Answers that name a competitor

For a tight-budget ecommerce shop, omnisend.com is probably the best fit.

• Free plan: $0/month, with up to 500 emails/month and 250 contacts eligible for campaigns. Omnisend Help Center
• Abandoned-cart automation: included on the Free plan, with prebuilt abandoned-cart workflows. Omnisend Help Center Omnisend
• Segmentation: available on all plans, including Free, with behavioral, purchase, engagement, and other filters. Omnisend Help Center Omnisend
• It integrates with major ecommerce platforms including Shopify and WooCommerce. Omnisend

One important catch: the free allowance is fairly small. If you're sending lots of cart reminders, you'll hit 500 emails/month quickly.

Brevo is another free option: its Free plan allows 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts, and it supports segmentation. Brevo Help Brevo It can also build multi-step abandoned-cart flows with conditional splits. Brevo Help

My pick:

• Omnisend → better if ecommerce automation/abandoned carts are your priority.
• Brevo → better if your biggest concern is getting a much larger free contact database and sending allowance.

If you tell me whether you're on Shopify, WooCommerce, or another platform, I can narrow it down to the cheapest option for your specific store.

For a small ecommerce shop on a tight budget, I’d look first at tools whose free tier includes both abandoned cart automation and customer segmentation. The best fits are:

My pick for most small ecommerce shops:

1. Start with Omnisend if you use Shopify or WooCommerce and want the easiest setup. It is built around ecommerce events (cart abandonment, purchases, browsing behavior), so you spend less time building workflows manually. SendKite
2. Choose Sender if your biggest priority is stretching a free plan as far as possible with a small-but-growing customer list. Sender
3. Choose Brevo if you need email plus CRM/SMS/transactional messaging in one place. EmailTooltester.com

A couple of things to check before committing:

• Does “abandoned cart” mean true cart abandonment or only abandoned checkout?
• How many contacts/emails are included before you hit paid pricing?
• Can you segment by behavior (repeat buyers, high spenders, product viewed, last purchase date), not just by lists?

For a lean store, I’d avoid paying for a tool like Klaviyo until your email revenue justifies it; it’s powerful, but the free tier is usually less attractive for very small shops compared with ecommerce-focused budget options. EmailTooltester.com

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

My pick: kit.com

Best if you want “set it up once and just send a good newsletter.”

• Free up to 10,000 subscribers
• Unlimited email sends
• Designed specifically for creators
• Landing pages and basic subscriber management
• Relatively clean, beginner-friendly interface
• You won't have to worry about paying just because you cross 1,000 subscribers. Sasanova Worklever

The downside is that some of the more sophisticated automation features are behind the paid plan, and the free version has Kit branding.

Runner-up: beehiiv.com

I'd choose beehiiv if you think of the newsletter as a media business, rather than simply an email list.

Its free Launch plan gives you 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends, plus a newsletter website, analytics, custom domains, and other publishing features. Beehiiv

It's particularly attractive if you expect to eventually monetize through sponsorships, paid subscriptions, or other newsletter revenue.

Tradeoff: there's more stuff to learn than you need when you're just getting started.

Simplest: substack.com

If your priority is literally “I want to publish my first issue tonight without thinking about software,” Substack is hard to beat.

It's free to publish regardless of list size. The catch is that if you eventually charge for subscriptions, Substack takes 10% of paid subscription revenue, in addition to payment processing. Sasanova Newsletter Calc

What I'd avoid

MailerLite used to be a great recommendation for this exact situation, but its free plan changed in 2026: it's now limited to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. That's too restrictive for a newsletter you expect to grow past 1,000. MailerLite MailerLite

My decision for you

I'd start with Kit. For an indie-creator newsletter at your size, 10,000 free subscribers + unlimited sends gives you an unusually long runway, and you can focus on writing and growing rather than worrying about your email bill. Sasanova

If you tell me what the newsletter is about and whether you plan to monetize it, I can also tell you which of the three I'd pick specifically for your business model.

If you’re under 1,000 subscribers and want genuinely free-forever + beginner-friendly, I’d narrow it to three choices:

🥇 My pick: beehiiv.com

Best if you want to grow this into a serious creator business.

• Free forever up to 2,500 subscribers
• Unlimited email sends
• Website/newsletter archive included
• Built-in audience-growth features
• Custom domains supported
• No credit card required
• Particularly good if you eventually want sponsorships or paid subscriptions Beehiiv Beehiiv

The big advantage for a new indie-creator newsletter is that you can grow from 100 → 1,000 → 2,500 subscribers without having to change platforms or start paying.

Downside: some of the more powerful automation/monetization features are behind the paid plan.

🥈 kit.com

Best if your newsletter is really an extension of your personal creator business.

Kit's free Newsletter plan currently supports up to 1,000 subscribers, with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages/forms, audience tagging and segmentation, and the ability to sell digital products/subscriptions. Kit

I'd choose Kit over beehiiv if you're thinking:

"My newsletter is going to support my courses, products, consulting, community, etc."

I'd choose beehiiv if you're thinking:

"The newsletter itself is the product/media business."

🥉 substack.com

Best if you want the absolute simplest possible setup.

There's no subscriber limit for a free newsletter, and you don't pay a monthly fee. The tradeoff is that Substack takes 10% of paid subscription revenue if you eventually monetize. Sasanova Newsletter Cost Calculator

It's extremely easy to start, but gives you less control than beehiiv/Kit if you eventually want to build a more sophisticated creator business.

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with beehiiv.

For an indie-creator newsletter under 1,000 subscribers, its combination of free-forever pricing, 2,500-subscriber runway, unlimited sends, website, and growth tools is hard to beat. Beehiiv

One important point: don't choose based purely on "free." Choose the platform you're comfortable staying on for the next 2–3 years. Moving a newsletter later is doable, but it's annoying.

If you tell me what your newsletter is about and whether you plan to monetize via sponsors, paid subscriptions, products, or just audience-building, I can tell you which of the three I'd pick specifically.

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple client lists, I’d look first at MailerLite.

• MailerLite — best fit: Its free plan currently allows unlimited audiences, so you can keep different client audiences separate within the account. It also gives you up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly sends on the free tier. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo — best for larger lists: The free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts and lets you organize them into separate lists/segments, but you're limited to 300 emails/day and one user. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• MailerLite for true client separation: If by “separate projects” you mean each client needs their own isolated account, subscribers, campaigns, and billing, MailerLite specifically supports separate client accounts with account switching—but the agency-oriented setup may involve paid features. MailerLite

My pick:
For a freelancer handling several small clients, MailerLite is probably the cleanest starting point. If your clients have large databases, choose Brevo.

If you tell me roughly how many clients and contacts per client you manage, I can narrow it down to the best free option (including whether you should use separate accounts vs. separate audiences).

