Newsletter platforms almost all offer a free plan, but the free plans stop at very different points (as of November 2026, according to the vendors' pricing pages): Brevo allows 300 emails a day with up to 100,000 contacts, MailerLite 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, Mailchimp fewer than 250 contacts and at most 500 emails a month, CleverReach 250 recipients and up to 1,000 emails a month, and Kit up to 10,000 subscribers but without automated email sequences. Listmonk is open source and costs nothing, but runs on your own server. Three questions decide which one fits: how big will your list be in a year, should a welcome series run automatically, and where should your readers' data live?
I use two of them. My newsletter, in German "Aus dem Maschinenraum" and in English "From the Engine Room", runs on Listmonk, which we host ourselves on our servers at Hetzner; the emails go out through the mail servers of the German host All-Inkl. For individual webinar series and waiting lists we also use Brevo, with servers in the EU. Where the newsletter sits between a blog post and the community is described in Marketing Funnel Examples: Stages in Practice. How to get from an empty account to your first issue is in How to Start a Newsletter: My Own Setup.
Newsletter platforms compared: what the free plans include
All figures come from the vendors' pricing and product pages, retrieved November 6, 2026; check again before you sign up. Prices as displayed from Germany, hence some in euros; taxes may apply.
Two things stand out. First, the vendors count differently: Brevo caps emails per day, Mailchimp, MailerLite and CleverReach cap contacts and monthly emails at once, Kit only subscribers, and only at 10,000. Second, the automated welcome series that grows a list is not free everywhere. Kit's pricing table explicitly says "No" for automated email sequences on the free plan.
What the limits mean in practice
An example: say you have 400 subscribers after six months and send once a week. That is roughly 1,600 emails a month.
- Mailchimp, MailerLite, CleverReach: with 400 contacts you are past the free limit of 250 and pay.
- Brevo: the contacts fit, but 300 emails a day are not enough to reach all 400 on the same day. Fine for a list under 300. Move to Starter to reach everyone on one day and the entry tier allows 500 contacts; 400 still fit.
- Kit: fits for free, as long as you can live without an automated welcome series.
- Listmonk: no software limit; your sending provider sets the limit.
Plan with your list size in twelve months, not today: migrating later is more work.
Data location and DPA: the privacy question
This is not legal advice, it is the operator's perspective. If your readers are in the EU, the GDPR applies. As soon as a vendor stores and sends your subscribers' addresses on your behalf, it usually acts as a processor, and Article 28(3) GDPR requires a binding contract for that, usually called a data processing agreement (DPA). The other question is whether data leaves the EU. What the vendors themselves state (retrieved November 6, 2026):
A US vendor is not ruled out by this, but you have more to explain in your privacy policy. Also important is the confirmation email at signup, double opt-in. Listmonk names double opt-in lists explicitly and CleverReach lists double opt-in as standard; with the others, check how the signup form confirms before you commit. How to set it up properly is in Double Opt-In: Email Setup and Legal Basics.
Listmonk: free, but not without work
According to its documentation, Listmonk is a self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager under the AGPLv3 license, shipped as a single binary whose only dependency is a Postgres database. Double opt-in lists, campaign and bounce analytics, templates and a full API are built in.
What the software does not bring is sending. Listmonk hands emails to an SMTP server, and its own documentation warns that some hosts block outgoing SMTP ports such as 25 and 465, naming Hetzner as an example. In my setup, Listmonk runs on our own servers while sending goes through All-Inkl's mail servers. You need a properly secured server (Securing Your Own Server: Linux and Windows), database backups and someone watching updates and deliverability. The setup step by step is in Self-Hosted Email Marketing with Listmonk. My own setup is in Kubernetes on Hetzner: k3s in Production; for a newsletter, a small server is enough. What hosting costs is in Web Hosting Comparison: Prices, Space, SFTP.
Choosing a newsletter platform: four questions
- How many subscribers do you expect in twelve months, and how often do you send? Under 250 and at most two issues a month: any free plan works. Weekly, Mailchimp (500 emails a month) and CleverReach (1,000 a month) get tight before 250 contacts; MailerLite, Brevo and Kit are fine. Up to several thousand without automations: Kit. Larger, and you enjoy the technical side: Listmonk.
- Should a welcome series run automatically? Then Kit's free plan is out. With the others, check which automations are free; MailerLite lists "Free automations" on its free plan, Brevo highlights marketing automation with unlimited multi-step workflows on its Standard plan.
- Where should the data live? If the EU matters: Brevo, MailerLite, CleverReach, or Listmonk on a server in the EU.
- How often do you send? Weekly to more than 300 people does not fit Brevo Free's daily limit. Monthly to a small list fits almost anywhere.
Two points no pricing table shows: tag the links in your issues so your analytics show what a newsletter brings (UTM Parameters: Examples and Common Mistakes), and plan the signup page before the tool (Create a Landing Page: Guide and Tools). If you are coming from Mailchimp, see my Mailchimp alternatives.
Where an AI employee helps with a newsletter
The platform sends, but you still have to write. For me, Conny, my AI employee for content, drafts; her page lists newsletter drafts as a use, and the rule is: she drafts, I approve. Sending stays with you. Where AI helps with a newsletter and where it doesn't is in How to Start a Newsletter: My Own Setup.
That makes connectivity a selection criterion. Brevo lists "MCP für ChatGPT & Claude" (MCP for ChatGPT and Claude) on its Starter plan, MailerLite lists "MCP for Claude, ChatGPT, and more" on its free plan, Kit puts its MCP on the Creator plan, and Listmonk has an API for all features. A member of my German community had a newsletter employee connected to Brevo* in under 50 minutes on August 20, 2026.
* Affiliate link: if you sign up with Brevo or buy a plan through this link, I earn a commission. Your price stays the same.
Frequently asked questions
Which newsletter platform is actually free?
Brevo, MailerLite, Mailchimp, CleverReach and Kit have permanent free plans with limits (as of November 2026). Listmonk has no software limit, but you pay for server and sending.
Which free newsletter software allows the most contacts?
Brevo states up to 100,000 contacts on its free plan, but caps sending at 300 emails a day. Kit allows up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, but without automated sequences.
Is a US newsletter platform GDPR compliant?
That depends on the contract and the transfer mechanism. Mailchimp and Kit rely on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and offer a DPA. To keep data in the EU, pick a vendor with EU servers or self-host.
Do I need a DPA on a free plan?
Under the GDPR, yes, if the vendor processes your subscribers' data on your behalf; the price plays no role. With most vendors the agreement is part of the terms or can be signed online.
Is Listmonk worth it for beginners?
Only if you already run a server or have someone who does. Otherwise a free plan is the more honest start.
What to do next
Write down your expected list size in twelve months, decide whether a welcome series should run automatically, and then pick the platform whose free plan covers both. If you want to see what a newsletter from a business run with AI employees looks like, pick one of my free templates: signing up also brings my newsletter "From the Engine Room", once a week. What Brevo costs in daily use and where its limits are is in Brevo Review: Pricing, Limits, Alternatives.
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