ChatGPT answers, unedited

For an agency packaging email marketing for small local businesses, I’d look first at mailerlite.com and brevo.com.

My practical pick: MailerLite

For a typical client package—newsletter, promotions, basic automations, signup forms, and reporting—MailerLite is probably the easiest platform to standardize across your agency.

• Free: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month.
• Comfort: starts at $12/month ($10.80 with annual billing) and includes 5,000 monthly emails, 3 seats, automations, landing pages, forms, etc.
• Power: starts at $25/month and includes unlimited monthly emails and unlimited seats. MailerLite MailerLite
• More importantly for an agency, MailerLite lets you manage separate client accounts from one login, switching between them without mixing subscribers or campaigns. MailerLite

That makes it fairly easy to build something like:

Email Marketing — $149/mo
Monthly newsletter + promotional campaigns + list management + basic automation + reporting
Email platform included.

You can charge the client for the service, rather than making your margin depend on marking up $12–$25 of software.

When I'd choose Brevo instead

brevo.com becomes particularly interesting if your clients have larger contact databases but don't email everyone frequently.

Its Starter plan starts at $9/month, with pricing primarily tied to monthly email volume rather than simply the size of the contact database. The free plan allows 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts. Brevo Help

It also has a legitimate agency partner program, including client-account management and recurring commissions on referred paid accounts. Brevo

So I'd think about it this way:

One important agency caveat: MailerLite explicitly says it doesn't offer a white-label/reseller version. You can manage client accounts centrally, but the platform itself remains MailerLite-branded. MailerLite

If you're planning to sell this as a $99–$299/month recurring service to dozens of local businesses, I can also break down the economics of MailerLite vs Brevo vs HighLevel vs Mailchimp—including what your actual software cost would look like at 10, 25, 50, and 100 clients.

For an agency packaging email marketing for small local businesses, I’d put MailerLite at the top of the shortlist.

My pick: MailerLite

MailerLite is particularly well suited to an agency model because you can manage multiple client accounts from one login, switch between clients, and keep each client’s subscribers, campaigns, templates, and billing separate. MailerLite

Its current entry pricing is also friendly to small businesses: the Free plan supports up to 250 subscribers, while the paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month and Power at $25/month. MailerLite

That gives you a fairly clean package structure, for example:

• $199/mo — Email Essentials: newsletter + list management + monthly campaign
• $299/mo — Email Growth: campaigns + automations + basic reporting
• $399+/mo — Email + Lead Nurture: campaigns + automations + landing/signup forms + optimization

You can have the client own and pay for their MailerLite account, while your agency charges separately for strategy, setup, copy, design, management, and reporting. MailerLite explicitly supports agencies managing multiple client accounts this way. MailerLite

One important caveat: MailerLite isn't white-label/reseller software, so I wouldn't present the platform itself as your proprietary technology. MailerLite

The other one I'd consider: Brevo

Brevo is worth considering if your clients need email + SMS + transactional email rather than just newsletters/automations. Its Starter plan currently starts at $9/month, and it has a formal agency program with centralized client management and revenue sharing. Brevo Brevo Help

Brevo's agency program offers 10–25% recurring revenue share depending on partner tier, although the commissions have eligibility and duration rules. Brevo Help Brevo Help

How I'd choose

Bottom line: I'd start with MailerLite and make the software cost a small pass-through component of your package rather than trying to absorb everyone's subscription into one agency account. That keeps client ownership clean and prevents one client's growing contact list from affecting your margins on everyone else. MailerLite MailerLite

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect (e.g. 10, 50, 100) and what you want to charge each month, I can model the margins for MailerLite vs. Brevo.

For an agency serving small local businesses, I’d lean toward MailerLite as the default tool to bundle into client packages.

Why MailerLite fits an agency model

• Low entry cost: its free plan supports up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month; paid plans start around $12/month for 500 subscribers. MailerLite MailerLite
• Agency-friendly management: you can manage separate client accounts from one login, switching between them while keeping each client's contacts, campaigns, automations, and templates separate. MailerLite
• Good enough feature set for local businesses: newsletters, forms/popups, landing pages, automations, A/B testing, reporting, etc. MailerLite
• Predictable packaging: particularly useful if you're selling something like "Email Marketing — $149/mo" rather than passing through a complicated usage-based bill.
• Unlimited users on Power: useful once you have a team or want clients to have access. MailerLite

One important caveat: MailerLite doesn't offer true white-label/reseller software, so your client will still know they're using MailerLite. MailerLite

The other one I'd seriously consider: Brevo

Brevo is particularly interesting if your clients have larger contact databases but don't send very frequently.

Its current free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 emails/day, while paid Starter plans begin at $9/month. Its pricing is substantially based on emails sent rather than simply contacts stored. Brevo Help

That can be attractive for businesses such as a dentist, roofer, HVAC company, realtor, or restaurant that might accumulate 5,000–20,000 contacts but only send one or two campaigns a month.

How I'd package it

I'd probably structure the agency offer like:

Then have the client own the MailerLite account, while your agency gets collaborator access. That avoids you accumulating dozens of clients' subscriber databases under one agency-owned account and makes offboarding much cleaner.

My short answer: start with MailerLite for the majority of local-business clients; keep Brevo as the alternative when contact-list size, transactional email, SMS, or CRM functionality makes it more economical.

mailerlite.com · mailerlite.com · help.brevo.com

For an agency pitching small local businesses, my first choice would be mailerlite.com.

Why I’d bundle it:

• Very low entry cost: free up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. Paid plans start at $12/month. MailerLite MailerLite
• Good enough for most local-business needs: newsletters, forms, landing pages, automations, segmentation, A/B testing, etc. MailerLite
• Agency-friendly: you can manage multiple client accounts from one login, with separate subscribers, campaigns, templates and billing for each client. MailerLite
• Clients can own their accounts/data: you don't have to put every client into one giant agency account. MailerLite
• You can make margin on the service: MailerLite has a 30% recurring referral commission, although it does not offer a true white-label/reseller version. MailerLite MailerLite

How I'd package it

I'd actually avoid selling "email software". Sell the outcome:

Local Business Growth Package — $199–399/mo

• Website / Google Business optimization
• Monthly email newsletter
• 1–2 automated follow-up sequences
• Lead capture form
• Monthly reporting
• Email platform included

Then you can absorb the MailerLite cost into the package rather than presenting it as a separate $12–$25 expense.

For example, at the entry level, your underlying software cost can be only $12/month, while you're charging for the strategy, copywriting, design, setup, maintenance and reporting. MailerLite's current Comfort plan starts at $12/month and includes 5,000 monthly emails. MailerLite

One important caveat: if your agency wants a true white-label client portal where clients never see the underlying email platform, MailerLite isn't the ideal choice. It explicitly says it doesn't offer white-label/reseller software. MailerLite

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect to have (10, 50, 100+) and whether you want clients to see/manage the email platform, I can recommend the most profitable setup and pricing structure.

