The best AI email marketing software for most businesses is ActiveCampaign, because its automations and AI tools start at $15 a month for 1,000 contacts. If you want free, pick Brevo or MailerLite. For online stores, pick Klaviyo or Omnisend. For beginners, pick Mailchimp or Constant Contact. Pick GetResponse for funnels and webinars, and Moosend if you mail a big list only now and then.
Here is what matters when you buy. Almost every tool here has AI that writes subject lines and emails. What really changes your bill is how each tool charges you. Most charge by list size. Brevo charges by emails sent, and Moosend sells prepaid credits.
I pulled every price from each vendor’s own pricing page in October 2026. Where a price only shows after you move a slider, I say so plainly.
Building a full stack? Our small business software guide shows the best pick for every job and what it costs.
Quick Comparison: 9 Best Email Marketing Tools at a Glance
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Billing model | Free plan or trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign | Best overall, automation | $15/mo for 1,000 contacts | By contacts | 14-day free trial |
| Brevo | Free plan with a big contact limit | $9/mo | By emails sent | Free, 300 emails a day |
| MailerLite | Simple newsletters on a budget | $12/mo | By subscribers | Free, 250 subscribers |
| Klaviyo | Online stores with lots of data | $20/mo for 500 profiles | By active profiles | Free, 250 profiles |
| Omnisend | Shopify stores that want email and SMS | $11.20/mo for 500 contacts | By contacts | Free, 250 contacts |
| Mailchimp | Beginners and small teams | $13/mo | By contacts | Free, 250 contacts |
| Constant Contact | Local businesses that want phone help | $12/mo ($10.20 yearly) | By contacts | Free trial, 30-day money-back |
| GetResponse | Funnels, webinars and courses | $19/mo ($15.58 yearly) | By contacts | Free trial |
| Moosend | Big lists you mail now and then | Not readable on pricing page | By contacts or prepaid credits | 30-day free trial |
What Is AI Email Marketing Software?
AI email marketing software is a tool that sends newsletters, promos and automated emails to people who signed up for your list. The AI part helps you write subject lines and emails, pick the best send time, sort your list into groups and predict who will buy. You pay by list size or by emails sent.
This is not the same as cold email. Cold email tools send one-to-one messages to people who never signed up, like sales leads. If that is your goal, see our guide to the best cold email software. The tools here are for people who opted in.
What Makes the Best AI Email Marketing Software?
The best AI email marketing software fits your list size, sends automations you actually need and stays affordable as your list grows. Check five things. How does it charge you? What does the free plan allow? Which AI tools come with your plan? Does it connect to your store or CRM? And what happens when you pass a limit?
We compared each tool on those points using its own pricing page and help docs. Many top reviews still list MailerLite’s old free plan or mix in cold email tools. We fix gaps like that below.
Best AI Email Marketing Software Overall
ActiveCampaign is the best overall pick. It has some of the deepest automations in email marketing, AI that writes content and predicts send times, and a built-in CRM. Starter costs $15 a month for 1,000 contacts, and you get a 14-day free trial with no card needed.
1 ActiveCampaign: Best for automation
If you want emails that react to what each person does, start here.
What it does well. ActiveCampaign lets you build automations that branch based on clicks, site visits and purchases. Its AI, called Active Intelligence, helps you write emails and build automations. On the Pro plan, it can also pick the best send time for each contact. It also has a built-in CRM.
Key features:
- Visual automation builder
- AI content generation on Plus and above
- Predictive sending on Pro
- Built-in CRM and landing pages
- Free migration and onboarding
Pricing. The pricing page only shows numbers after you pick a list size. ActiveCampaign’s own comparison page lists Starter at $15, Plus at $49, Pro at $79 and Enterprise at $145 a month for 1,000 contacts. Its March 2026 blog puts Starter at $149 a month for 10,000 contacts. Yearly plans are paid in one payment at a discount. There is a 14-day free trial with no card, capped at 100 contacts and 100 emails. It also promises your money back if you don’t see results in 30 days. See ActiveCampaign pricing.
