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Sender
The most generous free plan we found
2,500 free subscribers, 15,000 free emails a month, and automation included at no cost. Almost nobody offers all three.
- Free plan
- 2,500
- 15,000 emails/mo
- Welcome sequence, free
- ✓ Yes
- Email automation is listed on the free plan
- Paid from
- $7/mo
- Standard, up to 1,000 subscribers
Watch out A smaller name with a smaller integration list. Check it connects to your course platform before you commit.
MailerLite
Best free plan for a real welcome sequence
Start here The only free plan here that lets you automate a welcome sequence. The catch is the ceiling: 250 subscribers.
- Free plan
- 250
- 2,500 emails/mo
- Welcome sequence, free
- ✓ Yes
- 3 automations included free
- Paid from
- $12/mo
- Comfort, starting price; scales with list size
Watch out Their logo stays on your emails until you pay.
Omnisend
Only if you also ship physical products
Built for online stores rather than courses. Worth it when the course sits next to a Shopify catalog.
- Free plan
- 250
- 500 emails/mo
- Welcome sequence, free
- ✓ Yes
- Automation included, but 500 sends is tight
- Paid from
- $11.20/mo
- Standard, at 1,001-1,500 contacts
Watch out 500 free emails a month is roughly 2 sends to a 250-person list.
EmailOctopus
Cheapest way to run a plain list
2,500 free subscribers and 10,000 free emails a month, then a flat low price. Deliberately simple rather than full featured.
- Free plan
- 2,500
- 10,000 emails/mo
- Welcome sequence, free
- ? Not confirmed
- Their pricing page does not say, and we have not confirmed it
- Paid from
- $9/mo
- Pro, billed yearly; subscriber tier not stated
Watch out Fewer features than the others by design. Good if you only need to send, thin if you need funnels.
Systeme.io
Course hosting, funnels and email on one free plan
Hosts the course itself as well as the list, with unlimited emails free to 2,000 contacts and no transaction fee on sales.
- Free plan
- 2,000
- Unlimited emails
- Welcome sequence, free
- ? Not confirmed
- Their pricing page does not state it and we have not confirmed it by hand
- Paid from
- $17/mo
- Startup, 5,000 contacts
Watch out The free plan holds one course only, and takes 0% on sales, which is rare.
Kit
Biggest free list, sells products out of the box
10,000 free subscribers and built-in digital product checkout. But no automated sequences until you pay.
- Free plan
- 10,000
- Unlimited broadcasts
- Welcome sequence, free
- × No
- Sequences need the Creator plan
- Paid from
- $33/mo
- Creator, at 1,000 subscribers
Watch out Digital product sales carry a 3.5% + 30c fee on every plan.
beehiiv
Best if the course sits beside a newsletter
2,500 free subscribers with unlimited sends, a custom domain and a website included at no cost.
- Free plan
- 2,500
- Unlimited sends
- Welcome sequence, free
- × No
- Automations need the Scale plan
- Paid from
- $43/mo
- Scale, at 1,000 subscribers
Watch out No paid subscriptions or digital products on the free tier.
ActiveCampaign
Deepest automation, once the list pays for itself
The most capable automation builder of the five. There is no free tier at all, only a 14-day trial.
- Free plan
- None
- 14-day trial only
- Welcome sequence, free
- × No
- No free plan exists
- Paid from
- A$23/mo
- Starter, billed annually; priced to us in AUD
Watch out Starter caps you at 5 actions per automation, which a real welcome sequence will hit.
GetResponse
Capable all-rounder, but nothing is free
Strong automation and landing pages in one place. We could not confirm any permanent free plan, only a trial.
- Free plan
- None confirmed
- 14-day trial only
- Welcome sequence, free
- × No
- No permanent free plan confirmed
- Paid from
- €16/mo
- Starter, 1,000 contacts; priced to us in euros
Watch out We could not confirm a permanent free plan on their pricing page, only a 14-day trial.