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Email Marketing Software Price Comparison: Campaigner vs MailerLite vs Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign
Research-based comparison · not hands-on tested We compare the value each tool gives a specific kind of buyer, not which company is bigger or better, so there is no overall winner. How we compare.
Short answer: on price alone, Campaigner’s entry plan is the cheapest of the four tools here at every list size from 1,000 to 10,000 contacts, but it has no automation workflows. Once you need automation, MailerLite Comfort is the cheapest way to get it at most sizes, Campaigner Advanced is next, Mailchimp Standard costs more, and ActiveCampaign Plus costs the most while going furthest. Two free plans, from MailerLite and Mailchimp, cover the first 250 contacts. The tables below use each vendor’s pricing page in October 2026, so you can find your own list size and see what you would really pay.
Disclosure: SoftReviewLab is an affiliate of Campaigner, MailerLite and ActiveCampaign, but not of Mailchimp, so we may earn a commission if you sign up through some links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Prices are shown as each vendor publishes them, whoever pays us. See our affiliate disclosure.
Table of Contents
How These Prices Were Compared
Email marketing tools price by the number of contacts on your list, and they do not bill the same way, so three rules apply to every table on this page:
- Prices are per month in US dollars, from each vendor’s pricing page in October 2026.
- MailerLite, Mailchimp and Campaigner prices are month-to-month. ActiveCampaign publishes its prices billed yearly, so its figures are marked; paying month to month costs more.
- Mailchimp has no 1,000-contact tier. Its nearest tiers are 500 and 1,500, and the table shows the 1,500 price.
Each tool is compared twice: on its cheapest paid plan, and on the plan that gives you real automation, because that is where most small businesses end up.
Entry Plans: The Cheapest Way In
| Contacts | Campaigner Essentials | MailerLite Comfort | Mailchimp Essentials | ActiveCampaign Starter (billed yearly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $14 | $19 | $26.50 (1,500 tier) | $15 |
| 2,500 | $24 | $33 | $45 | $39 |
| 5,000 | $38 | $49 | $75 | Not checked |
| 10,000 | $72 | $89 | $110 | $149 |
The entry plans are not equal, so the cheapest is not automatically the best value:
- Campaigner Essentials includes A/B and multivariate testing and an HTML editor, but no automation workflows, only autoresponders.
- MailerLite Comfort includes 50 automations with up to 100 steps each, landing pages, a simple website and three user logins.
- Mailchimp Essentials limits an automation to four steps with no branching, and includes three user logins.
- ActiveCampaign Starter limits an automation to five actions and includes one user login.
Plans With Real Automation
If you want sequences that branch on what each subscriber does, MailerLite Comfort from the first table already qualifies. For the other three, these are the plans to compare:
| Contacts | Campaigner Advanced | Mailchimp Standard | ActiveCampaign Plus (billed yearly) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $35 | $45 (1,500 tier) | $49 |
| 2,500 | $47 | $60 | $95 |
| 5,000 | $70 | $100 | Not checked |
| 10,000 | $124 | $135 | $189 |
What the extra money buys differs. MailerLite Comfort branches on opens and clicks and covers welcome series and store triggers such as abandoned carts. Campaigner Advanced adds multi-path workflows with purchase, location and workflow segments. Mailchimp Standard adds branching, predictive segmentation and multivariate testing. ActiveCampaign Plus goes furthest, with unlimited actions, goals, more than 950 ready-made recipes and more than 1,000 integrations. If ActiveCampaign is your likely pick, my ActiveCampaign pricing guide breaks down every plan, contact tier and add-on.
If you need more than three people logged in, look one step up at MailerLite. Its Power plan, with unlimited logins and sending, costs $49 at 2,500 contacts and $129 at 10,000.
What Changes the Price Beyond the Tables
List prices are only part of the bill. These rules decide what you actually pay:
- Which contacts count. ActiveCampaign accounts created since November 2025 count every contact, whatever its status. Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts until you archive them, as its help article on archiving contacts explains. MailerLite counts active subscribers.
- Paying yearly. MailerLite takes 10 percent off for a year paid up front. ActiveCampaign’s month-to-month prices are higher, for example $19 instead of $15 for Starter at 1,000 contacts.
