Best email marketing tools for creators
If you sell newsletters, digital products or courses, the email tool is the center of your business. These three cover the realistic options for a one-person operation, judged on what they publish about free plans, prices and built-in selling.
Prices and features come from each vendor's own pages, last checked Oct 26, 2026. We haven't finished hands-on testing of Kit, MailerLite, and Mailchimp yet, so this page compares published facts only. How we choose.
Quick comparison
| Kit | MailerLite | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $33/mo billed yearly | From $12/mo | From $13/mo |
| Free plan | Free up to 10,000 subscribers, 1 user, no automations or sequences | Free up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, 3 automations | Free up to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month (250 a day) |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed | 14-day free trial on Essentials and Standard |
| Fees and limits | Price rises with subscriber count; only the 1,000-subscriber price is shown publicly. | Price rises with subscriber count. | Overage charges if you exceed contact or send limits on paid plans. |
| Best for | Creators selling newsletters, digital products or paid subscriptions | Solo businesses that want automations at a low starting price | Small shops that want many integrations |
| Website | Visit Kit | Visit MailerLite | Visit Mailchimp |
Our picks
Kit
The free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, and you can sell digital products and subscriptions on it. You pay once you need automations and sequences.
- Creators selling newsletters, digital products or paid subscriptions
- Starting free and growing to thousands of subscribers before paying
- Businesses that need automations on day one but can't pay for Creator
- Teams that want heavy e-commerce email features
MailerLite
Paid plans start at $12 a month at the lowest subscriber tier, and even the free plan includes three automations, a website and a landing page. The catch: free stops at 250 subscribers.
- Solo businesses that want automations at a low starting price
- Combining email, a simple website and landing pages
- Lists over 250 people that want to stay free
Mailchimp
A long-established tool with a wide integration ecosystem. The free plan stops at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, and paid prices shown are 12-month promotions.
- Small shops that want many integrations
- Simple newsletters under 250 contacts
- Creators expecting a large free plan
- Anyone who wants predictable pricing after a promo ends
How we chose
We compared these tools on:
- How far the free plan takes you
- Starting price for automations
- Whether you can sell without another tool
- How clear the pricing is as you grow
Order reflects fit for a one-person business, not commission. Our method.