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

1. Low client cost (so it’s easy to bundle)
2. Simple onboarding (so your team doesn’t become tech support)
3. Enough margin to package it as a managed service

My top pick: brevo.com for most local-business packages. SMB Compare Resources Rework

Recommended agency stack

🥇 Best overall: Brevo

Best for: restaurants, salons, contractors, dentists, real estate agents, local shops

Why it works for agencies:

• Very low entry cost
• Charges primarily around email volume rather than forcing you into expensive subscriber-count tiers
• Includes basic CRM features, automation, forms, and transactional email options
• Easy to justify as part of a monthly marketing package Resources Rework

Example offer:

“Email Marketing Management — $199/mo
Includes newsletter creation, monthly promotions, customer list management, and automated follow-ups.”

Your software cost can stay low while the service carries the value.

🥈 Best client experience: MailerLite

Best for: businesses that care about design and simple newsletters

mailerlite.com is probably the nicest for non-technical owners:

• Cleaner editor
• Easier for clients to understand
• Good landing pages and basic automation
• Great fit if you’re selling “professional-looking emails” rather than complex funnels Accelrio

Downside:

• Subscriber-based pricing can become less attractive as lists grow. Resources Rework

🥉 Best if clients already know it: Mailchimp

mailchimp.com

Pros:

• Familiar name
• Lots of integrations
• Clients often recognize it

Cons:

• Usually not the cheapest option
• Costs can climb as lists grow Resources Rework

I’d use it only when the client already has a Mailchimp account or specifically requests it.

What I would avoid for a local-business agency bundle

• Klaviyo — excellent for ecommerce, but usually overkill for a plumber, restaurant, or local service business.
• ActiveCampaign — powerful, but adds complexity and support burden.
• HubSpot Marketing Hub — great ecosystem, but pricing can become hard to justify for small clients.

My suggested agency packages

Starter — $99/mo

• Email platform setup
• Monthly newsletter template
• Basic list cleanup
• One campaign/month

Growth — $249/mo

• Everything above
• 2–4 campaigns/month
• Automated welcome sequence
• Review-request emails
• Monthly reporting

Premium — $499+/mo

• Email + SMS
• Segmentation
• Lead nurture campaigns
• Seasonal promotions
• CRM integration

If I were building a repeatable local-business agency offer today, I’d standardize on:

Brevo as the backend + your agency-managed service layer.
Use MailerLite when the client is very brand/design-focused.

The software is the commodity; the recurring revenue comes from strategy, copy, design, list growth, and reporting.

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

My pick: MailerLite

mailerlite.com is particularly attractive because it is inexpensive, easy for a non-technical business owner to understand, and has agency-specific functionality.

• Low entry cost: its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month, while the free plan supports up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite
• Agency management: you can switch between separate client accounts from one login, while keeping each client's subscribers, campaigns, templates, and billing separate. MailerLite
• Clients can own their accounts: this is important for an agency. You're not stuck owning all of their data/billing if they leave.
• Good enough feature set: newsletters, automations, forms, landing pages, segmentation, etc. without overwhelming a local plumber, dentist, restaurant, contractor, salon, etc.
• Agency revenue opportunity: MailerLite currently advertises a 30% lifetime referral commission on client spending. MailerLite

The biggest advantage is actually simplicity. You can sell the client the outcome—"we'll set up your email marketing and keep it running"—rather than selling them a complicated marketing platform.

The other one I'd seriously consider: Brevo

brevo.com is arguably better if your package includes CRM + email + SMS.

Its Starter plan begins at $9/month, and its pricing is primarily based on email volume rather than simply the number of contacts. The free tier allows up to 100,000 stored contacts but limits sending to 300 emails/day. Brevo Help

More importantly for an agency, Brevo has an actual Agency Partner Program with centralized client management and revenue sharing ranging from 10% to 25% depending on partner tier. Brevo Brevo Help

So I'd make the distinction:

How I'd actually package it

I wouldn't absorb the software cost into the package indefinitely. I'd structure it something like:

Local Business Growth — $299/mo

• Email marketing setup
• 2 campaigns/month
• 1 automated follow-up sequence
• List management
• Monthly performance report
• Email platform included

Then your actual software cost is only a small component of the recurring fee.

For clients who need more, create a higher tier:

Local Business Growth Plus — $499/mo

• 4 campaigns/month
• Automated lead follow-up
• Review/customer reactivation campaign
• Segmentation
• Monthly optimization
• Email + SMS

That second package is where Brevo can become especially compelling.

If I were starting the agency today, I'd choose MailerLite for the $299-ish starter package and Brevo for clients where SMS/CRM becomes part of the offer. I wouldn't use Mailchimp as the default for this model—the economics and agency workflow are less compelling for very small local businesses.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect at 10, 25, 50, and 100, I can also work out the per-client software cost and recommend the most profitable package structure.

I wouldn't absorb the software cost into the package indefinitely. I'd structure it something like:

Local Business Growth — $299/mo

• Email marketing setup
• 2 campaigns/month
• 1 automated follow-up sequence
• List management
• Monthly performance report
• Email platform included

Then your actual software cost is only a small component of the recurring fee.

For clients who need more, create a higher tier:

Local Business Growth Plus — $499/mo

If you're an agency bundling email marketing into small-business packages, my first choice would be Brevo. Brevo

My shortlist

1. Brevo — my pick for most agencies

Brevo is particularly attractive if you're selling something like "$199/month marketing package including email."

Its agency program lets you manage client accounts from your agency account, and it offers recurring commissions on referred clients—10% at the initial partner tier, rising to 20–25% at higher tiers. Brevo

The big advantage is that you're not paying for a giant agency platform just to send newsletters. For local businesses—dentists, med spas, contractors, restaurants, salons, etc.—you can keep the underlying software cost relatively modest while charging for setup, campaign management, copy, automation, and reporting.

brevo.com

2. MailerLite — best if you want dead-simple email

MailerLite is probably my choice if your offering is primarily:

• Monthly newsletters
• Promotional campaigns
• Basic lead-nurture sequences
• Signup forms
• Simple landing pages

Its free tier currently allows 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, while the paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. MailerLite

mailerlite.com

It's less "agency infrastructure" than HighLevel, but that's actually a benefit if you don't need a CRM and 50 other features.

3. HighLevel — best if email is just one component

If you're trying to build something more like:

"We manage your leads, follow-ups, email, SMS, appointments, reviews and CRM for $499/month."

then I'd seriously consider HighLevel.

The current agency pricing is $97/month for 3 sub-accounts, $297/month for unlimited sub-accounts, and $497/month for Agency Pro. The $497 plan adds SaaS mode and allows you to rebill email/phone usage with markup. GoHighLevel HighLevel Support Portal

HighLevel's email usage is currently $0.675 per 1,000 emails, which is extremely inexpensive at typical small-business volumes. HighLevel Support Portal

gohighlevel.com

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd use Brevo for a straightforward email-only package and HighLevel if you're ultimately trying to productize the whole marketing service.

