ChatGPT answers, unedited

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple client lists, the key feature to look for is whether the platform supports separate audiences/lists, workspaces, or client accounts without forcing everything into one database. Many “free” email tools are designed for a single business, so they can become awkward for agencies.

Here are some options worth considering:

My shortlist for a freelance marketer

• Best overall for client newsletters: MailerLite — easy to hand off to clients, clean interface, and supports organizing audiences. MailerLite
• Best for many small clients on a budget: Listomo — its unlimited-list approach is closer to an agency workflow. Listomo
• Best if clients need CRM + marketing: HubSpot — stronger for sales pipelines and client relationship tracking.

One thing to watch: some platforms let you create multiple lists but do not provide separate client workspaces. If you need to log in and manage 10 different businesses without mixing branding, permissions, billing, and analytics, you may want an agency-oriented platform (often paid).

If you mean email marketing/newsletters, social media management, or CRM/client tracking, the best free options differ.

If by “separate audiences or projects” you mean keeping each client’s contacts and campaigns isolated, the key distinction is whether the platform gives you multiple audiences/lists on its free tier—or requires separate accounts.

For a freelance marketer

Brevo is probably the most practical starting point if your goal is one free account containing multiple client lists. Its free plan currently allows up to 100,000 stored contacts, although sending is capped at 300 emails/day, and you get one user seat. Brevo Help

If you mean completely separate client projects/workspaces—each with its own branding, login/access, contacts, reporting, etc.—that's a different requirement. Free tiers generally aren't designed as a true agency/multi-client workspace.

If you tell me “I need 5–10 separate client accounts/lists, each with X contacts and Y emails/month,” I can compare the best free options specifically for that setup.

If you mean email marketing platforms where you can keep different clients’ lists separated, Brevo is probably the most practical free-tier option for a freelance marketer.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple client lists, I’d look first at MailerLite.

• MailerLite — best fit for separate client audiences. Its current free plan supports unlimited audiences, plus unlimited groups/segments, although the free tier is capped at 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite MailerLite
• Even better for client work, MailerLite explicitly supports multiple separate client accounts under one login, with each account having its own subscribers, campaigns, automations, and templates. MailerLite
• Brevo is another strong free option if list size is your priority: it allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends/day, but only one user seat on Free. Brevo Help Brevo Help

My pick

Use MailerLite if you want clean separation between clients/brands. You can either create a separate account for each client, or use audiences/groups when the clients belong under the same operation. MailerLite

mailerlite.com

If you tell me roughly how many clients and subscribers you manage, I can compare MailerLite, Brevo, Kit, and HubSpot specifically for a freelancer/agency setup.

MailerLite is probably the best fit. Its free plan currently supports unlimited audiences, so you can keep separate client lists/audiences within one account, with up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite MailerLite

For a freelancer managing truly separate client accounts, MailerLite also supports switching between separate client accounts from one login, with each client retaining its own subscribers, campaigns, and templates. MailerLite

Brevo is another strong free option, especially if you have larger lists but lower sending volume: up to 100,000 contacts and 300 emails/day on Free. help.brevo.com

My pick: MailerLite for clean client separation; Brevo if contact volume matters more than sending volume.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing several clients, I’d pick MailerLite for a free setup where you need genuinely separate audiences.

• MailerLite — best fit: Its current Free plan allows unlimited audiences, so you can keep Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. separated within one account. It also includes up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, and 2 user seats. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo — good alternative: Free allows up to 100,000 stored contacts, but it’s more geared toward keeping contacts in one account and segmenting them. The big restriction is 300 email sends/day and only one user. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• MailerLite advantage for freelancing: If your priority is “I want a separate audience for each client without paying for multiple accounts,” MailerLite explicitly offers unlimited audiences even on Free. MailerLite

My recommendation: Start with MailerLite if each client has a relatively small list. If you expect to manage hundreds/thousands of contacts per client, Brevo's much larger free contact allowance can be more attractive—but you'll need to be more careful about segmentation and the daily sending cap.

mailerlite.com brevo.com

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple clients, I’d look at Brevo first.

• Brevo — best overall for multiple client lists. Its free plan lets you store up to 100,000 contacts and organize them into separate lists/segments, while the main limitation is 300 email sends per day. That makes it much more practical for keeping Client A, Client B, etc. separated within one account. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• Kit — good for separate audiences via tags/segments. The free tier supports up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, and audience tagging/segmentation. However, Kit is designed around one subscriber database rather than separate client lists, so it’s less ideal if you want each client to feel like an isolated project. Kit Kit
• Mailchimp — not my pick for this use case. Its current free tier is much more restrictive, with 250 contacts and 500 sends/month, making it difficult to manage several clients. Reddit

My recommendation

If you mean “I want one free login where I can keep several clients' audiences completely separate”, Brevo is probably the closest fit.

If you mean “I want each client to have their own independent workspace/account”, that's a different requirement—I'd look for a platform with multiple workspaces/subaccounts, because simply having multiple lists isn't the same thing.

