ChatGPT answers, unedited

For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + list-growth popups and landing pages—I’d look closely at Kit (formerly ConvertKit).

Kit’s current free plan is unusually generous: up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited broadcasts, segmentation, and native digital products/subscriptions. Kit Help Center Zapier

How the main free options compare

The big recent change is MailerLite: as of July 2026, its free tier dropped to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, although it still includes popups and a landing page. MailerLite

For what you described, Kit is particularly interesting because you can use a popup → landing page → email sequence → paid subscription/product flow without immediately hitting a tiny subscriber ceiling. Its free plan also supports selling digital products and subscriptions directly. Kit Help Center

help.kit.com

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether the paid subscription is recurring (e.g. $10/month) or one-time, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 options for your exact setup.

If free is the priority, I’d look at these two:

• kit.com — particularly strong for paid subscriptions and product launches. Its free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited broadcasts, tagging/segmentation, and selling digital products/subscriptions. Its forms can be used as pop-ups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms. Kit Help Center Kit
• mailerlite.com — more traditional email-marketing functionality. Its current free plan has 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, 3 signup forms/pop-ups, and 1 landing page. MailerLite MailerLite

For your use case

I'd choose Kit if you're primarily building a subscriber audience, selling subscriptions, and doing occasional launches. The 10,000-subscriber free allowance is substantially more generous, and unlimited landing pages/forms are useful for creating separate launch waitlists and lead magnets. Kit Help Center

I'd choose MailerLite if you expect a smaller list and want a more conventional marketing-email platform with built-in popups, landing pages, and visual automations. MailerLite MailerLite

One important distinction: Kit's free plan doesn't include email sequences/automations; those require a paid plan. Kit Help Center

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether the paid subscription is a newsletter/membership/course/etc., I can narrow it down between Kit, MailerLite, and a couple of other free options.

Yes. For your use case, Kit is probably the strongest free option.

• kit.com — best for list growth + launches: its free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages, unlimited opt-in forms, and unlimited broadcasts. Its forms can be embedded as modals/popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms. Kit Help Center Kit
• mailerlite.com — best all-in-one alternative: free plan includes 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 1 landing page, and 3 signup forms/popups. It also has automations and digital-product functionality. MailerLite MailerLite

My pick for you

Choose Kit if your priority is building a large email list and doing occasional launches. The 10,000-subscriber free ceiling and unlimited landing pages/forms are unusually generous. Kit Help Center

Choose MailerLite if you want more of a traditional small-business email-marketing suite and don't expect to exceed 250 subscribers quickly.

One important distinction: if by “paid subscriptions” you mean you charge people for access to a paid newsletter/membership, Kit's free plan includes digital products and subscriptions, while MailerLite's recurring paid-newsletter subscription functionality is on its paid tier. Kit Help Center MailerLite

Yes. For your use case, I’d look at Kit and MailerLite first.

My pick: Kit

Kit is probably the strongest free option if list growth and launches are the priority.

• Up to 10,000 subscribers on the free plan.
• Unlimited landing pages and opt-in forms.
• Forms can be displayed as modal popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms.
• Unlimited email broadcasts.
• Built-in audience tagging/segmentation.
• You can sell digital products and subscriptions directly through Kit. Kit Help Center Kit
• Particularly well suited to creators, newsletters, memberships, and product launches.

kit.com

Runner-up: MailerLite

MailerLite has a more traditional marketing/email-builder feel and is excellent if you want more visual campaign-building tools.

Its current free plan gives you:

• 250 subscribers
• 2,500 emails/month
• 1 landing page
• 3 signup forms/pop-ups
• 3 automations
• A website
• Digital-product/booking functionality. MailerLite MailerLite

mailerlite.com

Quick comparison

For someone managing paid subscriptions + occasional launches, I'd choose Kit. The 10,000-subscriber ceiling and unlimited landing pages/forms make its free tier unusually useful for actually growing a list, whereas MailerLite's current 250-subscriber limit is likely to become restrictive quickly. Kit Help Center Kit

If you tell me what you're selling (membership, newsletter, SaaS, course, physical product, etc.), I can also tell you whether Kit is genuinely the best fit or whether there's a better free option.

MailerLite is probably the best fit for you. Its free plan currently includes pop-ups, signup forms, a landing page, and automations, plus 2,500 emails/month. The catch is 250 active subscribers. MailerLite MailerLite

If your priority is growing a larger free list, I’d also consider Kit, which has a much higher free subscriber allowance and landing pages. MailToolFinder

For paid subscriptions + occasional launches, MailerLite is my pick if 250 subscribers is workable initially.

For your use case — managing paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + growing an email list with popups and landing pages — I’d focus less on “free email sending” and more on lead capture, segmentation, and launch workflows.

Here are the strongest free options:

Kit Help Center Brevo Help Mailchimp### My recommendation for your situation

1. Best overall: Kit

• Strong fit if you have paid subscriptions, memberships, courses, newsletters, or launches.
• Free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers and includes unlimited landing pages and forms. Kit Help Center
• Good for: - “Join the waitlist” campaigns
• Product launch sequences
• Subscriber tagging (“customer”, “trial”, “interested in product X”)
• Creator-style funnels

2. Best if you need actual website popups: Mailchimp

• Better if your main goal is: - Exit-intent popups
• Website signup widgets
• Simple marketing campaigns
• Its free landing page builder can create lead-generation pages. Mailchimp

3. Best if you have a huge list but fewer growth tools: Brevo

• Useful if you already have many contacts and need email/SMS/transactional messaging.
• The free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts but has daily sending limits and does not include free popups or landing pages. Brevo Help

A practical free stack

For a paid subscription business, I’d probably use:

• Kit → email list, launch emails, subscriber segmentation, newsletters
• Your website + Kit forms → popup capture (using a free popup tool if needed)
• Stripe / Gumroad / Lemon Squeezy / your payment system → subscriptions
• Tag buyers inside Kit → separate customers from leads

If you tell me whether your paid subscriptions are SaaS, paid newsletter, membership/community, or physical product subscriptions, I can narrow this down further.