If you’re a freelance marketer managing multiple clients, I’d look beyond Mailchimp. Its current free plan allows only 1 audience, so it’s awkward for keeping client lists genuinely separate. Mailchimp

Best free options

• brevo.com — my top pick for client work. The free plan supports up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 email sends/day. You can organize contacts into separate lists, which makes it much more practical for maintaining different client databases under one account. Brevo Help
• kit.com — good for newsletters/creators. Its free tier is generous for subscribers, but it's more oriented toward creator/newsletter businesses than an agency-style multi-client setup.
• mailerlite.com — good for simple client campaigns. Stronger marketing/automation features than some free tiers, but its free subscriber allowance is relatively small.
• mailchimp.com — I'd avoid for your use case. The current free tier is limited to 250 contacts and one audience, so you'd need to consolidate clients into one audience or start paying. Mailchimp

One important distinction: if by "separate projects" you mean completely isolated client accounts—separate branding, billing, login/access, analytics, etc.—that's different from simply having multiple audiences/lists. In that case, I'd evaluate platforms with multiple workspaces/accounts or agency features, rather than just multiple lists.

For a freelancer handling, say, 5–20 small clients, I'd start with Brevo unless you specifically need advanced newsletter/creator features.

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

Best options

• brevo.com — Best overall for email + SMS

• Free forever, no credit card required.
• 300 email sends/day on the free plan.
• Includes email campaigns and SMS campaigns.
• SMS itself isn't free: you buy SMS credits separately, and pricing varies by destination. Brevo Help Brevo Help
• You can also automate marketing flows, which is useful for digital products. Brevo Help
• mailerlite.com — Better if email is your priority

• Free up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month.
• Particularly nice for solopreneurs because the free tier includes landing pages, forms, automations, and even one digital product. MailerLite MailerLite
• But it doesn't give you the same straightforward free-plan SMS capability as Brevo, so you'd likely need another service for texting.

What I'd choose

For a digital-product solopreneur, I'd start with Brevo if SMS is genuinely part of your strategy. You can keep the software cost at $0 and only pay when you actually send texts.

A simple setup could be:

Lead magnet → email welcome sequence → product launch emails → occasional SMS for launches/limited-time offers.

One caveat: if you're texting U.S. customers, SMS marketing has consent and regulatory requirements (including TCPA/CTIA considerations), so don't treat SMS like another email channel. Brevo specifically notes U.S. restrictions and required compliance. Brevo Help

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how often you'd send SMS, I can narrow it down to the cheapest/best setup for you.

Yes. For a solopreneur selling digital products, you have a few good options — but a key distinction: truly free email + SMS together is rare. Most tools give you free email and charge for SMS usage (because texts have carrier costs). StackFYI Toolradar

Here are the ones I’d look at:

Zapier ToolradarFor your situation (one-person business + digital products), I’d narrow it down:

Best overall starter setup

Kit + a separate SMS tool later

• Build your audience with email first.
• Use automations like: - lead magnet → welcome sequence
• product launch emails
• abandoned checkout reminders (if supported by your checkout platform)
• Add SMS only for high-value moments (launches, limited offers, reminders).

Kit is specifically built around creators selling digital products. Zapier

Best if you really want email + SMS in one dashboard

Brevo

• Manage email campaigns and SMS from one place.
• Good for simple broadcasts like: - “New product is live”
• “Sale ends tonight”
• “Webinar starts soon”
• SMS is usually not free because messages themselves cost money. StackFYI

What I’d avoid as a solo creator

• Heavy enterprise tools (too much setup)
• SMS-first platforms unless you already have a large phone list
• Paying for SMS before you know your audience responds to texts

One practical stack for many digital-product creators:

• Landing pages + email list: Kit or MailerLite
• Checkout: Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Shopify Digital Products, etc.
• SMS later: Brevo, Klaviyo, or a dedicated SMS provider

If you tell me what kind of digital products you sell (courses, templates, ebooks, software, memberships, etc.) and your current list size, I can suggest the cheapest stack that won’t require switching later.

For a nonprofit with limited funds, I’d shortlist Brevo and MailerLite, with Mailchimp as the easiest familiar option.

My recommendation: Brevo

If your list is growing but your cash budget is essentially $0, Brevo has an unusually useful free structure: you can store up to 100,000 contacts, although you're limited to 300 email sends per day. Its free plan includes a drag-and-drop editor, reusable sections, custom templates and analytics. Brevo Help Brevo Help

For donor communications, that makes it particularly attractive if you send relatively small newsletters, thank-you campaigns, event announcements, and occasional appeals rather than blasting thousands of donors simultaneously.

Brevo also provides tools for domain authentication—including SPF, DKIM and DMARC—which are important for protecting deliverability. Brevo Help

When I'd choose MailerLite instead

Choose MailerLite if your priority is beautiful, easy-to-build donor newsletters and you have fewer than about 1,000 subscribers. Current nonprofit comparisons consistently highlight its template quality and generous free tier. Capterra

And Mailchimp?

It's still a very solid choice if your volunteers already know it or you need its broad ecosystem of integrations. Importantly, Mailchimp currently says verified nonprofits and charities can receive a 15% discount on marketing plans. Mailchimp

Bottom line:

• $0 budget + growing donor list → Brevo
• Best-looking newsletters → MailerLite
• Easiest/familiar ecosystem → Mailchimp

One important caveat: no platform can guarantee inbox placement. Your sending practices—using your own authenticated domain, keeping bounced/unengaged addresses clean, obtaining donor consent, and avoiding spammy fundraising language—matter enormously for deliverability. Brevo Help

If your list is growing but your cash budget is essentially $0, Brevo has an unusually useful free structure: you can store up to 100,000 contacts, although you're limited to 300 email sends per day. Its free plan includes a drag-and-drop editor, reusable sections, custom templates and analytics. help.brevo.com help.brevo.com

For donor communications, that makes it particularly attractive if you send relatively small newsletters, thank-you campaigns, event announcements, and occasional appeals rather than blasting thousands of donors simultaneously.

Brevo also provides tools for domain authentication—including SPF, DKIM and DMARC—which are important for protecting deliverability.

When I'd choose MailerLite instead

For a nonprofit with limited funds, I’d prioritize deliverability, easy donor communication, and a free tier that won’t force you to upgrade too quickly. The best choices are usually:

My recommendation by nonprofit situation

• Under ~1,000 donors/supporters: Start with MailerLite. It tends to be the best balance of professional-looking donor emails, simplicity, and cost. Capterra
• A larger list but only occasional newsletters: Consider Brevo because contact storage and send-based pricing can be more economical as your list grows. Capterra
• You need lots of integrations (CRM, events, forms): Mailchimp is often the easiest ecosystem to plug into, though costs can rise as your audience grows. Fullstaxx
• You send frequent fundraising campaigns and want generous free limits: Look at Sender as a budget-focused alternative. Sender

A few deliverability practices matter more than the platform:

• Use your nonprofit’s domain email (for example, name@yourorganization.org) rather than a free Gmail/Yahoo sender address.
• Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
• Keep your donor list clean by removing hard bounces and inactive addresses.
• Avoid sending every donor the exact same message—segment new donors, recurring donors, volunteers, and event attendees.

