Best email marketing software for small businesses
Reliable delivery and automation, with room to grow past a few thousand contacts.
| # | Tool | Starting price | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kit Top pick | Free, then $33/mo Free tier | Creators whose main asset is the email list itself, not the funnel around it. | | Visit |
| 2 | MailerLite | Free, then $19/mo Free tier | Small businesses that want reliable email, landing pages and simple selling at a low monthly price. | | Visit |
| 3 | GetResponse | £13/mo | Businesses that want webinars and courses in the same tool as the email list. | | Visit |
| 4 | ActiveCampaign | $15/mo | Businesses whose email depends on detailed automation and segmentation, and that expect to grow into a CRM. | | Visit |
| =5 | AWeber | Free, then $25/mo Free tier | Small businesses and creators who value round-the-clock human support over the lowest price. | | Visit |
| =5 | 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 |
| 7 | Systeme.io | Free, then $17/mo Free tier | Anyone who wants one bill and one login rather than a stack of five tools. | | Visit |
Ranked on weighted capability scores, weighted most heavily towards email deliverability and automation. Commission is not an input — see methodology.
How this ranking was weighted
| Dimension | Weight | Kit | MailerLite | GetResponse | ActiveCampaign | AWeber | Brevo | Systeme.io |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email deliverability | ×3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Automation | ×3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Value for money | ×2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Support | ×2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Breadth of features | ×1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Weighted total | 85 | 82 | 80 | 76 | 73 | 73 | 71 |
Capability scores are 1–5 per dimension. Weights reflect what matters for this use case. A tool we have not assessed on a dimension scores 3, not 0.
Why Kit wins here
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.
The case for MailerLite
A low-cost email marketing platform that also runs paid newsletters, websites and landing pages. Small businesses that want reliable email, landing pages and simple selling at a low monthly price.
Full Kit vs MailerLite comparison →
Common questions
Best email marketing software for small businesses?
Kit scores highest for small businesses, at 85 out of 100 when weighted for email deliverability and automation. MailerLite is second on 82.
Why is the pick here different from your overall ranking?
Our overall ranking for email marketing puts Systeme.io first, because it averages every use case. Weighted specifically for small businesses, Kit comes out ahead — reliable delivery and automation, with room to grow past a few thousand contacts.
Sources & verification
- 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.