Best email marketing in 2026
Software for building landing pages, capturing email addresses, and selling courses or digital products. The category splits between all-in-one funnel builders and specialist email platforms.
The ranking
| # | Tool | Starting price | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Systeme.io Top pick | Free, then $17/mo Free tier | Anyone who wants one bill and one login rather than a stack of five tools. | | Visit |
| 2 | Kit | Free, then $33/mo Free tier | Creators whose main asset is the email list itself, not the funnel around it. | | Visit |
| 3 | MailerLite | Free, then $19/mo Free tier | Small businesses that want reliable email, landing pages and simple selling at a low monthly price. | | Visit |
| 4 | Brevo | Free, then £6/mo Free tier | Small businesses that want a free or very cheap start and would rather pay by sending volume than list size. | | Visit |
| 5 | GetResponse | £13/mo | Businesses that want webinars and courses in the same tool as the email list. | | Visit |
| 6 | AWeber | Free, then $25/mo Free tier | Small businesses and creators who value round-the-clock human support over the lowest price. | | Visit |
| 7 | ActiveCampaign | $15/mo | Businesses whose email depends on detailed automation and segmentation, and that expect to grow into a CRM. | | Visit |
Ranked on weighted capability scores, weighted most heavily towards value for money and email deliverability. Commission is not an input — see methodology.
Best by use case
An overall ranking is a compromise. These reweight the same scores for a specific job, and the top pick is not always the same one.
Best email marketing software for beginners
A free tier that is genuinely usable, and a single tool rather than five wired together.
Top pick: Systeme.ioBest email software for creators selling courses
Selling digital products and courses without a separate checkout and course platform.
Top pick: Systeme.ioBest email marketing software for small businesses
Reliable delivery and automation, with room to grow past a few thousand contacts.
Top pick: KitBest free email marketing software
Getting started at zero cost, without a trial that expires.
Top pick: Systeme.ioBest email marketing software for automation
Multi-step automated sequences and segmentation that run the email programme without manual sends.
Top pick: KitHead to head
Every tool in detail
1. Systeme.io
An all-in-one platform bundling funnels, email, courses and a built-in affiliate programme into one subscription.
Strengths
- +The free plan is unusually generous — 2,000 contacts and unlimited email sending, and it never expires.
- +Replaces a funnel builder, email tool, course platform and affiliate system with one subscription.
- +No transaction fees on sales made through Stripe or PayPal.
Limitations
- −Each part of it is less capable than the best specialist tool in that category.
- −Email deliverability and analytics are basic next to dedicated platforms.
- −The free plan caps you at three funnels and one course, so growing creators hit the ceiling quickly.
2. Kit
An email platform built specifically for creators, with strong automation and a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers.
Strengths
- +Free up to 10,000 subscribers — five times the 2,000-contact limit of Systeme.io’s free plan.
- +The visual automation builder is among the best in the category.
- +Deliverability reputation is strong, which matters more than any feature list.
Limitations
- −The free plan is broadcasts only — unlimited automations and email sequences need a paid plan.
- −Not a course platform — course content has to be hosted somewhere else.
- −Paid plans start at $33 a month for just 1,000 subscribers and rise steeply with list size.
3. MailerLite
A low-cost email marketing platform that also runs paid newsletters, websites and landing pages.
Strengths
- +Paid plans start at $19 a month for 1,000 subscribers, with 10,000 emails a month on Comfort.
- +Comfort includes 10 websites and landing pages on your own domain, 10 signup forms and 50 automations.
- +Sells digital products and bookings, and runs paid newsletters with no sales fee.
Limitations
- −The free plan is small: 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month.
- −Its plans list no course hosting, so courses need a separate platform.
- −Comfort caps sending at 10,000 emails a month for a 1,000-subscriber list; unlimited sending needs Power at $39.
4. Brevo
A multi-channel marketing platform — email, SMS and automation — priced by emails sent, with a free plan.
Strengths
- +A free plan that never expires and needs no credit card, with up to 300 emails a day.
- +Standard, at £13 a month, adds unlimited automated workflows and A/B testing and removes the Brevo footer.
