ChatGPT answers, unedited

For a tiny bookshop doing author-event invitations + one monthly newsletter, I’d pick MailerLite.

My recommendation: mailerlite.com

It’s a particularly good fit because you probably care more about simple newsletters, signup forms, and keeping costs predictable than sophisticated CRM features.

• Free: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. That’s plenty for a small starting list. MailerLite MailerLite
• You get a drag-and-drop newsletter editor, signup forms, landing pages, basic automations, and reporting. MailerLite
• When you outgrow free, the current paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. MailerLite
• It would let you create separate groups such as “Monthly newsletter,” “Author events,” and “Local events”, so you don't have to invite everyone to every event.

The other one I'd consider: brevo.com

Brevo is arguably better if your mailing list gets much larger but you don't send very often. Its free plan allows unlimited contacts but only 300 email sends per day; paid Starter begins at $9/month. Brevo Help Brevo Help

For example, if you had 2,000 subscribers but only sent one newsletter a month, Brevo's contact-based approach could be attractive.

What I'd skip

Mailchimp wouldn't be my first choice for a tiny shop starting today. Unless you already use it, there are cheaper/simple alternatives; recent comparisons specifically identify MailerLite as a strong value for small businesses. ToolSkeptic

Bottom line: Start with MailerLite Free if you're under 250 subscribers. It's probably the least-fussy setup for a bookstore, and you can move to the $12/month tier as your audience grows.

If you tell me roughly how many people are on your mailing list now (e.g. 100, 500, 2,000), I can tell you which one is cheapest for your actual sending pattern.

For a tiny bookshop, I’d lean toward Brevo.

My pick: Brevo

brevo.com is particularly well suited to your use case because you’re likely sending occasional author-event announcements plus one newsletter a month, rather than hundreds of campaigns.

• Free: $0/month, with unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails/day. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• Starter: from $9/month, with 5,000 emails/month and up to 500 contacts. Brevo Help
• It has drag-and-drop templates, scheduling, basic analytics, and automation—enough for event invitations, newsletters, and welcome emails without being overkill. Brevo Help
• Its pricing is based primarily on emails sent, which can be advantageous for a bookshop with a growing list but relatively infrequent sends.

How I'd compare the main options

Mailchimp's current free plan is capped at 250 contacts, while its Essentials plan starts at $13/month. Mailchimp

One important distinction: if your list is, say, 300–1,000 local readers, and you're only emailing once or twice a month, I'd choose Brevo. If what you really care about is making beautiful newsletters with the least possible fiddling, I'd seriously consider MailerLite instead.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now (and whether you expect 500, 1,000, or 5,000+), I can tell you which one is cheapest for your actual sending pattern.

For a tiny bookshop, I’d pick MailerLite.

MailerLite's current free plan includes newsletter campaigns, signup forms, landing pages, basic automations, A/B testing, and two user seats. MailerLite MailerLite

My recommendation

Start with MailerLite if you're under 250 subscribers. For your use case, you can have:

• A monthly "what's happening at the shop" newsletter
• Separate announcements for author events
• A signup form on your website
• An automated welcome email for new subscribers
• Basic reporting to see which newsletters people actually read

Once you exceed 250 active subscribers, MailerLite's paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. MailerLite

One caveat: if you already have more than 250 subscribers, I'd choose Brevo instead. Its free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends per day, although that daily sending limit can make a large monthly newsletter a little cumbersome. Brevo Help Brevo Help

I wouldn't choose Mailchimp for a new tiny-shop setup unless you particularly like its interface: its free plan is also capped at 250 contacts but only allows 500 sends/month, and sending pauses if you exceed the limits. Mailchimp Mailchimp

Bottom line: MailerLite for a small list; Brevo if you've already outgrown 250 subscribers.

For a tiny bookshop, I’d pick MailerLite as the default.

Why MailerLite

• Its free plan currently covers up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month—plenty for a small shop starting out. www.mailerlite.com
• You get newsletters, signup forms, landing pages, basic automations and reporting, so you can have a simple “Join our events & newsletter” form on your website. www.mailerlite.com
• If you outgrow the free tier, the Comfort plan starts at $12/month, making the transition relatively painless. www.mailerlite.com
• It's particularly well suited to a small team rather than a complicated marketing operation.