For your use case, I’d pick kit.com (formerly ConvertKit).

• Kit: Free up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages and forms. Its forms can be embedded as popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms, which is excellent for list growth. It also supports selling digital products and subscriptions, making it particularly relevant if paid subscriptions are part of your business. Kit Help Center Kit
• mailerlite.com: Probably the better alternative if you want a more traditional email-marketing platform. Its free tier includes popups and forms, but only 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, and one landing page as of 2026. MailerLite MailerLite

My pick

Kit if you're primarily growing an audience around paid subscriptions, launches, content, or creator-style products. The generous 10k subscriber limit + unlimited landing pages/forms is hard to beat for $0. Kit Help Center

MailerLite if you expect to stay under 250 subscribers initially and want a more conventional marketing/automation interface.

One caveat: Kit's free plan doesn't include automated email sequences/visual automations—those require a paid plan. Kit Help Center

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and what you're selling, I can narrow it down to the best free option for your exact setup.

For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + growing an email list—I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Kit

kit.com

For what you're describing, Kit's free plan is unusually generous: up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages, unlimited forms, unlimited broadcasts, tagging/segmentation, and the ability to sell digital products and subscriptions. Kit Help Kit

Its forms can be embedded as modal popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms, which makes it particularly good for list-growth campaigns. Kit

The catch is important: automated email sequences and visual automations are paid features. So if your launches involve sophisticated nurture sequences, you'll eventually need to upgrade. Kit Help

MailerLite is the alternative I'd consider

mailerlite.com

MailerLite is arguably the better choice if you want a more traditional marketing/email platform rather than a creator newsletter platform. Its current free plan includes 1 landing page, 3 signup forms/popups, 3 automations, and 2,500 emails/month, but the subscriber limit is only 250. MailerLite MailerLite

That 250-subscriber ceiling is the big downside for a business actively trying to grow a list.

Bottom line: I'd start with Kit if list growth and launches are the priority. I'd choose MailerLite if you're starting very small and want a more conventional email-marketing interface.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether you're selling subscriptions directly through the email platform, I can tell you which one I'd choose for your specific setup.

Short answer

For your use case, Kit is probably the best free option.

Why I’d pick Kit

• Up to 10,000 subscribers free — unusually generous. Kit Help Center Kit
• Unlimited landing pages on the free plan. Kit Help Center
• Unlimited signup forms, including pop-up, sticky-bar, slide-in, and inline forms. Kit Kit
• Unlimited email broadcasts. Kit Help Center
• Supports digital products and subscriptions, which is particularly relevant if you're managing paid subscriptions. Kit Help Center
• You can tag/segment subscribers based on where they signed up or what they've done, which is useful for separating launch audiences. Kit Help Center

The catch: Kit's free plan does not include automated email sequences or visual automations; those require a paid plan. Kit Help Center

Runner-up: MailerLite

MailerLite is also a good choice, particularly if you want a more traditional marketing-platform interface.

Its free plan currently includes 2,500 emails/month, 250 active subscribers, 1 landing page, and 3 signup forms/pop-ups. MailerLite MailerLite

So there's an important tradeoff:

My recommendation: If your priority is growing a list, running occasional launches, and managing paid subscriptions without paying until you really need advanced automation, start with Kit. If you need sophisticated automated workflows immediately, I'd look at a paid tier or another platform.

Assumption: I'm interpreting "free" as a genuinely $0 ongoing plan, not merely a free trial, and you're primarily looking for email + list-growth tools rather than a full CRM.

kit.com mailerlite.com

Yes. For your use case, I’d shortlist Kit and MailerLite.

• kit.com — best if list growth + launches are the priority. Its free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages and forms, including popup/modal, sticky-bar, slide-in, and inline forms. It also supports selling digital products and subscriptions. Kit Help Center Kit
• mailerlite.com — best if you want a more traditional email-marketing platform. Its current free plan includes pop-ups, 1 landing page, 3 signup forms, and 2,500 emails/month, but the free subscriber cap is only 250. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo isn't a great fit for this particular requirement: its free plan allows 100,000 contacts, but landing pages and popups aren't included. Brevo Help

My pick for you

Kit. If you're managing paid subscriptions and doing occasional product launches, the combination of 10K free subscribers + unlimited landing pages/forms + subscription selling is unusually generous. The main catch is that advanced automations and email sequences require the paid Creator plan. Kit Help Center

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how often you launch, I can also compare Kit vs MailerLite vs ConvertKit/Mailchimp specifically for your workflow.

For managing paid subscriptions + occasional product launches, you’ll want more than a basic newsletter tool. The key features are:

• subscriber capture popups/forms
• landing pages for waitlists, launches, and lead magnets
• automation sequences (welcome, onboarding, launch emails)
• segmentation/tags
• ideally paid newsletter or subscription support

Here are the strongest free options:

My shortlist for your use case

1. Best overall: MailerLite

• Strong free toolkit for launches: - pop-up signup forms
• landing pages
• automations
• email campaigns
• segmentation
• The free tier currently includes a landing page, signup forms/pop-ups, and automation features, though subscriber and sending limits apply. MailerLite MailerLite

2. Best if subscriptions are the main business: Kit

• Better if your business is built around: - paid newsletters
• memberships
• creator audiences
• recurring launches
• Its workflow/tagging approach is very creator-friendly.

