Neutral mentions of MailerLite

For a new indie-creator newsletter under 1,000 subscribers, I’d narrow it to Kit and beehiiv.

My recommendation: Kit

kit.com is probably the safest starting point for you. Its current free plan goes up to 10,000 subscribers, includes unlimited broadcast emails, landing pages/forms, and a basic automation, so you can grow substantially without being forced into a paid plan. Kit Help Center Field Tested

That's particularly attractive for indie creators because you can eventually use the same audience for things like digital products, courses, services, or paid subscriptions, rather than having to migrate platforms later.

When I'd choose beehiiv instead

beehiiv.com is worth choosing if your newsletter is really intended to become a media publication. Its free Launch plan supports 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends, plus a newsletter website, analytics, recommendations, and other publishing features. Beehiiv

So, roughly:

• “I'm a creator and the newsletter supports my business.” → Kit
• “The newsletter itself is the business/publication.” → beehiiv
• “I just want the absolute simplest place to write and email people.” → Substack

One I'd skip for your particular goal is MailerLite: its free plan was reduced in 2026 to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, so you'd hit the ceiling very quickly if you're already approaching 1,000. MailerLite MailerLite

If I were setting this up from scratch today, I'd start with Kit and not overthink it. You can get the newsletter running first and worry about sophisticated automation once you actually have an audience.

kit.com

If by “separate audiences or projects” you mean keeping each client’s contacts and campaigns isolated, the key distinction is whether the platform gives you multiple audiences/lists on its free tier—or requires separate accounts.

For a freelance marketer

Brevo is probably the most practical starting point if your goal is one free account containing multiple client lists. Its free plan currently allows up to 100,000 stored contacts, although sending is capped at 300 emails/day, and you get one user seat. Brevo Help

If you mean completely separate client projects/workspaces—each with its own branding, login/access, contacts, reporting, etc.—that's a different requirement. Free tiers generally aren't designed as a true agency/multi-client workspace.

If you tell me “I need 5–10 separate client accounts/lists, each with X contacts and Y emails/month,” I can compare the best free options specifically for that setup.

Yes. Brevo is probably the closest fit if you specifically want email + simple SMS in one tool.

• brevo.com — Free forever, with 300 email sends/day, and its Free plan includes email and SMS campaigns. The catch: SMS isn't free; you buy SMS credits separately. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• kit.com — Excellent for digital-product creators: free up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, landing pages/forms, and digital-product selling. However, its SMS capability is through a separate SlickText integration rather than being included natively. Kit Help Center Kit
• mailerlite.com — Good inexpensive email option, but its current Free plan is capped at 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month; it isn't the obvious choice if SMS is a requirement. MailerLite MailerLite

What I'd look at for your use case

If you're a solopreneur selling digital products and want something like:

“Someone downloads my freebie → gets emails → I occasionally text them about a launch/discount”

I'd start with Brevo. You can keep the software cost at $0 and only pay when you actually send SMS. Its free tier also allows up to 100,000 stored contacts, although the 300-email/day sending limit is the practical constraint. Brevo Help

If email is much more important than SMS, I'd seriously consider Kit, particularly because its free plan is unusually generous for creators and includes selling digital products directly. Kit Help Center

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have (e.g. 100, 1,000, 5,000) and how often you'd text them, I can compare the actual costs and limitations for Brevo vs. Kit + SMS.

Yes. For a solopreneur selling digital products, Brevo is probably the closest match to what you're asking for.