For a typical small nonprofit starting from scratch, I’d choose MailerLite first, Brevo if the list is growing quickly, and Mailchimp if your team values familiarity and integrations most. Capterra Fullstaxx

If you tell me your approximate donor list size (e.g., 500, 5,000, 20,000) and whether you send monthly newsletters or fundraising appeals, I can narrow it down.

For a local café, I’d start with mailerlite.com. It’s probably the best fit if your goal is simply collect emails → send a welcome message → occasionally send specials/newsletters.

• Free: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite MailerLite
• Signup forms: embedded forms and pop-ups are included. You can put one on your website or create a simple landing page. MailerLite MailerLite
• Automations: the free plan includes 3 visual automations, so you can make something like:

Customer signs up → immediately send welcome email → wait 3 days → send $5-off coupon. MailerLite

• No credit card required to start. MailerLite

Another good option: Brevo

brevo.com is worth considering if you expect your list to grow quickly. Its free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts, although you're limited to 300 email sends per day and 2,000 contacts entering automations. Brevo Help Brevo Help It also supports triggering automations when someone submits a signup form. Brevo Help

My pick for a café: MailerLite. The 250-subscriber limit is small, but for a neighborhood café starting from zero, it's plenty to get your first few hundred regulars onto the list.

A simple setup I'd use is QR code at the counter → signup form → automatic "Welcome to [Café]" email → occasional weekly/monthly specials.

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

Its current free plan gives you:

• Signup forms and pop-ups you can put on your website.
• Up to 3 automations—perfect for things like “new subscriber → send welcome email.”
• Up to 250 active subscribers.
• 2,500 email sends/month.
• A landing page if you don't have a website. MailerLite MailerLite

A simple café setup could be:

QR code at the counter → signup form → instant welcome email → occasional offers/events.

Another good option is brevo.com. Its free plan allows up to 300 emails/day, and automations can be triggered when someone submits a signup form; automation is available for up to 2,000 contacts. Brevo Help Brevo Help Brevo Help

My pick: MailerLite if you're starting from scratch and want something simple. Brevo if you expect the list to grow beyond a few hundred people fairly quickly.

If you tell me whether you have a website (and what platform it's on), I can tell you the easiest way to put the signup form + QR code together for your café.

Yes. For an early-stage SaaS with a small list, I’d shortlist MailerLite and Brevo, with an important distinction:

• mailerlite.com — best if you need actual onboarding sequences. Its current free tier is 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, and 3 active automations, with up to 5 steps per automation. No credit card required. MailerLite MailerLite
• brevo.com — best if your list may grow quickly. Free gives you up to 100,000 stored contacts, 300 emails/day, and automation for up to 2,000 contacts. It explicitly says no credit card and no time limit. Brevo Help Brevo
• Kit is worth considering if you're primarily sending creator/newsletter content, but I'd favor the two above for a SaaS onboarding flow.

What I'd pick

MailerLite if your immediate flow is something like:

Signup → Welcome → Day 2 tips → Day 5 "have you tried X?" → Day 10 activation nudge

Three automations is plenty for a tiny SaaS, and the visual builder makes this relatively painless. MailerLite

One caveat: MailerLite's free limit was recently reduced to 250 subscribers, so if you're expecting to cross that quickly, Brevo is the safer free starting point. MailerLite

If you tell me roughly how many signups you have now and what your onboarding sequence needs to do, I can tell you which one I'd use and how I'd structure the automation.

For an early-stage SaaS with a tiny list, I’d shortlist two:

• mailerlite.com — my pick. Free up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, and 3 active automations with up to 5 steps each. No credit card required. That’s plenty for a basic SaaS onboarding sequence like signup → Day 1 → Day 3 → Day 7. MailerLite MailerLite
• brevo.com — better if your list may grow quickly. Its free plan allows unlimited contacts, 300 email sends/day, and marketing automations for up to 2,000 contacts. No credit card and no time limit. Brevo Help Brevo Help

What I'd choose

MailerLite if you're talking about, say, 50–200 early users and want the simplest setup. Its visual automation builder is particularly well suited to onboarding sequences, and the free plan explicitly includes automations. MailerLite

A simple setup could be:

1. Immediately: Welcome + "here's how to get value"
2. Day 1: Quick-start/use-case email
3. Day 3: Tips + common mistake
4. Day 7: "How's it going?" / activation CTA

One caveat: if by "onboarding" you mean transactional product emails such as password resets, verification emails, receipts, or event-triggered emails directly from your app, I'd use a transactional email provider rather than treating those as marketing automation. MailerLite itself distinguishes those use cases. MailerLite

Bottom line: start with MailerLite. It's unusually generous for a tiny SaaS and you can get the onboarding automation running without entering a card. MailerLite

If you're evaluating CRM/client-management platforms as an agency, I’d focus on tools with a genuinely ongoing $0 tier—not “30-day free trials”—and test them with a small anonymized client dataset before migrating anything real.

My agency shortlist

I'd test three before choosing:

1. HubSpot — best first test if you want a polished client database, pipelines, integrations, and a path to paid functionality. Its free CRM has no expiration and supports importing existing contacts. HubSpot
2. Zoho CRM — test this if your agency needs more traditional CRM structure and customization rather than an all-in-one marketing ecosystem.
3. Bitrix24 — test this if you're evaluating not just CRM but also project management, internal collaboration, tasks, and client communication. Its current official documentation confirms CRM is included on the free plan. Bitrix24 Helpdesk

How I'd run the migration test

Don't start with a client's actual list. Create a synthetic 50–100-record dataset containing the kinds of edge cases you'll encounter:

• duplicate contacts
• companies with multiple contacts
• missing email/phone fields
• custom fields
• multiple pipelines/client types
• notes and activities
• tags/categories
• opt-out/consent fields
• several users with different roles

Then test CSV import → field mapping → deduplication → segmentation → pipeline → export. The critical question isn't simply “does importing contacts work?” It's “can we get our data back out cleanly if this platform isn't right?”

For an agency, I'd also test client separation and permissions before migration. A platform can be free forever and still be a poor agency platform if you can't safely isolate Client A's records from Client B's.

One important caveat: free-plan limits are changing frequently in 2026, and even vendor pages can appear inconsistent. For example, HubSpot's current pricing page says 2 users/1,000 contacts, while other HubSpot pages still advertise unlimited users/1 million contacts. HubSpot HubSpot I'd verify the exact limits inside a newly created account before making a migration decision.

If you tell me what kind of agency you are and roughly how many client/contact records you need to migrate, I can narrow this to the 2–3 platforms most suitable for your use case.

