ChatGPT answers, unedited

If lowest cost + solid GDPR/CCPA consent and opt-in controls is the priority, I’d narrow it to MailerLite vs. Brevo.

MailerLite explicitly says its platform complies with GDPR and various U.S. privacy laws, and its anti-spam policy requires explicit permission for marketing email; its free plan includes signup forms and basic automation. MailerLite MailerLite MailerLite

Brevo has particularly clear built-in consent mechanics: GDPR fields/declarations, double opt-in, and preference management. However, its more granular consent groups are limited to Professional and Enterprise plans. Its free plan allows 300 email sends/day. Brevo Help Brevo Help

My practical choice

For a small list: MailerLite Free is the cost-minimizing option I'd investigate first. You get up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month at $0, while retaining GDPR/privacy controls. MailerLite

If you expect more than 250 subscribers or want stronger built-in consent/preference workflows, Brevo is worth considering. Its Starter plan currently starts at $9/month, while MailerLite's paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month (before applicable taxes). Brevo Help MailerLite

One important distinction: “GDPR/CCPA compliant” doesn't mean the software makes your marketing legally compliant automatically. Your form wording, lawful basis, privacy notice, consent records, unsubscribe process, data retention, and how you use the data still matter.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have (e.g. 500, 2,000, 10,000) and whether you need double opt-in, I can compare the actual monthly cost of the cheapest 3–5 options.

If your priority is lowest cost + built-in consent/opt-in management for GDPR/CCPA, I’d look at MailerLite first, with Kit as the other strong low-cost option.

MailerLite explicitly says it has the necessary GDPR controls and procedures, and its free tier includes signup forms and basic subscriber management. Its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month and adds a subscriber preference center. MailerLite

Kit has particularly explicit consent functionality: it supports consent checkboxes, affirmative opt-in, consent tags, EU/EEA/UK/Swiss subscriber filtering, and a DPA covering GDPR and CCPA-related obligations. Its free plan currently supports up to 10,000 subscribers. Kit Kit Help Center Kit Help Center Kit

Brevo's free plan supports up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 emails/day, but its paid plans start at $9/month. Brevo Help

My practical take

• ≤250 subscribers: MailerLite is the straightforward cheap option.
• 250–10,000 subscribers: Kit is potentially the cheapest, because its free tier goes much higher while providing explicit GDPR/CCPA consent tooling.
• High-volume sending: Brevo becomes worth considering because its pricing is based heavily on email volume rather than simply list size.
• If you need a preference center specifically: MailerLite's paid plan has one; Kit gives you more granular consent/tagging mechanisms.

One important distinction: an email platform being GDPR/CCPA-compatible doesn't automatically make your marketing legally compliant. Your forms, privacy notice, consent language, lawful basis, records, unsubscribe process, and any cookie/advertising consent need to be configured appropriately for your situation.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails/month you send, I can calculate the actual cheapest option among MailerLite, Kit, Brevo, and a few others.

My practical take

If cost is the priority and you specifically need GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d narrow it to MailerLite vs. Brevo.

MailerLite explicitly says it automatically tracks unsubscribes and opt-in consent, and identifies itself as GDPR compliant/ISO 27001 certified. Its free plan includes signup forms and basic automations. MailerLite MailerLite

Brevo also explicitly lists GDPR and CCPA compliance, with a free tier allowing 300 email sends/day. Brevo Help Brevo

My practical pick

Start with MailerLite if you have ≤250 subscribers. You can get the consent/opt-in functionality without paying anything, and its paid plan starts around $12/month when you outgrow the free tier. MailerLite

Choose Brevo instead if your list is already larger than 250 but your sending volume is modest. Its free tier can store up to 100,000 contacts, although you're limited to 300 sends per day. Brevo Help

One important distinction: “GDPR/CCPA compliant” doesn't mean the email platform makes your entire marketing operation compliant. You still need appropriate privacy notices, lawful consent where required, records of consent, unsubscribe handling, and appropriate data-processing practices.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails/month you send, I can compare the actual monthly cost of the cheapest 3–4 options.

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d shortlist Brevo and MailerLite.

My pick: Brevo

brevo.com is probably the best value if compliance/consent management is the deciding factor.

• Free: $0/month, with up to 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts. Brevo Help
• Brevo explicitly advertises GDPR & CCPA compliance, including customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. Brevo
• Its forms support double opt-in, and Brevo records the consent/confirmation events. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• Paid Starter begins at $9/month, so you can stay free for quite a while if your sending volume is low. Brevo Help

Runner-up: MailerLite

mailerlite.com is arguably nicer if you primarily want straightforward newsletter marketing.

• Free: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite
• Built-in GDPR settings, consent checkboxes/permissions, and double opt-in. MailerLite MailerLite
• Paid Comfort starts at $12/month for up to 500 subscribers. MailerLite
• It has a subscriber preference center on the paid plan, which is useful if you want subscribers to manage what communications they receive. MailerLite

Bottom line

I'd start with Brevo Free if GDPR/CCPA consent management is a hard requirement. It's unusually generous on contact storage, and its consent-recording/data-request features make it the stronger fit for your particular requirement. Brevo Help Brevo

One caveat: “GDPR/CCPA compliant” doesn't mean your marketing automatically becomes legally compliant. You still need appropriate privacy notices, lawful consent/opt-out practices, retention policies, etc.

If your priority is the cheapest option that still has solid GDPR/CCPA consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

My ranking

1. Brevo — best budget choice

• Free plan: $0/month, with up to 300 emails/day. Brevo Help
• Built-in GDPR consent fields, privacy-policy links, and double opt-in. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• Supports managing subscriber preferences and consent.
• Pricing is based primarily on email volume rather than number of contacts, which can be dramatically cheaper if you have a large list but don't email constantly. etropo
• Kit — best free option for creators

• Free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers and unlimited broadcasts/forms. Kit
• Has explicit consent checkboxes, GDPR consent pages, subscriber consent management, and a DPA covering GDPR/CCPA. Kit Kit Help Center
• Big catch: it's optimized more for creators/newsletters than conventional business email marketing.
• MailerLite — good all-around alternative

• Free up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite
• Paid plans start around $12/month and include a preference center and more sophisticated signup/automation functionality. MailerLite
• I'd choose it over Brevo if you want a more traditional newsletter/marketing platform and your list is small.

