MailerLite vs Sender
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on several things that matter more than the monthly price.
MailerLite 
Sender Which one, for whom
- A list already in the thousands Sender Sender stays free to 2,500 subscribers against MailerLite's 250.
- Worried about being locked in Sender Sender keeps your subscribers and automations when you cancel, rather than deleting them.
- Selling the course from the same tool MailerLite MailerLite can take the payment itself, so you do not need a separate checkout.
Side by side
| MailerLite | Sender | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 250 subscribers | 2,500 subscribers |
| Free sends | 2,500 emails/mo | 15,000 emails/mo |
| Welcome sequence on free | Yes | Yes |
| Paid from | $12/mo | $7/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. | A smaller name with a smaller integration list. Check it connects to your course platform before you commit. |
Figures read off each vendor's own pricing page on 5 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.
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.
Sender
The friendliest exit terms of the nine. Cancelling drops you to the free plan instead of deleting anything: their help page says subscribers, campaigns, automations, forms and reports are all retained.
Try either one
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MailerLite Best free plan for a real welcome sequence
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Start free on MailerLite Read the full MailerLite breakdown Sender The most generous free plan we found
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Start free on Sender Read the full Sender breakdownMailerLite vs Sender, answered
- Is MailerLite or Sender better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. Sender if you are a list already in the thousands. Sender if you are worried about being locked in. MailerLite if you are selling the course from the same tool.
- Which of MailerLite and Sender has the better free plan?
- Sender allows more free subscribers (2,500 against 250). A bigger allowance is not automatically the better plan: check the welcome sequence row above, because that is where the two usually part company.
- Can I move from MailerLite to Sender later?
- Yes, and you should assume you will. Export your list before you cancel anything, and keep the tag that says who bought from you. We wrote the order of operations up separately.
Moving between them? Read the switching guide first, or answer four questions to check neither of these is the wrong shortlist.