Yes. If you’re evaluating CRM/client-management platforms as an agency, I’d prioritize services with a genuinely permanent free tier—not “free for 14 days”—so you can build a realistic pilot before touching a client’s full database.

The exact limits can change, so I’d verify them immediately before importing anything. Current vendor information confirms HubSpot's free CRM is intended to be permanent, with core CRM functionality that doesn't expire; HubSpot currently advertises up to 1 million contacts. HubSpot HubSpot

What I'd use for an agency pilot

1. HubSpot — best overall pilot.
If your agency needs to simulate a real client migration—import contacts, companies, deal stages, ownership, email connections, forms, and basic reporting—this is probably the first one I'd test. The free tier is unusually generous on data volume and doesn't expire. HubSpot

2. Zoho — best second platform to benchmark against.
I'd test it alongside HubSpot if you're making a serious agency recommendation. Its free version is more constrained, but that can actually be useful for determining whether its CRM model fits a client's workflow before paying. Independent 2026 comparisons put the free tier at three users and roughly 5,000 records. Sasanova InterObservers

3. Freshsales — worth testing if communication is central.
Its free offering stands out for built-in communication capabilities, making it interesting for agencies whose clients spend a lot of time on sales calls and email rather than elaborate marketing automation. Sasanova

4. Bitrix24 — test if the client wants CRM + operations.
It's more of an all-in-one workspace than a pure CRM. That makes it worth piloting where the client also needs tasks, projects, collaboration, and CRM in one environment. InterObservers

One important agency precaution

Don't initially upload the actual client list. Create a sanitized test dataset of perhaps 50–200 records containing the same kinds of fields, duplicates, companies, pipeline stages, notes, owners, and custom fields you'll encounter in the real migration.

Then test:

• CSV import and field mapping
• Duplicate detection/merging
• Custom fields
• Contact → company relationships
• Deal/pipeline migration
• User permissions and ownership
• Email/calendar integration
• Exporting everything back out
• API/integration availability
• Automation limits
• Reporting
• Data deletion
• Whether the free tier remains viable after the pilot

For an agency, I'd actually make “can we get the data back out cleanly?” a mandatory test. A platform that lets you import 100,000 records for free but makes migration/export painful isn't really low-risk.

If you tell me roughly how many client records you typically migrate (e.g. 1k, 10k, 100k+) and how many agency users need access, I can narrow this to the 3 strongest options and show exactly where each free tier will hit a wall.

2. Zoho — best second platform to benchmark against.
I'd test it alongside HubSpot if you're making a serious agency recommendation. Its free version is more constrained, but that can actually be useful for determining whether its CRM model fits a client's workflow before paying. Independent 2026 comparisons put the free tier at three users and roughly 5,000 records. Sasanova InterObservers

3. Freshsales — worth testing if communication is central.
Its free offering stands out for built-in communication capabilities, making it interesting for agencies whose clients spend a lot of time on sales calls and email rather than elaborate marketing automation. Sasanova

4. Bitrix24 — test if the client wants CRM + operations.
It's more of an all-in-one workspace than a pure CRM. That makes it worth piloting where the client also needs tasks, projects, collaboration, and CRM in one environment.

One important agency precaution

Don't initially upload the actual client list. Create a sanitized test dataset of perhaps 50–200 records containing the same kinds of fields, duplicates, companies, pipeline stages, notes, owners, and custom fields you'll encounter in the real migration.

Then test:

If you manage multiple newsletters and need tag-based segmentation + custom fields at $0, these are the strongest free options:

MailerLite Sasanova Joyful FeedBlitz### My shortlist for your use case

1. mailerlite.com — probably the best free choice

• Use tags/interest groups like: - newsletter_A
• newsletter_B
• customer
• topic_ai
• topic_finance
• Add custom fields like: - industry
• location
• signup source
• preferred newsletter
• Build segments from combinations of tags + fields. MailerLite
• kit.com — good if newsletters are creator/audience focused

• Uses tags heavily for subscriber organization.
• Good model: one subscriber database + tags instead of separate lists. Sasanova
• beehiiv.com — good if you run publication-style newsletters

• Better if you care about newsletter growth tools, analytics, and publishing workflows. Sasanova
• feedblitz.com — strongest tagging flexibility

• Advertises unlimited subscriber tags and custom fields, useful for complex segmentation. FeedBlitz

For multiple newsletters under one account, I’d generally avoid creating separate contact lists. A cleaner setup is:

• One master subscriber database
• Tags for newsletter membership (NL-Tech, NL-News, NL-Offers)
• Custom fields for stable attributes (industry, role, language)
• Segments built from those rules

That structure makes it much easier to avoid duplicate subscribers and lets one person receive several newsletters without being counted multiple times.

Yes. MailerLite is probably the best fit if tags/custom fields are your priority.

• MailerLite — Free plan supports unlimited interest groups (tags), dynamic segments, and custom fields. You can segment subscribers by tags, engagement, location, or custom-field values. MailerLite MailerLite
• Current free limits: 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo — also has a strong free tier: up to 100,000 contacts, custom contact attributes, and segmentation. However, the free plan is limited to 300 email sends per day, which can matter for newsletters. Brevo Help Brevo Help

My pick

If you're managing multiple newsletters with relatively small lists, I'd choose MailerLite because its tagging/group system is particularly straightforward. You can have tags such as tech, finance, weekly, premium-interest, etc., and combine them with custom fields for more sophisticated segmentation. MailerLite MailerLite

If your combined audience is much larger than 250 subscribers, Brevo is worth considering because its free contact allowance is dramatically larger, although its daily sending cap is restrictive. Brevo Help

mailerlite.com
brevo.com

Yes — for a creator selling merch, MailerLite is probably the best free starting point, especially if your store is on Shopify or WooCommerce.

My top picks

• MailerLite — best overall for a small merch business. Its ecommerce integrations can trigger automations when someone buys any product, a specific product, or a product category. It also supports abandoned checkout and purchase-frequency automations. MailerLite MailerLite

Good flow: Purchase → thank-you email → care/use tips → ask for review → recommend another merch item.

• Brevo — best if you want transactional + marketing email together. Its free plan is $0 and includes 300 email sends/day, up to 100,000 stored contacts, and marketing automation for up to 2,000 contacts. It integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce and can sync orders/customer data for post-purchase and abandoned-cart workflows. Brevo Help Brevo Help Brevo Help

One important distinction: order confirmations/shipping notifications aren't the same as marketing follow-ups. For marketing emails, customers generally need to have opted into marketing; MailerLite explicitly requires this for ecommerce-triggered automations. MailerLite

If I were setting this up for a creator: I'd start with MailerLite if you mainly want a simple creator newsletter + merch follow-ups. I'd choose Brevo if transactional order emails and larger contact storage are particularly important.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you use (Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Fourthwall, Printful, etc.) and roughly how many subscribers you have, I can tell you which free option fits best.

