Email Marketing Pricing Cheat Sheet: Every Plan at a Glance
Last updated March 2026 · 6 min read
Every email marketing and newsletter platform plan, side by side. All prices are monthly rates. Annual billing saves 10–30% depending on the vendor. Prices verified March 2026.
Mailchimp
| Plan | Price | Annual | Key Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo, limited automations |
| Essentials | $13/mo | $156/yr | 500 contacts, 5,000 sends/mo, email + chat support |
| Standard | $20/mo | $240/yr | 500 contacts, 6,000 sends/mo, advanced automations |
| Premium | $350/mo | $4,200/yr | 10,000 contacts, 150,000 sends/mo, phone support |
Kit (ConvertKit)
| Plan | Price | Annual | Key Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newsletter | $0 | $0 | 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends, no automations |
| Creator | $39/mo | $468/yr | 1,000 subs (base), automations, integrations, live chat |
| Creator Pro | $79/mo | $948/yr | 1,000 subs (base), advanced reporting, subscriber scoring, referrals |
Brevo (Sendinblue)
| Plan | Price | Annual | Key Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 100,000 contacts, 300 emails/day, Brevo branding |
| Starter | $9/mo | $108/yr | 5,000 emails/mo, no daily limit, basic reporting |
| Standard | $18/mo | $216/yr | 5,000 emails/mo, automation, A/B testing, advanced stats |
| Professional | $499/mo | $5,988/yr | 150,000+ emails, dedicated IP |
ActiveCampaign
| Plan | Price | Annual | Key Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $15/mo | $108/yr | 1,000 contacts, email marketing, basic automations |
| Plus | $49/mo | $348/yr | 1,000 contacts, CRM, landing pages, lead scoring |
| Pro | $79/mo | $588/yr | 1,000 contacts, predictive sending, split automations |
| Enterprise | $145/mo | $1,068/yr | 1,000 contacts, custom objects, HIPAA, dedicated rep |
All ActiveCampaign prices shown at 1,000 contacts. Prices scale with contact count.
beehiiv, Ghost, Substack & Buttondown
| Platform | Plan | Price | Key Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | Launch | $0 | 2,500 subs, unlimited sends, custom domain |
| beehiiv | Scale | $49/mo | Unlimited subs, ad network, referral program, A/B |
| beehiiv | Max | $109/mo | Priority support, API, advanced analytics, newsroom |
| Ghost | Starter | $18/mo | 1,000 members, 1 staff user |
| Ghost | Publisher | $35/mo | Unlimited members, 3 staff, paid subscriptions |
| Ghost | Business | $239/mo | Unlimited everything, priority support |
| Substack | Free | $0 | Unlimited subs, 10% of paid revenue + Stripe fees |
| Buttondown | Free | $0 | 100 subscribers |
| Buttondown | Basic | $9/mo | Unlimited subs, custom domain, automation |
| Buttondown | Standard | $29/mo | Paid subscriptions, surveys, team members |
| Buttondown | Professional | $79/mo | API access, all features |
Key Pricing Differences
- Mailchimp bills by contacts. Your bill grows as your list grows. Unsubscribed contacts still count toward your limit.
- Brevo bills by emails sent. Store unlimited contacts for free. You only pay when you send. Best model for large lists with low send frequency.
- ActiveCampaign bills by contacts. Base prices are for 1,000 contacts. At 10,000 contacts, Starter jumps to ~$39/month.
- beehiiv bills flat. Scale is $49/month for unlimited subscribers. Simple and predictable.
- Ghost bills flat per tier. No per-subscriber pricing. Publisher at $35/month handles unlimited members.
- Substack takes a revenue cut. Free to use, but 10% of all paid subscription revenue goes to Substack (plus Stripe fees).
Frequently Asked Questions
Which email platform is cheapest for 10,000 subscribers?
Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers (Newsletter plan). beehiiv Scale at $49/month handles unlimited subscribers. Brevo Starter at $9/month lets you store unlimited contacts but limits you to 5,000 emails/month. Mailchimp Standard at 10,000 contacts costs around $100/month.
Why do ActiveCampaign prices seem low but get expensive?
All ActiveCampaign plans start at 1,000 contacts. As your list grows, prices jump significantly. Starter at 10,000 contacts costs ~$39/month. At 50,000 contacts, you're looking at $200+/month on Starter alone. The per-contact scaling is the steepest in the market after Mailchimp.
Is Ghost worth $35/month vs free Substack?
If you earn over $350/month from paid subscriptions, Ghost Publisher at $35/month is cheaper than Substack's 10% cut. Ghost also gives you a custom domain, custom themes, and no Substack branding. Below $350/month in subscription revenue, Substack is financially better.
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