Brevo vs MailerLite: Which Email Tool Wins in 2026?

Brevo and MailerLite occupy similar territory in the email marketing landscape — both are affordable, both offer generous free plans, and both target small to mid-sized businesses. But they differ meaningfully in pricing model, automation depth, and the overall direction of the platforms. Choosing between them comes down to understanding your specific needs and which platform's strengths align with them.

The Fundamental Difference

Brevo charges by email volume, not contact count. You can store unlimited contacts and pay based on how many emails you send each month. This model rewards businesses that segment their sends — emailing different parts of their list at different frequencies — rather than penalising them for list growth.

MailerLite charges by subscriber count, which is the traditional email platform model. Your bill grows as your list grows, regardless of how often you email. This makes MailerLite predictable for constant-frequency sending but expensive for businesses that grow their lists aggressively.

Pricing Comparison

MailerLite Free: Up to 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month. Limited features, no automations beyond welcome emails.

MailerLite Growing Business: From $9/month for 500 subscribers — price increases sharply:

• 1,000 subscribers: $15/month
• 2,500 subscribers: $25/month
• 10,000 subscribers: $73/month
• 50,000 subscribers: $249/month

Brevo Free: Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day, includes automation and CRM.

Brevo Starter: From $9/month — 5,000 emails regardless of how many contacts you have.

Brevo Business: From $18/month — 20,000 emails, full automation, A/B testing.

Verdict: For lists under 1,000 contacts with regular sending, MailerLite's free plan is more generous than Brevo's. For lists above 2,500 contacts, Brevo's pricing advantage grows rapidly. A brand with 50,000 contacts pays $249/month with MailerLite vs $60-80/month with Brevo's volume-based pricing.

Free Plan Comparison

MailerLite's free plan is notably stronger for new users. Up to 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month, and access to core automation features (including the automations editor). The limitation is the 1,000 subscriber ceiling — once you exceed this, you must upgrade.

Brevo's free plan has unlimited contacts but limits you to 300 emails per day. For a list of 1,000 contacts, this means you can only send to your full list once every 3-4 days. The free plan includes the basic CRM and a welcome automation, which MailerLite's free plan does not.

Winner: MailerLite for new users with small lists who want to send frequently. Brevo for businesses that want to grow their contact database before committing to a paid plan.

Email Builder and Design

MailerLite's email editor is widely regarded as one of the most intuitive in the industry. The block-based editor is clean, fast, and produces beautiful results with minimal effort. The template library leans toward minimal, modern designs that work across industries. Landing page creation is also included — MailerLite lets you build standalone landing pages and pop-ups without needing a separate tool.

Brevo's email editor is fully functional and produces professional results, but is less polished than MailerLite's in the user experience. Where Brevo excels is the unified design experience for both marketing and transactional emails — you build both types of templates in the same editor.

Winner: MailerLite for design quality and editor experience. Brevo if you also need transactional email templates.

Automation

Brevo's automation builder is more powerful than MailerLite's. The trigger library is broader (including website visit triggers, transactional email events, and CRM updates), conditional branching is more flexible, and the ability to combine email and SMS in a single workflow is a genuine differentiator. Complex, multi-condition automation sequences are more naturally expressed in Brevo's workflow canvas.

MailerLite's automation is easier to use and perfectly capable for common sequences (welcome series, abandoned cart, birthday emails, re-engagement campaigns). The visual builder is clean and approachable. For straightforward automation needs, MailerLite's simplicity is actually an advantage.

Winner: Brevo for automation power and complexity. MailerLite for ease of use in simple workflows.

Deliverability

Both platforms invest heavily in deliverability and maintain strong shared IP pool reputations. Neither has a sustained deliverability advantage over the other in independent testing.

Brevo's European origins and GDPR-compliant infrastructure may provide marginal advantages for senders with predominantly European audiences. MailerLite's strict account approval process (all new accounts are manually reviewed) helps maintain clean sending IPs that protect all users' deliverability.

Winner: Tie — both platforms deliver competitive inbox placement rates.

Landing Pages

MailerLite includes a landing page builder on all plans, including the free plan. Create standalone opt-in pages, sales pages, or link-in-bio pages without a separate tool. This is genuinely valuable for bloggers, creators, and businesses that do not have a dedicated website.

Brevo does not include a built-in landing page builder. You can embed Brevo signup forms into existing pages but cannot create standalone landing pages within the platform.

Winner: MailerLite — landing pages included at no additional cost is a meaningful feature that Brevo lacks.

CRM and Sales Features

Brevo includes a functional CRM on all plans: contact records, deal pipelines, task assignment, and activity timelines. For businesses that want email + light CRM in one tool, Brevo delivers this without extra cost.

MailerLite does not include a CRM. Contact management is purely within the email marketing context.

Winner: Brevo for built-in CRM functionality.

Customer Support

MailerLite is consistently praised for exceptional customer support. Live chat support is available 24/7 on paid plans. The MailerLite Academy — a free library of video courses — is one of the best educational resources available from any email platform. Support response times are fast and the quality is high.

Brevo offers email and phone support on paid plans, with live chat on Business plans. Support is competent but MailerLite's is genuinely outstanding.

Winner: MailerLite for support quality and educational resources.

Who Should Choose Brevo?

• Businesses with lists above 2,500 contacts where volume-based pricing saves money
• Teams that need email + SMS + CRM in one platform
• Users who also send transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets)
• Businesses with complex automation needs involving multiple channels and conditions
• Marketers who need a built-in CRM without additional cost

Who Should Choose MailerLite?

• Bloggers, creators, and newsletters with under 1,000 subscribers (free plan is more generous)
• Businesses that prioritise beautiful email design and an intuitive editor
• Teams where ease of use is the top priority and simple automation is sufficient
• Businesses that want built-in landing pages without a separate tool
• Users who value outstanding customer support and educational resources

Brevo Plan Comparison

Plan	Price	Emails/Month	Key Features
Free	$0/forever	300/day	Unlimited contacts, email campaigns, basic CRM, Brevo branding
Starter	From $9/month	5,000	No daily cap, no Brevo logo, basic reporting, email & phone support
Business	From $18/month	20,000	Marketing automation, A/B testing, advanced stats, multi-user access
Enterprise	Custom pricing	Unlimited	Dedicated IP, SSO/SAML, custom onboarding, dedicated account manager

Try Brevo free — unlimited contacts from day one, no credit card required. Upgrade when your sending volume demands it.