Best for: You, if you run a growing business and want automations that do real work for you.
Limitations. Starter has just 1 user seat and tops out at 25,000 contacts. Full AI access is only on Pro and Enterprise. Starter and Plus get limited access.
Best Free Email Marketing Software
Brevo has the best free plan. You can store up to 100,000 contacts and send 300 emails a day for free. Paid plans start at $9 a month and charge by emails sent, not list size. MailerLite is the best free pick if you want a simpler editor, with 250 subscribers free.
2 Brevo: Best free plan for big lists
If you have a big list but don’t email it often, Brevo can save you a lot.
What it does well. Brevo charges for the emails you send, not how many contacts you keep. So a large list you mail once a month can cost much less here. It also sends SMS and receipts from the same account.
Key features:
- AI content generator for subject lines and emails
- AI send time on Standard
- AI segmentation and AI Data Analyst on Professional
- Transactional email on every plan
- Connects to ChatGPT and Claude
Pricing. The free plan sends 300 emails a day and stores up to 100,000 contacts. Starter starts at $9 a month for 5,000 emails. Standard starts at $18 a month and adds automation, A/B tests and AI send time. Professional starts at $499 a month for 150,000 emails and 10 seats. Enterprise is priced by quote. Paying yearly saves 10%. See Brevo pricing.
Best for: You, if you have lots of contacts and send a few campaigns a month.
Limitations. Starter has no automations, so most growing teams need Standard. The 300-a-day free limit is slow for a big list.
3 MailerLite: Best for simple newsletters
If you want a simple tool that looks good and costs little, MailerLite is a strong pick.
What it does well. MailerLite is easy to learn. You also get landing pages and ways to sell paid newsletters.
Key features:
- AI writing assistant on Comfort and Power
- Smart sending
- Landing pages and websites
- Paid newsletters and digital products
- Connects to Claude and ChatGPT
Pricing. The free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with 2 user seats. Comfort starts at $12 a month, with 3 seats and sends up to 10 times your subscriber tier. Power starts at $25 a month, with unlimited emails and seats. Paying yearly saves 10%. Nonprofits get 30% off. You get 14 days to try premium features. See MailerLite pricing.
Best for: You, if you send a regular newsletter and want low prices without a steep learning curve.
Limitations. MailerLite cut its free plan on June 16, 2026. It went from 500 to 250 subscribers and from 12,000 to 2,500 emails a month. Its automations are simpler than ActiveCampaign’s. And you pay for anyone active during the month, even if they later leave.
Best Email Marketing Software for Ecommerce
Klaviyo is the best pick for online stores that want deep data and AI. It predicts each shopper’s next order and lifetime value, and email starts at $20 a month for 500 profiles. Omnisend is the cheaper pick for Shopify stores, with Standard at $11.20 a month and SMS from $0.007 a message.
4 Klaviyo: Best for data-driven online stores
If you run a store and want every email based on what people buy, Klaviyo is built for that.
What it does well. Klaviyo pulls in your store data and uses it everywhere. It predicts lifetime value, next order date and churn risk. Its AI tool, Composer, can build flows and campaigns from a simple prompt.
Key features:
- Predictive analytics for each shopper
- Composer for AI-built flows and campaigns
- Personalized send time
- 70+ ready-made flows and 160+ templates
- Email, SMS, WhatsApp and push in one place
Pricing. The free plan covers 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month, with email support for your first 60 days. Klaviyo’s email page lists paid email at $20 a month for 500 active profiles, with a promo showing $1. Its main pricing page did not load a readable price table for us, so we could not confirm prices at larger list sizes. You pay for every profile you can email. See Klaviyo pricing.
Best for: You, if you run an online store and want to sell more to the customers you already have.
Limitations. Every profile you can email counts toward your bill, even ones that never open.
5 Omnisend: Best for email plus SMS on Shopify
If you want store emails and texts without Klaviyo’s price, look at Omnisend.