3. Best if you are building a newsletter audience: beehiiv

• Good for: - newsletter growth loops
• referral programs
• media-style businesses

4. Best if you need broad marketing integrations: Mailchimp

• It offers free landing pages and lead-generation pages, but many advanced marketing features are more limited on the free tier. Mailchimp

Recommendation

For a business with existing paid subscribers + occasional launches, I’d start with:

1. MailerLite → if you need a simple sales funnel (popup → email sequence → launch → purchase)
2. Kit → if your paid subscription is primarily a creator/newsletter business
3. beehiiv → if audience growth is your main priority

A practical stack could be:

• Landing page + popup: MailerLite or Kit
• Free lead magnet/waitlist: automated sequence
• Launch campaign: segmented broadcast
• Paid subscription checkout: your existing payment platform (Stripe, Patreon, Shopify, etc.)

If you tell me what your paid subscription is (software, newsletter, membership, course, physical product, etc.), I can narrow this down.

For managing paid subscriptions + occasional product launches, you’ll want more than a basic newsletter tool. Look for:

• signup popups (exit intent, embedded forms, etc.)
• landing pages/waitlist pages
• email sequences (welcome, launch, onboarding)
• tagging/segmentation for customers vs leads
• integrations with your payment/subscription platform

These are the strongest free options:

EmailTooltester.com Free Alternatives To### My shortlist for your use case

1. Best overall: Kit

• Strong if your launches are content/community driven.
• Good for building a waitlist, sending launch sequences, and managing subscribers who may later become paying customers. EmailTooltester.com
• Best “business + subscription” option: MailerLite

• Cleaner for traditional funnels: popup → landing page → welcome series → customer emails.
• Includes landing pages and signup tools on its free tier (with limits). Sequenzy
• Best if you have lots of customers and transactional needs: Brevo

• Better suited when you need marketing emails alongside customer communications.

A practical setup would be:

• Landing page: “Join the waitlist” or “Get launch access”
• Popup: collect email + offer incentive (early access, discount, free resource)
• Automation: welcome → nurture → launch announcement → buyer follow-up
• Tags: lead, trial, paid subscriber, churned

If your paid subscriptions are through Stripe, Shopify, Patreon, Memberstack, Substack, WordPress, or another platform, the best choice may change because integrations matter.

Yes. mailerlite.com is probably the best fit for what you described.

As of 2026, its Free plan includes:

• 250 active subscribers
• 2,500 emails/month
• 1 landing page
• 3 signup forms/popups
• 3 automations
• A/B testing
• Website builder
• No credit card required MailerLite MailerLite

That combination is particularly useful for paid-subscription businesses and occasional launches, because you can have a landing page for a waitlist/launch and popups collecting emails without paying for a separate lead-capture tool.

One important caveat

The free plan is now quite limited on list size: 250 active subscribers. Once you pass that, you'll need to upgrade. MailerLite changed the free-plan limit from 500 to 250 in June 2026. MailerLite

If your priority is growing a list beyond 250 before paying, I'd look at Kit as the alternative. It has historically offered a larger free subscriber allowance and landing pages, though its automation/features differ.

My pick for your use case:
MailerLite if you want the easiest all-in-one setup for popup → landing page → email sequence → launch.
Kit if rapid list growth and creator-focused email are more important than having as many marketing features in one place.

Yes. For your use case, Kit is probably the strongest free option.

My pick: Kit

Kit's free plan gives you up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited broadcasts, tagging/segmentation, and the ability to sell digital products and subscriptions. Its forms can be displayed as modals/popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms. Kit Help Center Kit

That's unusually generous if you're trying to grow a list around paid subscriptions and occasional launches.

The main catch: email sequences and full visual automations are paid features, so if you need sophisticated launch funnels/automated nurture sequences, you'll eventually hit that limitation. Kit Help Center

Runner-up: MailerLite

mailerlite.com is more traditional marketing software and has free popups, landing pages, automations, and a nice drag-and-drop editor. But its current free plan is much more restrictive: 250 active subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 3 forms/popups, and 1 landing page. MailerLite MailerLite

Bottom line: If list growth is important and you're comfortable with a creator-oriented platform, I'd start with Kit. If you expect to stay under ~250 subscribers and want a more conventional marketing-email interface, MailerLite is worth considering.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether your paid subscription is a newsletter, membership, or SaaS/product, I can narrow it down further.

Yes. For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional launches + list-growth popups + landing pages—I’d narrow it to two:

🥇 Best overall: kit.com

Kit’s free plan is unusually generous for creators:

• Up to 10,000 subscribers
• Unlimited landing pages
• Unlimited signup forms that can be used as modals/popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or embedded forms
• Unlimited email broadcasts
• Audience tagging/segmentation
• Digital products and subscriptions built in Kit Help Center Kit

The catch: automated sequences and visual automations aren't included on free. Kit Help Center

For someone who primarily needs lead capture + launches + selling subscriptions, that's a very attractive free tier.

🥈 Best alternative: mailerlite.com

MailerLite is more traditional marketing automation software and gives you:

• Popups/forms
• 1 landing page
• 3 forms/popups
• 3 automations
• 2,500 emails/month

But the major limitation is only 250 active subscribers on the free plan. MailerLite MailerLite

So if you're serious about growing the list, that ceiling is likely to become annoying quickly.

