Comparison
Free email platforms: compare limits before you subscribe
Subscriber caps, sending limits and branding, from each official pricing page.
Documentation-based Facts checked on official pages Oct 21, 2026. Interface labels can change.
No affiliate links on this page.
Decision summary
All three have a renewing free plan. Kit has the highest free subscriber cap (up to 10,000) with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, but automations and sequences are on paid plans. beehiiv allows up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends and a hosted website. MailerLite caps free at 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month but includes basic automations. We are not an affiliate of any of them.
Which one for your use case?
- A weekly newsletter with a growing list: Kit or beehiiv; Kit has the higher free cap.
- A welcome sequence on day one, small list: MailerLite’s free automations.
- A hosted newsletter website: beehiiv includes one on free.
Product details, plans and pricing
The how-to comes first. Below are the product facts, plan limits and prices, taken from official vendor pages. Each fact shows the date it was checked; vendors change plans, so confirm on the official page before you buy.
Side by side
| Kit | beehiiv | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free subscriber cap | Up to 10,000 | Up to 2,500 | 250 |
| Free sending | Unlimited broadcasts | Unlimited sends | 2,500 emails/month |
| Automations on free | Not listed (Visual Automations and sequences are on Creator) | No (automations start on Lite) | Yes, 3 active automations, 5 steps each |
| Forms and pages on free | Unlimited landing pages and forms | Subscribe forms; 1 custom page | 3 active forms; 1 site and 1 landing page |
| Remove vendor branding | Creator plan | Pro plan | Comfort plan |
| First paid plan | Creator $39/month billed monthly, or $390/year (about $33/month) billed yearly, at 1,000 subscribers | Lite $59/month, or $49/month billed yearly (up to 1,000) | Comfort from $12/month |
| Paid-feature trial | 14-day trial on Creator and Pro | See pricing page | 14-day premium trial for new accounts |
Prices in USD as shown on official pages. “Billed yearly” is the per-month figure of an annual plan paid up front.
Limitations to check
- Free plans show vendor branding.
- All three need a verified sender address; check domain authentication.
- Caps count active subscribers; check how unsubscribes are counted.
Sources
- Kit pricing Not affiliate (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- beehiiv pricing Not affiliate (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- MailerLite pricing Not affiliate (checked Oct 21, 2026)
Mishal Brands Editorial. Ordering is alphabetical or by task fit, never by commission. Corrections.