ChatGPT answers, unedited

If you’re an agency selling email marketing as a bundled service to small local businesses, I’d make Brevo my first choice.

My pick: Brevo

Why I think it fits an agency model particularly well:

• Very low client-level cost: Brevo currently starts at $9/month, with a free tier that allows up to 300 emails/day. help.brevo.com
• Agency management: Brevo has an actual Agency Partner program with centralized client management, so you can manage multiple client accounts rather than cobbling together separate logins. www.brevo.com
• Recurring revenue opportunity: their agency program offers 10–25% revenue share on referred clients depending on partner tier. www.brevo.com
• More than newsletters: email automation, transactional email, SMS, CRM/sales features, etc. That gives you room to sell a broader "customer follow-up" package rather than merely "email newsletters."
• Good economics for SMBs: you're unlikely to have a $50–100/month software cost eating up the margin on a $149–299/month marketing package.

Runner-up: MailerLite

MailerLite is probably the simplest/most pleasant option if your service is primarily newsletters + basic automations.

Its current paid plans start around $12/month, and agencies can manage multiple separate client accounts from one login. www.mailerlite.com

The downside is important for your use case: MailerLite explicitly does not offer a white-label/reseller version. www.mailerlite.com

What I'd actually sell

I'd structure it something like:

Then have the client pay the software subscription directly where possible, rather than you absorbing it. Your recurring fee is for strategy, copy, design, setup, management and reporting.

That distinction is important: don't sell "Brevo for $249." Sell "we manage your customer email marketing for $249/month" and use Brevo as the underlying infrastructure.

One big caveat

If by "email" you mean cold outbound prospecting (sending unsolicited sales emails to local prospects), I'd choose something different. Brevo/MailerLite are much better suited to opt-in marketing email than agency-managed cold outreach.

If you mean newsletters, promotions, appointment reminders, lead nurturing, abandoned inquiries, review requests, etc., I'd go Brevo first, MailerLite second.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect (10, 50, 100+) and what you'd charge each, I can run the unit economics and tell you which platform gives you the best agency margin.

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d make Brevo the default email platform I bundle into client packages.

brevo.com

Why Brevo is my pick

• Very low entry cost: Brevo currently has a free tier, and paid Starter plans start at $9/month. The free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 emails/day, which is plenty for many small local businesses. Brevo Help
• Pricing is based heavily on sends rather than simply contact count. That's attractive for local businesses that might have 2,000–5,000 contacts but only send a couple newsletters a month.
• It includes more than newsletters: automations, transactional email, SMS, CRM/sales functionality, forms, etc. That gives you more things to package into your agency offer. Brevo Help
• Agency-friendly: Brevo specifically has an agency program with centralized client management and recurring commissions of 10–25%, depending on partner tier. Brevo
• You can invite clients/users and control permissions, which is useful when you want the client to retain ownership while your agency manages implementation. Brevo Help

The package I'd sell

Rather than saying "We use Brevo," I'd make the software invisible and sell the outcome:

For example, you could charge $299/month, have the client cover their ~$9–$20ish software cost, and the rest is your service margin.

One important alternative: MailerLite

mailerlite.com

I'd choose MailerLite if your agency's offering is primarily beautiful newsletters, simple automations, landing pages, and ease of use. Its current free plan supports 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, while the paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. MailerLite MailerLite

It is also unusually agency-friendly: MailerLite says agencies can manage multiple client accounts from one login, with separate subscriber lists/campaigns, and offers a 30% lifetime referral commission. MailerLite

My ranking for your use case

1. Brevo — best overall agency bundle
2. MailerLite — best for simplicity/design
3. ActiveCampaign — excellent automation, but probably overkill for most local businesses
4. Mailchimp — recognizable, but I wouldn't choose it if your primary objective is keeping your agency's delivery costs low

If I were building the agency today, I'd standardize on Brevo and make the email platform part of a broader "local lead nurture" package rather than selling email marketing as a standalone commodity. Brevo's agency program makes that particularly interesting because you can potentially earn recurring commissions in addition to your management fee. Brevo

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect to have (10, 50, 100+) and what you'd charge each, I can also work out the most profitable agency setup and pricing model.