What I'd choose

My pick for you: Kit. The 10,000-subscriber ceiling and unlimited landing pages/forms make it much better suited to a business where list growth matters, especially if launches are occasional rather than requiring elaborate automated funnels. Kit Help Center

If you tell me what you're selling (membership, SaaS, newsletter, course, digital product, etc.), I can also compare Kit vs MailerLite vs Beehiiv vs Substack specifically for your setup.

For managing paid subscriptions + occasional product launches, I’d prioritize a platform that has:

• signup popups/forms for list growth
• landing pages for launches and waitlists
• email sequences/automations
• tagging or segmentation
• room to grow without forcing a paid upgrade immediately

Here are the strongest free options:

My recommendation for your use case

Pick MailerLite if you are launching products and collecting buyers/waitlists. It is probably the closest match to “I need popups + landing pages + email + simple automation in one free tool.” Its free plan includes signup forms/popups, landing pages, and basic automation, though the subscriber cap is a consideration. MailerLite

Pick Kit if you are more of a creator/operator (newsletter + memberships + digital products). It tends to fit audiences where the relationship with subscribers matters more than complex marketing funnels.

Pick Brevo if your list may grow faster than your sending frequency. It is often attractive when you have many contacts but only email occasionally. InboxArmy

For paid subscriptions specifically, I’d also check whether you need:

• recurring billing handled by the email platform, or
• just email marketing around subscriptions managed elsewhere (Stripe, Patreon, Memberful, Shopify, etc.).

If you tell me what runs your paid subscriptions (Stripe, Shopify, Patreon, WordPress, custom app, etc.) and roughly how many subscribers you have, I can narrow this down.

Pick MailerLite if you are launching products and collecting buyers/waitlists. It is probably the closest match to “I need popups + landing pages + email + simple automation in one free tool.” Its free plan includes signup forms/popups, landing pages, and basic automation, though the subscriber cap is a consideration. MailerLite

Pick Kit if you are more of a creator/operator (newsletter + memberships + digital products). It tends to fit audiences where the relationship with subscribers matters more than complex marketing funnels.

Pick Brevo if your list may grow faster than your sending frequency. It is often attractive when you have many contacts but only email occasionally.

For paid subscriptions specifically, I’d also check whether you need:

Yes. For your use case, I’d pick MailerLite—especially if you want one free platform for both ongoing paid-subscription marketing and occasional launches.

As of August 2026:

• mailerlite.com — best overall for you. The free plan includes pop-up/signup forms, 1 landing page, 3 automations, and 2,500 emails/month, with up to 250 subscribers. MailerLite MailerLite
• kit.com — best if you're primarily a creator/newsletter business. Its free plan is unusually generous: up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited forms and landing pages, and unlimited broadcasts. It also supports digital products and subscriptions. The catch is that email sequences and visual automations require a paid plan. Kit Help Center
• brevo.com — worth considering for transactional/business email, but its free plan's 300-email-per-day sending limit makes it less attractive for a growing newsletter. Brevo Help

My recommendation

If your priority is “capture leads → nurture them → launch a product/subscription”, I'd start with MailerLite. Its free plan specifically includes the pop-ups, landing page, and automation pieces you'd need. MailerLite

If you're expecting your list to grow beyond 250 subscribers quickly, however, I'd seriously consider Kit instead. Its 10,000-subscriber free allowance is dramatically more generous. Kit Help Center

Short version:
MailerLite = better free marketing toolkit.
Kit = much better free subscriber limit.

Yes — MailerLite is probably the best fit for what you described.

mailerlite.com

MailerLite explicitly includes pop-up forms and landing pages on its free plan, making it well suited for building an email list around product launches. MailerLite MailerLite

For your use case

I'd choose MailerLite if your priorities are:

• Growing a list with website popups
• Creating dedicated launch/lead-magnet landing pages
• Running welcome sequences and launch emails
• Occasionally selling products
• Keeping costs at $0 while you're small

The main catch is the 250-subscriber ceiling. Once you exceed it, you'll need to upgrade or reduce your active subscribers. MailerLite

One alternative worth considering: Brevo's free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts, but limits you to 300 emails per day, and its free feature set is less compelling if landing pages/popups are central to your strategy. Brevo Help

Bottom line: For list growth + popups + landing pages + occasional launches, I'd start with MailerLite.

For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + growing an email list—I’d pick MailerLite if your list is still small.

Best fit: MailerLite

mailerlite.com

Its current free plan includes:

• Pop-up signup forms for list growth
• 1 landing page
• 3 signup forms/pop-ups
• 3 automations
• 2,500 emails/month
• A drag-and-drop email editor
• Landing pages specifically designed for collecting leads, promoting offers, and lead magnets MailerLite MailerLite

The big catch: MailerLite reduced the free limit to 250 active subscribers in June 2026. MailerLite

If you expect rapid list growth

Brevo is worth considering instead. Its free tier allows a much larger contact database, but its free sending limit is 300 emails/day, so it's better when you have lots of contacts but don't email everyone frequently. Accelrio

For your particular mix, I'd rank them:

1. MailerLite — best combination of popups + landing pages + automation + easy campaign creation.
2. Brevo — better if your subscriber count will grow beyond 250 quickly.
3. Kit — attractive for creator/newsletter businesses, especially if the email list itself is the primary product, but less compelling for your landing-page/pop-up requirement.