If you tell me roughly how many clients and contacts per client you manage, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 free options.

If you mean email marketing platforms where you can keep different clients’ lists/audiences separated, MailerLite is one of the strongest free options right now.

• MailerLite — Free plan supports unlimited audiences, so you can keep Client A, Client B, etc. organized separately. The catch is 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month on the current free tier. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo — Better if you manage larger client databases: its free tier allows a very large number of stored contacts, with sending limited to about 300 emails/day. Jobbers G2 Learning Hub
• Kit — Excellent free subscriber allowance (up to 10,000 according to current comparisons), but it's more oriented toward creators/newsletters than managing multiple client accounts. Jobbers MailToolFinder
• Mailchimp — Not ideal for your use case. Its free tier is now quite restrictive, and its audience/account structure isn't particularly freelancer-friendly. Jobbers

My pick for a freelance marketer

MailerLite if each client has a small list and you mainly need separate audiences.
Brevo if client lists are much larger.

One important distinction: if by “separate projects” you mean completely separate client workspaces/accounts, rather than separate audiences within one account, the answer changes. I can compare platforms specifically for freelancers/agencies managing 5–20 separate clients.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple clients, I’d look at MailerLite first.

• MailerLite: Its free plan supports unlimited audiences, so you can keep different client/list audiences separate. The current free tier allows up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. www.mailerlite.com
• More importantly for freelancers, MailerLite lets you have multiple separate accounts under one login, with each client account having its own subscribers, campaigns, automations, and templates. www.mailerlite.com
• Brevo: Another strong free option if your lists are larger. Its free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts, but limits sending to 300 emails/day. help.brevo.com

My pick

MailerLite for multiple small clients/projects. The separate-account structure is cleaner than trying to cram every client into one audience.

Brevo is better if the main constraint is number of contacts rather than daily sending volume.

One caveat: MailerLite changed its free limits in June 2026, dropping the subscriber cap from 500 to 250, so I'd factor that into your decision. www.mailerlite.com

If you tell me roughly how many clients and subscribers per client you manage, I can compare MailerLite, Brevo, Kit, and Mailchimp specifically for your setup.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing separate client lists, I’d look at these first:

• Mailchimp — The free tier supports 1 audience, so it’s not ideal if you need genuinely separate client databases. Paid tiers increase the number of audiences. Mailchimp Mailchimp
• Brevo — Probably the best free option if you mainly need separate lists/segments within one account. Its free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends/day, although automation has a 2,000-contact limit. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• beehiiv — Particularly interesting if each client has a separate newsletter/publication. However, multiple publications are limited to paid plans; each publication does have its own independent subscriber list and settings. Beehiiv
• Kit — Good if you're managing newsletter/creator-style clients. Its free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers and segmentation, but it's less suited to completely independent client workspaces. Zapier

My pick

For a freelancer, Brevo is probably the most practical free starting point if you want one login and separate client audiences/lists.

If by "separate audiences or projects" you mean Client A has completely isolated contacts, branding, campaigns, analytics, and potentially their own login, that's a different requirement. In that case, I'd specifically compare Brevo vs. beehiiv vs. MailerLite for multi-client management rather than just looking at subscriber limits.

Yes. For a freelance marketer managing separate client lists, I’d look at MailerLite first.

• MailerLite — best fit: Its free plan currently supports unlimited audiences, so you can keep Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. separated within one account. The free tier allows up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails. MailerLite
• Brevo — best for larger lists: The free plan supports up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends/day. It uses lists/segments rather than requiring a separate account for each client, making it useful if your clients have larger databases. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• Mailchimp — not ideal for this: Its free plan currently allows only one audience and 250 contacts. Multiple audiences start on the paid tiers. Mailchimp Mailchimp

My pick

MailerLite if each client has a relatively small list and you specifically want clean separation between client audiences/projects at $0.

Brevo if contact volume is the bigger concern and you're comfortable organizing clients with separate lists/segments.

One caveat: if by "separate projects" you mean each client needs their own login, branding, billing, permissions, and completely isolated workspace, that's a different requirement—the free tiers generally aren't designed for a freelancer agency setup.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple clients, I’d look first at MailerLite—but there’s an important distinction between separate audiences and separate client accounts.

Best options in 2026

MailerLite's current free plan explicitly includes unlimited audiences, while limiting you to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails. MailerLite MailerLite

For your use case, I'd choose MailerLite if each client's list is small. Even better, MailerLite has an agency setup where you can manage separate client accounts from one login, with each account keeping its own subscribers, campaigns, templates, and billing. MailerLite

If your clients have larger lists, I'd choose Brevo instead. Its free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends per day, so you're not constantly hitting a subscriber ceiling. Brevo Help

Bottom line:

• 🥇 MailerLite — best if you want clean separation between clients and useful free automation.
• 🥈 Brevo — best if client lists are large.
• 🚫 Mailchimp — I'd avoid for this particular freelance setup because its free plan only gives you one audience. downloads.mailchimp.com

If you tell me roughly how many clients and subscribers per client you manage, I can recommend the cheapest setup (including whether you should use separate accounts or multiple audiences inside one account).

