How Much Does Email Marketing Cost in 2026?
Email marketing tools typically cost €10–€150/month for 5,000 contacts, with prices varying up to 5x between providers for identical list sizes. Mailchimp is consistently among the most expensive; MailerLite, Moosend, and Brevo are among the cheapest. The two pricing models — contact-based vs. volume-based — determine which tool is cheapest for your specific sending habits. This guide explains how to calculate your true monthly cost and avoid the most common pricing traps.
The Two Pricing Models
Every email marketing tool uses one of two pricing approaches. Understanding which model suits your send behaviour is the single most important factor in finding the cheapest option.
Model 1: Contact-Based Pricing
You pay based on how many contacts (subscribers) are in your list — regardless of how many emails you send. Most major tools use this model: Mailchimp, MailerLite, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit.
Best for: Businesses that email frequently — weekly, multiple times per week, or with complex automated sequences. The cost is fixed regardless of send volume.
Trap to avoid: Keeping unengaged contacts on your list. If 40% of your list hasn't opened an email in 12 months, you're paying for contacts that contribute nothing. Clean your list regularly.
Model 2: Volume-Based Pricing
You pay based on how many emails you send per month — with unlimited (or very high) contacts allowed. Brevo is the primary example in Europe.
Best for: Businesses with large lists who send infrequently — monthly newsletters, seasonal campaigns, event announcements. A list of 50,000 contacts that receives one email per month costs almost nothing with volume pricing.
Trap to avoid: Adding daily automated emails, multi-touch sequences, or transactional messages. These multiply your send volume fast and the cost escalates quickly.
The Decision Framework
Use this to find your model:
- If you send daily: Contact-based tools (MailerLite, GetResponse) are almost always cheaper. Volume pricing compounds fast with daily sends.
- If you send weekly: Run the numbers both ways. At smaller lists, contact-based wins. At larger lists (10k+), volume pricing often wins.
- If you send monthly or less: Volume-based (Brevo) is almost certainly the cheapest option, often dramatically so.
- If you have a large list but send rarely: Brevo or similar volume tools can save you hundreds per month versus contact-based pricing.
How Annual Billing Changes the Calculation
Almost every email marketing tool offers a discount for annual billing, typically 15-30%. This compounds significantly at higher price points:
| Tool (5,000 contacts) | Monthly Billing | Annual Billing | Annual Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | €75/mo | €63/mo | €144/yr |
| MailerLite | €25/mo | €19/mo | €72/yr |
| GetResponse | €45/mo | €36/mo | €108/yr |
| ActiveCampaign | €39/mo | €29/mo | €120/yr |
Approximate figures — exact savings vary by plan tier. Annual billing saves money but commits you to the tool for 12 months.
Free Tiers: What They Actually Cost You
Free tiers are loss leaders. Every email marketing company knows that once you've imported your list, created templates, and trained your team on a platform, switching becomes painful. The free tier buys customer lock-in at low cost to the provider.
That said, some free tiers are genuinely useful for small businesses starting out:
- MailerLite: Free up to 1,000 contacts and 12,000 emails/month, with automation included. Genuinely usable.
- Brevo: Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day. Good for slow-building an audience.
- Mailchimp: 500 contacts, 1,000 emails/month, no automation. Barely functional. Read why.
Hidden Costs to Watch For
Overage charges
Some tools charge extra if you exceed your plan limits mid-month rather than pausing sends. Always check the overage policy before committing. Exceeding your email volume limit on a Brevo Starter plan, for example, pauses sending — you'll need to upgrade or wait until next month.
Feature gating
Key features are often locked behind higher tiers. A/B testing, advanced automation, landing pages, custom domains — these are commonly only available from mid-tier plans upward. Always check whether the features you need are on the plan you're pricing, not just "available in the product."
Add-on pricing
Transactional email, SMS, and extra user seats are often charged separately. A Brevo account sending both marketing and transactional emails needs to account for both email volumes. An ActiveCampaign account with 5 sales reps each needs a paid seat.
The "subscribers vs contacts" trap
Several tools count all contacts — including unsubscribed ones — toward your plan limit. Mailchimp historically charged for unsubscribed contacts, though policies vary. Always check whether your tool counts only active subscribers or total contacts in your account.
How to Calculate Your True Monthly Cost
- Count your active subscribers — not total contacts, not including unsubscribes.
- Calculate your monthly send volume — multiply subscribers by average campaigns per month, and add automated emails (welcome series, abandoned cart, etc.).
- Compare contact-based vs volume-based pricing at those numbers using our price calculator.
- Check annual billing discounts — if you're confident in the tool, annual billing typically saves 20-25%.
- Verify feature inclusion — confirm that A/B testing, automation, and other features you use are in the plan tier you're pricing.
The Bottom Line
Most businesses are overpaying because they haven't run this comparison since they first signed up. The market has changed significantly in the last 3 years — competitors have gotten cheaper and more capable while Mailchimp has raised prices.
Spend 10 minutes with the price calculator to see what you'd pay across all major tools for your specific situation. For many businesses with 1,000-25,000 contacts, the gap between the tool they're using and the cheapest alternative is €500-2,000 per year.