Brevo vs Systeme.io
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on a couple of things that matter more than the monthly price.
Brevo
Systeme.ioWhich one, for whom
- A list already in the thousandsSysteme.ioSysteme.io stays free to 2,000 subscribers and can email all of them at once. Brevo stores 100,000 free but sends only 300 emails a day.Start free on Systeme.io
- Selling the course from the same toolSysteme.ioSysteme.io can take the payment itself, so you do not need a separate checkout.
Side by side
| Brevo | Systeme.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 100,000 subscribers | 2,000 subscribers |
| Free sends | 300 emails/day | Unlimited emails |
| Welcome sequence on free | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to Teachable | Not listed | Sells courses itself |
| Connects to Kajabi | Not listed | Sells courses itself |
| Connects to Podia | Not listed | Sells courses itself |
| Connects to Thinkific | Through Zapier | Sells courses itself |
| Paid from | $9/mo | $17/mo |
| At 5,000 subscribers | Not published | $17 |
| At 25,000 subscribers | Not published | $97 |
| The catch | Sending is the limit, not your list. The free plan stops at 300 emails a day, so a campaign to more than 300 people has to be resent by hand, 300 a day, and free emails always carry the Sent with Brevo logo. On its three smallest paid tiers, passing 500, 1,500 or 2,500 contacts moves you up a tier automatically and the price rises. | The free plan holds one course only, and takes 0% on sales, which is rare. |
| G2 score | Could not be read | 4.8 out of 5, from 750 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 4.0 out of 5, from 7,204 reviews | 4.9 out of 5, from 8,448 reviews |
Figures read off each vendor's own pricing page between 9 and 12 September 2026. Where a row says not published, that vendor does not state a price at that list size and we will not invent one.
The last two rows are other people's scores, not ours, read between 6 and 12 September 2026. Check them yourself:Brevo on Trustpilot, Systeme.io on G2, Systeme.io on Trustpilot.
- Brevo: G2 refused to load its Brevo reviews page for us on 12 September 2026, in two separate browser attempts, so there is no G2 score to show. Missing is not the same as low.
Getting your list back out
Brevo
Cancelling is self-serve from the My plan page and moves you to the Free plan at the end of the billing period. Their help page says cancelling does not delete any data, though automations drop back to the 2,000-contact limit. The catch comes later: their help page says you have to log in every four months, or the Free account is deleted automatically. Their terms of service give six months instead, so Brevo's own pages disagree. Plan around the shorter one. Source
Systeme.io
You can export contacts to CSV yourself at any time. Cancelling does not take effect immediately: it stops the subscription from renewing, and you keep access until the end of the current billing period, at which point the plan is removed automatically. Their terms and conditions add that subscription plans are non-refundable, and that an account can be banned without notice for a content-policy violation. What happens to stored data after a cancellation takes effect is not stated. Source
Brevo vs Systeme.io, answered
- Is Brevo or Systeme.io better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. Systeme.io if you are a list already in the thousands. Systeme.io if you are selling the course from the same tool.
- Which of Brevo and Systeme.io has the better free plan?
- Brevo allows more free subscribers (100,000 against 2,000). A bigger allowance is not automatically the better plan: check the welcome sequence row above, because that is where the two usually part company. Brevo's free plan also sends at most 300 emails a day, so check the free sends row too.
- Can I move from Brevo to Systeme.io later?
- Yes, and you should assume you will. Export your list before you cancel anything, and keep whatever marks who bought from you. We wrote the whole running order up separately.
Try either one
BrevoStores a big free list, but sends only 300 emails a day
$9/mopaid plans start here. Free up to 100,000. Read off their pricing page between 9 and 12 September 2026.
Start free on BrevoRead the full Brevo breakdownSysteme.ioCourse hosting, funnels and email on one free plan
$17/mopaid plans start here. Free up to 2,000. Read off their pricing page between 9 and 12 September 2026.
Start free on Systeme.ioRead the full Systeme.io breakdownMoving between them? Read the switching guide first, or answer 5 questions to check neither of these is the wrong shortlist.
Neither of these? See all 14, including which ones connect straight to Teachable, Kajabi, Podia or Thinkific, or compare what they cost as your list grows.