When you're building a startup, every dollar matters. Email marketing shouldn't cost you $100/month when you have 200 subscribers. The good news is that several email tools offer genuinely useful free tiers. Not 14-day trials disguised as "free." Actually free, with enough features to run real email campaigns.

I've tested every free tier on this list. Here's what you actually get for zero dollars, and where each tool starts charging.

What "Free" Really Means

Before the list, some important context. There are three types of "free":

Genuinely free tier: You can use the tool indefinitely with real features. Limited by contacts, emails per month, or feature access, but usable for real work.

Free trial: Full features for 14-30 days, then you pay. Not really free.

Freemium bait: Technically free but so limited that you can't do anything useful without upgrading. Free in name only.

Every tool on this list has a genuinely free tier. I've noted the actual limits so you know what you're getting.

The 10 Best Free Email Marketing Tools

1. Sequenzy

Free tier: 1,000 subscribers, 5,000 emails/month, full automation

Sequenzy's free tier is designed specifically for SaaS startups. Unlike other free tiers that gut their automation features, Sequenzy gives you the full platform: behavioral email sequences, event-driven automation, and native Stripe integration, all for free up to 1,000 subscribers.

The Stripe integration on free is the killer feature. Connect Stripe and you immediately get automated dunning sequences for failed payments, trial conversion emails, and lifecycle automations based on subscription events. These are the highest-ROI emails a SaaS can send, and most tools charge $50-100/month before you can use them.

The free tier also includes the drag-and-drop email builder, AI-powered sequence generation, and both transactional and marketing email. For a SaaS startup pre-revenue or in early traction, this covers everything you need.

Good for: SaaS startups that want real automation from day one Outgrow it when: You pass 1,000 subscribers or 5,000 emails/month Paid plans from: $29/month

2. Mailchimp

Free tier: 500 contacts, 1,000 emails/month, 1 audience

Mailchimp's free tier used to be much more generous (2,000 contacts). The current version is limited but still useful for very early-stage startups. You get the email builder, basic automation (single-step only on free), and basic analytics.

The biggest limitation on free: single-step automations only. You can set up a welcome email but not a multi-email sequence. For that, you need the Essentials plan ($13/month).

Good for: Absolute beginners who want a familiar brand name Outgrow it when: You hit 500 contacts or need multi-step automations Paid plans from: $13/month

3. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Free tier: Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day (about 9,000/month)

Brevo's free tier is unique because it limits by daily sends rather than contacts. You can have 10,000 subscribers and still send for free, as long as you don't exceed 300 emails per day. For a startup with a growing list and low send frequency, this is generous.

The free tier includes automation, which is rare. You can build multi-step email sequences without paying. The catch: no A/B testing, no landing pages, and Brevo branding on your emails.

Good for: Startups with growing lists but low send volume Outgrow it when: You need to send more than 300 emails/day or want to remove branding Paid plans from: $25/month

4. MailerLite

Free tier: 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month

MailerLite offers one of the most generous free tiers. 1,000 subscribers with 12,000 monthly sends is enough for most startups for the first 6-12 months. The free plan includes automation, landing pages, pop-ups, and a drag-and-drop editor.

The limitations: MailerLite branding on emails, no custom HTML editor, no auto-resend to non-openers, and limited templates. But for the core email marketing workflow, the free tier is solid.

Good for: Startups that want a full-featured tool without paying Outgrow it when: You pass 1,000 subscribers or need advanced features Paid plans from: $10/month

5. Loops

Free tier: 1,000 contacts, 2,000 emails/month

Loops is a newer platform popular with SaaS startups. The free tier gives you 1,000 contacts with event-driven automation. For SaaS specifically, the event-based model is more useful than the list-based approach of traditional tools.

The interface is clean and modern. You can set up event-driven sequences, send campaigns, and manage subscribers without feeling like you're using enterprise software. The limitation is the 2,000 email/month cap, which can be tight for active sequences.

Good for: SaaS startups wanting modern, event-driven email Outgrow it when: You hit 1,000 contacts or 2,000 emails/month Paid plans from: $49/month

6. Resend

Free tier: 100 emails/day (about 3,000/month), 1 custom domain

Resend is developer-focused, so the free tier is designed for developers building email into their products. You get 100 emails per day with API access, React Email support, and one custom sending domain.

It's primarily a sending API rather than a full marketing platform. If you're a developer who wants to send transactional and basic marketing emails through code, the free tier is functional. If you want a drag-and-drop editor and visual campaign builder, look elsewhere.

Good for: Developers who want API-first email sending Outgrow it when: You exceed 100 emails/day or need marketing features Paid plans from: $20/month

7. Buttondown

Free tier: 100 subscribers

Buttondown is a minimalist newsletter platform. The free tier is small (100 subscribers) but the tool itself is excellent for simple, text-focused newsletters. No drag-and-drop builder, just markdown-based email that looks clean and professional.