When I'd choose Brevo instead

Brevo is interesting if your list grows substantially or you send infrequent but large event blasts. Its pricing is more oriented around email volume, and its free tier allows 300 sends/day with unlimited contacts. Its Starter plan begins at $9/month. help.brevo.com

For example, if you have 800 people on your list but only send one monthly newsletter plus occasional author-event invitations, Brevo can make more economic sense than a subscriber-count-based service.

My recommendation: Start with MailerLite, unless you already know your audience will quickly exceed 250 subscribers. In that case, I'd seriously consider Brevo from day one.

MailerLite pricing
Brevo pricing

For a tiny bookshop sending author-event invites plus a monthly newsletter, I’d pick MailerLite.

MailerLite's free tier includes newsletters, signup forms, basic automations, landing pages and A/B testing—plenty for an independent bookshop. www.mailerlite.com

Brevo is particularly interesting if your mailing list gets large but you only send occasionally: its free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts, although you're limited to 300 sends per day. help.brevo.com

I wouldn't choose Mailchimp as the default for a tiny shop unless you specifically need one of its integrations or are already comfortable with it. Its current free tier is also capped at 250 contacts, while paid plans start at higher prices. mailchimp.com

My recommendation: start with MailerLite Free. When your list grows beyond 250 people, its $12/month Comfort plan is a sensible next step. www.mailerlite.com

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now (e.g. 300, 1,000, 5,000) and whether you need event RSVPs/ticket sales, I can tell you which one is cheapest for your actual situation.

For a tiny bookshop, I’d shortlist Brevo and MailerLite—and I’d lean Brevo if keeping costs down is the priority.

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with Brevo. Your use case—monthly newsletter + occasional author-event announcements—doesn't require sophisticated marketing automation. Brevo's free plan gives you 300 sends/day, so a 200-person list could receive your monthly newsletter free, with room for occasional event emails. help.brevo.com

Once you're consistently over the free limit, Brevo's paid plans start around $9/month, and its send-based pricing can be particularly attractive for a shop that emails relatively infrequently. www.sasanova.com

One important consideration: don't import a pile of old customer addresses without permission. For event/newsletter marketing, build a clearly opted-in mailing list at the register, on your website, and at events.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now (e.g. 200, 1,000, 3,000) and whether you want pretty book-cover-heavy emails or just simple announcements, I can tell you which one I'd pick and what you'd actually pay.

For a tiny bookshop, I’d shortlist MailerLite and Brevo rather than defaulting to Mailchimp.

My pick: MailerLite

It’s probably the best fit if you want author-event announcements + a monthly newsletter without spending much time managing the software.

• Free: up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• Easy drag-and-drop newsletter editor.
• Signup forms, landing pages, basic automations, and A/B testing are included. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• Paid plans start at $12/month if you outgrow the free tier. www.mailerlite.com
• Particularly nice for a shop where you might want a simple signup form like “Join our bookshop newsletter” at the register and on your website.

MailerLite pricing

When I'd choose Brevo instead

Brevo is more attractive if your mailing list is already fairly large but you only send occasionally. Its free plan allows unlimited contacts and 300 email sends per day; its Starter plan begins at $9/month. help.brevo.com

That pricing model can be excellent for a bookshop with, say, 1,000–2,000 subscribers who only get one newsletter a month.

Brevo pricing

For your particular use case

Bottom line: I'd start with MailerLite, unless your existing list is already over 250 people. Don't pay for more sophistication than a bookshop needs—you mainly need a nice newsletter, signup forms, basic segmentation (e.g. fiction / children's / author events), and perhaps an automated welcome email.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and how often you expect to send event invites, I can tell you which one will actually be cheapest for your shop.

For a tiny bookshop, I’d shortlist MailerLite and Brevo. My pick would be MailerLite if your main jobs are author-event invitations and a monthly newsletter.

MailerLite's free plan includes campaigns, automations, signup forms, landing pages and reporting; its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month for up to 500 subscribers. www.mailerlite.com

Brevo is particularly attractive if you're very price-sensitive: its free plan is genuinely free and allows 300 emails per day, while Starter begins at $9/month for 5,000 emails/month. help.brevo.com

What I'd do for your shop

Start with MailerLite if you have fewer than ~250 regular readers. Put everyone into one audience, with simple tags such as:

• Newsletter
• Author events
• Children's books
• Mystery
• Local authors

Then you can send the monthly newsletter to everyone and event invitations only to people interested in events or a particular genre.