I'd choose MailerLite if your agency's offering is primarily beautiful newsletters, simple automations, landing pages, and ease of use. Its current free plan supports 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, while the paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month.

For an agency bundling email marketing into small-local-business packages, I’d make MailerLite the default.

My ranking

Why MailerLite: its current free plan gives 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, plus automations, landing pages, signup forms, A/B testing, and two user seats. The paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. MailerLite MailerLite

That makes it particularly good for an agency because you can sell something like:

• Email setup: $199–$399 one-time
• Monthly email management: $149–$299/mo
• Include the software inside your package rather than making the client think about another SaaS bill.
• Once a client grows, pass through the increased software cost or build it into the next pricing tier.

When I'd choose Brevo instead

brevo.com is arguably even better if your clients have lots of contacts but don't email frequently. Its free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts but limits sending to 300 emails/day. Starter begins at $9/month and removes the daily sending limit. Brevo Help

So, for example, a local HVAC company with 8,000 old customer contacts but only wanting a monthly newsletter could be much cheaper on Brevo than on a subscriber-priced platform.

Why I wouldn't default to Mailchimp

mailchimp.com is still perfectly viable, but its free tier is only 250 contacts/500 sends per month, and paid pricing scales with contacts. Mailchimp Mailchimp For an agency trying to maintain healthy margins across many small clients, I don't think there's enough advantage to justify making it your standard platform.

My agency stack would therefore be:

MailerLite = default → simple local businesses, newsletters, lead nurturing
Brevo = alternative → large customer databases / transactional email / infrequent sends
Mailchimp = only when the client already uses it or specifically requests it

If you're planning to resell this as an "email marketing included" agency package, I can also break down what I'd charge per client and how I'd structure the margins.

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d optimize for three things:

1. Low client cost (so it fits into a monthly package)
2. Easy onboarding (so your team doesn’t become tech support)
3. Enough automation to show ROI (not just “we send newsletters”)

My top recommendation:

🥇 Best overall agency bundle: MailerLite

MailerLite

Best fit: restaurants, contractors, salons, gyms, real estate agents, local shops, professional services.

Why I like it for agencies:

• Very easy for clients to understand
• Clean email builder (less training)
• Good landing pages/forms
• Basic automations are enough for local businesses:
  • new lead welcome sequence
  • review request follow-up
  • seasonal promotions
  • abandoned inquiry follow-ups
• Affordable scaling for smaller lists toolskeptic.com

A package could look like:

$299/mo Local Growth Package

• Email platform setup
• Monthly newsletter
• One automated sequence
• List cleanup/import
• Reporting

Your hard cost stays low, leaving room for margin.

🥈 Best if you want the cheapest client accounts: Brevo

Brevo

Best fit: businesses with larger contact lists but fewer sends.

Advantages:

• Pricing is based more around email volume than stored contacts, which can work well for businesses with thousands of old customers. www.mailercloud.com
• Includes CRM features and SMS options.
• Good for:
  • HVAC
  • plumbers
  • dentists
  • appointment businesses
  • service companies with repeat customers

The downside: the email design experience is not as polished as MailerLite. www.mailercloud.com

🥉 If you want an all-in-one agency platform: GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel

This is worth considering if your agency wants to sell:

• CRM
• funnels
• SMS
• email
• appointment booking
• reputation management

It is more expensive and has a learning curve, but agencies often like it because clients see it as a complete marketing system rather than “just email.”

Tools I would probably avoid bundling for local SMBs

Mailchimp

• Familiar brand, but often not the best agency margin/value play anymore.
• Pricing tends to become less attractive as lists grow. propicked.com

Klaviyo

• Excellent for ecommerce.
• Usually overkill for a local dentist, roofer, restaurant, etc.