What it does well. Omnisend is built for online stores, and it is simpler than Klaviyo. You get ready-made flows for abandoned carts and welcome series.
Key features:
- Forms AI and Reports AI on Standard
- AI product recommender on Pro
- Personalized send time on Pro
- SMS and web push in the same flows
Pricing. The free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month. Standard is $11.20 a month for 500 contacts and 6,000 emails. Pro is $41.30 a month for 2,500 contacts, with unlimited emails. SMS starts at $0.007 a message at high volume in the US. You can pay 3 months upfront to save 30%. We did not see a yearly plan. See Omnisend pricing.
Best for: You, if you run a Shopify or similar store and want email and SMS without a big bill.
Limitations. Most AI tools are only on Pro. You are billed for people who get automated messages, even if they never subscribed to your newsletter.
Best Email Marketing Software for Beginners
Mailchimp is the easiest place to start, with a free plan for 250 contacts and paid plans from $13 a month. Constant Contact is the better pick if you want live phone help and a money-back guarantee, starting at $12 a month or $10.20 a month billed yearly.
6 Mailchimp: Best for beginners
If this is your first email tool, Mailchimp is the name most people know for a reason.
What it does well. Mailchimp is easy to set up and has lots of help guides. Its AI, called Intuit Assist, can write emails and suggest content.
Key features:
- Generative AI on Standard and Premium
- Drag-and-drop editor and templates
- Automations and customer journeys
- A/B testing and reports
Pricing. The free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, with 250 a day at most. Essentials shows $13 a month and Standard shows $20 a month for the smallest list. Premium shows $350 a month and includes 10,000 contacts. The page labels these prices “for 12 months,” so check what you pay after year one. You save 15% on lists of 10,000 or more. Essentials and Standard have a 14-day free trial. Going over your limit adds overage charges. See Mailchimp pricing.
Best for: You, if you are new to email marketing and want a tool with lots of how-to help.
Limitations. The free plan is small at 250 contacts. Costs climb quickly as your list grows. AI is only included on Standard and Premium. And the “for 12 months” price wording means your later bill may differ.
7 Constant Contact: Best for local businesses
If you run a shop, clinic or nonprofit and want a real person to call, Constant Contact fits.
What it does well. Constant Contact gives live phone and chat support on every plan. Every plan has an AI copy generator. Standard adds an AI campaign builder that sets up a full campaign for you.
Key features:
- AI copy generator on every plan
- AI campaign builder on Standard and Premium
- 300+ integrations
- Live phone and chat support
- 500 SMS a month on Premium
Pricing. Lite is $12 a month, or $10.20 billed yearly, for 1 user. Standard is $35 a month, or $29.75 yearly, for 3 users. Premium is $80 a month, or $68 yearly, for unlimited users. You can send 10, 12 or 24 times your contact count each month, based on your plan. Extra sends cost $0.002 each. Prepaying for a year saves up to 15%, and nonprofits save up to 30%. There is a free trial with no card and a 30-day money-back guarantee. See Constant Contact pricing.
Best for: You, if you run a local business and want phone support and a guarantee.
Limitations. Lite only has 1 automation template. Its AI is more basic than ActiveCampaign’s or Klaviyo’s.
Best All-in-One Email Marketing Platform
GetResponse is the best all-in-one pick. On top of email, you get landing pages, sales funnels, webinars and a course builder. Starter costs $15.58 a month billed yearly for 1,000 contacts, and Marketer, with unlimited AI writing and automations, costs $48.38 a month billed yearly.
8 GetResponse: Best for funnels and courses
If you sell courses or run webinars, GetResponse lets you do it all in one account.
What it does well. GetResponse mixes email with the tools you need to sell online. Its AI writes emails and subject lines. Creator adds a website builder and a course creator for up to 500 students.