Bottom line

For a normal business: I'd start with Brevo. Its free tier + GDPR-specific signup tools + double opt-in make it the strongest low-cost combination. Brevo Help Brevo Help

For a newsletter/creator: Kit's free plan is hard to beat because it allows up to 10,000 subscribers while providing explicit consent and GDPR/CCPA-oriented tools. Kit Kit

One important distinction: having GDPR/CCPA features doesn't by itself make your email program legally compliant. Your privacy notice, consent wording, lawful basis, data retention, and unsubscribe/preference process still need to be configured appropriately.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails you send per month, I can calculate which of Brevo, Kit, and MailerLite is actually cheapest for you.

If your priority is the lowest cost while still having solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

My ranking

• 🥇 Brevo — best budget choice

• Free tier available; paid plans start around $9/month for 5,000 emails/month. EmailTooltester.com Email vendor selection
• Charges primarily by email volume rather than number of contacts, which can be a major advantage if you have a large list but don't email constantly. Mailercloud
• Supports subscription forms, consent-related fields, list management, unsubscribe handling, and automation.
• Best choice if cost is the main consideration.
• brevo.com
• 🥈 MailerLite — best if you want simpler list/consent management

• Free tier and relatively inexpensive paid plans. MailerLite MailerLite
• Strong forms, double opt-in, automation, and subscriber management.
• Better fit if your list is relatively small and you want a straightforward interface.
• mailerlite.com
• 🥉 Kit — good, but not the cheapest

• Excellent for creator/newsletter workflows, but pricing becomes substantially higher as your subscriber count grows. EmailTooltester.com
• I wouldn't choose it if price + compliance tooling are your primary requirements.

One important caveat: no email platform by itself makes your marketing automatically GDPR/CCPA compliant. Your forms, consent language, privacy notice, lawful basis, unsubscribe process, data retention, and handling of data-subject requests still matter.

Bottom line: I'd start with Brevo if you're trying to minimize cost, particularly if you have many contacts but relatively modest sending volume. If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails/month you send, I can tell you which of Brevo vs. MailerLite is actually cheapest for your situation.

If your priority is lowest cost + GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

• Brevo: Free plan, up to 300 emails/day, with customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. Its site explicitly states GDPR/CCPA compliance. Paid plans start at $9/month. Brevo Brevo Help
• MailerLite: Also a strong choice, especially if you want more sophisticated newsletter/automation features. Its free plan is currently 250 subscribers / 2,500 emails per month, and it supports signup forms, subscriber management and consent-oriented features. MailerLite MailToolFinder
• Buttondown: Very cheap for tiny newsletters—free for the first 100 subscribers—but it's more newsletter-focused and requires paid add-ons for things like tagging/segmentation and automation. Buttondown

My recommendation

Choose Brevo if you specifically mean “I need an inexpensive tool that helps me collect, document, and manage marketing consent.” Its consent records and data-request tooling make it the better fit than simply choosing the cheapest newsletter sender. Brevo

One caveat: “GDPR/CCPA compliant” doesn't make your marketing automatically compliant. You still need an appropriate privacy notice, lawful consent/opt-out practices, and correctly configured forms and emails.

If you tell me roughly how many contacts you have and how many emails/month you send, I can identify the absolute cheapest option for your volume.

If your priority is lowest cost while still having GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent handling and opt-in management, I’d start with:

Best budget pick: brevo.com

Why it’s the best value:

• Free plan available (up to 300 emails/day). Brevo
• Paid plans start around $9/month. Brevo
• Built-in tools for: - consent records
• customizable signup forms
• unsubscribe management
• data request handling
• GDPR/CCPA-oriented privacy controls Brevo
• Strong fit if you have EU users because Brevo is built around GDPR requirements and is headquartered in France. Sequenzy

Other cheap options worth considering

My recommendation by situation

• Small newsletter, startup, or side project: Brevo.
• Need the cheapest possible compliant setup: Brevo free tier or Sender.
• Need a polished newsletter experience: MailerLite.
• Need advanced automation/customer journeys: ActiveCampaign (but you’ll pay more). Sequenzy

One important distinction: an email platform being “GDPR/CCPA compliant” does not make your marketing automatically compliant. You still need:

• explicit opt-in where required (especially GDPR),
• records showing when/how consent was collected,
• a way for users to withdraw consent,
• proper privacy notices,
• suppression of users who opt out.

For most small teams, Brevo is the cheapest option that I’d trust as a compliance-conscious default. Sequenzy Brevo

If you tell me your monthly email volume, number of subscribers, and whether you need marketing emails only or transactional emails too, I can narrow it down further.

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you built-in GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick brevo.com.

My ranking

Brevo explicitly says its platform supports GDPR & CCPA compliance, including customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. Its free plan is $0/month, with up to 300 email sends/day. Brevo Brevo Help

It also supports double opt-in on email signup forms, which gives you a stronger consent trail. Brevo Help

Kit is actually stronger if your main concern is sophisticated consent handling: it has GDPR consent pages, customizable consent checkboxes, EU subscriber filtering, and a DPA covering GDPR/CCPA. But if you're primarily optimizing for lowest cost, Brevo wins because those privacy features are available on its free offering. Kit Kit

Bottom line

Use Brevo if you want:

• $0 starting cost
• GDPR/CCPA-oriented consent management
• Double opt-in
• Consent records
• Data-request handling
• Email marketing + transactional email
• Room to grow without immediately paying for a subscription

One caveat: using a GDPR/CCPA-capable email platform doesn't by itself make your marketing legally compliant. Your forms, privacy notice, consent wording, data retention, lawful basis, and unsubscribe/opt-out processes still need to be configured appropriately.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have (e.g. 500, 5k, 20k) and whether you need marketing emails, transactional emails, or both, I can narrow it down to the genuinely cheapest option for your situation.

Kit is actually stronger if your main concern is sophisticated consent handling: it has GDPR consent pages, customizable consent checkboxes, EU subscriber filtering, and a DPA covering GDPR/CCPA. But if you're primarily optimizing for lowest cost, Brevo wins because those privacy features are available on its free offering.

Bottom line

Use Brevo if you want:

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you built-in GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick MailerLite.