Brevo has a $0/month Free plan that includes both email and SMS campaigns, so you don't need to stitch together two different platforms. The free plan currently allows up to 100,000 contacts, but email sending is limited to 300 emails/day. Brevo Help Brevo Help

A few options

MailerLite's current free plan is actually quite nice for digital products: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 3 automations, landing pages, signup forms, and even the ability to have one digital product. But SMS isn't included in that free tier. MailerLite MailerLite

What I'd look at for your situation

If you want something like:

Lead magnet → email sequence → sell digital product → occasional "sale ends tonight" SMS

I'd start with Brevo, because you can keep email and SMS in one system without paying a monthly subscription just to have SMS available. SMS usage itself can still involve charges/credits, so "free platform" doesn't mean unlimited free texts. Brevo Help

If SMS is only a nice-to-have and your priority is email automation + selling digital products, I'd also seriously consider MailerLite.

brevo.com · mailerlite.com

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now (or expect in the next 6–12 months) and whether you need automated SMS or just occasional broadcast texts, I can narrow it down to the most cost-effective setup.

For a local café, I’d start with mailerlite.com.

Its current free plan includes:

• Signup forms and pop-ups for your website. MailerLite MailerLite
• 3 basic automations — enough for things like a welcome email and a coupon sequence. MailerLite
• Up to 250 subscribers
• 2,500 emails/month
• A landing page if you don't have a website. MailerLite
• No credit card required. MailerLite

A simple café setup

I'd make the signup offer something like “Join our café club & get a free pastry with your next drink.”

Then automate:

1. Signup → immediately send the welcome/coupon email.
2. 3 days later → send a short “meet the café” email.
3. 1–2 weeks later → send your next special, event, or seasonal drink announcement.

One alternative: brevo.com has a free plan with up to 100,000 stored contacts and automation for up to 2,000 contacts, but its sending limit is 300 emails/day. Brevo Help Brevo Help

For a small café starting from scratch, MailerLite is probably the simpler fit, especially if your priority is a nice-looking signup form + straightforward automated welcome emails.

If you tell me whether you have a website, Instagram, or just a physical café, I can suggest the simplest way to collect the emails in-store too.

For a tiny SaaS list, I’d look at these first:

• Loops — particularly SaaS-oriented. Its free tier supports up to 1,000 contacts, 4,000 sends/month, and unlimited automation workflows. It’s designed around product-triggered onboarding/lifecycle emails, so it’s a strong fit if you want things like “signed up → welcome → 2 days later → feature nudge.” Zapier Zapier
• Brevo — more general-purpose, but generous on contacts: unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day on the free plan, and marketing automation for up to 2,000 contacts. Brevo explicitly says no credit card and no time limit. Brevo Help
• MailerLite — good if you want a nicer visual email builder plus simple onboarding sequences. As of June 2026, its free plan is 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, and 3 automations, with no credit card required. MailerLite MailerLite

What I'd use for your situation

If you're a SaaS and the emails are primarily onboarding/lifecycle → Loops.

If you want marketing newsletters + forms + automation in one place → Brevo.

If you have <250 users and want the easiest visual workflow builder → MailerLite.

One important distinction: if your onboarding emails need to fire based on actual product events (“created project,” “invited teammate,” “hasn't completed setup”), rather than simply “joined email list,” I'd lean toward a SaaS-focused product like Loops. Zapier

If you tell me roughly how many users you have now (e.g. 50/200/1,000) and what 3–5 onboarding emails you want, I can narrow this down to the simplest setup.

If you need multiple newsletters with tag-based segmentation and custom fields on a $0 plan, these are the strongest options to look at:

For your use case (managing multiple newsletters), I’d narrow it down like this:

• Most flexible tagging + custom data: mailrelay.com — good if you want subscriber records like interest=AI, newsletter=weekly, customer=yes, etc. Mailrelay
• Creator/newsletter workflow: kit.com — good if each newsletter has different audiences and you want tags to drive broadcasts. Zapier
• Higher free subscriber allowance: sender.net — useful if your lists are already growing. Sender

One thing to watch: many tools advertise “segmentation” for free but reserve advanced rules, automation triggers, or dynamic segments for paid tiers. For a true tag/custom-field workflow at no cost, verify that the free plan lets you create fields, apply tags, and send campaigns to filtered groups before migrating. GetResponse Mailrelay

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have (e.g., under 1k, 10k, 50k+) and whether the newsletters are separate brands or one audience with categories, I can narrow it further.

