MailerLite covers newsletters, automation workflows, landing pages, a website builder, signup forms and digital product sales in one account, with transactional sending handled by its separate MailerSend service. The free plan is tight: three automations of five steps each, one website and one landing page. After the 14-day trial, campaigns need an authenticated sending domain. Buyers compare alternatives when they want creator monetization, SMS steps inside automations, plans sized by send volume, or room to grow a list before paying.
Common reasons to look for a MailerLite alternative
The Free plan includes three automations, each limited to five steps.
Multiple triggers in one automation are reserved for the Power plan.
Free accounts lack the custom HTML editor, auto resend and the preference center.
After the trial, sending requires authenticating your own domain, and free mailbox domains such as Gmail are restricted.
Transactional email runs through MailerSend, a separate product from the marketing account.
Ranked by Overall Score: our Editor Rating and Market Signal, 50/50. Market Signal uses Ahrefs and Semrush data through September 2026, pulled October 6 to 12, 2026. How we score
Why choose it: A retailer planning multi-branch customer journeys with text-message steps can build Marketing Automation Flows in Mailchimp on Standard or higher.
Strengths
• Standard flows allow up to 200 steps and three triggers.
• Conditional and percentage splits branch contacts by behavior.
• SMS steps can sit inside automation flows.
Limitations
• Branching and SMS steps require Standard or higher.
• SMS steps also need an approved SMS Marketing program.
Why choose it: A business with a large contact list but modest send volume can keep more contacts on Brevo, whose tiers are sized by monthly email sends.
Strengths
• Tiers are sized by email volume, with contact storage attached.
• Transactional API sends from the same account as campaigns.
• Email, SMS, live chat and a sales CRM together.
Limitations
• Transactional and marketing streams need separate consent and reputation care.
Why choose it: A creator who wants subscribers referred by other newsletters, and to earn from recommending others, can grow through Kit's Creator Network and Paid Recommendations.
Strengths
• Free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers and digital product sales.
• Creator plan adds unlimited visual automations and sequences.
• Paid Recommendations and sponsor matching on Creator and Pro.
Limitations
• Visual automations and app integrations need the Creator plan.
• Organized by tags and segments, with no sales-pipeline structure.
Why choose it: A small newsletter that wants plain campaigns, one landing page and a signup form, without a website builder, can stay simple with EmailOctopus.
Strengths
• Starter tier includes 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails monthly.
• Drag-and-drop and HTML editors with 100+ templates.
• Pro removes EmailOctopus branding and keeps data permanently.
What should I prepare before moving my list off MailerLite?⌄
Keep a record of how and when each subscriber opted in, plus the groups or segments you rely on, because the new platform will ask about consent. Rebuild automations step by step, since step limits differ: Mailchimp Essentials flows stop at four steps. Authenticate your sending domain on the new service before the first campaign.
Which MailerLite alternative fits paid newsletters?⌄
Kit lets creators sell paid newsletters, memberships and digital products, and its Creator Network and Paid Recommendations help grow and monetize a list. beehiiv pairs a web publication with email, paid subscriptions and an Ad Network that pays on opens or clicks. MailerLite also sells paid newsletters and digital products, so the deciding factor is usually growth tools.
Which alternatives add SMS to email automation?⌄
Mailchimp can place SMS steps inside Marketing Automation Flows on Standard or higher, once an SMS Marketing program is approved. Sender includes SMS on its Standard and Professional plans alongside ecommerce automations. Brevo combines email, SMS and live chat in one account. Kit lists SMS marketing on its Creator plan.
