Email marketing software, priced at your list size
I have contacts and email them twice a month.
Data in the EU Elsewhere, partly or not stated Depth is the monthly price excluding VAT. Free plans float at the surface.
- EmailOctopusFreeFreeNo chargeIn the EU
- Brevo€21StarterMonthly billingIn the EU
- GetResponse€27StarterMonthly billingNot stated
- MailerLite€29ComfortMonthly billingIn the EU
- ActiveCampaign€39StarterAnnual billingEU region on some accounts
- Mailchimp€40.45EssentialsMonthly billingOutside the EU
- Systeme.io$17StartupMonthly billingIn the EU
Monthly price before VAT on the cheapest plan that fits, free plans included. Billing period is marked in each row. Currencies are not converted, so a tool billed in another currency sits after the others. “Not read” means we have no reading at that exact size and will not estimate one. No price here was read before 5 November 2026.
Compare two
Pick two tools. The figures follow the size you set above, and a link to this view keeps both tools.
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Every tool, in full
- Systeme.ioEmail, automation, courses and sales funnels in one package$17 at 2,500 contacts
- EmailOctopusA free plan for 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a monthFree at 2,500 contacts
- BrevoEmail, SMS and CRM from a European provider€21 at 2,500 contacts
- MailerLiteComfort and Power share one feature set, with data in the EU€29 at 2,500 contacts
- MailchimpThe most expensive at a 2,500-contact list, and the data does not stay in the EU€40.45 at 2,500 contacts
- GetResponseEmail, webinars and funnels from a Polish EU provider€27 at 2,500 contacts
- ActiveCampaignMulti-step automation, with no free plan€39 at 2,500 contacts
What moves the price
What you pay for. Six of the seven tools charge by contacts. Brevo charges by emails sent, so a large list that hears from you rarely costs little, and the same list emailed every week costs more. Set the sending rhythm above to see the difference.
Who counts as a contact. The rules differ, and they decide the bill more than the headline price. Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts until you archive them. MailerLite and EmailOctopus do not count them. ActiveCampaign counts every contact on accounts created from 3 November 2025. GetResponse adds the contacts that joined during the month. Systeme.io does not publish a rule. Each tool page links to the rule we read.
Going over the limit. Mailchimp adds extra contact blocks to the bill, GetResponse adds a list extension fee, and MailerLite and EmailOctopus move you to the next tier. On a free plan the result can be stopped sending: MailerLite locks campaigns and automations above 250 active subscribers.
Billing period. EmailOctopus and ActiveCampaign show the monthly price on annual billing, so a monthly plan costs more than the figure here. The others show the monthly-billing price. Each row says which.
Free plans side by side
- Systeme.io: 2,000 contacts, unlimited sending
- EmailOctopus: 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/month (EmailOctopus branding in the emails)
- Brevo: 300 emails/day
- MailerLite: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month
- Mailchimp: 250 contacts, 500 emails/month (daily limit 250)
- GetResponse: No free plan (14-day trial)
- ActiveCampaign: No free plan (14-day trial)
Before you switch
Most import guides we read start with your sending domain, so plan for a DNS change before the first send. Automations and templates often do not come across as they are. MailerLite rebuilds only simple segments, and ActiveCampaign’s migration agent covers Classic Automations only. The tool pages list what each provider says about moving in.
Two calculators go further: the three-year cost as a list grows and what leaving Mailchimp saves.
For data location across every category, use the EU-hosted software filter.