For example:

Local Business Growth — $299/mo

• Email marketing
• 2 campaigns/month
• 1 automated nurture sequence
• Lead capture form
• Monthly reporting
• Campaign copy/design
• List management

You could potentially have the software cost be a relatively small fraction of the $299, making the service and expertise—not the email software—the thing you're actually selling.

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

"We manage your leads, follow-ups, email, SMS, appointments, reviews and CRM for $499/month."

then I'd seriously consider HighLevel.

The current agency pricing is $97/month for 3 sub-accounts, $297/month for unlimited sub-accounts, and $497/month for Agency Pro. The $497 plan adds SaaS mode and allows you to rebill email/phone usage with markup. gohighlevel.com help.gohighlevel.com

HighLevel's email usage is currently $0.675 per 1,000 emails, which is extremely inexpensive at typical small-business volumes.

For an agency selling email marketing to small local businesses, I’d make Brevo my default choice, with MailerLite as the main alternative.

My pick: Brevo

brevo.com

Why it works particularly well for an agency:

• Very low entry cost: Brevo's Starter plan begins at $9/month, while the free tier allows 300 emails/day. Brevo Help
• Agency-friendly account management: Brevo has an Agency Partner program that lets you manage multiple client accounts centrally. Brevo Brevo Help
• You can earn recurring revenue: the partner program offers 10–25% revenue share depending on your tier. Brevo Help
• Email + SMS + CRM-ish functionality: useful if your package eventually becomes "marketing automation" rather than just newsletters.
• Separate client accounts: this is important. Each client's contacts and billing can remain separate rather than you having one giant agency database.

For example, you could sell:

Local Business Growth Package — $299/mo

• Monthly email newsletter
• Email list management
• 1–2 automated campaigns
• Promotional campaigns around holidays/offers
• Monthly performance report
• Email platform included

Then have the client pay their own Brevo subscription, or incorporate a small software allowance into your package.

MailerLite is probably the nicer email product

mailerlite.com

I'd choose MailerLite if your offering is primarily beautiful newsletters + simple automations + landing pages.

Its current pricing starts at $12/month for Comfort and $25/month for Power, with a free tier for up to 250 subscribers. MailerLite MailerLite

It is also explicitly built for agencies: you can manage separate client accounts from one login, use granular client permissions, and the Power plan provides unlimited user seats. MailerLite

One important difference: MailerLite bills each client account separately, which is actually a nice setup if you want clients to own their data and billing relationship. MailerLite

How I'd choose

For your specific business model, I'd start with Brevo. It's easier to turn it into a broader "we handle your customer communications" service, rather than merely selling newsletter management.

One strategic point: don't necessarily bundle the software as an invisible agency cost. I'd make the client-facing offer "email marketing management" and either have the client own the Brevo account or explicitly include a small "marketing platform" line item. That prevents your margins from getting squeezed as their contact list grows.

If you tell me roughly how much you're planning to charge each local business per month (e.g. $199, $299, $499), I can map out a profitable package—including software cost, your labor, margins, and what I'd include at each tier.

For an agency serving small local businesses, I’d make Brevo my default bundled email platform.

My pick: Brevo

brevo.com

Why it fits an agency model particularly well:

• Very low entry cost: Brevo's Starter plan begins at $9/month, while the free tier supports up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 sends/day. Brevo Help
• Agency account management: Brevo has an actual Agency Partner Program where you can manage multiple client accounts from one place. Brevo Brevo Help
• Recurring revenue opportunity: Their partner program offers 10–25% revenue share depending on your partner tier, for qualifying referred clients. Brevo
• More than newsletters: You get email automation plus CRM, transactional email, SMS and other tools, which makes it easier to sell an "automated customer follow-up" package rather than simply "email marketing."
• Good pricing model for local businesses: If a client has 2,000 contacts but only sends a couple of campaigns a month, a send-based model can be attractive compared with platforms that primarily price around contact count.

The runner-up: MailerLite

mailerlite.com

I'd choose MailerLite instead if your agency's offer is primarily newsletters + simple automations + landing pages.

It has a particularly nice agency setup: one login can switch between separate client accounts, clients retain their own data/billing, and its Power plan supports unlimited users. MailerLite also advertises a 30% lifetime referral commission. MailerLite

Its free tier currently supports up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month; paid Comfort starts at $12/month and Power at $25/month. MailerLite

How I'd package it

Rather than telling clients "we'll give you an email marketing account," I'd sell something like:

Your software cost can be a relatively small component of the package. The real margin comes from setup, copywriting, automation, list management and ongoing optimization.

Bottom line: I'd start with Brevo for the agency because its multi-account infrastructure and partner program are unusually well aligned with reselling/servicing small-business clients. Brevo If your clients mostly want beautiful newsletters and simple automations, MailerLite is arguably the cleaner alternative.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect (10, 50, 100+) and what each client typically has for contacts, I can work out the most profitable agency stack and pricing model.

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d make MailerLite the default bundled email platform.

My pick: mailerlite.com

It hits a particularly good sweet spot for an agency:

• Low entry cost: free up to 250 subscribers, with 2,500 emails/month. Paid Comfort starts at $12/month, and Power starts at $25/month. MailerLite MailerLite
• Agency management: you can manage separate client accounts from one login, switching between them without repeatedly logging in/out. MailerLite
• Good enough feature set for SMBs: newsletters, automations, forms, landing pages, segmentation, etc.
• Agency-friendly economics: the Power plan includes unlimited seats and partner discounts, and MailerLite advertises a 30% lifetime commission on referrals. MailerLite
• Easy client handoff: it's simple enough that a local-business owner can eventually take over if they want.

The other one I'd seriously consider: brevo.com

Brevo is arguably better if your agency wants to bundle email + SMS + CRM/transactional messaging.

Its current pricing starts at $9/month for Starter and $18/month for Standard, while the free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends/day. Brevo Help

More importantly for an agency, Brevo has an actual Agency Partner Program with centralized client management and recurring revenue share of 10–25% for up to 24 months, depending on partner tier. Brevo Brevo Help

How I'd package it

I'd avoid selling the software itself as the product. Sell "Email Marketing" as a managed service.

For example:

Your software cost can remain relatively small compared with the service revenue.

My rule of thumb:

• MailerLite → best default for dentists, salons, restaurants, contractors, gyms, professional services, etc.
• Brevo → better when SMS, transactional email, CRM, or higher-volume sending matters.
• Kit → I'd generally not choose it for local SMB clients; it's much more creator/newsletter-oriented, and its paid plans are considerably less attractive for this use case. MailCompared

If you're trying to build an agency offer where you pay for the platform and resell it inside a $199–$399/month package, I'd lean MailerLite first, Brevo second.

How I'd package it

I'd avoid selling the software itself as the product. Sell "Email Marketing" as a managed service.

For example:

Your software cost can remain relatively small compared with the service revenue.