My ranking

MailerLite wins for most small lists. Its free plan supports up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, and its signup forms include built-in GDPR settings, permission checkboxes, and double opt-in. MailerLite MailerLite

Brevo is the one I'd consider if "compliance tooling" is more important than having the simplest/cheapest setup. Its free plan is $0, supports up to 100,000 stored contacts, and allows 300 email sends/day. Its forms have dedicated GDPR consent fields and GDPR declarations, while Brevo also advertises consent records and data-request management. Brevo Help Brevo Help Brevo

Kit is also unusually good for consent: it supports consent checkboxes, GDPR consent redirects, privacy-policy links, EU subscriber identification, and a DPA covering GDPR/CCPA. Its free plan is considerably more generous on subscriber count—up to 10,000—but it's primarily designed around creators/newsletters. Kit Kit Kit

Bottom line

• Small business / basic newsletter: MailerLite
• Need stronger privacy/compliance workflow: Brevo
• Creator/newsletter business with lots of subscribers: Kit

One caveat: no email platform by itself makes your marketing legally GDPR/CCPA compliant. You still need the appropriate privacy notice, lawful basis/consent wording, data-retention practices, and processes for deletion/access requests.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails you send per month, I can calculate which is actually cheapest at your scale.

Kit is also unusually good for consent: it supports consent checkboxes, GDPR consent redirects, privacy-policy links, EU subscriber identification, and a DPA covering GDPR/CCPA. Its free plan is considerably more generous on subscriber count—up to 10,000—but it's primarily designed around creators/newsletters.

Bottom line

If price is the priority, but you still need solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d choose brevo.com.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo is particularly good on the consent-management side, not just email delivery:

• GDPR consent fields built directly into signup forms.
• Separate consent by purpose/list, which is useful when you have different marketing purposes.
• Double opt-in with a confirmation email.
• Tracks the double-opt-in process and consent-related events.
• Lets subscribers update their preferences through profile-update forms.
• You can maintain records of the consent process rather than simply having an email address in a database. Brevo Help Brevo Help Brevo Help
• Its pricing is based largely on emails sent rather than number of contacts, which can be substantially cheaper if you have a sizable list but don't email everyone constantly. Current comparisons put the entry paid tier around $9/month, with a free tier available. Outmano Brevo Help

The important caveat

I wouldn't describe any email platform as making you automatically GDPR/CCPA compliant. The platform gives you the mechanisms; your forms, privacy notice, consent wording, lawful basis, retention practices, and data-processing setup still matter. Brevo itself explicitly says its guidance isn't legal advice. Brevo Help

How I'd rank the cheap options

One reason I'd favor Brevo over MailerLite for your specific requirement is that consent management is a first-class part of Brevo's forms—including purpose-specific lists, GDPR fields, declarations, DOI, and consent tracking. Brevo Help Brevo Help

Bottom line: go with Brevo unless you tell me your approximate number of contacts + emails/month. Those two numbers can change which provider is actually cheapest, and I can calculate the cheapest option for your exact usage.

If your priority is the cheapest email tool that still has GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent handling and opt-in management, I’d start with brevo.com. Brevo

Best budget choice: Brevo

Why it fits your requirements:

• ✅ GDPR-oriented features: consent records, customizable forms, data request handling, and unsubscribe/opt-out management. Brevo
• ✅ Supports opt-in workflows (including double opt-in). Sequenzy
• ✅ Free tier available. Brevo Help
• ✅ Paid plans start around $9/month, which is often cheaper than contact-based competitors as your list grows. Brevo Help StackScored
• ✅ Pricing is based largely on email volume rather than just stored contacts, which can be advantageous if you have a large list but don’t email constantly. StackScored

Other low-cost options

Sequenzy ToolFit## My recommendation by scenario

• Small business / newsletter / under ~10k contacts: Brevo
• You need the cheapest possible compliant setup: Brevo free tier first, then Starter
• You need complex customer journeys and CRM automation: ActiveCampaign
• You want the easiest beginner experience: Mailchimp or MailerLite

One caveat: no email platform alone makes you GDPR/CCPA compliant. You still need proper practices: a clear privacy notice, lawful consent collection, records of consent, honoring deletion/access requests, and only emailing people who have the right permission.

If you tell me your subscriber count, monthly email volume, and whether you need marketing automation or just newsletters, I can narrow it to the cheapest exact plan.

If your priority is lowest cost + solid GDPR/CCPA consent and opt-in management, I’d shortlist these:

MailerLite explicitly says it is GDPR compliant and provides GDPR controls; its free plan includes signup forms and basic automations, while the paid Comfort plan adds a subscriber preference center. MailerLite MailerLite

Brevo's free plan is $0 and allows up to 100,000 stored contacts with 300 emails/day, although the sending limit is the important constraint. Brevo Help

Kit is particularly interesting for your requirement. Its GDPR tooling includes dedicated consent pages, consent checkboxes, EU-subscriber identification, consent tracking via tags, and a DPA that covers GDPR and CCPA. Its free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers. Kit Kit Kit Help Center

My recommendation

Pick Kit if you're primarily building a newsletter/audience and want to stay at $0 for as long as possible.

Pick MailerLite if you want the best combination of low cost, traditional email marketing features, forms, automations, and privacy controls.

Pick Brevo if you expect a large contact database but don't send huge volumes of email.

One important distinction: no email platform makes your overall GDPR/CCPA compliance automatic. You still need the appropriate privacy notice, lawful basis/consent wording, records, data-processing configuration, and processes for deletion/access requests.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails you send per month, I can calculate which of these is actually cheapest for you.

If your priority is lowest cost while still having GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent capture, opt-in tracking, and unsubscribe/preference management, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation

For most small businesses, I’d pick Brevo. It is usually the best balance of:

• low cost,
• GDPR-oriented features built into the platform,
• consent logging,
• double opt-in,
• contact deletion/export workflows,
• no need to assemble a compliance stack yourself. Sequenzy

If you are extremely price-sensitive:

• Under ~1,000 subscribers: start with Brevo’s free tier or MailerLite’s free tier. Sequenzy
• Need the absolute cheapest paid plan: Zoho Campaigns is worth checking. Sequenzy
• Need advanced marketing automation later: consider ActiveCampaign, but it is usually not the cheapest route. Sequenzy

A note: an email platform being “GDPR/CCPA friendly” does not make your whole business compliant. You still need things like:

• a valid privacy policy,
• proper consent language on signup forms,
• records showing when/how consent was collected,
• honoring deletion and opt-out requests,
• only emailing people who actually opted in.

If you tell me your subscriber count, country (US/EU/both), and whether this is newsletter vs marketing automation vs transactional email, I can narrow it to the cheapest fit.