MailerLite's current free plan explicitly includes unlimited audiences, while limiting you to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails. mailerlite.com mailerlite.com

For your use case, I'd choose MailerLite if each client's list is small. Even better, MailerLite has an agency setup where you can manage separate client accounts from one login, with each account keeping its own subscribers, campaigns, templates, and billing.

If by “separate audiences or projects” you mean keeping each client’s contacts distinctly separated, I’d look at these:

• Mailchimp — its current free plan allows 1 audience, so it’s not a good fit if you need a separate audience for each client. Mailchimp Mailchimp
• Brevo — probably the strongest free option for a freelancer managing multiple client lists. You can keep contacts in separate lists and segments, and the free plan supports up to 100,000 stored contacts with a 300-emails/day sending limit. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• Kit — good if you're primarily doing newsletters/content marketing. It supports segmentation on its free tier and up to 10,000 subscribers, but it's less oriented toward managing distinct client accounts/projects. Zapier

My pick for a freelance marketer

Brevo would be my first choice if you want one free account where Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. can have their own lists/segments.

The important distinction is that separate lists aren't necessarily the same thing as separate client accounts. If your clients need to log in independently, own their data, or eventually take the account over, I'd use a separate account per client rather than putting everyone into one account.

brevo.com

If you tell me how many clients/lists you manage and roughly how many contacts each has, I can recommend the best free setup (Brevo vs. Kit vs. MailerLite vs. others).

If you mean email marketing platforms where you can keep different clients/audiences separate, my top pick is MailerLite.

Best options

• MailerLite — best fit for a freelancer

• Free tier supports unlimited audiences, so you can keep Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. organized separately. MailerLite MailerLite
• You can also use unlimited interest groups/tags within an audience. MailerLite
• Current free limit: 250 active subscribers + 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite
• Particularly useful if you want one login but distinct client accounts: MailerLite supports separate client accounts, each with its own subscribers, campaigns, templates, and billing. MailerLite
• Brevo — best if your lists are large

• Free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends/day. Brevo Help
• You can organize contacts into multiple lists and segments. Brevo Help
• The limitation is sending volume rather than contact storage.

My recommendation

For a freelance marketer managing several small clients, I'd choose MailerLite. Its separate-audience structure is much more natural for client work than trying to cram everyone into one giant list.

If by “separate projects” you mean completely isolated client workspaces/accounts (so Client A can never accidentally receive Client B's campaign), MailerLite is especially worth considering because it explicitly supports separate client accounts under one login. MailerLite

If you tell me roughly how many clients and subscribers you manage, I can compare MailerLite vs. Brevo vs. Kit specifically for your setup.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing separate client lists, I’d look at Brevo first.

• brevo.com — Best fit for multiple clients: its free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and you can organize contacts into multiple lists/segments. The big limitation is 300 email sends/day and only one user. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• kit.com — Good for creator/newsletter clients: free up to 10,000 subscribers, with tagging and segmentation, but it’s more oriented toward one creator/business rather than keeping totally separate client workspaces. Kit Help Kit
• mailchimp.com — Not ideal for your use case on free: the current free plan gives you just 1 audience and 250 contacts, so it’s restrictive if each client needs a distinct audience. Mailchimp

My pick: Brevo if you want one free account where you can keep Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. separated with lists/segments. If you need truly isolated client workspaces/accounts (separate branding, logins, billing, analytics), that’s a different requirement and I can compare the best free/cheap options for that specifically.

If you mean email marketing platforms where you can keep different clients’ lists/audiences separate, Brevo is probably the strongest free-tier choice in 2026.

• Brevo — best overall for freelancers: Free plan supports up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends/day. You can organize contacts into separate lists/segments, making it practical for managing multiple clients from one account. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• Mailchimp — not ideal: Its current free plan allows only 1 audience and 250 contacts, so it doesn't really fit a multi-client setup. Mailchimp Mailchimp
• Kit — good for creator/newsletter clients: Free tier supports up to 10,000 subscribers, but its organizational model is more geared toward tags/segments than independent client workspaces.
• MailerLite — worth considering: Good free automation features, but the current free tier is only 250 subscribers, which can become restrictive quickly. Jobbers

My pick for a freelance marketer

Brevo, if your goal is something like:

Client A → separate contact list
Client B → separate contact list
Client C → separate contact list

You can keep those contacts organized inside one free account rather than paying for a separate account for every client.

One caveat: Brevo's free plan has only one user seat, so if your clients need their own logins/access, that's a different consideration. Brevo Help

If by “separate audiences or projects” you specifically mean separate client workspaces/accounts with independent branding, domains, and logins, I can compare Brevo vs MailerLite vs Kit vs HubSpot specifically for agency/freelancer use.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple clients/lists, I’d look at Brevo first.

