The best free email marketing software of 2025: Expert tested

by ZDNet

July 18, 2025

in ZDNet

Reading Time: 15 mins read

2025-07-18 05:00:00
www.zdnet.com

Many email marketing tools promise the world but deliver only headaches. You’re probably here because your current solution isn’t cutting it. Maybe the automation feels clunky, the pricing doesn’t scale, or you’re drowning in features you’ll never use. It’s more common than you’d think!

Also: The best email marketing software

The good news? I’ve helped startups and businesses set up newsletters, order tracking workflows, calendar invites — the whole nine yards. And with time, I’ve picked up on the tools that are best at each of them. Whatever your email marketing needs in 2025, here are my top picks that offer the best free options to help you test the waters.

What is the best free email marketing software right now?

My top pick for free email marketing software is Brevo. I love how it balances powerful automation with an easy-to-use UI. Multichannel campaigns let you run SMS, WhatsApp, and email chains from a single dashboard, which saves time and keeps messaging consistent. Plus, at $9 per month, it won’t drain your budget once you choose to upgrade to paid.

But there are other email marketing tools to choose from. In fact, I’ve got email marketing software recommendations for every type of business and user. I selected these platforms based on UX, pricing, automation features, and deliverability rates.

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The best free email marketing software of 2025

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I’m impressed with how Brevo handles the balance between features and affordability, especially with its free plan. The platform’s free tier offers 300 emails per day (around 9,000 monthly) with unlimited contacts up to 100,000 — one of the most generous free offerings I’ve tested. You get access to over 40 email templates, drag-and-drop editing, and basic automation for up to 2,000 contacts without paying anything.

Unlike many, Brevo’s free plan is exceptional for its multichannel approach — you can run email, SMS, and WhatsApp campaigns from the same dashboard without upgrading. Automation workflows include behavioral triggers and segmentation tools that typically require paid plans elsewhere. I particularly appreciate the transactional email capabilities and website tracking features included at no cost.

The free plan does include Brevo branding on emails and limits you to 300 daily sends, but the contact limit is unmatched. For businesses focused on list building without immediate sending pressure, Brevo’s free tier provides genuine long-term value. The platform makes it easy to scale up when you need higher sending volumes or want to remove branding.

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Mailchimp remains beginner-friendly, though its free plan has recently become significantly more restrictive. You get 500 contacts and 1,000 monthly email sends with a 500 daily limit, plus access to its drag-and-drop editor and template library. The platform includes basic single-step automations, a landing page builder, and forms, making it functional for simple email marketing needs.

The free plan’s integration ecosystem still shines with connections to popular tools, and the AI Creative Assistant helps with design and content creation. You can set up basic behavioral targeting and use its marketing CRM features to track customer interactions. However, Mailchimp discontinued its classic automation builder for free accounts as of June this year, limiting you to very basic workflows.

Major limitations include mandatory Mailchimp branding, no email scheduling, and no A/B testing on the free tier. The 500 contact limit becomes restrictive quickly for growing businesses. While the interface remains intuitive, the recent feature cuts make the free plan less compelling than it once was, especially compared to more generous competitors.

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ConvertKit, now just Kit, recently transformed its free plan by increasing the subscriber limit from 1,000 to 10,000 — making it incredibly attractive for content creators. You get unlimited landing pages, unlimited forms, and unlimited broadcast emails, which is remarkable for a free tier. The platform includes one basic visual automation and one email sequence, plus its powerful tagging and segmentation system.

What sets Kit apart is its creator-focused approach — you can sell digital products directly through the platform and use its newsletter feed feature to showcase your content. The API access on the free plan is unusual and valuable for businesses wanting to integrate with custom tools. I appreciate how the platform includes comprehensive training and community support even for free users.

Limitations include restriction to one user account and Kit branding on emails, plus you’re limited to just one automation workflow and one email sequence. Yet the 10,000 subscriber allowance makes these restrictions manageable for most content creators and bloggers. For businesses in the creator economy, Kit’s free plan offers exceptional value and room for significant growth.

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Klaviyo offers a free plan specifically designed for small e-commerce businesses testing the platform. You get 500 monthly email sends and 150 SMS/MMS credits with up to 250 active customer profiles — quite restrictive but functional for startups. The platform includes built-in reporting dashboards, mobile push marketing, and email support for the first 60 days.

The free plan showcases Klaviyo’s e-commerce strength with product recommendations, customer lifetime value tracking, and behavioral triggers that respond to shopping activity. Advanced segmentation lets you target customers based on purchase history and browsing behavior, features that typically require paid plans elsewhere. Cross-channel coordination between email and SMS is seamless even on the free tier.

However, the 250-contact limit is genuinely restrictive and includes Klaviyo branding on all emails. The platform’s complexity can overwhelm beginners, though the Academy courses help with onboarding. For e-commerce businesses wanting to test sophisticated personalization features before committing to paid plans, Klaviyo’s free tier provides valuable insight into the platform’s capabilities.

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MailerLite delivers one of the most generous free plans available with 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 monthly emails — that’s 12 emails per subscriber monthly. The platform includes its full automation builder, 10 landing pages, unlimited signup forms and pop-ups, plus A/B testing capabilities. You get 24/7 email and chat support for the first 30 days, which is rare for free tiers.