My agency stack recommendation

Starter clients ($200–$500/mo marketing retainers):

• MailerLite
• Canva
• Google Business Profile optimization
• Simple monthly reporting

Higher-value local businesses ($750–$2,000/mo):

• GoHighLevel
• SMS follow-ups
• Lead capture funnels
• CRM automation

If I were building a local-business agency today, I’d probably standardize on MailerLite for 80% of clients and use GoHighLevel only when you’re selling lead generation + CRM, not just email marketing.

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d usually bundle MailerLite as the default and keep Brevo as the alternative. They give you enough capability to sell a “done-for-you email marketing” service without your software costs eating the margin. www.mailerlite.comtoolskeptic.com

My shortlist:

www.mailerlite.comtoolskeptic.com

My recommended agency setup

Starter package ($199–$499/mo client retainer):

• Use MailerLite
• Build:
  • monthly newsletter
  • welcome email sequence
  • abandoned inquiry follow-up (if applicable)
  • seasonal promotions
  • simple lead capture form

Charge the client for strategy + management, not the software. The software is just your delivery layer.

Growth package ($500–$1,500+/mo):

• Consider GoHighLevel if you want to sell:
  • CRM pipeline
  • missed-call text back
  • review requests
  • SMS campaigns
  • automated follow-ups

What I would avoid bundling

• Klaviyo: excellent for ecommerce, usually overkill for dentists, roofers, salons, restaurants, etc.
• ActiveCampaign: powerful, but more complexity than most local businesses need.
• Constant Contact: still recognizable, but often not the best value.

If I were building the agency offer:

I’d probably standardize on:

1. MailerLite for 80% of clients
2. Brevo for clients with big databases but low sending frequency
3. GoHighLevel only when selling a full “marketing automation system”

That keeps fulfillment simple while leaving room for higher-ticket upsells. www.mailerlite.comtoolskeptic.com

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d usually bundle MailerLite or Brevo rather than a pricier name like Mailchimp or Constant Contact. The best choice depends on how you package your service. toolskeptic.comwww.mailercloud.com

My top pick: MailerLite (best agency-friendly default)

Why it works well for local businesses:

• Very easy for non-marketers to understand
• Clean templates for newsletters, promotions, appointment reminders, and follow-ups
• Good automation for simple flows:
  • new customer welcome emails
  • review requests
  • birthday/anniversary offers
  • abandoned inquiry follow-ups
• Low training/support burden for your agency
• Clients are less likely to get overwhelmed www.techradar.com

Good package positioning:

“We set up your customer email system, monthly promotions, and automated follow-ups.”

You can charge:

• Setup: $300–$1,000
• Monthly management: $150–$500/mo
• Software: included or passed through

Best budget alternative: Brevo

Choose Brevo if your clients tend to have:

• larger customer lists
• infrequent campaigns
• a need for SMS, CRM, or transactional emails

Its pricing model can be attractive because it is based more on email volume than stored contacts, which can help businesses with large databases that don't email often. www.mailercloud.com

Good fits:

• restaurants with thousands of past customers
• gyms
• salons
• home service companies with old lead lists

I would avoid bundling Mailchimp by default

Mailchimp is familiar, but for small local businesses it often becomes expensive as lists grow, and clients may already have messy accounts that require cleanup. toolskeptic.com

Agency package idea

A simple tier structure:

Starter — $299/mo

• Email platform setup
• Monthly newsletter
• Basic reporting

Growth — $599/mo

• 2–4 campaigns/month
• Automated welcome/review sequences
• List cleanup

Revenue Engine — $999+/mo

• Email + SMS
• Segmentation
• Promotions calendar
• CRM integration

If I were building an SMB-focused agency today, I’d probably standardize on MailerLite for 80% of clients and keep Brevo as the exception for high-contact-volume businesses. www.mailercloud.com

For an agency bundling email marketing into small-local-business packages, I’d recommend Brevo as the default.