It's perfect for a founder's personal newsletter or a simple product update email. Not for complex marketing automation or multi-step sequences.

Good for: Founders who want a simple, beautiful newsletter Outgrow it when: You pass 100 subscribers or need automation Paid plans from: $9/month

8. EmailOctopus

Free tier: 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/month

EmailOctopus offers one of the most generous free tiers by subscriber count. 2,500 subscribers with 10,000 monthly sends covers most early-stage startups comfortably.

The feature set is more basic than MailerLite or Brevo, but it covers the essentials: campaign builder, automation, landing pages, and segments. The trade-off for the generous limits is a simpler feature set.

Good for: Startups prioritizing list size over advanced features Outgrow it when: You need sophisticated automation or segmentation Paid plans from: $8/month

9. Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

Free tier: 10,000 subscribers, unlimited emails (newsletter only)

Kit's free tier is deceptive. 10,000 subscribers sounds amazing, but the free plan only lets you send broadcasts (newsletters). No automation, no sequences, no behavioral triggers. You're essentially getting a newsletter tool, not an email marketing platform.

If all you need is a way to send a weekly newsletter to your list, the free tier is incredibly generous. If you need any form of automation, you're looking at $29/month.

Good for: Creators and founders who only need newsletters Outgrow it when: You need any automation at all Paid plans from: $29/month

10. Amazon SES

Free tier: 62,000 emails/month (if sending from EC2) or 200/day (sandbox mode)

Amazon SES is the cheapest email sending at scale, and if you're running on AWS, the free tier is substantial. But SES is infrastructure, not a marketing tool. No editor, no automation, no subscriber management. You build everything yourself or use a tool on top.

For technical founders who want maximum control and minimum cost, SES is the foundation. For everyone else, it's too much work.

Good for: Technical teams building custom email infrastructure Outgrow it when: You want any marketing features without building them Paid plans from: $0.10 per 1,000 emails (incredibly cheap)

Free Tier Comparison Table

Tool	Free Subscribers	Free Emails/Month	Automation	Best For
Mailchimp	500	1,000	Single-step only	Beginners
Brevo	Unlimited	~9,000 (300/day)	Yes	Growing lists
MailerLite	1,000	12,000	Yes	Full-featured free
Loops	1,000	2,000	Yes (event-driven)	SaaS startups
Resend	N/A	~3,000 (100/day)	No	Developers
Buttondown	100	Unlimited	No	Simple newsletters
EmailOctopus	2,500	10,000	Yes	Large lists on budget
Kit	10,000	Unlimited	No (newsletters only)	Newsletter creators
Amazon SES	N/A	62,000 (on EC2)	No	Technical teams

When to Start Paying

Free tiers are great for getting started, but there's a point where staying on free costs more than upgrading.

Time to upgrade when:

You're spending hours working around free-tier limitations
You need multi-step automation and your free tier doesn't support it
Your list is growing and you keep hitting contact limits
You need better deliverability (some free tiers share IPs with spammers)
You want to remove platform branding from your emails

The false economy trap: Some founders stay on a limited free tier for too long, manually doing things that paid automation would handle. If you're spending 5 hours a month working around limitations, a $30/month tool that saves you that time is a bargain.

My Recommendation for Startups

If you're pre-launch or very early (< 500 subscribers): Start with MailerLite's free tier. Best balance of features and limits for zero cost.

If you're a SaaS founder who needs event-driven email: Loops free tier gets you started with the right model. When you outgrow it, tools like Sequenzy ($29/month) give you full behavioral automation with AI sequence building.

If you just need a newsletter: Kit's free tier at 10,000 subscribers is unbeatable for pure newsletter use.

If you're a developer who wants to build: Resend or Amazon SES for the infrastructure, then add marketing features as needed.

FAQ

Are free email tools really free? Yes, the ones listed here have indefinite free tiers (not trials). The catch is limited features, contacts, or sending volume. But for early-stage startups, these limits are often sufficient.

Will free tools hurt my deliverability? Possibly. Some free tiers use shared IP addresses, which means your deliverability is affected by other senders on the same IP. For critical email (password resets, payment receipts), consider a dedicated service even if your marketing is on a free tier.

Can I migrate from a free tool to a paid tool later? Yes. All major email tools support importing contacts via CSV. You'll lose your automation setup, but contacts and lists transfer easily. Start cheap, migrate when you need to.

Is Sequenzy free? Sequenzy doesn't have a free tier, but at $29/month it's affordable for startups that need SaaS-specific features like Stripe integration and behavioral automation. If you need those features, the ROI from automated dunning and trial conversion usually covers the cost quickly.

Should I use a free tool for transactional email? Be cautious. Transactional email (password resets, receipts) needs high deliverability. Free marketing tools may not prioritize transactional speed. Consider a dedicated transactional service like Resend's free tier or Amazon SES for system emails.