My rule of thumb:

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

1. Low client cost
2. Easy onboarding (so your team can manage many accounts)
3. Enough automation to sell it as a recurring service

My top recommendation: MailerLite as the default bundle, with Brevo as the budget alternative. MailerLite SMB Compare

Best agency-friendly options

🥇 Best overall: MailerLite

Best for: dentists, contractors, salons, restaurants, real estate agents, local service businesses

Why I’d bundle it:

• Very easy for non-technical owners to understand
• Good-looking templates
• Landing pages + forms included
• Basic automations (welcome sequences, review requests, seasonal reminders)
• Affordable as lists grow modestly MailerLite

Agency packaging idea:

• Software cost: ~$10–15/mo per client (depending on list size/plan)
• Sell as: “Email Marketing + Customer Retention System”
• Charge: $99–299/mo management fee

The important part: don’t sell “email software.” Sell:

• monthly newsletter
• customer win-back campaigns
• birthday/anniversary offers
• review generation
• seasonal promotions

🥈 Cheapest at scale: Brevo

Best for: businesses with larger customer lists but occasional sends

Why:

• Pricing is based more around emails sent rather than just contacts
• Good fit for businesses with thousands of old customer emails
• Includes SMS and light CRM features SMB Compare

Great examples:

• HVAC company with 5,000 past customers
• Auto repair shop
• Med spa
• Home services

Agency downside:

• The interface is a little less polished than MailerLite
• Clients may need more hand-holding

🥉 Most recognizable: Mailchimp

Best for: clients who specifically request it

Pros:

• Familiar name
• Lots of integrations
• Easy to explain

Cons:

• Usually becomes expensive as lists grow compared with alternatives ToolSkeptic

I wouldn’t make it your agency default unless clients already use it.

Tools I would avoid bundling for most local businesses

ActiveCampaign

Powerful, but usually too complex and expensive for a local business package.

Klaviyo

Excellent for ecommerce, but overkill for most service businesses.

HubSpot

Great ecosystem, but costs can climb quickly if you only need email marketing.

A simple agency offer structure

Starter — $199/mo

• Email platform setup
• Monthly newsletter
• Basic list cleanup
• Reporting

Growth — $399/mo

• Everything above
• Automated follow-up sequences
• Review request campaigns
• Segmentation

Premium — $699+/mo

• Email + SMS
• Promotions calendar
• CRM integration
• Lead nurture funnels

Your software cost stays low, while the value is in strategy, copy, design, and management.

If I were building a small-business agency stack today, I’d standardize on MailerLite + your own templates/processes, and use Brevo selectively for larger contact databases. MailerLite SMB Compare

A simple agency offer structure

Starter — $199/mo

• Email platform setup
• Monthly newsletter
• Basic list cleanup
• Reporting

Growth — $399/mo

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d make MailerLite the default bundled email platform, with Brevo as the alternative when clients need transactional email/SMS or a more CRM-like setup.

My pick: MailerLite

mailerlite.com is particularly attractive for an agency because it now has agency-specific features: one login can manage separate client accounts, and clients retain their own subscribers, campaigns, and templates. It also offers a 30% lifetime referral commission. MailerLite

Its current pricing starts at $12/month for Comfort and $25/month for Power. The free tier supports up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite

That gives you a very clean agency offer:

The important part is that you don't have to sell "MailerLite." Sell the outcome: "We'll build and manage your customer email system." The software is simply your fulfillment infrastructure.

When I'd choose Brevo instead

brevo.com is compelling if your typical clients need email + SMS + transactional emails + CRM-ish functionality. Its current Starter plan begins at $9/month, while Standard starts at $18/month. Brevo Help

Brevo is also unusually agency-friendly: its agency program provides centralized client management and can pay agencies 10–25% recurring revenue share depending on partner tier. Brevo

I'd therefore use:

• MailerLite → dentists, contractors, restaurants, salons, gyms, med spas, local professional services, etc.
• Brevo → businesses wanting SMS, appointment/transactional notifications, more sophisticated automation, or a broader CRM/marketing stack.

One thing I'd avoid

I wouldn't build the agency around one giant master email account containing all clients. Keeping each client's audience, sending reputation, domain authentication, and account separate is much cleaner operationally. MailerLite's agency setup is explicitly designed around separate client accounts. MailerLite

If I were launching the agency today, I'd standardize on MailerLite and charge clients a recurring management fee rather than trying to make money on the software markup. You can then make the software essentially invisible inside a $149–$299/month "Email Marketing" package.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect (10, 50, 100+) and the typical subscriber count per client, I can work out the cheapest agency stack and your likely gross margin per client.

When I'd choose Brevo instead

brevo.com is compelling if your typical clients need email + SMS + transactional emails + CRM-ish functionality. Its current Starter plan begins at $9/month, while Standard starts at $18/month. help.brevo.com

Brevo is also unusually agency-friendly: its agency program provides centralized client management and can pay agencies 10–25% recurring revenue share depending on partner tier.

I'd therefore use:

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d make brevo.com the default email platform I bundle.

The reason is less about the absolute cheapest monthly price and more about how well the economics work when you have multiple clients.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo uses a send-volume model rather than charging primarily by the number of contacts, which is particularly attractive for local businesses. A client can have 5,000 contacts but only send one newsletter a month without getting punished simply for having a larger database. Its entry paid tier starts around $9/month, while the free tier allows unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails/day. Compare Tiers EveryAny.One

It also gives you more things you can potentially bundle into your agency offer:

• Email campaigns
• Automations
• CRM
• Transactional email
• SMS/WhatsApp capabilities
• Forms and contact management

That lets you sell something more compelling than "we'll send your newsletter." You can sell a local customer follow-up system.

The agency economics I'd use

I'd structure it something like:

The important part is that the client doesn't necessarily need their own expensive software subscription. You can include the platform as part of your managed service.

For example:

Local Business Growth — $299/mo

• Monthly email newsletter
• New-lead follow-up sequence
• Review-request campaign
• Customer reactivation campaign
• Contact/list management
• Monthly performance report

That is much easier to justify to a plumber, dentist, salon, roofer, med spa, restaurant, etc. than "email marketing for $299."

Runner-up: MailerLite

I'd choose mailerlite.com if your agency cares more about beautiful emails + ease of use than maximizing the number of clients you can cheaply support.

It's particularly nice for clients who need newsletters, landing pages and straightforward automations. Current comparisons put its paid pricing around $12+ at the low end, with pricing increasing based on subscriber count. EmailTooltester.com EmailTooltester.com

So my agency ranking would be:

1. Brevo — best overall agency bundle
2. MailerLite — best for simple, polished email marketing
3. Kit — excellent economics for creators, but less compelling for typical local businesses
4. ActiveCampaign — powerful, but probably overkill for your target market
5. Mailchimp — recognizable, but I wouldn't choose it if your primary objective is keeping your underlying costs low

One important agency consideration

I'd actually avoid creating one giant agency account containing every client's customer list unless the platform's account structure, permissions, billing, data ownership, and terms work for that model.

A cleaner model is often:

Agency owns/manages the service → client owns their data/account → you get authorized access.