I'd skip Mailchimp for a tiny shop unless you already use it. Its current paid Standard plan starts at $20/month for 500 contacts, making it harder to justify on a small budget. mailchimp.com

Bottom line: MailerLite = best overall fit; Brevo = best bargain if keeping the monthly bill as low as possible is the priority.

MailerLite pricing · Brevo pricing · Mailchimp pricing

For a tiny bookshop sending author-event invitations and a monthly newsletter, I’d choose MailerLite.

Why MailerLite fits

• Very low cost: its current free plan supports up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. www.mailerlite.com
• Easy newsletters: drag-and-drop editor, templates, signup forms, reporting, and A/B testing are included. www.mailerlite.com
• Useful for events: you can create signup forms and simple automations—for example, a welcome email when someone joins your bookshop list. www.mailerlite.comhelp.kit.com
• Room to grow: the next paid tier starts at $12/month, so you don't face a huge jump if your list grows. www.mailerlite.com
• It supports two user seats on the free plan, which is handy for a tiny shop with two people managing communications. www.mailerlite.comhelp.kit.com

One alternative worth considering

Kit is unusually generous if your list is likely to grow quickly: its free Newsletter plan currently allows up to 10,000 subscribers and unlimited email sends. help.kit.com But it's designed more around individual creators/newsletters than a local retail business, so I'd still favor MailerLite for a bookshop.

My pick: MailerLite — especially if you're starting with a few hundred readers and mainly need “Upcoming author events + what's new this month” without making email marketing another job.

MailerLite pricing

For a tiny bookshop, I’d pick MailerLite unless your mailing list is already fairly large.

My pick: MailerLite. Its free plan includes newsletters, signup forms, basic automations, A/B testing and reporting, and its paid plan starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.com

For a bookstore, that gives you a nice setup: a “Join our mailing list” form, a monthly newsletter, and occasional separate emails for author events without needing a complicated marketing system.

One caveat: MailerLite's free tier is only 250 active subscribers. If you expect to grow beyond that quickly, Brevo may actually be the better bargain: its free plan allows unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day, though the daily cap can make a large one-time event announcement cumbersome. help.brevo.com

MailerLite pricing
Brevo pricing

If you tell me roughly how many customers are on your list (e.g. 200, 1,000, 5,000) and how often you'd send event emails, I can tell you which will be cheapest in practice.

For a tiny bookshop, I’d shortlist MailerLite and Brevo—and I’d lean MailerLite if your main needs are monthly newsletters and author-event announcements.

MailerLite's free plan is particularly attractive for a bookshop: you get newsletters, signup forms, basic automation and reporting, and can stay free until you reach 250 active subscribers. Its paid plan starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.com

Brevo is potentially cheaper as your list grows because it doesn't price the free plan primarily around contact count. Its free plan allows 300 sends per day, while paid plans start at $9/month for 5,000 monthly emails. The catch is that the 300/day limit can make a big event announcement awkward if you have a larger list. help.brevo.com

My pick: MailerLite

For your use case, I'd choose it if you're likely to have a few hundred regular customers/subscribers and want something staff can learn quickly. You could have:

• a Monthly Newsletter list
• an Author Events segment
• a simple signup form at the register and on your website
• an automated welcome email for new subscribers
• occasional event-specific emails without rebuilding everything

I wouldn't pay for a sophisticated CRM or marketing platform yet. Start free, learn what your audience actually responds to, and upgrade only when the list grows.

MailerLite pricing

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now (e.g. 200, 1,000, 5,000) and whether you already use Square, Shopify, or another POS, I can tell you which one will be cheapest for your actual setup.

For a tiny bookshop, I’d shortlist Brevo and Buttondown rather than defaulting to Mailchimp.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo is probably the best fit if you want to handle both author-event announcements and a regular newsletter.