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

My shortlist

Why Brevo: its pricing is based primarily on emails sent rather than contacts stored, so you can maintain a relatively large subscriber database without paying simply because you have more contacts. Current comparisons put its paid entry point around $9/month, while its free tier allows roughly 300 emails/day. CompareTiers EveryAny.One

For compliance, Brevo supports the important basics you'd want: double opt-in, unsubscribe/opt-out mechanisms, contact management, and consent-related controls. But remember that a platform being "GDPR compliant" doesn't automatically make your email program compliant—you still need appropriate consent language, records, privacy notices, and handling of deletion/opt-out requests.

When I'd choose MailerLite instead

mailerlite.com is arguably the better choice if you want the simplest consent/subscribe workflow rather than the absolute lowest cost. It explicitly states that it has the necessary GDPR controls, stores data in the EU, and offers signup forms, subscriber management, unsubscribe functionality and a preference center. MailerLite

So my recommendation is:

Small list + want easy setup → MailerLite.
Large list / sending relatively infrequently → Brevo.
Want the lowest possible cost while retaining proper opt-in tooling → start with Brevo's free tier.

If you tell me roughly how many contacts you have and how many emails you send per month, I can calculate which one is actually cheapest for your usage.

If your priority is the lowest cost while still having proper consent/opt-in controls for GDPR and CCPA, I’d shortlist Brevo and MailerLite.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo is probably the best fit if cost is the #1 criterion.

• Free: up to 300 emails/day, with unlimited contacts. SMB Compare Sequenzy
• Paid plans start around $9/month, depending on billing/volume. Sequenzy
• Supports consent/opt-in management, GDPR-oriented controls, DPA, and consent records. Sequenzy
• Its send-based pricing is particularly cheap if you have a large subscriber list but don't email them frequently. MailCompare.eu
• It is EU-based, which can simplify the data-residency/privacy side of the equation. MailCompare.eu

Runner-up: MailerLite

MailerLite is my choice if you want a simpler marketing interface and stronger list-management experience.

Its free plan supports 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, while paid plans start around $12/month. MailerLite explicitly says it has the necessary GDPR controls/procedures and provides subscriber-management and preference-center functionality. MailerLite

The important distinction is pricing: Brevo charges primarily by emails sent; MailerLite charges by subscribers. So Brevo can be dramatically cheaper when you have lots of contacts but send relatively few emails. MailCompare.eu

*Brevo's free plan still limits sending volume.

Bottom line: If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have + how many emails you send per month, I can calculate which one is actually cheapest for your situation—including the point where Brevo becomes more/less expensive than MailerLite. MailerLite Sequenzy

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick brevo.com.

My ranking

1. Brevo — best value

• Free plan: $0/month, with up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends/day. Brevo Help
• Built-in GDPR consent fields, privacy-policy links, consent declarations, and double opt-in. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• You can explicitly capture different types of consent rather than relying only on an unsubscribe mechanism.
• Paid Starter starts at $9/month. Brevo Help
• Verdict: Cheapest option I'd be comfortable recommending when compliance/consent tooling is an explicit requirement.
• mailerlite.com — excellent alternative

• Free up to 250 subscribers / 2,500 emails per month. Paid Comfort starts at $12/month. MailerLite MailerLite
• Supports opt-in forms and requires permission to email people; its policy specifically says opt-in checkboxes cannot be pre-checked. MailerLite
• Its paid plans include a subscriber preference center, which is useful for ongoing consent/preferences management. MailerLite
• Verdict: Very good, but Brevo gives you more explicit consent-management functionality at the low end.
• kit.com — strongest dedicated privacy tooling, but not cheapest paid option

• Free up to 10,000 subscribers. Kit
• Kit explicitly documents GDPR/CCPA support, including a dedicated GDPR consent flow, EU-subscriber identification, consent collection for existing subscribers, customizable consent checkboxes, and a DPA covering GDPR/CCPA. Kit
• Verdict: Great if you're a creator/newsletter business, but I'd choose Brevo if your main criterion is lowest cost + compliance tooling.

Bottom line

Choose Brevo if you're starting small and want:

$0 → GDPR consent checkbox → privacy disclosure → double opt-in → consent records/management

without immediately paying for a dedicated consent-management platform.

One caveat: “GDPR/CCPA-friendly” isn't the same as making your business legally compliant. Your privacy notice, lawful basis, data-retention practices, unsubscribe process, and what you're actually collecting/using still matter.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have (e.g. 500, 5,000, 25,000) and whether you need double opt-in + separate marketing-consent checkboxes, I can tell you which is actually cheapest at your scale.

If your priority is lowest cost + built-in GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

• Brevo: Free plan available, with 300 emails/day. Its signup forms support GDPR consent fields, privacy-policy links, and double opt-in, and it provides tools for managing subscriber preferences. Brevo Help Brevo Help Brevo Help
• MailerLite: Also excellent for compliance and has a free tier up to 250 subscribers. It supports signup consent/interest options and double opt-in. MailerLite MailerLite
• Kit: Strongest if you're primarily a creator/newsletter business. Its free plan goes up to 10,000 subscribers, with GDPR consent features and default double opt-in, but its paid automation tier is considerably more expensive. Kit Kit Kit Help Center

My pick

Brevo if you want the cheapest practical all-around option. Its free plan is unusually generous on contacts, and its consent tooling is explicitly designed around GDPR-compliant forms. Brevo Help Brevo Help

If you tell me roughly how many contacts you have and how many emails/month you send, I can tell you which of Brevo, MailerLite, and Kit will actually be cheapest for your usage.

If your priority is lowest cost while still having GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent handling and opt-in management, I’d narrow it to these:

My pick

Use Brevo if you want the best balance of:

• low cost
• GDPR-friendly setup
• consent records
• double opt-in
• easier handling of deletion/export requests
• room to grow

Brevo is especially attractive because it was built by an EU-based company and has GDPR-related features integrated into the platform rather than requiring lots of manual work. Sequenzy Sequenzy

If your list is tiny

Choose MailerLite if you mainly send newsletters and want the simplest interface. Sequenzy

If you mean a true consent-management platform (cookie banners, GPC, “Do Not Sell” links)

An email platform alone usually is not enough. For website tracking consent, you’d typically pair it with a CMP such as Cookiebot or similar tools. Consently

A practical low-cost stack would be:

• Email marketing: Brevo
• Website cookie consent: Cookiebot (or another CMP)
• Signup forms: only collect marketing emails through explicit opt-in checkboxes + store consent timestamps

If you tell me your approximate list size (e.g., <1,000 / 10,000 / 100,000 subscribers) and whether you need newsletters only or automated customer emails, I can narrow it further.