Brevo

Why Brevo fits an agency model

• Very low entry cost: Free allows 300 emails/day; paid Starter begins at $9/month. help.brevo.com
• Pricing is largely based on sending volume rather than simply growing the contact database, which is attractive for local businesses whose lists may be 500–3,000 people but who only email a few times a month.
• Email + SMS + CRM: You can bundle newsletters, review/customer follow-ups, appointment-related messaging, and basic CRM functionality without stacking several SaaS products. help.brevo.com
• Excellent agency infrastructure: Brevo has a dedicated Agency Partner Program with centralized client-account management and 10–25% recurring revenue share for qualifying referred clients for up to 24 months. www.brevo.com
• You can switch between client accounts from your agency dashboard rather than having everything under one giant account. help.brevo.com

How I'd package it

I'd actually have the client own the Brevo account, with your agency added as the partner/manager. That keeps their customer database and billing portable if they ever leave you, while you retain management access.

For example:

Then the Brevo subscription itself can be passed through as a software cost, rather than you eating it.

One important alternative: MailerLite

MailerLite

I'd choose MailerLite instead if your agency's service is primarily beautiful newsletters + simple automations. Its editor and automation experience are particularly straightforward. But Brevo is more compelling for an agency because of the multi-client management + partner program + email/SMS/CRM combination. www.brevo.comwww.southarcdigital.com

My agency pick: Brevo. If you're trying to build a standardized $100–$300/month "email marketing included" offer for plumbers, dentists, landscapers, salons, contractors, restaurants, etc., it's probably the better foundation.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect to have (10 / 50 / 100+) and what you'd charge each, I can work out the economics and show you how I'd structure the white-label/bundled offer.

For an agency selling email marketing as a recurring add-on to small local businesses, I’d recommend Brevo as the default.

My ranking

Why Brevo wins: its pricing is based heavily on email volume rather than simply accumulating contacts, which is attractive for local businesses that might have 2,000–10,000 contacts but only send a few campaigns per month. Its paid plans start at $9/month, while the free tier allows 300 emails/day. help.brevo.com

Even better for an agency, Brevo has an actual agency partner program with centralized multi-account management and recurring revenue share of 10–25% depending on partner tier. www.brevo.com

How I'd package it

Instead of telling the client they're paying for "Brevo," I'd sell the service:

• $99/mo — Email Essentials
  • Newsletter setup
  • 1 campaign/month
  • List management
  • Basic reporting

• $149–199/mo — Email Growth
  • 2–4 campaigns/month
  • Automated welcome/re-engagement sequences
  • List cleanup
  • Monthly reporting

• $249–399/mo — Customer Retention
  • Email + SMS
  • Automated review/return-customer campaigns
  • Segmentation
  • Ongoing optimization

Your software cost can remain a relatively small component of the package, while you're charging for strategy, copy, design, setup, management, and results.

When I'd choose MailerLite instead

MailerLite is probably the better choice if your clients mainly need beautiful newsletters and straightforward automations. Its current free tier supports up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, while its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.com

I'd pick MailerLite for simplicity and Brevo for agency economics/flexibility.

One important distinction

If you're planning to sell clients a full "marketing system"—CRM, pipelines, lead capture, appointment booking, SMS, email automation, reputation management, etc.—then I'd look seriously at HighLevel instead. Its agency plans currently start at $297/month for unlimited sub-accounts, with the $497/month Agency Pro plan adding SaaS/rebilling functionality. www.gohighlevel.com

But if the question is specifically "What's the inexpensive email platform I can bundle into $99–$299/month local-business packages?", I'd start with Brevo.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect (10, 25, 50+) and what you'd charge each, I can work out the unit economics and suggest the most profitable setup.

For an agency selling email marketing to small local businesses, I’d make MailerLite my default bundle.