• Free: up to 300 emails/day, with up to 100,000 contacts stored. help.brevo.com
• Starter: from $9/month, with 5,000 emails/month and no daily sending limit. help.brevo.comwww.brevo.commailchimp.com
• Easy drag-and-drop newsletter editor and templates. help.brevo.comwww.brevo.commailchimp.com
• Signup forms make it straightforward to collect newsletter subscribers in the shop and on your website. www.brevo.com
• You can send occasional event invitations without having to pay based purely on the size of your contact database.

For a bookstore, that last point matters: if you have, say, 1,500 people on your list but only send one newsletter and a couple of event announcements each month, Brevo's send-volume pricing can be quite economical.

The alternative: Buttondown

Buttondown is especially appealing if your newsletter is more literary/editorial than marketing-heavy. The first 100 subscribers are free, and it has a wonderfully simple writing-focused interface. buttondown.com

I'd choose Buttondown if you mostly want:

“Here's what we're reading, here's what's happening at the shop, here are three upcoming author events.”

I'd choose Brevo if you also want beautiful event invitations, signup forms, segmentation, automations, and more conventional marketing tools.

And Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is perfectly capable, but I wouldn't make it my first choice for a tiny shop on a tight budget. Its current pricing is more oriented around contact counts and its Standard plan starts at $20/month after the trial. mailchimp.com

Bottom line:
Brevo = best all-around value for your use case.
Buttondown = best if you want a beautifully simple, writerly newsletter.
Mailchimp = good, but harder to justify on cost for a very small shop.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now (or expect) and how many emails/events you send per month, I can tell you which one is likely to cost you the least.

For a tiny bookshop sending author-event invitations plus one monthly newsletter, I’d pick Brevo.

Why Brevo fits you

• Very low cost: its free plan is $0 and allows up to 300 email sends per day, with up to 100,000 contacts stored. help.brevo.com
• Your use case is low-volume: if you have, say, 400 subscribers, you can still send a monthly newsletter—you'd just need to spread the campaign over more than one day on the free plan.
• Good for event invites: you can maintain a subscriber list, make attractive emails with a drag-and-drop editor, and track basic opens/clicks. help.brevo.com
• Cheap when you outgrow free: Starter begins at $9/month for 5,000 emails/month, with no daily sending limit. help.brevo.com
• Pay-per-sends model: this is particularly nice for a bookstore because you can have a reasonably large customer list without paying simply because you've accumulated subscribers.

The alternatives

For your particular situation, I wouldn't start with Mailchimp just because it's the famous name. Brevo's pricing is more favorable when you have a growing contact list but only email people occasionally. toolskeptic.com

One important caveat: don't use your normal Gmail/Outlook account to blast invitations to your customer list. Use an email-marketing platform with proper unsubscribe/consent handling.

If you tell me roughly how many people are on your mailing list (e.g. 300, 1,000, 5,000), I can tell you which plan would actually be cheapest and whether I'd choose Brevo or MailerLite for the shop.

For a tiny independent bookshop, I’d lean toward Brevo.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo

It’s particularly good if your list is modest but you occasionally need to send a big author-event invitation. The free plan allows unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails/day, while the Starter plan begins at $9/month with no daily sending limit. help.brevo.com

That means you can use it for:

• monthly newsletters
• author-event announcements and reminders
• signup forms for your mailing list
• basic audience segmentation and reporting
• occasional higher-volume sends without paying simply because your contact list is large

Two alternatives worth considering

MailerLite — probably the nicest choice if you care most about making beautiful newsletters easily. Its current free tier is only 250 active subscribers / 2,500 emails per month, with paid plans starting at $12/month, so I’d choose it over Brevo mainly for its newsletter-focused ease of use rather than price. www.mailerlite.com

Constant Contact — worth paying extra for if event management is central to the shop. It has built-in event registration, invitations, RSVPs, ticketing and payments, but starts at $12/month and gets substantially more expensive as your contact list grows. www.mailerlite.comwww.constantcontact.com

Bottom line:

• 💰 Best value: Brevo
• ✍️ Best for newsletters/ease of use: MailerLite
• 🎟️ Best if you need serious built-in event registration: Constant Contact

For a bookshop doing monthly newsletters + free/low-cost author events, I'd start with Brevo's free plan and only upgrade when the 300-emails-per-day ceiling becomes inconvenient. help.brevo.com