If you mean a true consent-management platform (cookie banners, GPC, “Do Not Sell” links)

An email platform alone usually is not enough. For website tracking consent, you’d typically pair it with a CMP such as Cookiebot or similar tools.

A practical low-cost stack would be:

If cost is the priority but you still need solid GDPR/CCPA-oriented consent and opt-in controls, I’d pick Brevo.

My ranking

• 🥇 Brevo — best cheap compliance-focused choice

• Free plan: $0/month, up to 300 emails/day. Brevo Help Brevo
• Provides GDPR & CCPA compliance features, including customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. Brevo
• Supports double opt-in and explicit consent collection. Brevo Help
• Its newer consent groups let subscribers opt into/out of specific communication categories rather than one blanket subscription. Brevo Help
• Paid Starter starts at $9/month. Brevo Help
• 🥈 MailerLite — excellent alternative

• Free up to 250 subscribers / 2,500 emails per month. MailerLite
• Explicitly says it has the necessary GDPR controls and procedures.
• Supports double opt-in, including for API/integrated signups. MailerLite
• Paid plans start around $12/month. MailerLite

What I'd choose

Brevo if your requirement is specifically “cheap + GDPR/CCPA consent management + opt-in management.” Its consent-record and consent-group functionality makes it the stronger fit.

One caveat: no email platform makes your entire operation GDPR/CCPA compliant by itself. Your signup wording, privacy notice, data-processing arrangements, tracking, retention, and how you honor deletion/opt-out requests still matter.

brevo.com

mailerlite.com

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails/month you send, I can narrow this down to the absolute cheapest option for your volume.

If your priority is the cheapest email tool that still has GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent collection, opt-in management, and unsubscribe/preference controls, I’d usually shortlist these:

SME Compare Sequenzy### My recommendation by situation

1. Cheapest while still being a serious GDPR/CCPA option: Brevo

• Good fit if you have a growing list because pricing is based more around email volume than contacts.
• Includes consent-related tools and unsubscribe management.
• Particularly attractive for UK/EU businesses because of its European presence and compliance documentation. Softomate Solutions SME Compare

2. Cheapest if you only send newsletters: EmailOctopus

• A strong low-cost choice for a small list.
• Less powerful automation than Brevo, but covers the basics: opt-in forms, unsubscribe handling, and consent-friendly list management. SME Compare SME Compare

3. Easiest user experience: MailerLite

• Slightly more expensive as you grow, but very beginner-friendly.
• Good preference centre and form tools. Sequenzy

A few compliance checks matter more than the brand name:

• Enable double opt-in where appropriate.
• Store when, where, and how someone consented.
• Keep marketing consent separate from account/service emails.
• Make unsubscribe immediate and easy.
• Have a process for deletion/export requests (GDPR/CCPA rights). SME Compare

For a UK small business starting from zero, I’d pick Brevo. For a tiny newsletter under a few thousand subscribers, I’d compare Brevo vs EmailOctopus and choose the one with the lower cost at your sending frequency. SME Compare

If you tell me your approximate list size (e.g., 500, 5,000, 50,000 contacts) and whether you send newsletters or automated sequences, I can narrow it to the cheapest exact option.

If your priority is lowest cost + GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo explicitly advertises GDPR & CCPA compliance, customizable consent forms, consent records, and data-request management. Its free plan allows up to 300 emails/day, and its paid Starter plan currently starts at $9/month for 5,000 emails/month. Brevo CompareTiers

brevo.com

Why I'd choose it:

• Consent management: customizable consent forms and consent records.
• Opt-in: supports the mechanisms you need for explicit subscriber consent.
• GDPR + CCPA: compliance features are specifically documented by Brevo. Brevo
• Pricing: particularly cheap if you have a large contact list but don't send huge volumes, because Brevo's pricing is primarily based on emails sent rather than contacts stored. Hack'celeration
• Free tier: useful if you're just getting started.

Close alternative: MailerLite

MailerLite is arguably the better choice if you're sending frequent newsletters. It has built-in GDPR settings, consent checkboxes, pre-written permission fields, double opt-in, and tools for documenting consent. MailerLite MailerLite

mailerlite.com

Its free tier is also quite useful, while paid pricing starts around $12/month currently. MailerLite MailerLite

The simple decision

One important caveat: an email platform being "GDPR/CCPA compliant" doesn't automatically make your marketing compliant. You still need properly worded consent notices, appropriate lawful basis, privacy disclosures, unsubscribe mechanisms, and appropriate data-processing arrangements.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails you send per month, I can calculate which one is actually cheapest for your situation.

If your priority is lowest cost while still having GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent handling, opt-in tracking, and unsubscribe/preference management, I’d narrow it to these:

My pick:

Use Brevo if you want the cheapest option that still feels like a serious compliance tool. It has a strong GDPR-oriented setup (including consent records and double opt-in) without requiring an expensive plan. Sequenzy

A close second:

• Choose MailerLite if you only need newsletters, basic automations, and a clean interface. Sequenzy
• Choose Zoho Campaigns if minimizing monthly cost is the main goal and your needs are basic. Sequenzy

A few compliance caveats:

• No email platform alone makes you GDPR/CCPA compliant—you still need proper signup language, a privacy policy, lawful consent collection, and processes for deletion/access requests.
• For GDPR marketing emails, enable double opt-in and keep consent records (date, source, and what the person agreed to). Sequenzy WordStream

If you tell me your subscriber count (e.g., 500, 5k, 50k) and whether you send newsletters, SaaS lifecycle emails, or ecommerce emails, the cheapest choice may change.

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you proper consent/opt-in management and GDPR/CCPA-friendly tooling, I’d pick Brevo.

My shortlist

Brevo's free tier currently allows 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts, and Brevo explicitly describes its platform as GDPR & CCPA compliant, with customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. help.brevo.comwww.brevo.com

The important distinction is that "GDPR compliant" doesn't mean your marketing automatically becomes compliant. You still need to configure your forms and consent correctly—for example, collecting affirmative consent where required, documenting it, and honoring unsubscribes/preferences.

