Five beginner email tools ranked on a free tier that survives real use, a welcome series you will actually build and the price in 12 months.
A beginner's first email tool should be judged on one question: will you send the second email? Feature lists do not matter if the editor fights you, the free tier runs out in week three, or the automation builder needs a tutorial. The five below all clear the ease bar; they differ in what their free plan lets you do and what you will pay in a year.
All prices at the time of verification (2026-09-09).
How to choose
Decide what you are building for the next year: a newsletter, a list that feeds a product, or a funnel that sells a course. Then apply the email marketing buying criteria, starting with the price at your expected list size. Most tools price on subscribers, Brevo prices on emails sent, and the cheapest one at 300 contacts is rarely the cheapest at 5,000.
The picks in depth
MailerLite is the safest first choice. The free plan includes 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, 3 automations, 3 forms, a website and a landing page. Comfort at $12 per month (500 subscribers, 5,000 emails, 50 automations) unlocks the full feature set, so you pay only for list size and volume. The editor is the least cluttered here. Its limits are shallow ecommerce integrations and simpler automation logic than ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo, and the annual discount is only 10 percent. Choose MailerLite if you want a newsletter with a welcome series and a signup page, done today. Skip it if product-behaviour flows are the plan.
Kit is built for creators. Free up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages, forms and a built-in checkout for digital products and paid newsletters. The plain-text style suits personal newsletters and deliverability. The catch is that automations and sequences are entirely paid: Creator is $33 per month at 1,000 subscribers, and annual billing saves about 1.5 percent. Choose Kit if you write a newsletter and might sell something to readers. Skip it if you need a welcome sequence on a zero budget or want template-heavy HTML design.
Brevo is for people who arrive with a list. Unlimited contacts on free, capped at 300 emails a day; Starter from $9 covers 5,000 emails a month; Standard at $18 adds automation and A/B testing. Logo removal on Starter is an extra charge. Choose Brevo if you have thousands of contacts and mail them monthly. Skip it if you want polished newsletter design.
GetResponse is the one to grow into. Starter at $19 for 1,000 contacts includes unlimited sends, landing pages and forms, but only one custom automation workflow; Marketer at $59 unlocks unlimited workflows and Creator at $69 adds webinars, a course creator and paid newsletters. There is no permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial. Choose it if webinars or landing pages are on the roadmap. Skip it if you only need simple newsletters.
Systeme.io is the pick if email is part of a funnel. The free plan never expires: 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, 3 funnels, 1 course, 1 automation workflow, 0 percent transaction fees. Startup is $17 for 5,000 contacts and 10 funnels. Templates are basic and native integrations are fewer. Choose it if you are launching a course or coaching offer on a budget. Skip it if newsletter design matters or you want best-in-class email.
What to avoid
Do not sign up for the tool with the most features; sign up for the one whose free limit you will hit last. Do not build twenty automations before you have sent ten campaigns. And check the export path before you import your list, because leaving is the one thing every tool makes harder than joining.
When not to buy
If you have no list yet, you do not need a paid plan. Every tool above has a free tier or trial that covers your first hundred subscribers. Buy when a limit stops you from sending, not before. And if you email fewer than a dozen people who all know you, a plain email from your inbox will outperform any platform.