• Brevo — best fit: Its free plan lets you store up to 100,000 contacts and create up to 300 separate contact lists, so you can keep Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. logically separated within one account. The main limitation is 300 email sends/day. Brevo Help Brevo Help Brevo Help

brevo.com

• Kit — good for audience segmentation, not really separate client projects: Free supports up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited forms/broadcasts, and tagging/segmentation. It’s better if you're managing one overall audience with different segments rather than truly independent client lists. Kit Help Center Kit

kit.com

• Mailchimp — poor fit on free: The current free plan allows only one audience, 250 contacts, and 500 sends/month. Multiple audiences require a paid plan. Mailchimp

mailchimp.com

My pick

Brevo if your goal is: “I want one free account where I can maintain separate lists for several freelance clients.”

One caveat: Brevo's free tier gives you one user/account owner, so if each client needs their own login/access, that's a different requirement. Brevo Help

If you tell me roughly how many clients and contacts per client you manage, I can suggest the best free setup (including whether Brevo, MailerLite, Sender, or another platform makes more sense).

For a freelance marketer managing multiple client lists, the best free-tier choice depends on whether you need separate client audiences inside one account or truly separate client workspaces/accounts.

Here are the strongest options:

My top pick: Brevo

For a freelancer juggling several clients, Brevo is usually the most practical free option because it allows a large contact database and lets you organize contacts rather than forcing you into a tiny subscriber cap. Its free plan includes up to 300 email sends per day and supports storing up to 100,000 contacts. Brevo Help

A possible setup:

• Client A → separate list
• Client B → separate list
• Client C → separate list
• Use tags/segments for campaigns

If you need true client separation

If you are managing marketing on behalf of clients, I would avoid putting every client into one shared account. Separate accounts/workspaces are cleaner because:

• clients can eventually take ownership,
• billing is easier,
• permissions and data separation are safer.

Mailchimp itself has historically recommended separate accounts for agencies managing different clients rather than mixing client data in one account. Mailchimp Downloads Its current free tier is also quite limited, with one audience and up to 250 contacts. Mailchimp

Quick recommendation

• 1–5 small clients, occasional newsletters: Brevo
• Clients needing automated email sequences: MailerLite
• You want a CRM + marketing hub: HubSpot
• You want each client completely independent: create separate free accounts per client (where the platform allows it)

For a freelance marketer specifically, I’d lean toward Brevo for your own agency dashboard and separate client accounts for larger/long-term clients. Brevo Help Mailchimp Downloads

If you’re a freelance marketer managing several clients, I’d look at MailerLite first—but there’s an important distinction between separate audiences inside one account and completely separate client accounts.

Best fit: MailerLite

mailerlite.com offers:

• Unlimited audiences, so you can keep different client lists separated within the platform. MailerLite MailerLite
• Up to 250 active subscribers on the free tier.
• 2,500 emails/month.
• 3 automations and 3 signup forms.
• 2 user seats.
• You can organize contacts into groups and segments, which is useful for separating clients/campaigns. MailerLite
• If you need truly independent client environments, MailerLite also allows you to have multiple accounts linked to the same email address. MailerLite

Another strong option: Brevo

brevo.com has a free tier that allows up to 100,000 contacts, but limits you to 300 emails per day and only one user seat. help.brevo.com

So if your clients have small lists but you need clean separation, MailerLite is probably the better fit. If you manage large contact databases but send relatively infrequently, Brevo becomes much more attractive.

My pick for a freelancer: MailerLite for multiple small client audiences; Brevo for large lists with low daily sending volume.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple clients, I’d look at MailerLite first—but there’s an important distinction between separate audiences and separate client accounts.

Best fit: MailerLite

MailerLite currently gives its free plan unlimited audiences, so you can keep Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. in separate audiences rather than mixing everyone into one master list. The free tier is currently 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, with up to 2 users. MailerLite MailerLite

mailerlite.com

That makes it particularly attractive if your goal is:

• Client A → separate audience
• Client B → separate audience
• Client C → separate audience
• Different forms/campaigns/automations for each
• One login/dashboard to manage them

Another strong option: Brevo

Brevo is worth considering if your clients have larger lists. Its free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts and allows 300 email sends per day, although you get only one user seat. Brevo Help

brevo.com

What I would choose

One caveat: if by "separate projects" you mean completely separate client workspaces/accounts, rather than separate audiences inside one account, that's a different requirement. In that case I'd compare platforms specifically for agency/multi-client account management.

If you tell me roughly how many clients and contacts per client you manage, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 free options.

