Sender vs Systeme.io
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on several things that matter more than the monthly price.
Sender 
Systeme.io Which one, for whom
- Starting out with no budget Sender Sender can run an automated welcome sequence on its free plan. Systeme.io cannot, so a new subscriber hears nothing from you until you pay.
- A list already in the thousands Sender Sender stays free to 2,500 subscribers against Systeme.io's 2,000.
- 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 Systeme.io Systeme.io can take the payment itself, so you do not need a separate checkout.
Side by side
| Sender | Systeme.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 2,500 subscribers | 2,000 subscribers |
| Free sends | 15,000 emails/mo | Unlimited emails |
| Welcome sequence on free | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Paid from | $7/mo | $17/mo |
| At 5,000 subscribers | Not published | $17 |
| At 25,000 subscribers | Not published | $97 |
| The catch | A smaller name with a smaller integration list. Check it connects to your course platform before you commit. | The free plan holds one course only, and takes 0% on sales, which is rare. |
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
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.
Systeme.io
You can export contacts to CSV yourself at any time. We could not find their cancellation terms at the usual addresses, so treat the rest as unchecked.
Try either one
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Sender The most generous free plan we found
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Start free on Sender Read the full Sender breakdown Systeme.io Course hosting, funnels and email on one free plan
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Start free on Systeme.io Read the full Systeme.io breakdownSender vs Systeme.io, answered
- Is Sender or Systeme.io better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. Sender if you are starting out with no budget. Sender if you are a list already in the thousands. Sender if you are worried about being locked in. Systeme.io if you are selling the course from the same tool.
- Which of Sender and Systeme.io has the better free plan?
- Sender allows more free subscribers (2,500 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.
- Can I move from Sender to Systeme.io 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.