Key features:
- AI email and subject line generators
- Unlimited email sends on every plan
- Sales funnels and abandoned cart emails
- Webinars and a course creator
Pricing. Prices below are for 1,000 contacts. Starter is $19 a month, or $15.58 a month billed yearly. Marketer is $59 a month, or $48.38 billed yearly. Creator is $69 a month, or $56.58 billed yearly. Enterprise is priced by quote. Every paid plan has a free trial, but the page did not state how long it lasts. We saw no free plan. See GetResponse pricing.
Best for: You, if you sell courses, run webinars or build sales funnels.
Limitations. Starter lets you use the AI generators only 3 times and build just 1 automation. So most people need Marketer. No refund policy showed on the pricing page.
Best Budget Email Marketing Software for Big Lists
Moosend is the best budget pick if you have a big list but only email it now and then. Beyond its monthly plans, it sells prepaid email credits from $350 for 350,000 emails. That works out to $1 per 1,000 emails, and the credits never expire.
9 Moosend: Best for pay-as-you-go sending
If you don’t want to pay every month for a list you rarely mail, Moosend’s credits help.
What it does well. Moosend has the basics most teams need at a lower price. It has an AI writer and AI product picks for stores.
Key features:
- Moosend AI Writer
- AI product recommendations on Pro and above
- Automation workflows and landing pages
- Prepaid credits that never expire
Pricing. The Pro plan price only shows after you pick a list size, and we could not read it. Moosend’s own blog lists $9 a month for 500 contacts and $16 for 1,000. You save 15% on 6-month billing and 20% on yearly billing. Credits cost $350 for 350,000 emails, $500 for 500,000, $750 for 750,000 or $1,000 for 1,000,000. There is a 30-day free trial with no card. See Moosend pricing.
Best for: You, if you have a big list and send a few big campaigns a year.
Limitations. Its AI is basic next to Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign. And the monthly plan price is hard to see before you sign up.
Tools We Left Out, and Why
- Instantly and lemlist. They are cold outreach tools, not newsletter tools. They belong on a different list.
- HubSpot Marketing Hub. Its automations start on Professional, which costs far more than every tool here. See our HubSpot alternatives if you are thinking of leaving it.
- Kit. It is a good pick for creators, but we could not confirm its current prices on its own pricing page, so we left it out.
What Email Marketing Really Costs at 5,000 and 25,000 Contacts
Most vendors only show prices for 5,000 or 25,000 contacts inside a slider on the pricing page, so we could not confirm them. What we can confirm is this. ActiveCampaign Starter costs $1,788 a year at 10,000 contacts. Mailchimp Premium costs $4,200 a year at 10,000. Moosend credits cover 5,000 contacts for $350 a year.
This math uses confirmed monthly prices times 12, without taxes or promos.
| Tool and plan | List size | Monthly price | One year |
|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign Starter | 1,000 contacts | $15 | $180 |
| ActiveCampaign Starter | 10,000 contacts | $149 | $1,788 |
| GetResponse Starter (yearly) | 1,000 contacts | $15.58 | $186.96 |
| GetResponse Marketer (yearly) | 1,000 contacts | $48.38 | $580.56 |
| Omnisend Pro | 2,500 contacts | $41.30 | $495.60 |
| Mailchimp Premium | 10,000 contacts | $350 | $4,200 |
Now say you email your list 4 times a month. With 5,000 contacts, that is 20,000 emails a month, or 240,000 a year. With 25,000 contacts, it is 100,000 a month, or 1.2 million a year.
| Option | 5,000 contacts, 4 emails a month | 25,000 contacts, 4 emails a month |
|---|---|---|
| Moosend credits | $350 pack covers the year | $1,200 in packs for 1.2 million emails |
| Brevo free plan (300 a day) | 17 days to send one campaign | 84 days to send one campaign |
| Free plans capped at 250 contacts | Mailchimp, MailerLite, Klaviyo and Omnisend won’t fit | Won’t fit |
My tip: type your real list size into each pricing slider, write down the yearly total, and add SMS or extra user costs.
How to Choose Email Marketing Software Without Overpaying
- Know how you are charged. Most tools charge by list size. Brevo charges by emails sent.
