ChatGPT answers, unedited

For a tiny bakery sending one weekly specials newsletter, I’d start with Brevo.

• Brevo: free forever, with up to 300 emails/day. That’s plenty if your list is a few hundred customers, and it includes a drag-and-drop editor and basic analytics. help.brevo.comhelp.brevo.com
• Mailchimp: also has a free tier, but it’s capped at 250 contacts and 500 sends/month, so you’ll hit the ceiling sooner as your customer list grows. mailchimp.com
• Brevo paid: starts around $9/month if you outgrow the free tier. help.brevo.com

My pick: Brevo — simple enough for a weekly “This week’s croissants + Saturday special” email without paying much.

Brevo

One caveat: the free plan includes Brevo branding, and the 300-email limit is per day, not per campaign. help.brevo.comhelp.brevo.com

For a tiny bakery sending a simple weekly specials newsletter, I’d pick Brevo.

• Free plan: $0, with up to 300 email sends per day and up to 100,000 stored contacts. help.brevo.comhelp.brevo.com
• It has a drag-and-drop editor and templates, so you can make a nice-looking “This Week’s Specials” email without technical work. www.brevo.com
• If your list grows, the Starter plan currently begins around $9/month. www.brevo.com
• The free plan has no time limit, so you don't have to worry about a trial suddenly expiring. help.brevo.comhelp.brevo.com

Mailchimp is another solid choice, but its current free tier is capped at 250 contacts and 500 email sends/month, so Brevo gives you more breathing room for a weekly newsletter. mailchimp.com

My pick: Brevo if keeping costs down is the priority; Mailchimp if you particularly prefer its interface/ecosystem.

If you tell me roughly how many customers are on your email list, I can tell you which plan would actually cost you the least.

For a tiny bakery sending one simple weekly specials email, I’d look at these:

1. Brevo — best overall for a growing local list. Its free plan is $0 and allows 300 email sends/day, plus a drag-and-drop editor and basic analytics. That’s plenty if you have a few hundred customers. help.brevo.com
2. Mailchimp — easiest mainstream option. Its free plan currently covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends/month. That's enough for a very small bakery list, but you'll hit the ceiling sooner. mailchimp.com
3. Buttondown — cheapest if you want extreme simplicity. The first 100 subscribers are free, with a straightforward newsletter editor and no-fuss setup. marketing.buttondown.com

My pick for you: Brevo. A weekly “This Week at the Bakery 🍞” email with your specials, hours, and an occasional photo is exactly the sort of lightweight campaign it handles well—and you can stay free for quite a while.

If you tell me roughly how many customers are on your email list (50, 200, 1,000, etc.), I can tell you which one will be cheapest for your specific situation.

For a tiny bakery sending a simple weekly specials newsletter, I’d pick MailerLite.

• MailerLite: Free for up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. It has a drag-and-drop editor, signup forms, basic automations, and reporting—plenty for a weekly specials email. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• Brevo: Also worth considering if your list is larger. Its free tier allows 100,000 stored contacts but limits you to 300 email sends/day, which can be awkward for a weekly blast. help.brevo.com
• Mailchimp: Has a free tier up to 250 contacts, but I'd choose it mainly if you already use Mailchimp; its current pricing structure is less attractive for a tiny, budget-conscious operation. mailchimp.com

My pick: MailerLite — especially if your list is under 250 people. You can send one weekly newsletter essentially for free, then upgrade when your customer list grows. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com

MailerLite pricing and free plan

For a tiny bakery sending one simple weekly specials email, I’d pick MailerLite.

• MailerLite — Free for up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, with a drag-and-drop editor, signup forms, and basic reporting. That’s plenty for a weekly newsletter to a small local customer list. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• Once you outgrow 250 subscribers, its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• Brevo is another good cheap option: its free plan allows 300 email sends/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts, but the daily sending limit can be awkward if your list gets bigger than 300. help.brevo.com

My pick: MailerLite for simplicity; Brevo if you expect your list to grow substantially or want SMS/CRM features later.

For a bakery, I'd keep the newsletter extremely simple: this week's specials + pickup/order info + one good photo + a single “Order Now” button.