If order follow-ups are the priority, I’d pick Omnisend.

• Omnisend — Best fit for a creator + merch store. Its free plan includes ecommerce automation, and you can connect Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, and others. You can trigger follow-ups after a paid order, such as a thank-you email, review request, or discount for the next purchase. The catch: free is limited to 250 contacts and 500 emails/month. Omnisend Help Center Omnisend Help Center Omnisend Help Center

omnisend.com

• Brevo — Better if you expect a larger audience but don't send constantly. Its free plan is based primarily on sending volume rather than a tiny contact cap, and it supports ecommerce integrations and automation. Omnisend
• MailerLite — Good creator-friendly option if newsletters/content are as important as merch. It integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce, but its ecommerce automation isn't as purpose-built as Omnisend's. Omnisend

My pick for you

Start with Omnisend if you want flows like:

Order placed → Thank you → 5 days later: review request → 14 days later: "here's 15% off your next merch order"

That specific post-purchase workflow is available on all Omnisend plans, including Free. Omnisend Help Center

If you tell me whether you're using Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Fourthwall, or another merch platform, I can tell you which free option fits best.

For a shoestring-budget setup, I’d shortlist Brevo, MailerLite, and Buttondown. The important distinction is that a tool having “GDPR features” doesn’t by itself make your email program GDPR-compliant—you still need an appropriate lawful basis, privacy notice, records of consent, unsubscribe handling, retention practices, and a suitable DPA where applicable.

*Free-plan limits can change; MailerLite's current official documentation says its June 2026 free-plan update reduced the allowance to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails. MailerLite

1. Brevo — my first choice

Brevo has unusually good built-in consent tooling for a free plan. Its signup forms have a dedicated GDPR field where subscribers actively consent, plus a GDPR declaration explaining that their information is processed by Brevo. It also supports double opt-in. Brevo Help Brevo Help

It also lets you export campaign data as CSV, including data by contact, which is useful for retaining evidence of consent and other compliance records. Brevo Help

Best if: you want a conventional email-marketing platform and want the compliance mechanics reasonably integrated into the product.

2. MailerLite — easiest small-business choice

MailerLite provides GDPR-friendly signup settings, permission checkboxes and double opt-in. Its documentation also explicitly says subscriber data can be exported. MailerLite MailerLite

The catch is the current free-plan ceiling: 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month after its June 2026 changes. MailerLite

Best if: you're starting with a genuinely small list and value ease of use over maximum free capacity.

3. Buttondown — appealing for a privacy-first newsletter

Buttondown explicitly describes itself as GDPR-compliant and says it doesn't collect subscriber data beyond what's needed by default. Its GDPR documentation covers deletion rights, while its data-import documentation demonstrates CSV-based subscriber portability. Buttondown Buttondown Buttondown Docs

I'd choose it particularly for a simple newsletter, rather than a marketing-heavy business with sophisticated segmentation and automation.

Bottom line

If your priority is specifically “free + documented consent + easy evidence/export”, I'd rank them:

1. Brevo — strongest combination of consent tooling and export/compliance functionality.
2. MailerLite — easiest for a small list.
3. Buttondown — strongest minimalist/privacy-oriented choice.

One important caveat: don't treat a consent checkbox as proof of GDPR compliance by itself. For EU/EEA marketing, I'd configure explicit opt-in + double opt-in, link your privacy notice directly from the signup form, avoid pre-ticked boxes, keep the consent wording/version and timestamp, and periodically export your records.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and whether you're sending newsletters, sales emails, or both, I can narrow this to the cheapest setup and show exactly which GDPR fields/settings to use.

It also lets you export campaign data as CSV, including data by contact, which is useful for retaining evidence of consent and other compliance records. Brevo Help

Best if: you want a conventional email-marketing platform and want the compliance mechanics reasonably integrated into the product.

