Overview

MailerLite and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) are both budget-friendly alternatives to Mailchimp, but they approach email marketing differently. MailerLite focuses on doing email exceptionally well with an elegant interface. Brevo packs more features into one platform. See our MailerLite comparison and Brevo comparison for individual analyses.

Both are solid choices for small to medium businesses - the question is what you prioritize.

The Core Difference

MailerLite believes in simplicity. Their email builder, automation workflows, and analytics are all intuitive. You can start sending campaigns within minutes of signing up.

Brevo takes an all-in-one approach. Beyond email, you get SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, CRM, and transactional email. More capabilities, but more to learn.

Pricing Comparison

The pricing models differ significantly:

MailerLite charges per subscriber with unlimited emails:

• 10,000 subscribers: $73/month (Growing Business)
• Unlimited emails included

Brevo charges per email with unlimited contacts:

• Unlimited contacts: $25/month (Starter)
• 20,000 emails/month included

If you have a large list but email infrequently, Brevo saves money. If you send multiple emails weekly to a focused list, MailerLite may be better value.

Ease of Use

MailerLite wins for ease of use. The interface is clean and logical. Creating emails, setting up automations, and analyzing results all feel straightforward.

Brevo isn't difficult, but more features mean more menus and options. There's a learning curve to understand all the capabilities.

Multi-Channel Capabilities

Brevo offers significantly more channels:

• SMS marketing with built-in pricing
• WhatsApp campaigns
• Web push notifications
• Live chat widget
• Sales CRM

MailerLite is email-focused. They offer MailerSend for transactional email, but it's a separate product. No SMS, no chat, no multi-channel.

Free Plan Comparison

MailerLite Free: 500 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month. Most features included. Clean templates without aggressive branding.

Brevo Free: Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day (~9,000/month). Brevo branding on emails. SMS credits sold separately.

For getting started with email marketing, MailerLite's free plan is more practical.

When Each Platform Shines

Choose MailerLite when: You want intuitive email marketing. Ease of use matters more than feature count. You need a generous free tier. You want a website builder included.

Choose Brevo when: You need SMS and WhatsApp marketing. You want built-in CRM. You have a large list but send infrequently. Multi-channel marketing is important.

For SaaS Companies

Neither platform is built for SaaS businesses specifically. Both lack Stripe integration and subscription awareness.

MailerLite is simpler for basic email marketing. Brevo includes transactional email which SaaS products typically need. For subscription-aware automation, consider Sequenzy.