If you’re a creator selling merch, Brevo is probably the best free starting point.

Brevo has a genuinely useful free tier: $0/month, up to 300 email sends/day, plus transactional email. More importantly, it connects with ecommerce platforms including Shopify and WooCommerce, and can sync customer/order data. Brevo Help Brevo Help

For your use case, you could build flows like:

• Purchase → thank-you email
• A few days later → “How are you liking it?”
• After delivery → review/UGC request
• 30–60 days later → new merch/upsell
• Abandoned cart → reminder
• Previous customer → new-drop announcement

Brevo specifically supports post-purchase follow-ups and ecommerce-triggered automations, including abandoned-cart workflows. Brevo Help Brevo Help Brevo Help

My quick ranking

For a creator, I'd choose Brevo if keeping costs at $0 is the priority. If your merch operation becomes a major part of your business, Klaviyo or Omnisend become more compelling because their ecommerce automation is more sophisticated. Shopify

brevo.com

If you tell me which store you use (Shopify, WooCommerce, Fourthwall, Printful, Gumroad, etc.), I can tell you which free platform has the easiest order → automated follow-up setup for that exact stack.

Yes. For a student-run organization with volunteers, there are a few genuinely useful free options, but the best choice depends on whether you mean individual email accounts for each volunteer or one shared team inbox.

Best free options

Zoho Mail is probably the first one I'd try. Its current free tier provides email hosting for one domain and up to 5 users, with 5 GB of mail storage per user and webmail access. Zoho Zoho

For example, you could have:

• president@yourorg.org
• vicepresident@yourorg.org
• treasurer@yourorg.org
• events@yourorg.org
• info@yourorg.org

That gives you five actual accounts rather than making everyone share a password.

If you have more than 5 volunteers

If your main requirement is "10–30 volunteers need to work out of the same info@ inbox", I'd look at Maxdesk. Its current free offering advertises an unlimited number of agents working from one shared inbox, with assignment, statuses, internal notes, templates, etc. Maxdesk

maxdesk.ai

HubSpot is another interesting free option if you want a shared inbox plus contact management/CRM. Its free Team Email product supports connecting multiple team email addresses to a shared inbox and routing conversations to team members. HubSpot

hubspot.com

One important change: Migadu

You may see older recommendations saying Migadu has a free plan with unlimited mailboxes. That's outdated. Migadu says it discontinued its free plan and replaced it with a $19/year Micro plan; it does still support unlimited addresses/mailboxes within an account. It also offers discounts of up to 50% for students and up to 40% for nonprofits. Migadu Migadu

migadu.com

My recommendation

For a student organization, I'd rank them:

1. Zoho Mail — best if you need up to 5 individual organizational accounts.
2. Maxdesk — best if you have a large volunteer team managing one shared inbox.
3. HubSpot — best if email needs to double as a lightweight CRM/customer/contact system.
4. Migadu — worth considering if you need lots of actual mailboxes and can spend ~$19/year, especially with the student/nonprofit discount.

Also check your university's IT department before paying for anything. Universities sometimes provide free Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 accounts/shared mailboxes specifically for student organizations; Stanford, for example, explicitly provides shared email for student organizations. uit.stanford.edu

If you tell me roughly how many volunteers you have (e.g. 5, 15, 50) and whether you want individual @org.org accounts vs. everyone accessing info@org.org, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 options.

hubspot.com

One important change: Migadu

You may see older recommendations saying Migadu has a free plan with unlimited mailboxes. That's outdated. Migadu says it discontinued its free plan and replaced it with a $19/year Micro plan; it does still support unlimited addresses/mailboxes within an account. It also offers discounts of up to 50% for students and up to 40% for nonprofits.

Yes. For a student-run organization with volunteers, there are a few genuinely free options, but they solve slightly different problems.

Best options

My first choice would be Zoho Mail if you need actual accounts such as:

• president@organization.org
• vicepresident@organization.org
• treasurer@organization.org
• events@organization.org
• info@organization.org

Zoho's current Forever Free plan supports up to 5 users, with 5 GB of mail storage per user. The catch is that IMAP/POP/ActiveSync aren't included, so volunteers generally use Zoho's web/mobile interfaces rather than adding the account to arbitrary mail clients. Zoho

If you have more than 5 volunteers

I'd consider Cloudflare Email Routing + each volunteer's existing Gmail/Outlook account. Cloudflare's free routing can send incoming mail to verified destination addresses, and its current limits allow up to 200 destination addresses per account. Cloudflare Docs Cloudflare Docs

For example:

contact@studentorg.org → president@gmail.com + secretary@gmail.com + outreach@gmail.com

The important limitation is that Cloudflare is forwarding, not mailbox hosting. It doesn't give each volunteer a new mailbox or a normal "send as" experience by itself. Cloudflare Docs Cloudflare Docs

ImprovMX is similar: its free plan currently gives you 1 domain, 25 aliases, and up to 500 forwarded emails/day, but the free tier doesn't provide SMTP sending. ImprovMX

If what you really want is a shared info@ inbox

That's a different category. HubSpot's free Team Email provides a shared inbox with routing and visibility into who responded, but the free tier is limited to 2 users according to current comparisons. HubSpot Drag

For a volunteer organization, I'd rank them:

1. Zoho Mail — best if you need 2–5 real organization accounts.
2. Cloudflare Email Routing — best if you have lots of volunteers and mainly need forwarding.
3. HubSpot — best if you have a small team managing one shared info@/contact@ inbox.
4. ImprovMX — good lightweight forwarding alternative.
5. FreeScout — potentially excellent for a larger shared support inbox, but requires self-hosting.

If you tell me roughly how many volunteers (e.g. 5, 10, 20, 50) and whether you already own a domain, I can narrow this down to the best completely free setup for your organization.

For example:

contact@studentorg.org → president@gmail.com + secretary@gmail.com + outreach@gmail.com

The important limitation is that Cloudflare is forwarding, not mailbox hosting. It doesn't give each volunteer a new mailbox or a normal "send as" experience by itself. Cloudflare Docs Cloudflare Docs

ImprovMX is similar: its free plan currently gives you 1 domain, 25 aliases, and up to 500 forwarded emails/day, but the free tier doesn't provide SMTP sending.

If what you really want is a shared info@ inbox

That's a different category. HubSpot's free Team Email provides a shared inbox with routing and visibility into who responded, but the free tier is limited to 2 users according to current comparisons.

If onboarding + learning resources are your top priorities as a beginner, my pick is MailerLite.