Why I'd choose Brevo

1. You can start at $0.
You don't have to pay just to get basic consent and email functionality. The free plan is genuinely free, rather than merely a trial. help.brevo.com

2. Its pricing is particularly good if you have lots of contacts.
Brevo primarily prices around emails sent, rather than charging you simply for having a large database. That can make it substantially cheaper if you have, say, 5,000–20,000 subscribers but only email them occasionally. stackmerit.com

3. It has the compliance functionality you're actually asking about.
Brevo specifically advertises customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management for GDPR/CCPA. help.brevo.comwww.brevo.com

4. You aren't locked into paying $10–20/month immediately.

One caveat

If you're going to send frequent newsletters to a relatively small list, I'd also seriously consider MailerLite. Its free plan currently supports up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, with signup forms and automations; its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.com

So my rule of thumb would be:

• Large-ish list + occasional emails → Brevo
• Small list + frequent newsletters → MailerLite
• Want the absolute cheapest way to get started → Brevo
• Need transactional email/API in addition to marketing → Brevo

Brevo's official pricing/features

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails you expect to send per month, I can calculate which is actually cheapest for your usage rather than just comparing starting prices.

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

My ranking

Why Brevo wins: its free plan supports unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails/day, while Brevo explicitly advertises GDPR & CCPA compliance features including customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. www.brevo.com

MailerLite is also very good: its forms have built-in GDPR settings, permission checkboxes, and double opt-in, and it states that the platform has GDPR controls and procedures. But its free plan is limited to 250 subscribers. www.mailerlite.com

What I'd choose

• Small list + want the simplest interface: MailerLite
• Large list + relatively few emails: Brevo
• Want $0 cost for as long as possible: Brevo
• Need explicit consent records / CCPA-oriented data requests: Brevo

One important caveat: “GDPR/CCPA compliant tool” doesn't make your email marketing automatically compliant. You still need appropriate privacy notices, lawful consent where required, unsubscribe mechanisms, retention practices, and to configure the consent fields correctly.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails you send per month, I can calculate which one will actually be cheapest for you—including the paid tiers.

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick brevo.com.

Why Brevo

• $0/month to start — Brevo's free plan includes up to 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts. Brevo Help
• GDPR + CCPA support is built in — Brevo specifically advertises customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management for GDPR/CCPA. Brevo
• Explicit consent fields — its forms can add dedicated GDPR consent fields and privacy-policy declarations. Brevo Help
• Double opt-in — subscribers can receive a confirmation email and aren't added/subscribed until they confirm. Brevo Help
• Preference management — subscribers can update their information and subscription preferences through profile-update forms. Brevo Help
• If you outgrow free, Starter begins at $9/month, with 5,000 emails/month at the entry tier. Brevo Help

How I'd rank the cheap options

MailerLite's free plan is also attractive, but it's limited to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month; its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. MailerLite MailerLite

One important distinction: no email platform magically makes your marketing GDPR/CCPA compliant. You still need the right privacy notice, lawful basis/consent wording, data-processing arrangements, retention practices, etc. But if what you specifically want is built-in consent capture + opt-in/opt-out management without paying much, Brevo is the strongest cheap choice.

If you tell me roughly how many contacts you have (e.g. 500, 5k, 20k) and how many emails you send/month, I can tell you which one is actually cheapest at your scale.

If GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent + opt-in management are must-haves and you want the lowest cost, I’d pick brevo.com.

My ranking

Why Brevo wins: its free plan supports up to 300 emails/day, and Brevo explicitly provides GDPR/CCPA compliance features including customizable consent forms, consent records, and data-request management. Brevo Brevo

If you need more sending volume, Brevo's paid Starter plan currently starts around $9/month (or $8.08/month with annual billing). Brevo

MailerLite is a very close second. Its free tier is $0 for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, with GDPR-specific form settings, consent checkboxes, double opt-in, and subscriber preference management. MailerLite MailerLite MailerLite Its more advanced Preference Center is particularly good if by “opt-in management” you mean letting subscribers choose which types of emails they receive. MailerLite

Bottom line

• Cheapest + strongest compliance tooling: Brevo
• Cheapest + easiest GDPR-focused setup: MailerLite
• If you're just starting: I'd use Brevo's free plan unless you specifically want MailerLite's interface/preference-center workflow.

One caveat: “GDPR/CCPA compliant” doesn't mean the software makes your business automatically compliant—you still need appropriate privacy notices, lawful consent, retention practices, etc.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails/month you send, I can tell you which is actually cheapest at your scale.

MailerLite is a very close second. Its free tier is $0 for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, with GDPR-specific form settings, consent checkboxes, double opt-in, and subscriber preference management. Its more advanced Preference Center is particularly good if by “opt-in management” you mean letting subscribers choose which types of emails they receive.

If your priority is lowest cost while still having GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent collection, opt-in tracking, and unsubscribe/preference management, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation by scenario

• Small business / newsletter / startup: choose Brevo. It gives you the best compliance-to-price ratio: you can start free, keep consent records, and enable proper opt-in flows without paying for a large marketing suite. www.brevo.com
• You only need basic newsletters and have a small list: MailerLite is also a strong low-cost option. www.sequenzy.commailtoolfinder.com
• You need the absolute cheapest paid plan: look at Zoho Campaigns, assuming its automation/features fit your workflow. www.sequenzy.com
• You run a SaaS/product with more complex lifecycle emails: you may outgrow cheap newsletter tools; consider something with stronger event-based consent controls.

A couple of important caveats:

• An email platform being “GDPR compliant” does not make your business automatically compliant. You still need a lawful basis for processing, a privacy policy, correct consent wording, and proper recordkeeping.
• For GDPR marketing emails, look for: explicit opt-in checkbox (not pre-checked), consent timestamp/source, double opt-in support, unsubscribe links, suppression lists, and deletion/export workflows.

If you tell me your subscriber count, monthly email volume, and whether this is for newsletter vs SaaS/product emails vs ecommerce, I can narrow it to the cheapest fit.