That makes offboarding much easier and avoids a nightmare if a client leaves.

If you're specifically targeting 10–50 local-business clients, I can also work out the best white-label/agency setup and pricing model (including what I'd charge clients, software costs per client, margins, and which platform I'd standardize on).

I'd choose mailerlite.com if your agency cares more about beautiful emails + ease of use than maximizing the number of clients you can cheaply support.

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d make Brevo my default bundled email platform.

My pick: Brevo

Why it fits an agency model particularly well:

• Very low entry cost: Brevo currently starts at $9/month for Starter, while the free tier supports up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 emails/day. Brevo Help
• Good for local SMBs: newsletters, basic automation, forms, transactional email, and SMS are all under one roof.
• Agency-friendly: Brevo has a dedicated agency program with centralized client management and 10–25% recurring revenue share depending on partner tier. Brevo Brevo Help
• Easy to package: you can sell "Email Marketing Management" rather than making the client understand the underlying software.
• An agency-focused 2026 comparison also picked Brevo as the best value for boutique agencies and particularly inexpensive across many small client lists. Hack'celeration

The alternative I'd seriously consider: MailerLite

MailerLite is arguably nicer/easier for clients to use. Its paid plans start around $12/month, and its free tier gives 2,500 monthly emails to up to 250 subscribers. MailerLite

It also has excellent agency functionality: one login can switch between client accounts, with separate subscribers, campaigns, automations, etc. MailerLite

The downside for your particular business model: MailerLite doesn't offer a white-label/reseller program, whereas Brevo has an actual agency partner program. MailerLite Brevo

How I'd package it

I'd avoid selling the software as a standalone line item. Something like:

The underlying Brevo subscription can be client-paid, while your agency charges for setup, strategy, copy, design, management, and reporting. That keeps your software costs from eating your margin.

One important strategic point: for local businesses, I'd sell the outcome rather than "email marketing." For example, "We automatically follow up with new customers, bring past customers back, and send your monthly promotions." That's much easier to sell to a plumber, dentist, salon, med spa, restaurant, contractor, etc.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect to have (10 / 25 / 50 / 100+), I can compare Brevo vs MailerLite vs a true white-label option and show you the actual agency margins at each scale.

For an agency selling email marketing to small local businesses, I’d shortlist MailerLite and Brevo, with MailerLite as my default recommendation.

My pick: mailerlite.com

It’s a particularly good agency bundle because:

• Free plan: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, including campaigns, automations, landing pages, forms, and multiple editors. MailerLite
• Paid starts around $12/month, making your underlying software cost relatively easy to absorb into a $99–$299/month client package. MailerLite
• Agency users can manage multiple client accounts from one login, with each client keeping separate subscribers, campaigns, and templates. MailerLite
• It supports client/team permissions, which is useful if you want clients to have limited access. MailerLite
• One caveat: MailerLite isn't white-label. You can manage accounts as an agency, but you can't completely rebrand the software as your own. MailerLite

Strong alternative: brevo.com

I'd choose Brevo if your offer includes SMS, transactional email, CRM, or more sophisticated automation.

Its free tier includes 300 email sends/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts, while paid plans start at $9/month. Brevo Help More importantly for an agency, Brevo has an actual Agency Partner program where you can manage client accounts and potentially earn recurring commissions on referred clients. Brevo

What I'd actually package

For a local-business agency, I'd avoid selling "email software." Sell the outcome:

For example, a $149/month package could include 1–2 campaigns/month + automated welcome/review-request sequence + list management + monthly reporting. Your software cost then becomes a small fraction of revenue.

One platform I would not make the default: MailerSend. It's excellent for transactional/API email and explicitly supports agencies, but its agency-oriented Professional plan is currently much more expensive ($110/month list price for 50,000 emails), making it less attractive for bundling into lots of small-business packages. MailerSend MailerSend

Bottom line: Start with MailerLite if your clients mainly need newsletters, promotions, lead nurturing, and simple automations. Use Brevo when SMS/CRM/transactional messaging becomes part of the offer.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect (10, 25, 50, 100+) and what you'd charge each, I can work out the most profitable agency setup and per-client software cost.

For an agency serving small local businesses, my first pick would be mailerlite.com.

My recommendation: MailerLite

It hits a particularly good balance of low client cost + easy agency management + enough features to sell as a service.

• Free tier: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month.
• Paid: starts at $12/month for Comfort, with automations, forms, landing pages, etc.
• Agency-friendly: one login can switch between separate client accounts, and you can control client permissions.
• Client owns the account/billing: useful because you're not stuck being the merchant of record for every client's email bill.
• Agency referral: MailerLite says its affiliate program pays 30% of the client's spend for as long as they remain a customer.
• It explicitly markets the platform toward agencies. MailerLite MailerLite

That makes it easy to bundle something like:

Email Marketing — $149/mo
Monthly newsletter + list management + basic automation + reporting
Email platform included

Your underlying software cost could be only ~$12–25/month for a typical small client, leaving plenty of room for your management/service margin.

The alternative I'd seriously consider: Brevo

brevo.com is arguably better if your agency wants to make email + SMS + transactional messaging part of the package.

The big advantage is its agency program: you get centralized client-account management and recurring revenue share—10% at the entry partner level, rising to 25% at higher tiers. Brevo Brevo Help

I'd choose Brevo if your pitch is more like:

"We'll handle your customer communications."

I'd choose MailerLite if your pitch is:

"We'll grow your email list and keep your customers engaged."

What I'd do for an agency

One important business-model tip: I wouldn't necessarily absorb the software cost into your package. Have the client create/own their MailerLite account, then charge your agency fee for setup, campaign creation, list management, automation, and reporting. That keeps client data portable and makes your margins predictable. MailerLite specifically says agencies can hold the login or have clients own the billing relationship/data. MailerLite

If you're planning to sell this as, say, a $99–$299/month add-on to plumbers, dentists, restaurants, HVAC companies, salons, etc., I can also map out a 3-tier email package with your estimated software cost, agency margin, and exactly what you'd deliver each month.

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

1. Low hard cost per client
2. Easy enough that your team can manage dozens of accounts
3. Enough features to sell as a “marketing system,” not just an email sender

My top recommendation would be:

🥇 Best overall: MailerLite

Why I’d bundle it:

• Very low entry cost
• Simple for non-marketing clients to understand
• Good-looking templates
• Landing pages + forms + basic automation included
• Easy to train staff on
• Good fit for newsletters, promotions, appointment reminders, and lead nurturing

MailerLite has a free tier for small lists and paid plans that scale based on subscriber count. MailerLite

Agency packaging idea:

• Client pays you: $99–299/month
• Your software cost: often $0–15/month/client for smaller lists
• Your value is the strategy, setup, copywriting, segmentation, and reporting

Example offer:

“Local Customer Growth System — monthly newsletter, seasonal promotions, review requests, and automated follow-ups.”

