How much does email marketing software cost?

Short answer: more than the price you first see. Here is how email pricing really works in 2026 — and what you will actually pay as your list grows.

The four ways tools price you

• Per contact (most common). You pay for the subscribers you store — MailerLite, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp. Your bill rises in steps as the list grows.
• Per email sent. Brevo charges for sends, not contacts, so you can store an unlimited list and pay only when you mail it.
• Feature gating. Automation, reporting and integrations are often locked to higher tiers, so the “starting price” rarely includes what you need.
• Contact counting. Some tools (notably Mailchimp) count unsubscribed or inactive contacts, quietly inflating your tier.

What you will really pay at 10,000 subscribers

By 50,000 subscribers the gap widens dramatically — from about $129/mo (Brevo) to $450/mo (Mailchimp). Use our Real Cost calculator to see your exact list size.

How to keep the bill down

• Pick a tool that prices well at the size you are growing toward, not just today.
• Clean your list — on per-contact plans you pay for dead subscribers.
• If you email infrequently, consider send-based pricing (Brevo).
• Pay annually only once you are sure — most tools save 10–20%.

For the full ranking, see the best email marketing software.

Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission via our links; it never changes our scores or the prices shown. Prices verified June 2026.