- First-year offers. Mailchimp offered new customers 50 percent off for 12 months when checked in October 2026, and the price doubles after that. Campaigner’s offer page for our partner link adds 10 percent off monthly payments.
- Add-ons. Campaigner’s Reputation Defender adds 20 percent to your plan. ActiveCampaign’s sales CRM was $85 a month on Plus when I asked, and its SMS and extra users cost extra.
Free Plans and Trials
Before paying anything, you can test all four:
| Tool | Free plan | Free trial |
|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month | 14 days of paid features, no card |
| Mailchimp | 250 contacts, 500 emails a month | 14 days on Essentials and Standard |
| Campaigner | None | 30 days, every feature |
| ActiveCampaign | None | 14 days, no card, 100 email sends |
For a brand-new list, the two free plans are the cheapest start by definition. MailerLite’s allows five times as many emails as Mailchimp’s.
Which Is Cheapest for Your Situation?
The right answer depends on what you send:
- A newsletter only: Campaigner Essentials is the cheapest paid option at every size in the tables, as long as you do not need automation.
- A newsletter plus a welcome series: MailerLite Comfort is the cheapest plan that does both.
- Branching automation for an online store: MailerLite Comfort if its automation covers your flows, or Campaigner Advanced if you need multi-path workflows with purchase segments.
- Automation as the core of your marketing, with a CRM: ActiveCampaign Plus costs the most, but it is the only one of the four that offers a sales CRM in the same account.
- Under 250 contacts: start on MailerLite’s free plan.
My Verdict on Email Marketing Software Prices
For most small businesses, MailerLite gives the most for the money, because its cheapest paid plan already includes the automation the others charge more for. Campaigner is the cheapest if you only send campaigns, and its Advanced plan undercuts Mailchimp Standard at every size in the tables. Mailchimp costs more than both at regular prices, and ActiveCampaign costs the most because it is built for deeper automation.
If one of them fits, you can open a free account on MailerLite’s site, start Campaigner’s 30-day free trial, or check the current figures on ActiveCampaign’s pricing page. For everything beyond price, read my reviews of MailerLite, Campaigner, Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign, or my guide on how to choose email marketing software. If you have narrowed it to two, I have compared ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp and Campaigner vs Mailchimp in detail.
If two of these tools are already on your shortlist, my head-to-head comparisons go deeper than price: MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp vs MailerLite.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest email marketing software for a small business?
Among Campaigner, MailerLite, Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign, Campaigner Essentials is the cheapest paid plan at every list size compared here, but it has no automation workflows. MailerLite Comfort is the cheapest plan that includes real automation. For under 250 contacts, MailerLite’s free plan costs nothing.
Is there free email marketing software for a small business?
Yes. MailerLite and Mailchimp both have free plans for up to 250 contacts. MailerLite’s allows 2,500 emails a month and three automations; Mailchimp’s allows 500 emails a month with a daily cap of 250. Campaigner and ActiveCampaign have free trials but no free plan.
Why does email marketing software get more expensive as my list grows?
Most tools price by the number of contacts you store, and each tier also sets how many emails you can send. Some count contacts you no longer email: ActiveCampaign counts every contact on newer accounts, and Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts until you archive them, so cleaning your list lowers the bill.
Is it cheaper to pay for email marketing software yearly?
Usually. MailerLite takes 10 percent off for paying a year up front, and ActiveCampaign’s published prices are yearly, with higher month-to-month prices. Paying yearly only saves money if you are sure about the tool, because refund rules are strict, so test it on a free plan or trial first.
Sources and References
Every price on this page was checked on each vendor’s pricing page in October 2026. Prices and offers change, so confirm them before you buy.
- MailerLite pricing page
- Mailchimp marketing pricing page and plan comparison
- Campaigner pricing page
- ActiveCampaign pricing page, plus written answers from its support team on monthly billing
- My reviews of all four tools, October 2026
- How SoftReviewLab reviews and scores software
What we couldn’t verify
- ActiveCampaign’s prices at 5,000 contacts, and its month-to-month prices above 1,000 contacts, were not checked.
- Mailchimp has no 1,000-contact tier; its 1,500-contact price is shown instead.
- First-year offers and add-on prices change often and were current only when checked in October 2026.
If any of these matter to your decision, check them directly with the vendors or during a free trial.
See every matchup
Browse the rest of the head-to-head comparisons, or jump straight to the full reviews.