MailerLite

Why MailerLite is a strong agency choice

• Very low entry cost: free up to 250 subscribers, then paid plans start around $12/month. The free tier includes campaigns, basic automations, forms, landing pages, and reporting. www.mailerlite.com
• Agency-friendly: you can manage multiple client accounts from one login, switch between accounts, and keep each client's subscribers, billing, and data separate. www.mailerlite.com
• Good enough for most local businesses: newsletters, lead capture, welcome sequences, appointment follow-ups, promotions, and basic automations are all covered.
• Easy to sell: the interface is relatively approachable, so you aren't committing yourself to a huge amount of client hand-holding.
• Agency economics: MailerLite says its referral program pays 30% of a client's spend for as long as they remain a customer. www.mailerlite.com

One alternative I'd seriously consider: Brevo

Brevo

Brevo starts at $9/month, has a free tier, and its pricing is particularly attractive when a client has a relatively large contact database but doesn't email everyone frequently. It also gives you CRM, SMS, WhatsApp, and transactional-email capabilities. help.brevo.com

More importantly for an agency, Brevo has an explicit agency partner program with client management and 10–25% recurring revenue share for up to 24 months, depending on partner tier. www.brevo.com

How I'd package it

I'd avoid making the software itself the centerpiece. Sell the outcome:

For the average plumber, dentist, landscaper, salon, restaurant, contractor, etc., I'd probably use MailerLite unless there's a specific reason to choose Brevo.

My rule of thumb:
MailerLite = simplest agency bundle.
Brevo = better when you want CRM/SMS/transactional email or larger contact lists.

And I would generally have the client own the actual account/billing, while your agency retains admin access. MailerLite specifically supports that model, which makes client offboarding much cleaner. www.mailerlite.com

For an agency selling marketing packages to small local businesses, I’d make MailerLite the default.

My ranking

Why MailerLite wins for your use case: its current agency offering lets you manage separate client accounts from one login, and its Power plan includes unlimited users, automations, landing pages and email sending. It also has a referral program. www.mailerlite.com

That gives you a nice agency model:

Client pays you $99–199/mo for “Email Marketing” → you spend perhaps $12–25/mo on the underlying software → you handle setup, templates, campaigns, automations and reporting.

The software becomes a small cost of delivering the service rather than the thing you're reselling.

One important alternative: Brevo

Brevo may actually be better if your clients have large contact databases but don't email frequently.

Brevo charges primarily based on emails sent rather than contacts stored. Its free tier allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 emails/day, while paid Starter begins at $9/month. help.brevo.com

Even better for an agency, Brevo has a formal Agency Partner program, including client-account management and recurring revenue share of up to 25% for qualifying referrals. www.brevo.com

What I'd actually do

I'd standardize your agency around one platform, rather than letting every client choose their own.

Default: MailerLite
Exception: Brevo when the client has a large list or wants email + SMS/CRM functionality.

And I wouldn't sell it as “MailerLite management.” Sell the outcome:

• Monthly email newsletter
• Review/request campaigns
• Lead follow-up sequences
• New-customer welcome automation
• Seasonal promotions
• List cleanup
• Monthly performance report

For example, a $149/month “Local Business Email” package could be extremely attractive if you're targeting plumbers, dentists, med spas, landscapers, roofers, salons, restaurants, etc.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect (10, 25, 50, 100+) and the typical list size, I can work out the cheapest agency setup and your likely software cost per client.

For an agency serving small local businesses, I’d make MailerLite the default email platform, with Brevo as the alternative for certain clients.

My pick: MailerLite

Why it fits an agency bundle well:

• Low entry cost: its current paid plans start around $12/month, while the free plan supports up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. www.mailerlite.com
• Agency-friendly: you can manage separate client accounts from one login and switch between them without mixing client data. www.mailerlite.com
• Good feature set for local businesses: newsletters, automations, forms, landing pages, segmentation, A/B testing, etc.
• Unlimited sending on the Power plan, which can make your costs predictable as clients send more frequently. www.mailerlite.com
• 30% lifetime referral commission is available through its affiliate program, giving your agency another revenue stream. www.mailerlite.com

I'd structure your offer something like:

Email Marketing — $99–199/month
Includes setup, branded templates, monthly newsletter, basic automation, list management, reporting, and email platform.