My recommendation: Start with MailerLite if you're under ~200 subscribers today. If you're already approaching 250 or expect a launch to push you past that quickly, I'd start with Brevo instead so you don't have to migrate later. MailerLite Accelrio

For your particular mix, I'd rank them:

Yes. For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + list growth—I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Kit

Kit is probably the strongest fit for you. Its current free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited forms, unlimited landing pages, and unlimited email broadcasts. Its forms can be used as popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms. Kit Help Center Kit Kit

That's particularly attractive if you're building a list around paid subscriptions or launches, because Kit also supports digital products and subscriptions on the free plan. Kit Help Center

The main catch: email sequences and visual automations aren't included on the free plan, so if your launch strategy depends heavily on automated welcome/launch sequences, you'll eventually need to upgrade. Kit Help Center

MailerLite is the better alternative

mailerlite.com is more traditional email marketing software and has a surprisingly capable free tier: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 3 signup forms/popups, 1 landing page, and 3 automations. MailerLite MailerLite

So if you're starting with a very small list, MailerLite gives you more automation functionality for free. But its 250-subscriber ceiling is very restrictive for someone whose primary goal is list growth.

Bottom line: I'd start with Kit if you're serious about growing the list and selling subscriptions/products. I'd choose MailerLite if you're under 250 subscribers and want more conventional marketing automation without paying yet.

For managing paid subscriptions + occasional product launches, I’d prioritize a platform that can do:

• email broadcasts/newsletters
• subscriber capture popups/forms
• landing pages for launches
• basic automation (welcome sequences, launch reminders)
• integrations with payment/subscription tools

The strongest free options are:

My picks for your use case

1. Best overall: MailerLite
If you’re running launches (waitlists, early access, product announcements), MailerLite is probably the closest match. It gives you:

• popup signup forms
• landing pages
• email automations
• lead magnet delivery
• simple funnels

MailerLite MailerLite2. Best if subscriptions are the core business: Kit
If your paid subscriptions are more like:

• paid newsletter
• membership
• creator audience
• courses/digital products

Kit is worth considering because it is built around creators and monetization workflows. Zapier

3. Best if you already have a big list but send rarely: Brevo
Useful if you have thousands of contacts and only email during launches. The tradeoff is that free sending is constrained. Zapier

A practical setup I’d choose

For a subscription business with occasional launches:

• MailerLite → if you need polished landing pages + launch funnels
• Kit → if the audience itself is the product (newsletter/membership/community)
• Brevo → if your list is large and campaigns are occasional

If you tell me roughly:

1. your current subscriber count,
2. whether payments happen through Stripe/Substack/Shopify/etc., and
3. whether you need automated welcome sequences,

I can narrow it to one.

For your use case, Kit is probably the best free option right now.

• Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Free up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited email sends, and tools for selling digital products/subscriptions. It’s particularly well suited to launches and creator-style list building. Kit Help Center Kit
• MailerLite — A strong alternative if you specifically want website popups plus a traditional email-marketing interface. Its free tier includes 1 landing page, 3 signup forms/popups, 2,500 emails/month, but only up to 250 subscribers. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo — Generous on contacts (up to 100,000 on free), but the free plan limits you to 300 emails/day, so it's less attractive if you're building toward large launch sends. Brevo Help

My pick for you

Kit if your priority is growing a list + launch waitlists/landing pages + occasional product sales.

MailerLite if you specifically need on-site popups and don't expect to exceed a few hundred subscribers soon.

One important distinction: Kit's free plan is excellent for forms and landing pages, but if by “popups” you mean sophisticated exit-intent/behavior-triggered popups on an existing website, I'd lean toward MailerLite or a dedicated popup tool. Kit

kit.com · mailerlite.com · brevo.com

For your use case, MailerLite is probably the best free option right now.

• mailerlite.com — Free plan includes email campaigns, landing pages, signup forms, pop-ups, and automations. As of August 2026, the free tier allows 250 active subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 1 landing page, and 3 forms/pop-ups. MailerLite MailerLite
• It also has useful launch-oriented features such as countdown timers, promotional pop-ups, segmentation, and automation, so it fits occasional product launches particularly well. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo has a much larger free contact allowance—up to 100,000 contacts—but its free plan doesn't include landing pages or popups, making it a worse fit for your specific list-growth needs. Brevo Help Brevo Help

My pick

MailerLite → best overall for you if your priority is:

popup → landing page → email list → automated launch sequence

The main catch is the 250-subscriber free limit, which you'll likely hit fairly quickly if your list-growth efforts work. MailerLite

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and how often you launch, I can compare MailerLite against Kit, Beehiiv, Mailchimp, and Brevo specifically for your situation.

If list-growth popups + landing pages are the priorities, I’d shortlist MailerLite and Kit.

My pick: MailerLite

For your mix of paid subscriptions + occasional product launches, MailerLite is probably the better all-around choice. Its free tier includes landing pages, pop-up forms, email automation, A/B testing, and 2,500 monthly emails. MailerLite MailerLite

The limitation is that the free plan is only 250 subscribers and gives you 1 landing page + 3 signup forms/popups. MailerLite

But Kit has a big advantage

If you're primarily trying to build a large email list before monetizing it, Kit's free Newsletter plan is unusually generous: up to 1,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages, unlimited forms, and unlimited broadcasts. Its forms can be modal popups, slide-ins, sticky bars, or inline forms. Kit Kit Help Center

So I'd choose:

• MailerLite → you want a more traditional marketing platform with automations and occasional launches.
• Kit → you want to aggressively grow a creator/newsletter audience and don't want the free plan capped at 250 subscribers.

For your specific description, I'd start with MailerLite unless you expect to pass 250 subscribers quickly. If you do, Kit's 1,000-subscriber free tier makes it very compelling.