If by “separate audiences or projects” you mean keeping each client’s contacts genuinely separate, the best free-tier options right now are:

• brevo.com — Best overall for a freelancer. Its free plan allows up to 100,000 contacts, with lists and segments you can select independently for campaigns. The main limitation is 300 emails/day and one user seat. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• kit.com — Best if “separate clients” can be handled with tags/segments. Free supports 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts/forms, and audience tagging/segmentation, but it isn't really designed around multiple independent client accounts/audiences. Kit Help Center
• mailchimp.com — Good conceptually, but not on the free tier. Mailchimp explicitly supports multiple independent audiences for different clients, but the current Free plan is limited to 1 audience and 250 contacts. Multiple audiences start on paid tiers. Mailchimp Mailchimp

My pick for a freelance marketer

Choose Brevo if you're managing several small-to-medium client lists under one login. You can organize each client's contacts into separate lists and choose the relevant list when sending a campaign. Brevo Help

If you need truly isolated client workspaces—separate branding, logins, reporting, billing, etc.—I'd look at platforms that support multiple accounts/workspaces rather than simply multiple lists.

If you tell me roughly how many clients, contacts per client, and emails/month, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 options.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing separate client lists, I’d look at Brevo first, with Kit as another strong option depending on how you want to organize clients.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo's free plan is particularly attractive for a freelancer because it allows up to 100,000 contacts while limiting you primarily by sending volume (300 emails/day). Brevo Help Brevo

That means you could structure something like:

• Client A → List/segments
• Client B → List/segments
• Client C → List/segments
• Your own marketing → separate list

This is much more practical than Mailchimp's current free tier, which allows only one audience and 250 contacts. Mailchimp

Kit is excellent if you don't literally need separate databases. It keeps everyone in one subscriber database and uses tags and segments to isolate different audiences. Its free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers and unlimited broadcasts. Kit Help Center Kit Help Center

Bottom line: For a freelance marketer handling multiple independent clients, Brevo is the one I'd choose on a free tier. If you want, I can also compare Brevo vs MailerLite vs HubSpot specifically for managing 5–10 clients, including whether each lets you keep client data completely separated.

If you're managing multiple client lists, I’d look at Brevo first.

• Brevo — best fit: Its free plan is $0, allows up to 100,000 stored contacts, and supports up to 300 separate contact lists. That makes it practical to keep Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. separated within one account. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• Mailchimp — poor fit for this use case: Its current free plan allows only 1 audience and 250 contacts, so you'd need a paid plan or separate accounts to cleanly separate clients. Mailchimp Mailchimp
• Sender is another option worth considering if sending volume matters, but I'd favor Brevo for a freelancer specifically because of its generous list structure. Sender

My pick

Brevo if you want one freelancer account → multiple client lists → separate campaigns/segments without paying immediately.

One caveat: Brevo's free tier has a 300-email-per-day sending limit, even though it lets you store many contacts. Brevo Help

help.brevo.com

If by "separate projects" you mean completely isolated client workspaces, each with its own branding, login, analytics, and sender domains, that's a slightly different requirement—I can compare the best free options for that specifically.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple client lists, I’d look first at MailerLite.

• MailerLite — best fit: Its free plan currently allows unlimited audiences, so you can keep different client audiences separate within the account. It also gives you up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly sends on the free tier. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo — best for larger lists: The free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts and lets you organize them into separate lists/segments, but you're limited to 300 emails/day and one user. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• MailerLite for true client separation: If by “separate projects” you mean each client needs their own isolated account, subscribers, campaigns, and billing, MailerLite specifically supports separate client accounts with account switching—but the agency-oriented setup may involve paid features. MailerLite

My pick:
For a freelancer handling several small clients, MailerLite is probably the cleanest starting point. If your clients have large databases, choose Brevo.

If you tell me roughly how many clients and contacts per client you manage, I can narrow it down to the best free option (including whether you should use separate accounts vs. separate audiences).

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple clients, I’d look beyond Mailchimp. Its current free plan allows only 1 audience, so it’s awkward for keeping client lists genuinely separate. Mailchimp

Best free options

• brevo.com — my top pick for client work. The free plan supports up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends/day. You can organize contacts into separate lists, which makes it much more practical for maintaining different client databases under one account. Brevo Help
• kit.com — good for newsletters/creators. Its free tier is generous for subscribers, but it's more oriented toward creator/newsletter businesses than an agency-style multi-client setup.
• mailerlite.com — good for simple client campaigns. Stronger marketing/automation features than some free tiers, but its free subscriber allowance is relatively small.
• mailchimp.com — I'd avoid for your use case. The current free tier is limited to 250 contacts and one audience, so you'd need to consolidate clients into one audience or start paying. Mailchimp

One important distinction: if by "separate projects" you mean completely isolated client accounts—separate branding, billing, login/access, analytics, etc.—that's different from simply having multiple audiences/lists. In that case, I'd evaluate platforms with multiple workspaces/accounts or agency features, rather than just multiple lists.

For a freelancer handling, say, 5–20 small clients, I'd start with Brevo unless you specifically need advanced newsletter/creator features.

If you’re a freelance marketer handling multiple client lists, you’ll want more than just a free email tool—you’ll want something that lets you keep audiences separated by client, brand, or project without accidentally mixing contacts.