- +Email, SMS and transactional messages from one account, priced in pounds for UK customers.
Limitations
- −Plans are priced by emails sent each month rather than by contacts.
- −On Starter, removing the Brevo logo costs £7.20 a month extra.
- −Support is by email on Starter and Standard; phone support starts on Professional, at £429 a month.
5. GetResponse
A long-established email marketing platform whose higher tiers add webinars, a website builder and courses.
Strengths
- +The cheapest paid entry point here — Starter is £13 a month with unlimited sends.
- +The Creator plan adds webinars, a website builder and courses for up to 500 students.
- +Nearly three decades of deliverability infrastructure behind it.
Limitations
- −No free plan — only a 14-day trial.
- −Starter allows just one custom automation workflow; unlimited automation starts at £44 a month.
- −The interface carries a lot of legacy, and shows it.
6. AWeber
A long-running email marketing platform with 24/7 support, landing pages and simple selling.
Strengths
- +Plus includes unlimited automations, landing pages and users, with priority 24/7 support.
- +Support is available around the clock, and AWeber migrates an existing account for free.
- +A free plan that needs no credit card.
Limitations
- −Lite allows only 3 automations, 3 landing pages and one list.
- −The free plan keeps AWeber branding and allows one campaign or landing page.
- −Plans upgrade automatically when your list outgrows them, but downgrading needs a request to support.
7. ActiveCampaign
An email marketing and automation platform known for deep multi-step automation, with CRM add-ons.
Strengths
- +Unlimited automation actions from the Plus plan, with more than 950 ready-made automation recipes.
- +Plus adds landing pages, at $49 a month for 1,000 contacts on annual billing.
- +A 14-day free trial, and a promise of your money back if you see no results in 30 days.
Limitations
- −No free plan, and published prices are for annual billing only.
- −Starter limits each automation to 5 actions and one user.
- −CRM pipelines and sales-engagement tools are paid add-ons.
Common questions
What is the best email marketing tool overall?
On our weighted scoring across every use case in this category, Systeme.io ranks first with 84/100, ahead of Kit on 78. It leads mainly on value for money and breadth of features.
Is there a free email marketing tool?
Yes — Systeme.io, Kit, AWeber, Brevo and MailerLite all offer free plans. Free tiers differ enormously in what they actually allow, so check the limits rather than the label.
What is the cheapest email marketing tool?
Brevo at £6/mo (monthly; £5.42/mo billed yearly; from 5,000 emails a month) has the lowest paid entry point. Prices in different currencies were compared at the European Central Bank reference rate. Cheapest is rarely best value — check what the next tier up costs and what the plan renews at, because that is where most people end up.
Sources & verification
- api.frankfurter.app — checked 6 November 2026European Central Bank reference rate, published via Frankfurter.
- help.aweber.com — checked 24 September 2026AWeber Free needs no credit card. Plans upgrade automatically when a list or its sending outgrows them; downgrades need a request to support.
- help.aweber.com — checked 24 September 2026AWeber Free allows one campaign or landing page, keeps AWeber branding, and has no split testing, saved segments or behavioural automation.
- kit.com — checked 23 September 2026Free up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts. Unlimited automations and sequences need a paid plan.
- systeme.io — checked 23 September 2026Free plan: 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, 1 course, 1 blog, unlimited emails. Never expires, no card required.
- activecampaign.com — checked 24 September 2026No free plan; a 14-day free trial.
- aweber.com — checked 24 September 2026The page opens at 0–500 subscribers (Lite $15, Plus $30 monthly); the 501–1,000 figures are from its own price data.
- brevo.com — checked 24 September 2026Free forever with no credit card; up to 300 emails a day once the account is approved for sending.
- getresponse.com — checked 23 September 2026The pricing page offers a 14-day free trial of premium features and lists no free plan.
- mailerlite.com — checked 24 September 2026
- mailerlite.com — checked 24 September 2026No sales fee on paid newsletters; Stripe processes the payments.
- mailerlite.com — checked 24 September 2026Free plan: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with 3 automations, 1 website and 1 landing page. Paid newsletters, custom domains and removing the MailerLite logo need a paid plan.