🥇 Best overall for a beginner: MailerLite

MailerLite has an unusually strong combination of a simple interface and structured education:

• Free, self-paced Academy courses covering setup, newsletters, lead collection, landing pages, automation, and more. MailerLite Academy MailerLite Academy
• Its “Getting Started” course walks you through the actual setup, including account confirmation, importing subscribers, creating your first campaign, and domain authentication. MailerLite Academy
• You can earn certificates from the Academy, and courses have lifetime access. MailerLite Academy
• The help center adds step-by-step tutorials, videos, community support, troubleshooting guides, and free webinars. MailerLite
• The free plan currently allows 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, with 3 automations, 3 signup forms, a landing page, and a website. MailerLite MailerLite

🥈 Best alternative: Brevo

I'd choose Brevo if you want to learn broader digital marketing rather than just email.

Its Academy is free forever and includes interactive courses, videos, quizzes, certifications, and beginner-to-advanced material. It specifically says no prior knowledge is required. Brevo Academy Brevo Academy

The tradeoff is that Brevo's product is broader—email, SMS, CRM, chat, etc.—so it can feel like more to learn initially.

🥉 Best for creators: Kit

If you're a creator, blogger, newsletter writer, or building an audience around content, Kit is worth considering. Its free Kit Start course is a 12-lesson beginner program covering broadcasts, writing emails, growing your profile, recommendations, and monetization. Creator University

My ranking for a complete beginner

Bottom line: I'd start with MailerLite if your goal is “teach me email marketing while I build my first campaigns.” Its education is unusually integrated with the product rather than leaving you to figure out the platform from generic videos.

One caveat: MailerLite's free tier was tightened in June 2026, particularly the 250-subscriber / 2,500-email limits. MailerLite So if you expect to grow beyond a few hundred subscribers quickly, Brevo or Kit may be more attractive for staying free longer. Brevo Help MailToolFinder

academy.mailerlite.com
academy.brevo.com

For someone brand new to email marketing, I’d put MailerLite at the top of the list for onboarding and learning resources. It’s one of the few free-forever platforms where the product experience and education are both beginner-friendly. MailerLite Academy MailerLite

My ranking for learning support + beginner onboarding:

InboxArmy MailToolFinder## Why MailerLite stands out for a beginner

• The Academy is genuinely structured for learners, not just product documentation. It includes courses like “Getting Started with MailerLite,” email fundamentals, automation, and sending campaigns. MailerLite Academy
• It teaches the why behind email marketing (lists, campaigns, automation, landing pages), not only where to click. MailerLite Academy
• The interface is simpler than many enterprise-style tools, so you spend less time fighting the software and more time learning strategy. TechRadar
• It has beginner resources such as tutorials, guides, webinars, and a knowledge base. MailerLite

My recommendation by goal

• “I know nothing about email marketing and want to learn properly” → MailerLite
• “I want to become a marketer professionally” → HubSpot + a free email tool
• “I’m building a newsletter/personal brand” → Kit
• “I have a big contact list already” → Brevo

If I were starting from zero today, I’d spend the first month learning with MailerLite:

1. Build a signup form
2. Create a welcome email sequence
3. Send a weekly newsletter
4. Learn basic metrics (open rate, clicks, conversions)
5. Experiment with automation

That path teaches the fundamentals that transfer to almost every email platform.

If you mean free-forever email marketing tools where the free tier itself gives you both consent/permission fields and contact/data export, the strongest options I’d shortlist are:

1. Brevo — my pick

Brevo is particularly good if GDPR evidence matters. Its signup forms have a dedicated GDPR field and declaration, and it records consent in the contact profile. The consent timestamp/form information can be exported. Brevo Help Brevo Help

Its free plan is currently 300 emails/day with no credit card, and Brevo explicitly advertises customizable forms, consent records and data-request management as GDPR features. Brevo

The export is also unusually useful: you can export contact attributes, subscription status and other fields to CSV. Brevo Help

Why I'd choose it: you get a reasonably complete consent audit trail without paying.

2. MailerLite — excellent for very small lists

MailerLite's forms have built-in GDPR settings, including consent checkboxes and permission language, plus double opt-in. MailerLite

The catch is the current free limit: 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite MailerLite

So it's attractive if you're genuinely tiny, but the subscriber ceiling can become restrictive quickly.

3. Mailchimp — strongest traditional audit trail

Mailchimp's GDPR fields include explicit opt-in checkboxes and editable explanations of how personal data will be used. Mailchimp

Its exports can include marketing permissions, opt-in time/IP, and double-opt-in confirmation time/IP, which is valuable if you ever need to demonstrate how someone consented. Mailchimp Mailchimp

The downside is simply that Mailchimp's free allowance is relatively restrictive compared with Brevo.

My recommendation

For a shoestring GDPR-conscious setup, I'd rank them:

1. Brevo — best combination of free capacity + consent evidence + export.
2. MailerLite — nicest choice for a very small newsletter.
3. Mailchimp — particularly attractive if detailed opt-in audit records are your priority.

One important caveat: a tool being GDPR-capable doesn't make your emailing GDPR-compliant by itself. Your form should use genuinely informed, specific, affirmative consent (not a pre-ticked box), link to your privacy information, retain evidence of consent, and provide an easy withdrawal mechanism. Brevo, for example, explicitly says its GDPR checkbox must be unchecked by default. Brevo Help

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how often you send, I can narrow this to the cheapest practical choice.

The export is also unusually useful: you can export contact attributes, subscription status and other fields to CSV. Brevo Help

Why I'd choose it: you get a reasonably complete consent audit trail without paying.

2. MailerLite — excellent for very small lists

MailerLite's forms have built-in GDPR settings, including consent checkboxes and permission language, plus double opt-in. MailerLite

The catch is the current free limit: 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite MailerLite

So it's attractive if you're genuinely tiny, but the subscriber ceiling can become restrictive quickly.

3. Mailchimp — strongest traditional audit trail

Mailchimp's GDPR fields include explicit opt-in checkboxes and editable explanations of how personal data will be used. mailchimp.com

Its exports can include marketing permissions, opt-in time/IP, and double-opt-in confirmation time/IP, which is valuable if you ever need to demonstrate how someone consented.

The downside is simply that Mailchimp's free allowance is relatively restrictive compared with Brevo.

My recommendation

For a shoestring GDPR-conscious setup, I'd rank them:

For a GDPR-conscious email setup on a shoestring, look for two core capabilities:

1. Consent capture — signup forms with GDPR checkbox fields, consent timestamps, double opt-in, and a record of what the person agreed to.
2. Data subject rights support — exporting subscriber data and deleting it when requested. Mailflow Authority

Here are some of the better free (or free-tier) options:

My shortlist for a shoestring budget

1. Brevo — strongest compliance/value balance

Good choice if GDPR is a priority. It is EU-based and offers consent tracking, double opt-in, exports, and deletion tools. Sequenzy Sequenzy

2. MailerLite — easiest for a small newsletter

A good fit if you mainly need:

• a signup form with a consent checkbox
• a clean subscriber list
• occasional exports/deletions

Mailflow Authority### 3. Mailchimp — easiest if you already use it

It supports GDPR fields and lets you export consent-related information such as signup timestamps from hosted forms. Mailchimp

Minimum GDPR setup regardless of tool

• Use an unchecked consent checkbox (never pre-ticked).
• State exactly what emails people are signing up for.
• Enable double opt-in where practical.
• Keep proof of consent (date/time, form source, wording shown).
• Have a process for: - exporting someone’s data
• deleting someone’s data
• honoring unsubscribes

A free tool alone does not make email GDPR-compliant; the configuration and recordkeeping matter. mailcompare.eu

For a one-person business or tiny newsletter, I’d usually start with Brevo or MailerLite; for a creator audience, Kit is worth considering; for maximum familiarity, Mailchimp works if configured carefully.