Then you charge the client for the service, rather than simply reselling software.

When I'd choose Brevo instead

Brevo is particularly attractive if your clients have large contact databases but don't send very frequently. Its pricing is primarily based on email volume rather than number of contacts. The Starter plan currently starts at $9/month, and it also has CRM, SMS, transactional email and other capabilities. help.brevo.com

More importantly for an agency, Brevo has a formal Agency Partner Program with centralized client management and recurring revenue share of 10–25% for qualifying referred clients, depending on partner tier. www.brevo.com

What I'd actually do

For an agency, I'd start with MailerLite. It's easier to turn into a standardized, repeatable service package, and its agency account management is specifically designed around multiple client accounts. www.mailerlite.com

One important strategic point: don't sell "MailerLite" to the client. Sell the outcome. For example, "Customer Follow-Up & Email Marketing" is much easier to bundle at $149/month than "email software."

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect (e.g. 10, 25, 50) and what you'd want to charge each, I can work out the most profitable agency setup and pricing model for you.

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d make MailerLite the default email platform—and keep Brevo as the alternative when clients need SMS, CRM, or transactional email.

My pick: MailerLite

MailerLite is particularly attractive for an agency because:

• Low client cost: its paid plans currently start around $12/month, while the free tier supports up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. www.mailerlite.com
• Agency-friendly management: you can manage multiple, completely separate client accounts from one login. Each client retains their own subscribers, campaigns, templates, and billing. www.mailerlite.com
• Good enough for most local businesses: newsletters, lead magnets, forms, basic automations, welcome sequences, promotions, etc.
• Easy to sell: "email marketing for $X/month" is much easier to explain than a complicated marketing stack.
• 30% recurring referral commission: MailerLite currently advertises 30% lifetime commission on referred client spend. www.mailerlite.com

But there's an interesting alternative: Brevo

Brevo may actually be better for an agency bundle if you want email to be part of a broader marketing package.

Brevo has a formal agency program with centralized multi-account management and recurring revenue share: 10%, 20%, or 25% depending on partner tier. www.brevo.com

It's especially compelling when the client wants:

• Email + SMS
• Basic CRM
• Transactional emails
• A large contact database but relatively infrequent sends
• More of an "all-in-one customer communication" system

How I'd package it

The bigger strategic point: I wouldn't absorb the software cost into your agency fee unless the margin is substantial. Have the client own the platform account/billing, while you manage it. MailerLite explicitly supports this model, with each client retaining their own billing relationship and data. www.mailerlite.com

That lets you pitch something like:

Email Marketing — $199/month
We manage your monthly campaigns, automations, list growth, and reporting. Email software billed separately at approximately $12+/month.

Your client sees a tiny software bill, while you're charging for the strategy + execution, which is where your margin belongs.

If I were building the agency from scratch, I'd choose MailerLite first. It's probably the cleanest combination of low client cost, simplicity, agency management, and enough functionality for the typical 1–20 employee local business. Brevo would be my second platform rather than trying to force every client onto one system. www.brevo.comwww.mailerlite.com

If you're planning to resell this as a white-label $99–$299/month service, the economics get more interesting—we can compare the actual margins for MailerLite vs. Brevo vs. GoHighLevel and figure out which one makes the best agency package.

For an agency packaging email marketing for small local businesses, I’d make MailerLite the default choice, with Brevo as the alternative.

My pick: MailerLite

MailerLite is particularly good if your clients need straightforward newsletters, lead magnets, welcome sequences, appointment/service follow-ups, and basic automations.

