Which email marketing software should a small business choose?

Analysis of official documentation, with no testing on a paid account.

The calculation that changes the choice

Write down three numbers: contacts who have consented to receive your messages, campaigns planned per month and emails sent by your automations. For example, 200 contacts receiving four newsletters already account for 800 email sends per month, excluding the welcome sequence. If you plan to email 2 000 people on the same day, a plan limited to 300 daily sends does not cover that scenario. Use this calculation to choose a sending tier.

Published conditions, tool by tool

Brevo: monitoring campaign day

Brevo offers a free plan with 300 emails sent per day. The limit becomes immediately apparent if a campaign needs to reach a larger list in one send; storing contacts does not mean you can email all of them on the same day with this plan. This arrangement may suit a small list and staggered sends. For an announcement on a fixed date, calculate the paid tier's cost before choosing. View offers Brevo.

MailerLite: subscribers and monthly volume

MailerLite's pricing FAQ currently lists up to 250 subscribers and 2 500 emails per month for the Free plan, with campaigns, forms and automations. Some promotional wording on the site still shows different volumes, so check the limit displayed at sign-up and in your account. A weekly newsletter to 200 subscribers leaves room for a few additional email sends, but rapidly adding contacts changes the calculation. See grid MailerLite.

GetResponse: do not confuse campaign and route

The GetResponse documentation distinguishes Starter, Marketer and Creator according to list size and functions. Starter includes an automation workflow using the vendor; more sophisticated uses require a comparison of steps. If you have a single welcome sequence, test it before paying more. If you want abandoned cart, segmentation and multiple plugs, draw the course and make estimate the corresponding plan. See functions by offer.

ActiveCampaign: Check the useful automation level

The ActiveCampaign tariff page presents editions with automation, segmentation and integrations of different depth, and a number of users that evolve with the plan. Its potential interest begins when events trigger different messages depending on the actions of the contacts. This type of journey also requires preparation work: tags, consents, events and error control. Compare the full scenario cost with the time available to maintain it. See editions ActiveCampaign.

An honest essay on the same list

1. Preparation Import a small list of contacts that have consented, with a segmentation field, and then check the duplicate processing.
2. Campaign : Create an email, test the links and display on the phone, program it and note the necessary validations before sending.
3. Automation : configure a welcome sequence and an exit after an action. Check which plan supports both workflows.
4. Reversibility Export contacts, preferences and unsubscribes; document the forms and sequences to rebuild in case of migration.

What a price does not tell you

Contact numbers, emails sent, seats and automation features do not grow at the same rate. Revisit your projections for three and twelve months ahead, then check annual billing terms, sender addresses, domain authentication and consent record retention. A free plan that is useful initially may be less suitable in a month when your list or campaign peak exceeds its limit.