discounts after that.
To qualify for the highest tier, your startup needs to be associated with an approved HubSpot partner such as an incubator, VC firm, or accelerator. If eligible, you get 90% off in year one, 50% off in year two, and 25% off each year after that.
If you do not qualify for the top tier, the lower eligibility bracket gives you 50% off year one and 25% off ongoing.
HubSpot for Startups lists all approved partners and current eligibility criteria on their official programme page.
Who it suits: Startups that plan to use CRM alongside email from early on, or those already in an accelerator or incubator that qualifies for the discount.
Watch out for: The free plan’s 2,000 monthly send limit is per account, not per contact. A list of 500 people receiving four emails a month will use the entire allowance.
Klaviyo: Built for E-Commerce Startups
Klaviyo’s free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 email sends per month, with full automation and segmentation included making it the go-to starting point for startups selling products online.
Klaviyo is not trying to be everything for everyone. It is built for e-commerce, and the depth of its segmentation and behavioural triggers reflects that. If you are running a Shopify or WooCommerce store, the native integrations save a significant amount of setup time.
The free plan lets you build automations, run segmentation, and experiment with SMS via included monthly credits, all without paying upfront. That is a meaningful amount of functionality for a zero-cost account.
The Email plan starts at $20 per month for 251 to 500 active profiles, with 5,000 monthly email sends and email and chat support included.
Email support is available for the first 60 days on the free plan, after which you retain access to the help centre and community resources. Worth keeping in mind if you are new to the platform and likely to need guidance early on.
Who it suits: E-commerce startups on Shopify or WooCommerce that need strong behavioural automation and product-level segmentation from an early stage.
Watch out for: The 250-contact free limit is tight. If you are running any list-building campaign, you will hit it within weeks and need to move to a paid plan at $20 per month.
Mailchimp: Familiar Name, But Read the Small Print First
Mailchimp’s free plan now covers just 250 contacts and 500 emails per month a significant reduction from what it once offered, and no longer the obvious starting point for budget-conscious startups.
Mailchimp built its reputation on a generous free plan. For years it was the default choice for anyone starting out with email marketing. That era has passed.
The free plan has been cut repeatedly: from 2,000 contacts in 2022, to 500 in 2023, to just 250 by early 2026. Automation was removed entirely by mid-2025.
There is also a daily send limit of 250 emails, and you cannot schedule sends on the free plan. This means you cannot time a campaign to land when your audience is actually checking their inbox.
The Essentials plan starts at $13 per month for 500 contacts and 5,000 monthly sends. That is a reasonable paid entry point, but you are paying for features that Brevo and MailerLite include for free.
Is Mailchimp Still Worth It for Startups?
It depends on what you need from it.
Mailchimp still has one of the most polished editors in the market. Its brand recognition means your team will likely already know how to use it. If you are joining an accelerator or working with an agency, there is a good chance their templates and workflows are already built in Mailchimp.
But if you are purely focused on keeping costs low at the early stage, the value simply is not there anymore. Unsubscribed contacts are now billable, which means costs can creep up as your list grows and people opt out. Keep your list clean from day one if you stay on Mailchimp.
Who it suits: Startups already using Mailchimp, teams that need a polished editor with minimal onboarding, or founders joining programmes where Mailchimp is already embedded in the workflow.
Disclaimer: In the ever evolving saas industry things change over time. The information may change for the most accurate details visit the official website.
Which Tool Fits Your Startup Stage
The right email marketing tool depends on where your startup is right now not where you plan to be in three years.
A lot of founders over-engineer this decision. They sign up for a platform built for a 50,000-contact list when they have 80 subscribers and three weeks until launch. The result is a steep learning curve, unused features, and an unnecessary monthly bill.
Pre-Revenue: Keep It Free
If you have not started generating revenue yet, stay on a free plan.
At this stage you are building a list, testing messaging, and figuring out what your audience responds to. You do not need advanced automation or a dedicated IP. You need something reliable that costs nothing.
Brevo and MailerLite are the strongest options here. Brevo gives you unlimited contacts with no upfront cost, which means you can import your entire waitlist without hitting a contact ceiling. MailerLite gives you automation from day one, so you can set up a welcome sequence before your first paying customer arrives.
Early Traction: Match the Tool to Your Model
Once you are generating revenue and your list is growing past 500 subscribers, the right tool depends on what you are selling.
| Startup Type | Recommended Tool | Reason |
| SaaS or service business | Brevo or MailerLite | Low cost, solid automation, scales cleanly |
| E-commerce or product store | Klaviyo | Native shop integrations, behavioural triggers |
| Sales-led or CRM-heavy | HubSpot | Email and CRM in one place, startup discount available |
Scaling: Watch the Contact-Based Pricing Trap
As your list grows past 5,000 contacts, pricing models matter more than features.
Tools that charge by contact count, like Mailchimp and Klaviyo, get expensive quickly at scale. Brevo’s send-volume model becomes increasingly attractive at this point because you are charged based on how many emails you send, not how many contacts you store. A large but infrequently emailed list stays affordable.
If you are in an accelerator or have raised a seed round, apply for HubSpot for Startups before paying full price. Eligible startups can save between 30% and 90% in the first year depending on programme affiliation. That is worth checking before committing to any paid plan.