Current pricing is attractive for agency packaging:

• Free: up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month.
• Comfort: starts at $12/month, with 5,000 monthly emails.
• Power: starts at $25/month, with unlimited monthly emails and unlimited user seats. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com
• It includes landing pages, forms, automation, A/B testing and reporting, so you don't necessarily need another tool for basic lead-generation funnels. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com

The agency-friendly play: don't necessarily sell "MailerLite." Sell a managed email marketing service and include the software underneath it.

For example:

That gives you a lot of room for margin while still being inexpensive for a local plumber, dentist, med spa, realtor, restaurant, contractor, etc.

When I'd choose Brevo instead

Brevo is arguably the better agency platform if you expect to manage lots of client accounts.

Its current free tier allows 300 emails/day, with up to 100,000 stored contacts, while paid Starter plans begin at $9/month. help.brevo.com

More importantly, Brevo has a formal agency partner program with centralized multi-account management and recurring revenue share. Depending on your partner tier, the commission is currently 10–25% of referred clients' recurring revenue for qualifying periods. www.brevo.com

So I'd think of them this way:

MailerLite = easiest product to sell and implement.
Brevo = potentially better agency infrastructure and economics at scale.

One important distinction

If by "email tool" you mean cold outreach to acquire customers for your clients, rather than newsletters/CRM marketing to their existing leads and customers, I'd choose a different category of software entirely. MailerLite and Brevo are primarily marketing/transactional platforms, not what I'd build a cold-email agency package around.

If you're talking about email marketing to a local business's existing customer/lead list, I'd start with MailerLite. www.mailerlite.com

For an agency bundling email marketing into small-local-business packages, I’d make MailerLite my default recommendation, with Brevo as the alternative.

My pick: MailerLite

MailerLite pricing

Why I like it for an agency:

• Free: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month.
• Comfort: starts at $12/month, with 3 seats and 50 visual automations.
• Power: starts at $25/month, with unlimited users, emails, automations, landing pages, etc.
• The interface is relatively approachable, which means less time training clients.
• You can build forms, landing pages, automations, newsletters, and basic funnels in one platform. www.mailerlite.com
• Most importantly for an agency, the Power plan includes unlimited user seats, which makes the economics much more attractive when you're managing multiple client accounts. www.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com

One caveat: MailerLite changed its pricing structure in June 2026, so I'd base your package economics on the current plans rather than older agency comparisons. www.mailerlite.com

The other one I'd seriously consider: Brevo

Brevo pricing

Brevo is particularly attractive if your clients have larger contact lists but don't email constantly.

Its free plan allows unlimited contacts but limits sending to 300 emails/day. Paid Starter begins at $9/month, and pricing is primarily tied to sending volume rather than simply the size of the database. help.brevo.com

That's a really nice model for local businesses such as:

• dentists
• med spas
• contractors
• realtors
• restaurants
• salons
• gyms
• home-service businesses

For example, a contractor might have 4,000 old leads in their database but only send one newsletter/month. Brevo can be more economical than a subscriber-count-based platform.

How I'd package it

I'd probably structure your agency offering something like:

And don't sell the software as "MailerLite access." Sell the outcome:

Customer Retention System — automated follow-ups, monthly customer emails, promotions, review requests, and reactivation campaigns.

Then the software becomes your cost of delivery rather than the product you're competing on.

MailerLite vs. Brevo

I'd choose MailerLite if: you want the easiest client-facing experience and are primarily doing newsletters, lead capture, and simple automations.

I'd choose Brevo if: your clients have large lists, need transactional email/SMS, or you want a broader CRM/communications platform. Brevo currently combines email with SMS, WhatsApp, chat and sales functionality. help.brevo.com

I wouldn't choose Kit for this particular agency model. It's excellent for creators/newsletters, but its paid Creator plan starts around $33/month for 1,000 subscribers, making it harder to justify as a low-cost local-business bundle. kit.com

Bottom line: start with MailerLite. If you're building a standardized agency offer for dozens of local businesses, I'd test MailerLite first and keep Brevo as your "large list / heavier communications" option.