🥈 Best if you manage many clients: Brevo

Brevo can be attractive for agencies because its pricing model is based more around sending volume than storing contacts, which can work well for businesses with large databases that only email occasionally. Mailercloud

Good fits:

• Restaurants
• Salons
• Home services
• Medical practices
• Real estate teams

Pros:

• CRM features
• SMS options
• Transactional email capabilities
• Better for larger contact databases

Cons:

• The interface is less “marketing beginner friendly” than MailerLite.

🥉 Cheapest/simple client-facing option: EmailOctopus

Good if your offer is basically:

• monthly newsletter
• basic automations
• list management

Less ideal if you want to upsell sophisticated funnels.

Tools I would avoid bundling for this audience

Mailchimp

Still recognizable, but many agencies find it expensive as lists grow and clients often struggle with the interface.

Klaviyo

Excellent for ecommerce, but usually overkill for a local dentist, HVAC company, restaurant, or salon.

My agency stack recommendation

If I were building a local-business marketing package:

Starter ($199/mo)

• MailerLite account setup
• Monthly newsletter
• Basic list cleanup
• Monthly reporting

Growth ($399–599/mo)

• Everything above
• Automated welcome sequence
• Review request emails
• Seasonal campaigns
• Lead capture forms

Premium ($999+/mo)

• Email + SMS
• CRM integration
• Paid ads + funnel management

The software is not where the margin is; the margin is in turning “we send emails” into “we help you retain and reactivate customers.”

For most local-business agencies, I’d standardize on MailerLite first and keep Brevo as the alternative for high-volume or SMS-heavy clients. Mailercloud MailerLite

If I were building a local-business marketing package:

Starter ($199/mo)

• MailerLite account setup
• Monthly newsletter
• Basic list cleanup
• Monthly reporting

Growth ($399–599/mo)

• Everything above
• Automated welcome sequence
• Review request emails
• Seasonal campaigns
• Lead capture forms

Premium ($999+/mo)

For an agency selling email marketing as part of a monthly package to small local businesses, I’d shortlist Brevo and MailerLite, with Brevo as my default agency choice.

My recommendation: Brevo

brevo.com

Why I like it for an agency:

• Very low client-level cost: the free tier allows unlimited contacts and 300 emails/day; paid plans start around $9/month according to current 2026 pricing comparisons. SMB Compare SaaSProbe
• Priced primarily by emails sent rather than contacts stored. That's particularly attractive for local businesses where you might have 2,000–10,000 contacts but only send a newsletter once or twice a month. SaaSProbe AccelRio
• Includes email + basic CRM + SMS/WhatsApp capabilities, giving you more things to bundle into the client's package without adding another platform. Mailercloud
• It's simple enough that a local plumber, dentist, roofer, med spa, restaurant, etc. doesn't need to become an email-marketing expert.

The other one I'd seriously consider: MailerLite

mailerlite.com

I'd choose MailerLite if your agency's offer is more like:

"We'll create beautiful newsletters, lead magnets, signup forms and automated follow-up sequences for you."

It's arguably the nicer pure email-marketing experience, with an intuitive editor, forms, landing pages and visual automations. Current comparisons generally put it around ~$10–12/month at the low end, although its free tier was reduced substantially in June 2026. MailCompared AccelRio

How I'd package it

The interesting part for an agency is that you don't need to sell the software as software.

For example:

You could include:

• Monthly newsletter
• List management
• Signup form/website integration
• Welcome sequence
• Review-request campaign
• Re-engagement campaign
• Monthly reporting
• Basic segmentation
• Deliverability/domain setup

The software becomes an invisible fulfillment cost, rather than something you're trying to mark up $5/month.

One important distinction

If by "email tool" you mean cold outbound prospecting—e.g. sending 20–50 personalized emails/day to local businesses you've found—then I would not use Brevo or MailerLite. That's a different category from permission-based email marketing/newsletters, and I'd recommend a dedicated outbound platform instead.

If you mean marketing emails to the business's existing customers/leads, I'd go:

1. Brevo — best agency value
2. MailerLite — best client-friendly experience
3. GoHighLevel — best if you're eventually bundling CRM + SMS + funnels + appointments

For a new agency trying to keep margins high, I'd start with Brevo. It gives you a particularly nice economics story: "Your email database can grow without your software bill growing simply because you have more contacts." SaaSProbe

For an agency selling simple email marketing to small local businesses, I’d shortlist these three:

My pick: Brevo

brevo.com is probably the sweet spot for what you're describing.

Its current Starter plan begins at $9/month, with pricing based largely on email volume rather than simply the number of contacts. The free tier also allows 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts. Brevo Help

More importantly for an agency, Brevo has an actual agency partner program. You can manage client accounts and earn 10–25% recurring revenue share depending on your partner tier. Brevo

That makes it easier to structure something like:

• $99/mo — Email Marketing
• 1 newsletter/month
• Basic automation
• List management
• Reporting
• You handle setup and maintenance
• Brevo's software cost is your underlying expense

The client doesn't need to know—or care—that the underlying software is only costing you $9–$20/month.

MailerLite is my runner-up

mailerlite.com is arguably even nicer if your clients primarily need newsletters, simple automations, forms and landing pages.

Its free plan supports 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails. Paid Comfort starts at $12/month, while Power starts at $25/month and adds unlimited monthly emails, users, automations, forms, etc. MailerLite

I'd choose MailerLite over Brevo if your agency's offering is basically:

"We'll make sure your local business stays in touch with its customers."

Brevo becomes more attractive if you want to eventually add SMS, transactional email, CRM-ish functionality, or more sophisticated automation.

HighLevel is different

gohighlevel.com makes sense if you're trying to build an agency SaaS/recurring-revenue model, rather than simply finding cheap email software.

The Unlimited plan is currently $297/month with unlimited sub-accounts, and Agency Pro is $497/month with SaaS mode and the ability to rebill email/phone with markup. GoHighLevel

Interestingly, HighLevel's actual LC Email sending is only $0.675 per 1,000 emails. HighLevel Support Portal HighLevel Support Portal

So once you have enough clients, the economics can become excellent. For example, you could sell a $199/mo "Local Business Growth" package containing website + CRM + email + SMS + reviews, and email itself becomes almost an incidental cost.

But I wouldn't buy HighLevel solely for email. At a few clients, $297/month is hard to justify.

What I'd do in your position

I'd start with Brevo, package it as your own service rather than selling "Brevo," and charge something like:

Starter — $79/mo

• Monthly email campaign
• List management
• Basic reporting

Growth — $129/mo

• 2 campaigns/month
• Automated welcome/follow-up sequence
• List cleanup
• Reporting

Growth Plus — $199/mo

• 4 campaigns/month
• Multiple automations
• Lead capture forms
• Monthly optimization

Your real differentiator isn't the email software. It's that the local business owner doesn't have to think about email marketing anymore.

Then, once you have perhaps 10–20+ clients, I'd seriously evaluate HighLevel if you want to consolidate CRM, email, SMS, reviews, funnels, and automations into a more comprehensive agency platform.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect (e.g. 10, 50, 100) and what you'd charge each, I can model the margins for Brevo vs MailerLite vs HighLevel and tell you which gives you the best agency economics.