For your mix of paid subscriptions + occasional product launches, MailerLite is probably the better all-around choice. Its free tier includes landing pages, pop-up forms, email automation, A/B testing, and 2,500 monthly emails. mailerlite.com mailerlite.com

The limitation is that the free plan is only 250 subscribers and gives you 1 landing page + 3 signup forms/popups. mailerlite.com

But Kit has a big advantage

If you're primarily trying to build a large email list before monetizing it, Kit's free Newsletter plan is unusually generous: up to 1,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages, unlimited forms, and unlimited broadcasts. Its forms can be modal popups, slide-ins, sticky bars, or inline forms.

So I'd choose:

For your use case, Kit looks like the strongest free option right now—especially if paid subscriptions and product launches are important.

My pick: Kit

Kit's current free Newsletter plan allows up to 10,000 active subscribers, unlimited forms and landing pages, unlimited email broadcasts, tagging/segmentation, and even selling digital products and subscriptions. Kit Kit Help Center

Its forms can be used as website popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms, so it covers the list-growth side you're looking for. Kit

For occasional product launches, Kit is particularly attractive because you can use tags/segments to separate people based on which launch or offer they interacted with, rather than maintaining separate lists. Kit Help Center

When I'd choose MailerLite instead

If you're running a more conventional small-business marketing operation—newsletters, promotional campaigns, website forms, occasional launches—MailerLite has a very good free toolkit. It includes popups, landing pages, automation, and email campaigns. MailerLite

The catch is the current free limits: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 3 forms/popups, and 1 landing page. MailerLite MailerLite

Bottom line: If your list is likely to grow beyond a few hundred people and you're actually selling subscriptions/products, I'd start with Kit. If you're staying very small and want a more traditional marketing-email interface, MailerLite is worth considering.

If list growth + popups + landing pages are the priorities, I’d pick MailerLite.

Its current free plan includes:

• 1 landing page
• 3 signup forms/popups
• 250 subscribers
• 2,500 emails/month
• 3 visual automations
• Email campaigns and A/B testing
• A free hosted landing-page URL www.mailerlite.com

That combination is particularly useful for your situation because you can run a launch landing page → popup/form → automated welcome/launch sequence → paid subscription/product offer without paying initially.

How I'd compare the main options

Brevo's free plan is generous on contacts—up to 100,000—but limits you to 300 email sends/day, making it less attractive if your launches involve bursts of email. help.brevo.com

One important caveat: MailerLite tightened its free plan in 2026 to 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly sends, one landing page, and three active forms/popups. www.mailerlite.com

My recommendation: Start with MailerLite if you're below ~250 subscribers. For occasional product launches, its landing-page + popup + automation combination is probably the closest match to what you're looking for without paying.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether the paid subscriptions are sold through Stripe/Shopify/etc., I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 options for your exact setup.

For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + growing an email list with popups and landing pages—I’d pick MailerLite.

MailerLite currently offers on its free plan:

• 250 active subscribers
• 2,500 emails/month
• 1 landing page
• 3 signup forms/popups
• 3 visual automations
• Email campaigns and A/B testing
• Free hosting for the landing page
• Digital product/booking capability www.mailerlite.com

That makes it particularly good if you're doing things like:

Popup → email signup → welcome sequence → launch emails → paid offer.

One important caveat: MailerLite changed its free plan in June/August 2026, reducing the subscriber limit from 500 to 250 and the monthly sending limit from 12,000 to 2,500. www.mailerlite.com

How I'd rank the free options

For your specific workflow, I'd start with MailerLite unless you expect to blow past 250 subscribers quickly. Its landing-page and popup tools are unusually well integrated with the email/automation side. www.mailerlite.com

If you're expecting 1,000–10,000 subscribers, though, I'd choose differently—I can compare MailerLite vs Kit vs Brevo specifically for paid subscriptions and product launches and tell you which will cost least as you grow.

If your priorities are paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + list growth popups + landing pages, I’d look at Kit first.

Best fit: Kit

Kit’s current free Newsletter plan is unusually generous:

• Up to 10,000 subscribers
• Unlimited landing pages
• Unlimited signup forms
• Unlimited email sends
• Basic automation/sequence
• Digital products and subscriptions
• Subscriber tagging/segmentation help.kit.com

That makes it particularly attractive if you're building an audience around paid subscriptions and launches rather than just sending conventional newsletters. Its landing pages are specifically designed for lead magnets, waitlists, product ideas, and launches. help.kit.comkit.com

One alternative: MailerLite

MailerLite is arguably better if you want a more traditional marketing-email platform with a drag-and-drop editor and broader business/marketing functionality. But its free plan is much tighter now: 250 active subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 3 forms/popups, and 1 landing page. www.mailerlite.com

My pick for you: Kit. The 10,000-subscriber free ceiling and unlimited landing pages/forms are hard to beat for your particular use case.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether the paid subscriptions are newsletters, memberships, or products, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 free options.

For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + list growth—I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Kit

If your priority is growing an email list and occasionally selling subscriptions/products, Kit's free Newsletter plan is probably the strongest fit. It currently allows up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages and opt-in forms. Its forms can be displayed as modals/popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms. kit.com

That's unusually generous for a free plan, especially if list growth is important.