For a tiny bakery sending one simple weekly specials email, I’d start with MailerLite.

• Free: up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• That’s plenty for a weekly newsletter: 250 customers × 4 weeks = about 1,000 emails/month.
• It has an easy drag-and-drop newsletter editor and signup forms, so you can collect customers' emails at the bakery. www.mailerlite.com
• When you outgrow it, the next plan currently starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com

Another good option: Brevo. Its free plan allows up to 300 email sends per day and up to 100,000 stored contacts, but the daily sending limit makes it a little less convenient if your list grows. help.brevo.com

My pick for your bakery: MailerLite. It's inexpensive, straightforward, and better matched to a recurring weekly specials list than a full-blown marketing system.

For a tiny bakery sending a simple weekly specials newsletter, I’d start with Brevo.

• Free: up to 300 emails/day, so a list of a few hundred customers is workable. help.brevo.com
• Easy editor: drag-and-drop templates, reusable designs, contact lists, and basic reporting. help.brevo.com
• Cheap to grow: Starter begins at $9/month for 5,000 emails/month. help.brevo.com
• It also offers pay-as-you-go credits that don't expire, which is handy if you occasionally skip a week. www.brevo.com

For your use case: I'd make one nice "This Week at [Bakery]" template, add the specials and a photo each week, and send it to your opted-in customer list. You probably don't need the fancy automation/CRM features yet.

If you tell me roughly how many customers are on your email list, I can recommend the cheapest option between Brevo, MailerLite, Mailchimp, etc.

For a tiny bakery sending a simple weekly specials newsletter, I’d look at Mailchimp first if you want something easy and inexpensive, especially if your list is still small.

Other good options:

• Mailchimp — very beginner-friendly, templates, signup forms, and basic automation.
• Brevo — often attractive for small businesses that send newsletters regularly because pricing is based more on email volume than just subscriber count.
• MailerLite — simple, clean editor and good fit for straightforward weekly newsletters.

If you tell me roughly how many customers are on your email list (e.g. 100, 500, 2,000), I can compare the cheapest option for your bakery.

For a tiny local bakery with a weekly specials list, you’ll probably want something simple, inexpensive, and easy to reuse rather than a full marketing platform. A few good options:

• MailerLite — often a strong fit for small businesses: easy drag-and-drop emails, templates, subscriber groups, and automation. Good if you mainly send “this week’s pastries / hours / preorder reminders.”
• Brevo — budget-friendly if you have a growing list or want to send more frequently. It has a free tier with daily sending limits.
• Mailchimp — very popular and beginner-friendly, though its free/low-cost tiers have changed over time and can become pricier as your list grows.
• Buttondown — a simpler newsletter-focused tool if you mostly want a clean weekly email without lots of marketing features.

For a neighborhood bakery, I’d generally pick:

1. MailerLite if you want the best balance of ease + bakery-friendly features.
2. Buttondown if you just want to write a weekly note and hit send.
3. Brevo if you expect your customer list to grow quickly.

A simple setup that works well:

• Collect emails at the counter with a QR code (“Get Friday specials”).
• Send once a week on the same day/time.
• Include: featured items, preorder deadline, pickup hours, a photo, and a short personal note.
• Avoid sending every promotion separately; customers are more likely to stay subscribed.

If you already use a point-of-sale system (Square, Toast, Shopify, etc.), it may also have built-in customer email tools that could be the cheapest route.

For a tiny bakery sending one simple weekly specials email, I’d pick MailerLite.

• MailerLite has a free plan for up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month—more than enough for a weekly newsletter to a small customer list. www.mailerlite.com
• It has a straightforward drag-and-drop editor, signup forms, basic automation, and reporting, so you don't need much technical setup. www.mailerlite.com
• If you grow past 250 subscribers, its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.com

Runner-up: Brevo. Brevo also has a free plan, but it's limited to 300 email sends per day, which can be slightly awkward for a larger weekly list. Its paid Starter plan begins at $9/month. help.brevo.com

I'd skip Mailchimp for this use case unless you specifically need its ecosystem; its current paid plans start considerably higher. mailchimp.com

Bottom line: Start with MailerLite Free. For a weekly bakery specials list, it's probably the best combination of cheap + simple + enough room to grow.