- Trim your list first. Klaviyo counts every profile you can email. MailerLite counts anyone active during the month. Remove dead contacts first.
- Check which plan gets the AI. ActiveCampaign gives full AI only on Pro. Omnisend puts most AI tools on Pro. Mailchimp includes AI on Standard and up.
- Read promo wording. Mailchimp shows prices “for 12 months.” Klaviyo showed a $1 promo. Plan your budget on the regular price.
- Compare monthly and yearly billing. GetResponse Starter costs $41 more a year on monthly billing. Only pay yearly once you know you like the tool.
- Use the trial and refund window. Constant Contact gives a 30-day money-back guarantee. ActiveCampaign promises your money back if you don’t see results in 30 days.
How We Evaluated These Tools
We compared each tool using its own pricing page, feature pages and help docs, checked in October 2026. We also read the top-ranking reviews of email marketing software to find what they got wrong or left out. We looked at how each tool charges, free plan limits, which plan includes the AI, trials and refunds, and who each tool is built for. We did not run our own deliverability or sending tests, and feature claims come from the vendors. No vendor pays to be listed. Read our editorial policy to learn more.
Keep comparing: SaaS guides · Best AI CRM Software · Best AI Marketing Tools
The Bottom Line
If you want one tool that grows with you, pick ActiveCampaign. Its automations and AI are some of the best, and it starts at $15 a month. If you want free, start with Brevo, or MailerLite if you want something simpler. For online stores, go with Klaviyo, or Omnisend if you want to spend less. New to email? Mailchimp or Constant Contact will get you going fast. Pick GetResponse if you sell courses or run webinars. And if you have a big list you mail only now and then, Moosend’s credits can cut your bill.
Want a second opinion? Our best AI sales forecasting software guide takes a different angle, and our best CPQ software and best commission tracking software guides cover what is left.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best AI email marketing software?
ActiveCampaign is the best pick for most businesses. It has deep automations, AI content tools and predictive sending on its Pro plan. It starts at $15 a month for 1,000 contacts. Stores should look at Klaviyo, and beginners at Mailchimp.
What is the best free email marketing software?
Brevo has the most generous free plan. It stores up to 100,000 contacts and lets you send 300 emails a day. MailerLite, Mailchimp, Klaviyo and Omnisend all have free plans too, but each caps you at 250 contacts. That is fine to test, but most real lists outgrow it fast.
How much does email marketing software cost?
Small lists cost about $9 to $20 a month. Brevo starts at $9, MailerLite at $12, Mailchimp at $13 and ActiveCampaign at $15. Costs rise with your list. ActiveCampaign Starter is $149 a month at 10,000 contacts, and Mailchimp Premium is $350 a month at 10,000.
Is Mailchimp still worth it in 2026?
It is still a good pick for beginners, thanks to its easy setup and many help guides. But its free plan only covers 250 contacts, and it lists prices “for 12 months.” Large lists may cost less on Brevo or Moosend, since neither prices by contacts alone.
What is the difference between email marketing and cold email software?
Email marketing software sends newsletters and automated emails to people who signed up for your list. Cold email software sends one-to-one outreach to people who did not sign up, like sales leads. They follow different rules, so pick the type that fits your goal.
Which email marketing software is best for ecommerce?
Klaviyo is the best for stores that want deep data. It predicts each shopper’s next order and lifetime value. Omnisend is a cheaper choice for Shopify stores, with Standard at $11.20 a month and SMS from $0.007 a message. Both have free plans for 250 contacts.
Can AI write my marketing emails?
Yes. Most tools here can draft subject lines and full emails. Klaviyo’s Composer builds flows from a prompt, and ActiveCampaign can pick send times for each contact. Mailchimp, Brevo and MailerLite also have AI writers. Always check facts, prices and tone before you send.
Which email marketing tool is cheapest for a large list?
It depends on how often you send. Brevo charges by emails sent, not contacts, so large lists that mail rarely can cost less. Moosend sells credits at $1 per 1,000 emails that never expire. Tools that price by list size cost more as you grow.