Interestingly, HighLevel's actual LC Email sending is only $0.675 per 1,000 emails.

So once you have enough clients, the economics can become excellent. For example, you could sell a $199/mo "Local Business Growth" package containing website + CRM + email + SMS + reviews, and email itself becomes almost an incidental cost.

But I wouldn't buy HighLevel solely for email. At a few clients, $297/month is hard to justify.

What I'd do in your position

I'd start with Brevo, package it as your own service rather than selling "Brevo," and charge something like:

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d recommend MailerLite as the default bundled email platform, with Brevo as the runner-up.

My ranking

🥇 I'd pick MailerLite

The big reason is agency economics. MailerLite specifically supports agencies with one login for multiple client accounts, separate subscriber lists/campaigns/templates for each client, and client/team permissions. It also has a referral program. MailerLite MailerLite

For a local-business package, you could sell something like:

Email Marketing — $149–299/mo
Monthly newsletter + promotional campaigns + basic automation + list management + reporting

Then the software cost is relatively insignificant compared with your service revenue.

MailerLite's current free tier supports 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, while its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. MailerLite

🥈 Brevo if SMS matters

I'd choose Brevo if your package is going to include things like:

• Email newsletters
• Appointment/lead follow-ups
• SMS promotions
• Transactional emails
• Basic CRM functionality

Brevo's Starter plan begins at $9/month, and its free plan allows 300 emails/day. More importantly for an agency, Brevo has a dedicated agency partner program with centralized multi-account management and recurring revenue-share opportunities. Brevo Help Brevo

That makes it particularly interesting if you're going to acquire 10–50+ local-business clients.

What I would not start with: HighLevel

HighLevel is excellent if your actual offer is "we build and manage your entire marketing/CRM system." Its agency plans are designed around sub-accounts, automation, CRM, email/SMS, reputation management, funnels, etc. The current Starter plan is $97/month for 3 sub-accounts, while Unlimited is $297/month with unlimited sub-accounts. GoHighLevel

So I'd use it when you're selling a $300–$1,000+/month marketing system, not when you're trying to cheaply add email marketing to a $150/month local-business package.

The agency model I'd use

Start with MailerLite.

Have each client own their actual account/domain/list, while your agency manages it. Then bundle the platform into your service rather than advertising it as a separate software expense.

For example:

• $199/mo: 1 newsletter/month + list management + reporting
• $299/mo: 2 newsletters/month + welcome/lead automation + reporting
• $499/mo: 4 campaigns/month + automations + segmentation + optimization

Your pitch isn't "we'll set you up with MailerLite."

It's:

"We'll keep your past customers and new leads engaged automatically, so your business gets more repeat visits and bookings without you having to remember to send emails."

That's much easier for a local business owner to understand.

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect to have (e.g. 10, 50, or 100) and what you'd charge each month, I can work out the most profitable software/billing setup for the agency.

For example:

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d make Brevo my default recommendation.

My ranking

• 🥇 Brevo — best overall agency bundle

• Starts at $9/month for paid email plans, with a free tier available. Brevo Help
• Has an actual agency program with centralized multi-account management, so you can manage client accounts from one place. Brevo
• Agency partners can earn 10–25% recurring revenue share depending on tier. Brevo
• Good fit if your package includes newsletters, basic automations, lead capture, and transactional email.
• Best business model: charge the client $49–$99/mo for "Email Marketing Management" while your software cost remains relatively low.
• 🥈 MailerLite — best for simplicity

• Very easy for a small business owner to understand and use.
• Free plan supports up to 250 subscribers / 2,500 emails per month; paid plans start around $12/month. MailerLite
• Agencies can switch between separate client accounts from one login. MailerLite
• The downside: no native white-label/reseller version, and each client needs their own plan. MailerLite
• I'd use this when the client is paying for the software directly and you're charging separately for management.
• 🥉 HighLevel — best if email is only part of a larger package

• Much more agency-oriented: subaccounts, CRM, funnels, automation, SMS, etc.
• Starts at $97/month for 3 subaccounts; the $297/month plan has unlimited subaccounts and allows email/phone rebilling without markup. GoHighLevel GoHighLevel
• Email itself is inexpensive at $0.675 per 1,000 emails through its LC Email system. HighLevel Support Portal
• But it's overkill if you're simply selling "monthly email newsletters."

What I'd actually sell

If you're targeting plumbers, dentists, landscapers, restaurants, med spas, roofers, auto shops, etc., I'd package it like:

Local Business Growth — $99/mo

• Email newsletter
• 1–2 campaigns/month
• Automated welcome/follow-up sequence
• Contact-list management
• Monthly performance report
• Basic lead capture form
• Email software included

Use Brevo underneath and don't necessarily tell the client they're buying "Brevo." You're selling the outcome/service, not the software.

At 20 clients × $99 = $1,980 MRR, while the underlying email infrastructure can remain a relatively small portion of your costs.

If you're planning to make this a white-label/reseller-style agency offer, though, I'd make a different choice: HighLevel becomes much more interesting once you have ~10+ clients, because its subaccount/rebilling model is designed specifically around agencies. GoHighLevel HighLevel Support Portal

My pick: Start with Brevo for the first 5–10 clients; move toward HighLevel if you're building a broader recurring-revenue marketing package.

For an agency pitching small local businesses, I’d make brevo.com my default bundle, with mailerlite.com as the alternative.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo is particularly attractive for an agency because you can manage separate client accounts centrally through its Agency Partner Program, rather than building everything around one shared account. The agency program is free to join and currently offers 10–25% recurring revenue share on referred paying clients for qualifying periods. Brevo Brevo Help

Its current entry pricing is also very low:

• Free: $0, up to 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts.
• Starter: from $9/month, with no daily sending limit.
• Standard: from $18/month, adding automation, A/B testing and more advanced reporting. Brevo Help

That makes it easy to sell something like:

“Email Marketing + Monthly Newsletter Management — $149/mo”

while the client's underlying software might only cost $9–18/month.

The bigger advantage is that Brevo also gives you CRM, SMS, transactional email and automation, so you have room to upsell later rather than having to migrate the client to another platform. Brevo Help

When I'd choose MailerLite instead

MailerLite is arguably nicer if your offer is primarily newsletters + simple automations + landing pages. Its interface is very approachable for a local-business owner, and its paid plans include the full feature set rather than locking major features behind increasingly expensive tiers. MailerLite

It also has excellent agency mechanics: one login can switch between separate client accounts, client billing/data can remain separate, and its affiliate program currently pays 30% of referred clients' spend for as long as they remain customers. MailerLite

The catch is that MailerLite doesn't offer true white-label/reseller software, so I'd be less inclined to make it the backbone of a heavily white-labeled agency package. MailerLite

What I'd actually do

If you're trying to standardize one platform across dozens of plumbers, dentists, roofers, med spas, restaurants, etc., I'd pick Brevo. You can keep the software cost low, manage clients centrally, earn partner revenue, and turn email into a recurring service rather than simply reselling software.