For a boutique store with under 500 contacts, I’d pick Brevo.

Why Brevo

Brevo's free plan lets you store up to 100,000 contacts, gives you basic statistics/reporting, and supports marketing automation for up to 2,000 contacts. The main catch is 300 email sends per day. Brevo Help Brevo Help

For your use case, that means you can segment customers into things like:

• New subscribers
• Past purchasers
• Repeat customers
• High-value customers
• Customers who haven't purchased recently
• Product/category interests

If by "ecommerce analytics" you mean revenue, orders, and sales attributed to campaigns, I'd verify the exact capabilities of your store integration before committing—the free Brevo tier is explicitly limited to basic reporting, with more advanced analytics on paid tiers. Brevo Help

MailerLite is the other one I'd consider, especially if you have fewer than 250 active contacts. Its free plan now caps active subscribers at 250, but includes dynamic segments, tags/groups, automations, and ecommerce integrations with sales-tracking capabilities. MailerLite MailerLite

Bottom line: If you're somewhere between 250–500 contacts, choose Brevo. If you're under 250 and prioritize a simpler email-marketing interface, MailerLite is worth considering.

For a boutique store with under 500 contacts, I’d pick Brevo if you want to stay free.

• Brevo — best overall free option. Its free plan allows up to 300 emails/day, and you can store a large number of contacts. It also supports contact segmentation and basic campaign analytics. Brevo EmailTooltester.com
• Mailchimp — good ecommerce reporting, but the free tier is now restrictive. Its current free plan is limited to 250 contacts and 500 sends/month, so it doesn't really fit if you're anywhere near 500 contacts. Mailchimp Mailchimp
• Klaviyo — excellent for ecommerce, especially Shopify stores, but I wouldn't choose it if your priority is free + simple. Its value becomes more compelling once you need sophisticated purchase-based segmentation and automated flows.

My pick

Brevo if your priorities are:

<500 contacts → $0 → basic analytics → simple segments → room to grow.

One caveat: Brevo's free tier is capped by daily sending volume, so if you want to blast 500+ contacts simultaneously, that's something to consider. Brevo

If you tell me whether your store is Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, or something else, I can narrow it down to the best free option specifically for your ecommerce setup.

If you want free email sending + actual A/B subject-line testing, I’d start with one of these:

1. MailerLite — best overall free pick

mailerlite.com

Why try it:

• Free plan includes A/B testing (including subject lines). MailerLite
• Very easy interface for newsletters, simple automations, landing pages, and signup forms.
• Good fit if you’re a solo creator, small business, newsletter operator, or early-stage startup.

Best if: you want something simple that you’ll actually use every week.

2. Mailchimp — best-known option, but check the free limits

mailchimp.com

Why try it:

• Strong reporting and mature analytics.
• Supports testing subject lines, content, sender names, and send times. Mailchimp

Watch out: A/B testing availability has moved between plans over time, so verify the current free-tier features before committing. Mailchimp

Best if: you expect to grow into a more advanced marketing stack.

3. Klaviyo — best for ecommerce

klaviyo.com

Why try it:

• Strong customer segmentation and revenue tracking.
• Good if your emails are tied to Shopify, products, or customer journeys.

Best if: you care about purchases more than newsletter opens.

4. Brevo — best if you send a lot of transactional email

brevo.com

Why try it:

• Generous free sending allowance.
• Good mix of marketing and transactional email features.

Watch out: A/B testing may require a paid tier depending on the feature. Biztoolkit

My recommendation:

• Newsletter / audience building: try MailerLite
• Ecommerce: try Klaviyo
• Professional marketing team: try Mailchimp
• High-volume sending: try Brevo

One thing to keep in mind: subject-line “A/B testing” is only useful if you have enough recipients. With a tiny list (e.g., under a few hundred people), results can bounce around too much; you’ll get better learning by testing across several sends rather than trusting a single winner.

If your main requirement is free + A/B subject-line testing, I’d start with mailerlite.com.

My pick: MailerLite

• Free plan: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month. MailerLite
• A/B testing is included on the free plan, including email campaigns. MailerLite MailerLite
• You can test subject lines, sender name, content, and sending time. MailerLite
• It can automatically identify the better-performing version and send the winner to the remaining audience. MailerLite
• Reporting includes opens, clicks, and other campaign performance data. MailerLite

Another good option: Brevo

brevo.com has a free plan with 300 email sends/day and supports A/B tests for subject lines or email content. You can choose the winner based on open rate or click rate. Brevo Help Brevo Help

I'd choose:

• MailerLite → best if A/B testing is the priority and you have a small list.
• Brevo → better if you expect to have a larger contact database but don't send huge volumes every day.

One caveat: if by "performance testing" you mean testing different emails and measuring actual conversions/revenue, rather than just opens/clicks, the recommendation changes somewhat.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails/month you send, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 free options.

If your priority is real automation on a genuinely free plan—rather than a free trial that forces an upgrade—there’s one particularly strong option right now:

Best fits

• mailerlite.com — best for actual free automation. Its Free plan currently allows 250 active subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, and 3 active automations. You can build visual workflows with up to 5 steps. There’s no time limit on staying free. MailerLite MailerLite
• kit.com — best if list growth matters more than automation complexity. Its free Newsletter plan goes up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited sends, but the free tier is much more constrained around automation. Kit Help Center
• beehiiv.com — excellent newsletter platform, but not if automation is essential for free. Its free plan supports up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends, but current comparisons indicate that automations cannot actually be activated on the free tier. Beehiiv Mr Review AI

What I'd choose for your use case

If by “automation workflows” you mean things like:

new subscriber → welcome email → wait 2 days → send best-of newsletter → tag based on click → follow-up

then MailerLite is the clearest free option. The catch is its newly reduced 250-subscriber ceiling, which is pretty restrictive for a newsletter you're deliberately trying to scale. MailerLite

If you expect to blow past 250 subscribers quickly, I'd seriously consider Kit for the much longer free runway, but only if your automation needs are modest.

Bottom line:
MailerLite = best free automation.
Kit = best free subscriber runway.
beehiiv = best newsletter-growth platform, but automation pushes you toward paid.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and what workflow(s) you want to automate, I can narrow this to the best free setup.