If your priority is lowest cost + GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent + opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

Best budget choice: Brevo

Brevo explicitly states that it supports GDPR & CCPA compliance, including customizable signup forms, consent records, and data-request management. Its free tier allows unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails/day. The paid Starter plan starts at $9/month for 5,000 emails/month. www.brevo.com

Why I'd choose Brevo: its pricing is based primarily on emails sent rather than contacts stored, so you can have a relatively large consented database without paying simply for keeping those contacts. That becomes particularly attractive if you have lots of subscribers but don't email them constantly. www.brevo.commailcompare.eu

One important distinction: "GDPR/CCPA compliant tool" doesn't automatically make your marketing compliant. You still need to configure the forms correctly—e.g. affirmative consent where required, clear purpose/language, unsubscribe mechanisms, and appropriate records of consent.

If you tell me roughly how many contacts you have and how many emails you send per month (e.g. 2,000 contacts / 4 newsletters per month), I can calculate the cheapest option among Brevo, MailerLite, Mailchimp, Kit, Sender, and others for your exact usage.

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

My pick: Brevo

Why:

• Free plan: $0/month, with up to 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts. help.brevo.com
• Explicitly supports GDPR & CCPA compliance, including customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. www.brevo.com
• Supports double opt-in, which gives you a stronger consent trail. help.brevo.com
• Its forms can include dedicated GDPR consent fields/declarations. help.brevo.com
• Paid Starter begins at $9/month, so it remains inexpensive as you grow. help.brevo.com

One caveat: Brevo's more advanced "consent groups" feature is only on Professional/Enterprise, so you don't get every consent-management feature on the cheap plans. help.brevo.com

How I'd rank the cheap options

MailerLite's free tier is also $0 for up to 250 subscribers, while its $12/month Comfort plan adds a subscriber preference center and other management features. www.mailerlite.com

Bottom line: If you're starting small and want legitimate consent/opt-in infrastructure without paying for a dedicated consent-management platform, I'd start with Brevo Free. If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have + how many emails/month you send, I can calculate the cheapest option at your actual scale. Brevo official site

If your priority is the cheapest option that still has solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

My ranking

Brevo is the one I'd choose if you're trying to spend as little as possible. Its free plan is $0 and currently allows up to 100,000 contacts, although you're limited to 300 email sends per day. More importantly, Brevo explicitly provides GDPR/CCPA-oriented features including customizable forms, consent records and data-request management. help.brevo.com

Its forms can enable GDPR consent fields, and it supports double opt-in, which gives you a stronger record of affirmative subscription consent. help.brevo.com

Brevo pricing

When I'd choose something else

Choose Kit if you're primarily a newsletter/creator business and want particularly explicit consent-management functionality. Kit has GDPR/CCPA-specific tooling, including consent tags, consent checkboxes, EU subscriber filtering, double opt-in, and a DPA. kit.com

Choose MailerLite if you care more about ease of building newsletters, landing pages, and automations. Its free tier supports up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails; the paid Comfort tier starts at $12/month and adds a preference center and more advanced tools. www.mailerlite.com

Bottom line

For cheapest + legally sensible consent infrastructure: Brevo.

One caveat: no email platform makes your marketing automatically GDPR/CCPA compliant. Your privacy notice, consent language, lawful basis, retention practices, cookie/advertising practices, and how you use the data still matter.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails you send per month, I can compare the actual monthly cost of Brevo vs MailerLite vs Kit and tell you which is cheapest at your scale.

If your priority is the lowest cost while still having solid GDPR/CCPA-oriented consent and opt-in management, I’d shortlist Brevo, Zoho Campaigns, and MailerLite.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo is probably the best overall fit.

• Free plan: up to 300 emails/day, with unlimited contacts. www.brevo.com
• Paid: starts at $9/month for 5,000 emails/month. www.brevo.com
• Built-in GDPR consent fields, privacy-policy declaration, and double opt-in. help.brevo.comhelp.brevo.com
• Supports separate lists/preferences for different consent purposes, which is useful if you need people to opt into different types of marketing. help.brevo.comhelp.brevo.com
• Brevo explicitly advertises GDPR & CCPA compliance tooling, including customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. www.brevo.com

The big advantage is its pay-per-email model. If you have, say, 5,000–20,000 subscribers but don't email them constantly, Brevo can be substantially cheaper than services that charge primarily by subscriber count. www.etropo.comwww.mailerlite.comwww.mailerlite.com

Cheapest alternative: Zoho Campaigns

Zoho Campaigns is worth considering if you want to squeeze the cost down as far as possible.

Its Forever Free tier supports up to 2,000 contacts and 6,000 emails/month. www.zoho.com It also has:

• double opt-in
• consent records
• opt-in/unsubscribe management
• signup forms
• GDPR compliance features
• consent emails and consent/deny mechanisms. www.zoho.com

So Zoho is potentially the cheapest if your volume fits inside the free tier.

Best/easiest: MailerLite

MailerLite is another strong choice. Its forms have built-in GDPR settings, consent checkboxes, privacy-policy fields, and double opt-in. www.mailerlite.com

However, its current free plan is only 250 subscribers, while the paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.com

What I'd choose

One important caveat: no email platform makes your marketing automatically GDPR/CCPA compliant. You still need the right privacy notice, lawful basis/consent wording, unsubscribe process, data-retention practices, etc. Brevo itself explicitly notes that its guidance isn't legal advice. help.brevo.comhelp.brevo.com

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have (e.g. 500, 2,000, 10,000) and how many emails you send per month, I can calculate which of these is actually cheapest for you.

If your priority is lowest cost + solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

My ranking

Why Brevo wins: its free plan is $0, allows up to 100,000 stored contacts, and gives you 300 email sends/day. More importantly for your requirement, Brevo explicitly supports GDPR/CCPA compliance, customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. help.brevo.com

Its forms can include a GDPR consent field, privacy-policy declaration, preference/list selection, and double opt-in. help.brevo.com

The catch: Brevo's more sophisticated Consent Groups feature—which lets subscribers independently opt into/out of different communication topics—is restricted to Professional/Enterprise plans. help.brevo.com

MailerLite is my second choice. It also states that its platform complies with GDPR and various US privacy laws, and its free plan includes signup forms and automations for up to 250 subscribers. Its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month and adds a preference center and unsubscribe-page builder. www.mailerlite.com

Bottom line

• Need the absolute cheapest: Brevo Free
• Need a nicer/simpler email-marketing experience: MailerLite
• Need sophisticated consent categories/preferences: Brevo, but budget for a paid tier.

One important caveat: “GDPR/CCPA compliant tool” doesn't make your email program automatically legally compliant. Your consent language, privacy notice, tracking practices, lawful basis, retention/deletion procedures, and how you handle unsubscribe/DSAR requests still matter.

