MailerLite vs Omnisend
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on a couple of things that matter more than the monthly price.
MailerLite
OmnisendWhich one, for whom
- Worried about being locked inOmnisendOmnisend keeps your subscribers and automations when you cancel, rather than deleting them.Start free on Omnisend
- Selling the course from the same toolMailerLiteMailerLite can take the payment itself, so you do not need a separate checkout.Start free on MailerLite
Side by side
| MailerLite | Omnisend | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 250 subscribers | 250 subscribers |
| Free sends | 2,500 emails/mo | 500 emails/mo |
| Welcome sequence on free | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to Teachable | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Kajabi | Direct | Not listed |
| Connects to Podia | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Thinkific | Direct | Not listed |
| Paid from | $12/mo | $11.20/mo |
| At 5,000 subscribers | $44.10 | Not published |
| At 25,000 subscribers | $161.10 | Not published |
| The catch | Their logo stays on your emails until you pay. | 500 free emails a month is roughly 2 sends to a 250-person list. |
| G2 score | 4.6 out of 5, from 1,113 reviews | 4.6 out of 5, from 1,246 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 4.1 out of 5, from 3,281 reviews | 4.4 out of 5, from 506 reviews |
Figures read off each vendor's own pricing page on 9 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 on 6 September 2026. Check them yourself:MailerLite on G2, MailerLite on Trustpilot, Omnisend on G2, Omnisend on Trustpilot.
Getting your list back out
MailerLite
Cancel any time without penalty. Their terms describe still being able to log in, export and migrate your data after a plan lapses. Source
OmnisendEasy to leave
Cancelling a paid plan does not delete anything by itself: their help centre says you drop to the free plan and your contacts, campaigns and reports "remain accessible in read-only mode." The real risk is inactivity rather than cancellation: an account with no login for several months can be treated as inactive and permanently deleted, and a deliberate account deletion is instant and irreversible. Export your list if you plan to leave the account untouched for a while. Source
MailerLite vs Omnisend, answered
- Is MailerLite or Omnisend better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. Omnisend if you are worried about being locked in. MailerLite if you are selling the course from the same tool.
- Which of MailerLite and Omnisend has the better free plan?
- They allow the same number of free subscribers. The difference is what you can do with them: MailerLite can automate a welcome sequence free, Omnisend can.
- Can I move from MailerLite to Omnisend 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
MailerLiteBest free plan for a real welcome sequence
$12/mopaid plans start here. Free up to 250. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
Start free on MailerLiteRead the full MailerLite breakdownOmnisendOnly if you also ship physical products
$11.20/mopaid plans start here. Free up to 250. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
Start free on OmnisendRead the full Omnisend 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.