Here are some free-tier options worth considering:

My shortlist for a freelance marketer

1. Best simple free option: MailerLite

• Easy for client newsletters.
• Create separate groups/audiences for each client.
• Good if you’re managing maybe 3–10 smaller accounts. MailerLite
• Best agency-style setup: Zoho Campaigns

• Better if clients need their own access, reporting, or separation.
• More aligned with a freelance marketer becoming an agency. Zoho
• Best if client separation is the top priority: Tarvent

• Designed around multiple brands and audiences rather than one business list. Tarvent

One thing to watch: many popular email platforms’ free tiers are designed for one business with multiple segments, not necessarily a freelancer managing separate client accounts. If each client needs their own login, billing, branding, or data isolation, an agency-oriented tool is usually a better fit.

If you mean email marketing lists specifically (Mailchimp alternatives), I’d lean MailerLite. If you mean CRM/contact databases for many clients, the recommendation changes.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing separate client lists, I’d pick mailerlite.com among the free options I checked.

• MailerLite: Free plan supports unlimited audiences, so you can keep Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. separated within the platform. The current free tier allows up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo: Also useful if your lists are larger. Its free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 emails/day, and you can organize contacts into multiple lists. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• For true client separation: MailerLite has a particularly nice agency setup: you can manage separate client accounts, with each account retaining its own subscribers, campaigns, templates, and billing. MailerLite

My recommendation

Use MailerLite if you have several small clients and want clean separation. Its unlimited-audience structure is much more convenient than trying to cram everyone into one master list.

Use Brevo if contact volume is your main concern—100,000 stored contacts on the free plan is dramatically more generous. Brevo Help

If by “projects” you mean separate workspaces/accounts where each client gets completely isolated contacts, branding, and reporting, rather than merely separate audiences, I can compare the free tiers of MailerLite, Brevo, Kit, HubSpot, and Sender specifically for freelance/agency use.

Yes. For a freelance marketer managing multiple client lists, I’d look first at MailerLite.

Best fit: MailerLite

• Free tier: up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• Unlimited audiences: the Free plan explicitly supports unlimited audiences, so you can keep different client/list audiences separate. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• Multiple accounts: MailerLite lets agencies/freelancers create separate accounts for different clients and switch between them. Each account keeps its own subscribers, campaigns, forms, and billing. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• You can also use groups/segments within an account if the clients don't need completely separate accounts. www.mailerlite.com

Another option: Brevo

Brevo's Free plan is more generous on contacts—up to 100,000 stored contacts—and allows up to 300 contact lists. However, you're limited to 300 email sends/day and one user. help.brevo.com

My pick for a freelancer: MailerLite if the priority is cleanly separating small client accounts and keeping the workflow simple. Brevo is better if your clients have much larger databases and the 300-email/day limit isn't a problem.

If by "projects" you mean separate clients with completely isolated logins, branding, contact lists, and campaigns, MailerLite is particularly well suited to that setup. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com

If you mean email marketing platforms where you can keep different clients’ audiences separated, MailerLite is probably the best free-tier fit right now.

MailerLite explicitly includes unlimited audiences on its $0 plan, along with unlimited segments/groups. The catch is the relatively small 250 active-subscriber limit. MailerLite MailerLite

Brevo is the other strong choice. Its free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and up to 300 contact lists and 300 folders, so you could organize clients as separate folders/lists within one account. The main limitation is 300 email sends per day. Brevo Help Brevo Help Brevo Help

I would avoid Mailchimp for this particular use case: its current Free plan includes only one audience, which makes it awkward for managing independent client databases. Mailchimp

My pick:

• MailerLite → best if each client has a small list and you want genuinely separate audiences.
• Brevo → best if you manage larger lists and can work within the daily sending limit.
• If you need completely isolated client accounts, branding, billing, and logins, that's a different requirement; I'd look at platforms with multiple workspaces/accounts rather than just multiple audiences.

Brevo is the other strong choice. Its free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and up to 300 contact lists and 300 folders, so you could organize clients as separate folders/lists within one account. The main limitation is 300 email sends per day. Brevo Help Brevo Help Brevo Help

I would avoid Mailchimp for this particular use case: its current Free plan includes only one audience, which makes it awkward for managing independent client databases.

My pick:

For a freelance marketer managing multiple client lists, I’d look first at MailerLite.

Best free-tier options

Why I’d pick MailerLite: its current Free plan explicitly includes unlimited audiences, so you can keep Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. separated within one account. It also allows subscribers to exist in multiple groups without counting them twice toward the 250-subscriber limit. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com

One important caveat: 250 active subscribers is the total account limit, not 250 per client/audience. So it's excellent if you're managing several small client lists, but you'll hit the ceiling quickly if each client has hundreds of contacts. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com

Brevo is potentially better if your clients have larger databases: its free tier allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and up to 300 contact lists, although sending is limited to 300 emails/day. help.brevo.com

My recommendation:

• Several small clients → MailerLite
• Large client databases / lots of contacts → Brevo
• Want truly separate client accounts rather than just separate lists → I'd compare multi-account/workspace options before choosing.

If you tell me roughly how many clients and contacts per client you manage, I can narrow it down to the best free setup.

