MailerLite
Best free plan for a real welcome sequence
The only free plan here that lets you automate a welcome sequence. The catch is the ceiling: 250 subscribers.
Who it suits, and who it doesn't
Worth your time if
- You want a working welcome sequence without paying anything yet.
- Your list is at or under 250 and you want to start free.
- You publish a newsletter as well as running a course.
- You want to sell the course itself from the same tool.
Look elsewhere if
- Their logo stays on your emails until you pay.
- You want a bigger free allowance. Kit gives 10,000.
The details that decide it
The things that bite six months in, read off MailerLite's own pages. Where we could not read a page reliably, the row is left out rather than guessed at.
- Course platforms
- Lists Kajabi and Thinkific in its own integrations directory. Teachable and Podia are not in it. Source
- Moving your list in
- Self-serve only. No done-for-you migration is offered, but they publish import guides for Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, GetResponse, beehiiv, Substack and others. Source
- What else it costs
- Unsubscribed and bounced contacts do not count toward your total. If you pass your subscriber limit the plan upgrades itself and charges your card automatically. Source
- Getting your list back out
- Cancel any time without penalty. Their terms describe still being able to log in, export and migrate your data after a plan lapses. Source
MailerLite, answered
- Does MailerLite have a free plan?
- Yes. MailerLite's free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/mo. We read this off their pricing page on 5 September 2026.
- Can MailerLite send an automated welcome sequence on the free plan?
- Yes. 3 automations included free. That matters more than it sounds: most free plans let you broadcast but will not automate, so a new subscriber gets nothing until you sit down and write to them.
- What does MailerLite cost once the free plan runs out?
- The entry paid plan is Comfort at $12/mo, starting price; scales with list size. Prices on every platform here move with list size, so treat that as the floor rather than the bill.
- What is the catch with MailerLite?
- Their logo stays on your emails until you pay.
MailerLite against one other
Already down to two? These go straight to the head-to-head.