When I'd choose MailerLite instead

Choose MailerLite if you want a more traditional all-in-one email-marketing experience with a particularly easy visual editor. Its free plan includes 1 landing page, 3 signup forms/popups, 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, and automation. www.mailerlite.com

So, roughly:

• Need to grow past 250 subscribers without paying? → Kit
• Want the easiest general-purpose email marketing/launch tool? → MailerLite
• Already have a large contact database and mainly care about sending email cheaply? → Brevo; its free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts but limits sending to 300 emails/day. help.brevo.com

For your particular mix, I'd start with Kit. The 10,000-subscriber free ceiling plus unlimited landing pages/forms makes it much harder to outgrow during a launch. kit.com

For your use case, Kit is probably the strongest free option right now—especially if list growth and occasional launches are the priorities.

Kit stands out: its free Newsletter plan includes up to 10,000 active subscribers, unlimited landing pages, unlimited opt-in forms, unlimited email sends, and digital products/subscriptions. help.kit.comkit.com

Its forms can be embedded as modals/popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms, which is particularly useful for growing a list from a website. help.kit.comkit.com

The catch for your product launches is automation. The free plan includes only one basic visual automation and one email sequence; more sophisticated launch funnels and automation are paid features. help.kit.com

MailerLite is the better alternative if you want a more conventional all-in-one email-marketing interface. Its free plan currently includes 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 1 landing page, and 3 signup forms/pop-ups. help.kit.comkit.comwww.mailerlite.comhelp.brevo.com

So I'd choose:

• Kit → if list growth + occasional product launches are your main priorities.
• MailerLite → if you're staying under 250 subscribers and want simpler email campaigns/automations.
• Brevo → if your biggest concern is sending volume rather than sophisticated list-growth funnels. Its free plan allows 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 contacts. help.brevo.com

Kit pricing/free plan
MailerLite free plan

For managing paid subscriptions + occasional product launches, you’ll want more than just newsletters. The important free features are:

• landing pages for launch waitlists
• signup forms/popups for list growth
• tagging/segmentation
• welcome sequences or basic automation
• integrations with your payment/subscription tools

My top picks:

mailchimp.comwww.brevo.com

My recommendation for your use case

1. Choose MailerLite if you run launches.
It’s probably the closest match for “collect leads → nurture → launch → convert.” You can create a landing page for a product waitlist, add a popup to your site, and build a short launch sequence. saasscored.com

2. Choose Kit if your business is creator/subscription-driven.
If you sell memberships, paid newsletters, courses, digital products, or a personal brand, Kit’s subscriber-focused tools are strong. Kit offers generous free subscriber capacity, though advanced automation features are a reason many users upgrade. mailtoolfinder.com

3. Choose Brevo if you expect a large list before you send often.
Its free model is attractive because contacts are not the main constraint; instead, sending volume is capped. mailchimp.comwww.brevo.com

For a paid subscription business, I’d probably start with MailerLite + Stripe/your payment platform integration, then move to a more advanced CRM/email stack only when segmentation and automation become complex. saasscored.com

If you tell me what you sell (SaaS, membership, newsletter, course, physical product, etc.) and your expected list size, I can narrow it down.

Yes. For your use case, I’d shortlist Kit and MailerLite.

🥇 My pick: Kit

Kit's free Newsletter plan is unusually generous: 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages, unlimited forms, unlimited email broadcasts, tagging/segmentation, and the ability to sell digital products and subscriptions. Its forms can be displayed as modals/popups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms. help.kit.com

That's particularly attractive if you're managing paid subscriptions and product launches, because you won't immediately hit a tiny subscriber ceiling while you're growing your list.

Kit pricing / free plan

🥈 MailerLite

MailerLite is arguably the better choice if you want a more conventional email-marketing/business toolkit. Its current free plan includes 2,500 emails/month, 250 subscribers, 3 signup forms/popups, and 1 landing page, plus automations. help.kit.comwww.mailerlite.com

The big catch is the 250-subscriber limit, which is quite restrictive for a list-growth strategy. That limit was reduced in June 2026. www.mailerlite.com

MailerLite free plan

Bottom line: If list growth is a major priority, I'd choose Kit. If you're expecting to stay under ~250 subscribers for a while and want more traditional marketing features, MailerLite is worth considering.

For your use case, Kit is probably the strongest free option—especially if list growth and occasional launches are the priorities.

Kit: Its free Newsletter plan currently includes up to 10,000 active subscribers, unlimited forms and landing pages, unlimited email sends, tagging/segmentation, and one basic visual automation. Its forms can be used as modal/pop-up, sticky-bar, slide-in, or inline forms. help.kit.com

Kit pricing / free plan

MailerLite: Also a very good choice, and arguably better if you want a more traditional small-business email-marketing interface. But as of August 2026, its free plan is capped at 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 1 landing page, and 3 signup forms/pop-ups. www.mailerlite.com

MailerLite free plan

Brevo: I'd skip it for your particular requirement. Although its free plan allows up to 100,000 contacts, landing pages and popups aren't included. help.brevo.com

My pick

Go with Kit if you're building an audience and occasionally launching products. The huge advantage is that you don't immediately hit a 250/500-subscriber ceiling just as your popup starts working.

The main catch: the free Kit plan has only one basic automation/sequence, so if your launches eventually need sophisticated multi-step funnels, you'll likely need the paid Creator plan. help.kit.com

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and what you're selling, I can also recommend the best free setup between Kit, MailerLite, and a couple of less-obvious alternatives.