Brevo official site
MailerLite official site

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you solid GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick Brevo.

My ranking

Brevo's free plan currently allows 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 contacts, and its signup forms can include GDPR consent fields, privacy declarations, preference/list selection, and double opt-in. help.brevo.com

Brevo also explicitly describes its platform as GDPR & CCPA compliant, including customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. www.brevo.com

Kit is particularly good if you're a creator/newsletter business: it has built-in consent checkboxes, GDPR/CCPA support, a DPA, and double opt-in. kit.com But its paid Creator plan starts at $39/month for 1,000 subscribers, so it's hard to justify if price is the main consideration. help.kit.com

Bottom line

I'd start with Brevo. You can stay on the free plan while your list is small, and you get the consent/opt-in infrastructure you're looking for without immediately paying for a premium plan.

One caveat: no email platform makes your marketing automatically GDPR/CCPA compliant. You still need appropriate privacy notices, lawful-basis decisions, consent wording, retention practices, and so on. Brevo itself notes that its form guidance isn't legal advice. help.brevo.comhelp.brevo.com

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have (e.g. 500, 5k, 20k) and how many emails/month you send, I can compare the actual monthly cost of Brevo vs MailerLite vs Kit and tell you which is cheapest at your scale.

If your priority is the cheapest option that still gives you real GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent and opt-in management, I’d pick MailerLite.

MailerLite explicitly says it has the necessary GDPR controls/procedures, stores data in the EU, and requires permission-based sending. Its policies also prohibit pre-checked consent boxes and require a clear way to revoke consent. www.mailerlite.com

Why I'd choose MailerLite

If you're under 250 subscribers, you can start at $0. The free plan includes 2,500 emails/month, signup forms, automations, landing pages, and subscriber management. www.mailerlite.com

Once you exceed that, the current Comfort plan starts at $12/month for up to 500 subscribers, and adds things particularly relevant to consent management such as a subscriber preference center. www.mailerlite.com

Brevo is my second choice if you anticipate having lots of contacts but sending relatively few emails, because its pricing is based heavily on email volume rather than simply the size of your contact database. Its free tier supports up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 emails/day. help.brevo.com

Kit is the strongest of the three for explicit consent tooling—it has GDPR consent checkboxes, consent tags, EU/EEA subscriber identification, double opt-in, and a DPA covering GDPR/CCPA-related processing. kit.com But if cheap is the deciding factor, I'd go MailerLite.

Bottom line: → MailerLite.
If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have (or expect) and how many emails/month you'll send, I can tell you which is cheapest at your actual scale and compare MailerLite vs. Brevo vs. Kit.

If your priority is lowest cost while still having GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent collection and opt-in management, I’d narrow it to these:

My recommendation:

• Small business / newsletter / under ~10k subscribers: pick Brevo. It gives you the best compliance-to-cost ratio because pricing is based more on sending volume than contact count, and it includes consent-related tools. www.brevo.com
• You only need basic newsletters and want the simplest interface: pick MailerLite. mailtoolfinder.com
• You need serious automation (behavior triggers, CRM-style journeys): consider ActiveCampaign later, but it is not the cheapest route. www.sequenzy.comwww.brevo.com

One important caveat: no email platform alone makes you GDPR/CCPA compliant. You still need:

• clear, unchecked marketing consent boxes
• records of when/how someone opted in
• unsubscribe links
• a process for deletion/access requests
• only emailing people for the purposes they consented to

For a lean setup, I’d start with Brevo + a GDPR-compliant signup form + double opt-in enabled. www.sequenzy.comwww.brevo.com

If lowest cost + solid GDPR/CCPA consent and opt-in management is the priority, I’d choose Brevo.

Brevo explicitly advertises GDPR & CCPA compliance, including customizable forms, consent records, and data-request management. Its forms support a GDPR consent field and double opt-in, which gives you a useful audit trail of affirmative subscription consent. www.brevo.com

The cost advantage is significant: Brevo has a free plan with 300 emails/day, and its Starter plan begins at $9/month for 5,000 emails/month. help.brevo.com

MailerLite is also explicitly GDPR compliant and has a free tier, but its free plan is limited to 250 subscribers; its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.com

My recommendation

Pick Brevo if:

• You want to spend $0 initially
• You need explicit consent/opt-in handling
• You want double opt-in
• You need GDPR/CCPA-oriented data controls
• You don't want pricing to jump just because your contact list grows

Pick MailerLite instead if your main priority is a polished newsletter/blog experience and you're comfortable paying $12/month once you exceed the free tier.

One important caveat: “GDPR/CCPA compliant tool” doesn't automatically make your marketing legally compliant. Your forms, privacy notice, consent language, lawful basis, data retention, unsubscribe process, and how you use the collected data still matter.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails you send per month, I can compare the actual cheapest 3–5 options for your volume.

If your priority is the cheapest email tool that still gives you GDPR/CCPA-friendly consent handling and opt-in management, I’d shortlist these:

www.sequenzy.commailtoolfinder.com

My recommendation by scenario

Cheapest while still feeling “compliance-ready”: → Brevo
It’s usually the best value because pricing is based more on sends than contacts, and it includes the basics you need: consent tracking, opt-in workflows, unsubscribe management, and privacy documentation. www.sequenzy.com

Small newsletter (<1,000 subscribers): → MailerLite
A good choice if you mainly need signup forms, double opt-in, and a clean preference center. www.sequenzy.commailtoolfinder.com

Bare-minimum budget: → Zoho Campaigns
If you only need compliant opt-in collection and basic campaigns, it can be extremely inexpensive. www.sequenzy.com

A few things to verify before choosing any provider:

• ✅ Double opt-in available (especially for GDPR audiences)
• ✅ Consent timestamp stored
• ✅ Ability to export/delete subscriber data (DSAR requests)
• ✅ DPA available
• ✅ Preference center or granular unsubscribe options
• ✅ CCPA/CPRA support for opt-out and deletion requests

One caveat: an email platform being “GDPR/CCPA-friendly” does not make your marketing automatically compliant—you still need correct signup language, lawful consent collection, and proper records. www.wordstream.com

For most small businesses, I’d pick Brevo first, MailerLite second. If you tell me your approximate list size (0–500, 500–5k, 5k+) and whether you send newsletters, ecommerce emails, or SaaS lifecycle emails, I can narrow it down further.