If you mean email marketing, and you’re managing multiple clients with separate lists/audiences, I’d look at these first:

My pick: MailerLite

For a freelancer, MailerLite is probably the cleanest fit because it explicitly supports agencies managing separate client accounts from one login. Each account keeps its own subscribers, campaigns, templates, and billing separate. www.mailerlite.com

The downside is the current free plan is relatively small—250 active subscribers per account—and the free-plan limits were updated in June 2026. www.mailerlite.com

If client list size matters more: Brevo

Brevo is more attractive if you're managing larger lists. Its free plan allows up to 100,000 contacts and 300 email sends per day, with contacts organized into lists/segments. help.brevo.com

The catch: it's more of a single-account/list-separation model than MailerLite's clean “one client = one account” setup.

So, for a freelance marketer:

• Clean client separation → MailerLite
• Large combined contact volume → Brevo
• Generous sending + automation → Sender
• Newsletter/creator clients → Kit

If by “separate audiences or projects” you mean multiple completely independent client workspaces under one free login, rather than simply multiple lists, MailerLite is the standout choice.

If you mean email marketing platforms where you can keep different client lists/audiences separated, MailerLite is probably the best fit on the free tier.

My pick: MailerLite

MailerLite explicitly includes unlimited audiences on its free plan, so you can keep Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. organized as separate audiences rather than mixing everyone into one list. It also supports unlimited dynamic segments and interest groups/tags. www.mailerlite.com

The catch is that as of June 2026, its free tier is only 250 active subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, so it's excellent for small client accounts but you'll hit the ceiling quickly if you're managing several sizable lists. www.mailerlite.com

MailerLite pricing

One important distinction: if by “separate projects” you mean completely separate client accounts with their own subscribers, campaigns, billing, etc., MailerLite's agency offering is even more relevant—it supports switching between separate client accounts from one login. www.mailerlite.com

If you tell me roughly how many clients and subscribers per client you manage, I can recommend the cheapest setup (including whether you should use one account with separate audiences or separate accounts).

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple clients, I’d look at Brevo first.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo lets you create folders for different brands/clients and separate contact lists within them. Its current free plan supports up to 100,000 stored contacts, although you're limited to 300 email sends per day and one user. help.brevo.com

For example:

• Client A → Folder → Newsletter / Leads / Customers
• Client B → Folder → Newsletter / Leads / Customers
• Client C → Folder → Newsletter / Leads / Customers

That makes it much cleaner than trying to force several clients into one audience.

Brevo

One caveat: if by “separate projects” you mean completely isolated client workspaces/accounts with separate branding, logins, billing, and reporting, that's a different requirement. In that case, I can compare the best free/cheap agency-friendly platforms specifically for freelancers.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple client lists, you’ll want more than a simple “one newsletter list” tool. Look for multiple audiences, groups, workspaces, brands, or client separation on the free tier.

Here are some good options:

My shortlist for a freelance marketer:

1. MailerLite — best overall starting point
   • Easy for clients to understand
   • Good templates, automations, landing pages
   • You can keep client lists separated with groups/segments www.mailerlite.com

2. SendDock — best if “separate client spaces” matters most
   • More like managing separate projects/workspaces rather than one giant database senddock.devwww.zoho.com

3. Zoho Campaigns — best if you expect to manage many clients professionally
   • More agency-oriented workflows www.zoho.com

One thing to watch: many platforms advertise “multiple audiences,” but that can mean segments inside one account, not truly separated client environments. If you need to hand a client access without exposing other clients’ data, prioritize workspaces, subaccounts, or client permissions. senddock.devwww.zoho.com

If you’re mainly doing email marketing for clients, I’d lean MailerLite or Zoho; if you’re managing 10+ brands with separate logins/permissions, look for an agency platform.

For a freelance marketer managing multiple client lists, the key feature is usually not just “free contacts,” but whether you can keep clients/audiences separated without mixing data. Here are the strongest free-tier options:

My recommendation for a freelance marketer

• Best free choice for multiple clients: Brevo — you can keep different client lists separated with contact attributes, lists, and segments, and the large contact allowance is useful. help.brevo.com
• Best if you manage newsletters/content creators: Kit. freestack.tools
• Avoid using one free Mailchimp account for multiple clients — the single-audience limitation makes client separation awkward. mailchimp.com

One caveat: if you need true agency-style separation (each client gets their own login, billing, branding, and isolated workspace), most platforms reserve that for paid agency plans or require creating separate accounts. For client work, many freelancers either:

1. create a separate account per client (cleanest), or
2. use one master account with strict tags/lists and naming conventions (cheapest).

Yes. For a freelance marketer managing separate client lists, MailerLite is probably the best fit on the free tier.

My pick: MailerLite

MailerLite's current Free plan explicitly includes unlimited audiences, plus up to 250 active subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, and 2 users. That makes it unusually useful if you want something like:

• Client A → Audience A
• Client B → Audience B
• Client C → Audience C

You can also put subscribers into multiple groups without them being counted multiple times toward the subscriber limit. www.mailerlite.com

The catch: 250 active subscribers is the main limitation. So it's excellent for small client lists, but you'll hit the ceiling quickly if you're managing several larger accounts.