Yes. If by “automation workflows” you mean things like welcome sequences, lead-magnet delivery, tagging, and timed nurture emails, there are still free plans that let you do that without immediately forcing an upgrade.

Best options right now

• kit.com — best for a personal/creator newsletter

• Free up to 10,000 active subscribers
• Unlimited email broadcasts
• 1 basic visual automation + 1 email sequence
• Unlimited forms and landing pages
• No time limit on the free plan Kit Help Center Kit Help Center
• Catch: the free automation is deliberately basic. More sequences, branching/conditional workflows, integrations, and advanced automation require a paid plan.
• mailerlite.com — best if you need several simple workflows

• Free up to 250 subscribers
• 2,500 emails/month
• 3 active visual automations, with up to 5 steps each
• Forms, landing pages, segmentation, etc. MailerLite MailerLite
• Catch: the 250-subscriber ceiling is quite restrictive for a newsletter you're actively scaling.
• brevo.com — best for a larger contact database

• Free indefinitely
• Up to 100,000 contacts
• Marketing automation for up to 2,000 contacts
• 300 email sends/day Brevo Help Brevo Help
• Catch: that 300/day sending limit can become painful for a growing newsletter.
• beehiiv.com — best for newsletter growth, not free automation

• Free up to 2,500 subscribers
• Unlimited email sends
• Strong newsletter/growth features
• Email Automations are on the paid Scale plan, not the free Launch plan. Beehiiv

My pick for your situation

If you're scaling a personal newsletter and want to stay free for as long as possible, I'd choose Kit. The 10,000-subscriber ceiling plus unlimited sends gives you substantially more runway than MailerLite, while its one free automation is enough for a solid setup such as:

New subscriber → welcome email → 2–5 day delay → nurture sequence → tagged as regular reader

The important distinction is that Kit is generous on subscriber volume but restrictive on workflow complexity, whereas MailerLite is more generous with workflows but much more restrictive on subscriber volume. Kit Help Center MailerLite

If your goal is 3–5 different automated funnels (welcome, lead magnet, re-engagement, product launch, segmentation, etc.), I'd lean toward MailerLite initially, provided you expect to stay under 250 subscribers for a while.

For your use case, Kit is probably the best free option right now.

• Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Free up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited email sends, and tools for selling digital products/subscriptions. It’s particularly well suited to launches and creator-style list building. Kit Help Center Kit
• MailerLite — A strong alternative if you specifically want website popups plus a traditional email-marketing interface. Its free tier includes 1 landing page, 3 signup forms/popups, 2,500 emails/month, but only up to 250 subscribers. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo — Generous on contacts (up to 100,000 on free), but the free plan limits you to 300 emails/day, so it's less attractive if you're building toward large launch sends. Brevo Help

My pick for you

Kit if your priority is growing a list + launch waitlists/landing pages + occasional product sales.

MailerLite if you specifically need on-site popups and don't expect to exceed a few hundred subscribers soon.

One important distinction: Kit's free plan is excellent for forms and landing pages, but if by “popups” you mean sophisticated exit-intent/behavior-triggered popups on an existing website, I'd lean toward MailerLite or a dedicated popup tool. Kit

kit.com · mailerlite.com · brevo.com

For your use case, MailerLite is probably the best free option right now.

• mailerlite.com — Free plan includes email campaigns, landing pages, signup forms, pop-ups, and automations. As of August 2026, the free tier allows 250 active subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 1 landing page, and 3 forms/pop-ups. MailerLite MailerLite
• It also has useful launch-oriented features such as countdown timers, promotional pop-ups, segmentation, and automation, so it fits occasional product launches particularly well. MailerLite MailerLite
• Brevo has a much larger free contact allowance—up to 100,000 contacts—but its free plan doesn't include landing pages or popups, making it a worse fit for your specific list-growth needs. Brevo Help Brevo Help

My pick

MailerLite → best overall for you if your priority is:

popup → landing page → email list → automated launch sequence

The main catch is the 250-subscriber free limit, which you'll likely hit fairly quickly if your list-growth efforts work. MailerLite

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and how often you launch, I can compare MailerLite against Kit, Beehiiv, Mailchimp, and Brevo specifically for your situation.

Yes. If the key requirement is free forever + genuine multi-step welcome automation, the shortlist is surprisingly small.

My pick: Sender

Sender is probably the best fit if you're specifically building a multi-email welcome sequence and want to stay free for a while. Its free plan includes unlimited automation workflows for up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails/month, and the visual automation builder supports welcome sequences, nurturing, abandoned-cart flows, etc. Sender

sender.net

Best if you want a polished/easy interface: MailerLite

MailerLite is another strong choice. Its current free plan is 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, with 3 active automations and 5 steps per automation. That's enough for something like:

Signup → immediate welcome → wait 2 days → educational email → wait 3 days → offer → wait 4 days → follow-up. MailerLite MailerLite

mailerlite.com

Brevo is interesting if your list is bigger

Brevo gives you a much larger contact allowance—up to 100,000 contacts—but the free plan limits sending to 300 emails/day, and its marketing automation is limited to 2,000 contacts. Brevo Help

brevo.com

Bottom line: For a small list and a real automated welcome sequence, I'd start with Sender. If you value ease of use and only have a couple hundred subscribers, MailerLite is arguably nicer.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have and how many emails you want in the welcome sequence (e.g. 5, 7, 10), I can narrow it down to the best free option.

For a small list + automated welcome sequences + free-forever, I’d focus on tools that include multi-step workflows on the free tier (many popular tools only offer a single welcome email for free). Main Street AI SaaS Scored

Automation Atlas Sprout24### My shortlist for a typical welcome sequence

1. MailerLite — probably the best starting point for a small list:

• Trigger: “new subscriber joins form”
• Email 1: immediate welcome
• Email 2: send after 2 days
• Email 3: send after 5–7 days
• Add tags/segments as people click links

It is designed around exactly this kind of nurture flow. Main Street AI

2. Brevo — better if your list may grow quickly:

• Stores large contact lists
• Useful if you send less frequently but want to keep contacts
• Automation availability depends on current free-plan limits. Automation Atlas
• Sender — worth considering if you want a simple tool with generous free limits and automation included. Automation Atlas

I would not start with Mailchimp for this specific use case: its free tier is good for basic newsletters, but multi-step welcome journeys generally require a paid plan. Main Street AI

A simple starter stack:

• Lead magnet/signup form: MailerLite form
• Sequence: 4 emails over 10–14 days
• Segmentation: tags based on clicks
• Upgrade point: only when the list or automation needs exceed the free limits

If you tell me your approximate list size (e.g., 100, 1,000, 5,000 subscribers) and whether this is for a business, SaaS, course, newsletter, or ecommerce, I can narrow it down.