For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + list growth—I’d shortlist these:

My pick: MailerLite. Its free tier specifically includes pop-up signup forms, a landing page, email automation, A/B testing, and 2,500 monthly emails. That's a particularly good combination for building a list and then running launch sequences. www.mailerlite.comhelp.kit.comwww.mailerlite.com

The catch is the 250-subscriber limit on the current free plan. Once your list grows beyond that, you'll need to upgrade. www.mailerlite.com

Kit is the interesting alternative if subscriber count is your biggest concern: its free Newsletter plan allows up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages/forms, and unlimited email sends, although its free automation capabilities are more limited. help.kit.com

So I'd choose:

• MailerLite → best if you're running actual product launches and want easy marketing automation.
• Kit → best if you're primarily a creator/newsletter business and expect the list to grow past 250 quickly.
• Brevo → best if you already have a large contact database but don't email everyone frequently. Its free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts, but only 300 email sends/day. help.brevo.com

If paid subscriptions means you're selling a recurring subscription/newsletter rather than simply managing subscribers, MailerLite becomes especially interesting because it supports paid newsletter subscriptions and digital products. www.mailerlite.com

For your use case, I’d shortlist MailerLite and Kit.

My pick for you: Kit. Its free Newsletter plan currently supports up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited broadcasts, tagging/segmentation, and digital product/subscription sales. kit.com

That's particularly attractive if you manage paid subscriptions and occasional launches, because you can have separate opt-in pages/forms for different campaigns without immediately hitting a landing-page limit.

MailerLite is the better alternative if you want a more traditional small-business email-marketing interface. Its free plan includes 2,500 emails/month, 1 landing page, and 3 signup forms/pop-ups, but the subscriber ceiling is only 250 as of the August 2026 changes. www.mailerlite.com

So, in short:

• Want the most generous free list-building setup → Kit
• Want a polished marketing/automation platform and expect to stay under 250 subscribers initially → MailerLite
• Don't choose Brevo specifically for this requirement: its free plan currently excludes landing pages and popups. help.brevo.com

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether the paid subscriptions are newsletters, memberships, or products, I can recommend the best free setup for your exact funnel.

For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + list growth popups + landing pages—I’d shortlist these:

🥇 My pick: MailerLite

MailerLite is probably the closest match to what you're describing. Its current free plan includes pop-up signup forms, landing pages, and basic automation, so you can run a lead magnet → welcome sequence → launch campaign without stitching together several services. www.mailerlite.com

The catch is important: MailerLite's free plan was reduced to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month in 2026, so it's excellent for getting started but you'll hit the ceiling fairly quickly if your list grows. www.mailerlite.com

🥈 If you expect the list to grow quickly: Brevo

Brevo is attractive because the free tier is contact-based rather than subscriber-based: you can have a very large contact database, with the main constraint being roughly 300 emails/day. It also supports signup forms and landing pages. www.stackfyi.com

That's particularly useful if you might have, say, 5,000 subscribers but only email them occasionally around launches.

🥉 If you're primarily a creator: Kit

Kit is worth considering if your "paid subscriptions" means paid newsletters/content subscriptions. It has unlimited landing pages and is built around creator audience growth. kit.com

Its downside for your use case is that the free tier is more broadcast/newsletter-oriented; more sophisticated automation is a paid feature. help.kit.com

Bottom line:

• Small/early list + launches: MailerLite
• Potentially large list + occasional sends: Brevo
• Creator/newsletter subscription business: Kit
• Want unusually generous free automation: Sender www.brevo.com

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and what you're selling, I can narrow this to the best 1–2 options, including which has the best free popup/landing-page funnel.

For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + list growth—I’d pick MailerLite.

Best fit: MailerLite

MailerLite

Its current free plan includes:

• Up to 250 active subscribers
• 2,500 emails/month
• 1 landing page
• 3 signup forms/pop-ups
• Email automations
• A/B testing
• Website/landing-page hosting
• No time limit on the free plan www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.comkit.com

That combination is particularly useful for you because you can have, for example, a launch landing page + popup on your site + automated welcome/launch sequence without paying initially.

One important caveat

MailerLite's free tier was changed in June 2026, so the 250-subscriber limit is quite a bit tighter than what older reviews may tell you. www.mailerlite.com

What about the alternatives?

Kit is probably the better choice if you're primarily a creator/newsletter business: it offers unlimited landing pages and is very focused on audience growth, sequences, and creator monetization. kit.com

Brevo has a much larger contact allowance, but its current free plan doesn't include landing pages or popups, so it doesn't meet your specific requirement. help.brevo.com

Bottom line: MailerLite is the strongest match if free popups + landing pages are non-negotiable. If you're expecting to grow past ~250 subscribers quickly, I'd seriously consider Kit instead.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether the paid subscription is a newsletter, membership, or SaaS/product, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 options.

For your use case—paid subscriptions + occasional product launches + list growth—I’d pick MailerLite if you want the simplest all-around free option.

Best free options

MailerLite: The free plan gives you 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, one landing page, and three signup forms/popups. It also includes basic automation, so you can build a lead magnet → welcome sequence → launch funnel without paying initially. www.mailerlite.comkit.comhelp.kit.com

Kit: If list growth is your priority, Kit is particularly compelling. Its current free Newsletter plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages and opt-in forms—including modal, sticky-bar, slide-in, and inline forms. kit.com

My recommendation:

• Choose Kit if you're primarily a creator/newsletter business and expect the list to grow substantially.
• Choose MailerLite if you want a more traditional marketing platform with straightforward campaigns, automations, landing pages, popups, and occasional product launches.

One caveat for your paid subscriptions: Kit's free plan is excellent for growing the list, but some advanced automation/subscription features are paid. MailerLite's free plan is similarly constrained at 250 subscribers. www.mailerlite.comkit.comhelp.kit.com

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether you're selling the subscription through Stripe, Shopify, Patreon, etc., I can tell you which one I'd choose specifically.