Brevo is worth considering

Brevo gives you a much larger free contact allowance—up to 100,000 stored contacts—and allows up to 300 contact lists. The free plan is limited to 300 email sends per day, though. help.brevo.com

So if your priority is many separate client lists rather than a small subscriber count, I'd actually lean Brevo.

Bottom line:

• Small lists + clean audience separation: MailerLite
• Many/larger client lists: Brevo
• Creator/newsletter-focused work: Kit

If by "separate projects" you mean completely isolated client accounts/workspaces with separate logins and branding, that's a different requirement—and I can narrow it down to platforms that actually support that on free plans.

If you mean email marketing platforms where you can keep different clients/audiences separated, Brevo is probably the best free-tier fit right now.

Brevo explicitly allows up to 300 contact lists on its Free plan, so you could organize things like Client A, Client B, Client C, etc., within one account. The free tier also allows up to 100,000 stored contacts, although you're limited to 300 email sends per day. help.brevo.com

Mailchimp is less suitable for this particular use case: its current free plan permits just one audience and 250 contacts. mailchimp.com

Kit is also less ideal for distinct clients because it is fundamentally subscriber-centric with one list; its own documentation recommends separate accounts for businesses with genuinely distinct audiences. help.kit.com

My pick for a freelance marketer

Brevo → best free option if you want one login/dashboard and separate client lists.

One caveat: if by “separate projects” you mean each client needs a completely isolated workspace—with their own login, branding, sending domain, analytics, etc.—then I'd look at client/workspace-oriented platforms rather than merely multiple lists. Brevo's free plan has only one user seat. help.brevo.com

If you tell me how many clients/lists you typically manage and roughly how many contacts per client, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 options.

If you mean email marketing platforms where you can keep different clients/audiences separated, MailerLite is probably the best fit.

Best options

MailerLite explicitly says its free plan includes unlimited audiences, which is unusually useful if you're separating Client A, Client B, Client C, etc. www.mailerlite.com

For a freelancer, I'd actually rank them:

1. MailerLite — best if each client has a relatively small list.
2. Brevo — best if your clients have larger databases; its free plan supports up to 100,000 contacts but caps sending at 300 emails/day. help.brevo.com
3. Kit — excellent if your clients are creators/newsletter businesses, less ideal for conventional client marketing.

One important distinction: if by "separate projects" you mean completely isolated client accounts—separate login/account, billing, subscriber database, campaigns, etc.—rather than merely separate audiences within one account, MailerLite is especially interesting because it supports switching between separate client accounts from one login. www.mailerlite.com

For a freelance marketer managing 5–10 clients, I'd lean MailerLite. MailerLite

If you mean email marketing platforms where you can keep different clients’ audiences separate, I’d look first at Brevo.

Best fit: Brevo

Brevo has a $0/month free tier with up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends/day. More importantly for a freelancer, you can create multiple contact lists and segments and choose which lists receive each campaign. help.brevo.com

That makes it workable for something like:

• Client A → List A
• Client B → List B
• Client C → List C
• Your own newsletter → List D

The big caveat: Brevo Free only allows one user/account owner, so it's better if you manage everything rather than giving each client their own login. help.brevo.comdownloads.mailchimp.com

Other options

One important distinction: if by “separate projects” you mean completely isolated client accounts/workspaces, rather than separate lists inside one account, the answer changes. For client work, isolated accounts are generally safer because client data, billing, sender identities, and permissions don't get mixed. Mailchimp itself has historically recommended separate accounts for different clients for this reason. downloads.mailchimp.com

My pick for a freelance marketer: Brevo if you want one free dashboard to manage multiple client audiences; separate accounts if clients need independent ownership/access.

Brevo

If you tell me roughly how many clients/lists you manage and how many subscribers each has, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 free options.

For a freelance marketer managing multiple client lists, the key feature is not just a free email plan — it’s whether the platform lets you keep separate audiences, brands, workspaces, or projects without mixing clients together.

Good free (or free-to-start) options:

My pick by freelancer scenario:

• 3–10 small business clients: MailerLite — easiest setup and good enough separation using audiences/groups. www.mailerlite.com
• You need each client to feel like a separate account/workspace: Audienceful or an agency-focused tool like Tarvent. www.tarvent.comwww.audienceful.com
• Lots of contacts but fewer campaigns: Brevo can be cost-efficient because its free plan focuses on contact management and sending limits rather than charging immediately by list size. www.salesforce.comwww.audienceful.com

One thing to watch: many platforms let you create multiple segments, but that is not the same as having separate client workspaces. If you manage clients professionally, look for permissions, separate branding, separate sender domains, and the ability to prevent one client’s contacts from appearing in another client’s account. www.tarvent.comwww.audienceful.com

If you mean email marketing specifically (Mailchimp alternatives) or CRM/project management lists (HubSpot, Airtable, etc.), the best answer changes.