For a tiny local bakery with a weekly specials list, you probably want something simple, inexpensive, and easy to maintain rather than a full marketing platform.

Good options:

• MailerLite — Often a strong fit for small businesses: easy newsletter templates, subscriber lists, basic automation, and a free/low-cost tier for smaller audiences.
• Brevo — Good if you have a modest list but might send frequently; pricing is often based more on emails sent than just contacts.
• Mailchimp — Very beginner-friendly with lots of templates and integrations, though costs can rise as your list grows.
• Substack — Extremely simple if your newsletter is more like “this week’s pastries, stories, and bakery news” and you don’t need advanced marketing features.

For a neighborhood bakery, I’d usually lean toward MailerLite:

• Create one reusable “Weekly Specials” template
• Add a signup form at the counter, on receipts, and on your website
• Send once a week with photos, new items, preorder links, and store hours
• Avoid paying for features you won’t use

A few bakery-specific tips:

• Keep the list permission-based (customers should opt in).
• Put the signup link on your Google Business Profile/website if you have one.
• Don’t over-send; a weekly “what’s fresh this week” email is usually enough.
• Export your subscriber list occasionally so you’re not locked into one service.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have (e.g., 100, 1,000, 5,000) and whether you need online ordering links, I can narrow it down.

For a tiny bakery sending one simple weekly specials email, I’d start with MailerLite.

• MailerLite: Free for up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. It has a drag-and-drop newsletter editor and signup forms, which is plenty for a weekly bakery specials list. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• Brevo: Also has a free plan, with up to 300 emails/day and 100,000 stored contacts. It’s attractive if your list grows substantially or you eventually want SMS/CRM features. help.brevo.com

My pick: MailerLite — it’s simpler for the specific job of “here are this week’s pastries, come by the bakery.” Once you exceed 250 subscribers, its paid plan starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com

MailerLite pricing and signup

If you tell me roughly how many customers are on your email list, I can tell you which option will cost you the least.

For a tiny bakery sending a weekly specials newsletter, I’d pick MailerLite.

• MailerLite: Free for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. It includes a drag-and-drop editor, signup forms, basic automations, and reporting—plenty for a weekly bakery specials email. www.mailerlite.com
• Brevo: Also free, with unlimited contacts but a 300-email/day sending limit. This can be better if your subscriber list is already larger than 250. help.brevo.com
• Mailchimp: Has a free tier capped at 250 contacts and 500 sends/month, so it's less attractive for a weekly newsletter once your list gets beyond roughly 125 people. mailchimp.com

My pick: MailerLite — especially if you're starting with a few dozen or a couple hundred regular customers. It's inexpensive, simple, and gives you room to grow without paying immediately. www.mailerlite.com

MailerLite pricing and free plan

If you tell me roughly how many customers are on your email list, I can tell you which option will be cheapest for your specific bakery.

For a tiny bakery sending a simple weekly specials newsletter, I’d start with Brevo or Sender.

• Brevo — probably the best fit if you want to keep costs predictable. Its free plan allows unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails/day, so a modest weekly customer list can stay free. softwarerundown.com
• Sender — worth considering if your list is growing. Current comparisons put its free tier around 2,500 subscribers / 15,000 emails per month, with a drag-and-drop editor. mailtoolfinder.com
• MailerLite — a good choice if you care most about making the newsletter look polished without much fuss; its free tier is also quite generous, though reported limits vary with the current plan structure. toolskeptic.comwww.stackfyi.com
• Mailchimp — easy to use, but I wouldn't choose it for a new budget-conscious bakery list; its free tier is considerably more restrictive in 2026. www.stackfyi.com

My pick: Brevo. For “Here are this week's croissants, sourdough, and Saturday specials,” you don't need a complicated marketing system. You mainly want an attractive template, signup form, unsubscribe handling, and reliable delivery without paying much.

If you tell me roughly how many customers are on your email list (e.g. 200, 800, 2,000), I can tell you which one will actually be cheapest for your bakery.