The automation features are genuinely sophisticated for a free plan, letting you create complex workflows based on subscriber behavior and engagement. The landing page builder includes professional templates, and the website builder lets you create a basic site with your domain. I also like the file storage feature with access to over 1 million free GIFs and icons for email design.

The main limitations include MailerLite branding on emails and restricted access to premium email templates after the 14-day trial period. However, the core functionality remains robust, and the generous sending limits make it practical for businesses with regular email marketing needs. For small businesses wanting sophisticated automation without immediate upgrade pressure, MailerLite’s free plan offers exceptional long-term value.

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Email marketing platform	Starting cost (paid)	Customizable?	Integrations	Easy to use?
Brevo	$9 per month	Yes	350+ integrations including WooCommerce, Shopify, WordPress	Yes
Mailchimp	$13 per month	Yes	300+ third-party connections	Yes
Kit	$25 per month	Yes	950+ integrations including e-commerce apps	Requires training
Klaviyo	$20 per month	Yes	350+ integrations with ecommerce platforms	Requires training
MailerLite	$18 per month	Yes	Numerous community-built apps and extensions	Yes

Choose this email marketing software…	If you want or need…
Brevo	Multichannel marketing on a budget with unlimited contacts and affordable SMS/WhatsApp integration
Mailchimp	A beginner-friendly platform with extensive templates and integrations for simple email campaigns
Kit	Creator-focused newsletter platform with enhanced monetization features for influencers and artists
Klaviyo	Deep ecommerce personalization with predictive analytics and product recommendations for online stores
MailerLite	Automation-focused email marketing tool with the most generous free plan, despite the forced branding

Email marketing software isn’t by far the most difficult choice your team will have to make, plus you can always export your data and move on if the platform feels unsatisfactory. That said, it can be a significant expense in time and resources to train your entire team on a new platform over and over. Here are some things to look for, so you can get it right the first time:

Pricing model: Look beyond the free plan to understand how costs scale with your marketing campaign. Some platforms charge per contact while others charge per email, which can dramatically affect your expenses as you grow.
Deliverability: Your emails need to actually reach people’s inboxes, but it isn’t as easy as that sounds. Email providers have spam filters that flag promotional messages, damaging your sender reputation. Platforms with strong deliverability rates come equipped with compliance features to prevent that.
Integration with existing tools: Your email marketing platform should connect with your CRM, ecommerce platform, and other business tools. Poor integration creates data silos, leading to more manual work that slows down your marketing efforts.
Advanced features: Advanced automation workflows and audience segmentation separate basic platforms from sophisticated marketing tools. Look for platforms that offer things like behavioral triggers and AI customer data analysis.
Learning curve: Consider your team’s technical expertise when evaluating a platform’s complexity. Some tools offer powerful features but require significant learning upfront, while others prioritize ease of use. Depending on your choice, you may need to invest into training resources for better adoption.
Scalability: Choose a platform that can expand with your business needs without forcing you to migrate later. But also, make sure that the platform offers smooth import-export options so that you have the choice open to you later.
Customer support quality: Reliable support becomes crucial when you’re running time-sensitive campaigns or troubleshooting technical issues. Look for platforms offering multiple support channels and responsive assistance.

While a free plan can help you get started, it’s not typically sustainable in the long run. That said, I was really impressed with the generous free tiers offered by some vendors like Kit and MailerLite.

Generally, though, I evaluated each platform by looking at its cost structure, deliverability, integration ecosystem, user experience, reporting, security features, and customer support quality. I spent a lot of time creating mock campaigns, setting up automations, and testing customer support responses to understand how each platform handles typical business conditions.

I also looked for compliance with email-specific data regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM. Then, I looked for things like AI-powered behavioral analytics and CRM or CSM features built into the platform. While these aren’t a must-have, email marketing is a competitive space and these things can give one vendor a clear advantage over others.

Email marketing software is a specialized tool that helps businesses create, send, and track email campaigns to their subscriber lists. These platforms typically include features like email templates, automation workflows, list management, analytics, and A/B testing to streamline your marketing efforts.

To avoid spam filters, maintain clean email lists by regularly removing inactive subscribers and including clear unsubscribe options. Use authentic sender information, avoid spammy language in subject lines, and follow email authentication protocols like SPF and DKIM. Building a good sender reputation through consistent, valuable content also helps improve deliverability rates.

Yes, most reputable email marketing platforms allow you to connect your own domain for sending emails. This helps maintain brand consistency and can improve deliverability since emails come from your recognized business domain rather than a generic platform address.

Single opt-in adds subscribers to your list immediately when they sign up, while double opt-in requires them to confirm their subscription via a confirmation email. Double opt-in creates more engaged subscriber lists and reduces spam complaints, though it may result in fewer total subscribers.

Track basic figures like open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates to gauge campaign performance. Engagement metrics like click-to-open ratios can provide deeper insight. Ultimately though, your revenue generated per campaign is the final indicator of whether your efforts have been truly successful.

Other email marketing tools to consider

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