One important business-model point: I wouldn't necessarily absorb the software cost into your package. I'd either have the client own/pay for their Brevo account, or explicitly include a small “platform + management” component in your monthly fee. That keeps client data/accounts portable and prevents your agency from becoming responsible for a growing collection of software bills.

For an agency selling email marketing to small local businesses, I’d make mailerlite.com your default platform.

Why MailerLite is my pick

• Very low client cost: the free plan supports 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month; paid plans start around $12/month for 500 subscribers. MailerLite MailerLite
• Agency-friendly: one login can switch between separate client accounts, while each client retains its own subscribers, campaigns, templates, and billing. MailerLite
• Good enough for most local businesses: newsletters, automated follow-ups, forms, landing pages, segmentation, A/B testing, etc.
• Easy to package: you can charge the client for the service rather than making the software itself the centerpiece.
• Recurring revenue opportunity: MailerLite says its agency referral program pays 30% lifetime commission on referred clients' spend. MailerLite

One important caveat: MailerLite isn't white-label. Each client has their own MailerLite account/billing relationship. MailerLite That's actually something I prefer for an agency starting out because you're not carrying all your clients' software costs and account ownership.

The runner-up: Brevo

brevo.com is particularly attractive if your clients have small lists but send relatively frequently.

Its Starter plan begins at $9/month, with pricing based heavily on monthly email volume rather than simply subscriber count. The free plan allows 300 emails/day. Brevo Help

Brevo also has a formal agency program where you can manage clients from your account and earn recurring commissions—10%, 20%, or 25% depending on partner tier. Brevo

How I'd package it

For example:

I'd include the software in your monthly fee rather than saying "$12 for MailerLite + $237 for our service." The client is buying an outcome, not an email platform.

For a typical dentist, contractor, med spa, salon, realtor, restaurant, home-service company, etc., I'd start with MailerLite + a $249–399/month managed-email package. Your software cost remains tiny relative to the retainer, and the service can have excellent margins.

If you expect to manage 20–100+ local-business accounts, I'd also look specifically at the agency-management economics before standardizing—because the best platform for one client isn't necessarily the best platform for 50 clients.

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

My pick: brevo.com

Why it fits an agency model particularly well:

• Very low entry cost: Brevo's Starter plan begins at $9/month, while the free tier allows 300 emails/day. Brevo Help
• Pricing is based largely on email volume rather than contact count, which can be attractive for local businesses with 2,000–10,000 contacts that don't email every day. Brevo Help Mailercloud
• Email + SMS + CRM means you can eventually bundle more services without changing platforms. Brevo Help
• Most importantly, Brevo has an actual agency partner program with client-account management and recurring revenue share. The program starts at 10% revenue share and can reach 25% depending on the number of clients you refer. Brevo Brevo Help
• You can invite and manage clients from your agency account, rather than building an awkward one-account-for-everything setup. Brevo Help

The other one I'd seriously consider: MailerLite

mailerlite.com is probably my choice if your agency's offering is primarily beautiful newsletters + simple automations.

Its free plan supports 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, while paid plans start around $12/month. Its Power plan includes unlimited monthly emails, unlimited users, automations, forms, landing pages, and websites. MailerLite

MailerLite explicitly targets agencies and offers partner discounts/referrals, too. MailerLite

How I'd package it

I'd avoid selling "email software" as a line item. Sell the outcome:

Then make the software cost essentially invisible inside your monthly fee.

For example, if a client's Brevo account costs you/your client $9–25/month, that's trivial compared with a $299/month managed-service package. You're monetizing strategy, setup, copy, design, automation, and ongoing management, not the SaaS license.

My ranking for your use case

1. Brevo — best overall agency bundle
2. MailerLite — best for simplicity/design
3. EmailOctopus — worth considering if minimizing software cost is the #1 priority
4. ActiveCampaign — excellent, but overkill for many small local businesses
5. Mailchimp — familiar, but I wouldn't choose it for a new agency offering

If I were starting the agency today, I'd choose Brevo. The agency-management infrastructure + recurring partner commissions make it substantially more interesting than simply finding the cheapest email sender. Brevo Brevo Help

If you tell me roughly how many clients you expect (e.g. 10, 50, 100) and typical list size, I can run the numbers on the best setup and show you what your software cost + potential margin per client would look like.

Then make the software cost essentially invisible inside your monthly fee.

For example, if a client's Brevo account costs you/your client $9–25/month, that's trivial compared with a $299/month managed-service package. You're monetizing strategy, setup, copy, design, automation, and ongoing management, not the SaaS license.

My ranking for your use case

1. Brevo — best overall agency bundle
2. MailerLite — best for simplicity/design
3. EmailOctopus — worth considering if minimizing software cost is the #1 priority
4. ActiveCampaign — excellent, but overkill for many small local businesses
5. Mailchimp — familiar, but I wouldn't choose it for a new agency offering

If I were starting the agency today, I'd choose Brevo. The agency-management infrastructure + recurring partner commissions make it substantially more interesting than simply finding the cheapest email sender.

For an agency selling packages to small local businesses, I’d optimize for three things:

1. Low cost per client
2. Easy client handoff/training
3. Enough features to justify a recurring “marketing service” fee

My top picks:

toolskeptic.com

My recommendation by package type

Starter package ($199–$499/mo):

• Use MailerLite
• Bundle:
  • newsletter setup
  • monthly campaign
  • simple automation (welcome email, review request, seasonal promo)
  • reporting

It feels professional without adding much software cost. MailerLite has a free tier and low-cost paid tiers suitable for small lists. www.mailercloud.com

Growth package ($500–$1,500/mo):

• Use Brevo or GoHighLevel
• Add:
  • lead capture forms
  • appointment reminders
  • SMS follow-ups
  • CRM pipeline

Brevo is attractive here because a local business might have thousands of stored contacts but only send a few campaigns monthly, making send-based pricing potentially more economical. www.mailercloud.com

Agency model with many clients:

• I’d strongly consider GoHighLevel
• The selling point becomes:

“We install and manage your customer follow-up system.”

You’re no longer selling “email newsletters”; you’re selling retention and revenue automation.

What I would avoid

• Mailchimp as your default agency bundle — recognizable, but it often becomes expensive as lists grow and is less compelling as a white-label/service offering. toolskeptic.com
• Klaviyo unless you focus on ecommerce businesses.
• Paying for enterprise tools before clients have the volume to need them.

A simple agency stack I’d build:

• Email: MailerLite
• CRM/automation: GoHighLevel (if you want recurring retainers)
• Forms: native forms or client website forms
• Reporting: Looker Studio or built-in dashboards

If your target clients are mostly restaurants, contractors, salons, dentists, gyms, etc., I’d lean MailerLite for simplicity or GoHighLevel if the goal is a higher-ticket recurring package.

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.