2. MailerLite — easiest small-business choice

MailerLite provides GDPR-friendly signup settings, permission checkboxes and double opt-in. Its documentation also explicitly says subscriber data can be exported. MailerLite MailerLite

The catch is the current free-plan ceiling: 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month after its June 2026 changes. MailerLite

Best if: you're starting with a genuinely small list and value ease of use over maximum free capacity.

3. Buttondown — appealing for a privacy-first newsletter

Buttondown explicitly describes itself as GDPR-compliant and says it doesn't collect subscriber data beyond what's needed by default. Its GDPR documentation covers deletion rights, while its data-import documentation demonstrates CSV-based subscriber portability.

I'd choose it particularly for a simple newsletter, rather than a marketing-heavy business with sophisticated segmentation and automation.

Bottom line

If your priority is specifically “free + documented consent + easy evidence/export”, I'd rank them:

If by “automation workflows” you mean welcome sequences, drip emails, tagging, and trigger-based flows, the free-plan landscape in 2026 is pretty uneven.

The standout if automation itself must remain free is Sender: its current free tier includes automation workflows, custom event triggers, segmentation, landing pages, and up to 2,500 subscribers/15,000 monthly emails. Sender Email Bump

MailerLite is another legitimate option, currently allowing 3 active automations on its free plan—but its June 2026 changes reduced the free audience to 250 active subscribers and monthly sending to 2,500. MailerLite

Kit is interesting if your priority is scaling the list without paying: its current free plan goes to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, forms and landing pages. However, its current documentation says visual automations and email sequences require a paid plan, so it isn't the choice I'd make if multiple automated workflows are essential from day one. Kit Help Center

beehiiv is similarly attractive for newsletter publishing, but its free Launch plan doesn't include automation, so you'd hit a paid-plan requirement immediately if automated sequences are central to your workflow. Field Tested

For your use case

I'd narrow it to:

• Need several automations at $0: Sender
• Need a small list + a few simple automations: MailerLite
• Expect rapid list growth and can live with one/basic automation: Kit
• Want newsletter publishing/growth tools more than automation: beehiiv

One important distinction: “unlimited subscribers/emails” and “unlimited automation” are very different free-plan benefits. Kit, for example, gives you enormous list/sending headroom but deliberately gates its automation features. Kit Help Center

If you tell me roughly your current subscriber count + the workflows you want (e.g. welcome series, lead magnet delivery, re-engagement, weekly digest), I can map those workflows against the free tiers and identify where you'd actually hit the first upgrade wall.

beehiiv is similarly attractive for newsletter publishing, but its free Launch plan doesn't include automation, so you'd hit a paid-plan requirement immediately if automated sequences are central to your workflow.

For your use case

I'd narrow it to:

If free is the priority, I’d look at these two:

• kit.com — particularly strong for paid subscriptions and product launches. Its free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited broadcasts, tagging/segmentation, and selling digital products/subscriptions. Its forms can be used as pop-ups, sticky bars, slide-ins, or inline forms. Kit Help Center Kit
• mailerlite.com — more traditional email-marketing functionality. Its current free plan has 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, 3 signup forms/pop-ups, and 1 landing page. MailerLite MailerLite

For your use case

I'd choose Kit if you're primarily building a subscriber audience, selling subscriptions, and doing occasional launches. The 10,000-subscriber free allowance is substantially more generous, and unlimited landing pages/forms are useful for creating separate launch waitlists and lead magnets. Kit Help Center

I'd choose MailerLite if you expect a smaller list and want a more conventional marketing-email platform with built-in popups, landing pages, and visual automations. MailerLite MailerLite

One important distinction: Kit's free plan doesn't include email sequences/automations; those require a paid plan. Kit Help Center

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether the paid subscription is a newsletter/membership/course/etc., I can narrow it down between Kit, MailerLite, and a couple of other free options.