Free plans and free trials compared
A free plan has no end date but caps your contacts or sends. A free trial gives you a paid plan for a fixed number of days. The figures below come from each vendor's own pricing page, checked on November 2, 2026. Where a vendor does not list a limit, the table says so. Vendors change these limits often, so confirm them on the linked page before you sign up.
Free plans and free trials of 11 email marketing tools, checked November 2, 2026 | Tool | Free plan or trial | Subscriber or send limits | Main restrictions |
| Octeth Community License | Free plan, no time limit | 1 user account, up to 10,000 subscribers | Self-hosted on your own server. Octeth branding stays on. No updates service or support. For one business sending its own email. |
| Mailchimp | Free plan | 250 contacts, 500 sends a month (250 a day) | 1 seat and 1 audience. |
| Brevo | Free plan, no credit card | Up to 300 emails a day | "Sent by Brevo" branding on emails. Sending starts after Brevo approves the account. |
| Omnisend | Free plan | 500 emails a month to up to 250 contacts | "Powered by Omnisend" badge on newsletters. |
| Benchmark Email | Free plan | 500 contacts, 1,000 emails a month | 1 user and 1 domain. Benchmark branding on emails and forms. |
| Sendloop | Free plan | Unlimited subscribers, 100 emails a month | Paid plans charge for the emails you send each month. |
| GetResponse | Free plan, with premium features for the first 14 days | Landing pages limited to 1,000 unique visitors a month | GetResponse badge on every message. Premium features end after 14 days. |
| Moosend | 30-day free trial, no credit card | Unlimited sends to up to 1,000 contacts | Ends after 30 days. Then you upgrade or buy email credits. |
| ActiveCampaign | 14-day free trial, no credit card | Not listed on the pricing page | Ends after 14 days. |
| AWeber | 14-day free trial | Not listed for the trial on the pricing page | Ends after 14 days. |
| Constant Contact | Free trial, no credit card | Not listed on the pricing page | No free plan. Paid plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee. |
Hosted free plans grow into monthly bills that rise with your list. To see where that crosses the cost of running your own platform, read the cost comparison and the guide to self-hosted email marketing software. For free tools you can host yourself, see open source email marketing software. If you are leaving Mailchimp, the Mailchimp alternatives page compares paid prices at two list sizes.
The table above lists what each tool gives you for free. This section explains each offer and how to choose. Every figure comes from the vendor's own pricing page, checked on November 2, 2026. Free plans change often, so confirm the limits on the vendor's page before you move a list.
Free plan or free trial?
A free plan has no end date. It caps your contacts, your sends, or both, and usually adds the vendor's branding to your emails. A free trial gives you a paid plan for a fixed number of days. When it ends, you pay or you lose the paid features.
If you want to send to a small list for months without paying, look at the free plans. If you want to test a paid tool before you buy it, use a trial and plan your test around its length.
The free tools, one by one
Octeth Community License: free and self-hosted
The Octeth Community License is a free build of Octeth that you install on your own server. It includes 1 user account and up to 10,000 subscribers, with no time limit and no credit card. Your subscriber list stays on your server, not with a vendor.
It is for one business sending its own email. Octeth branding stays on, and you get documentation but no updates service or support. You also pay for your own server and email delivery provider. To send for clients, remove the branding or go past 10,000 subscribers, you need a paid license. Our guide to self-hosted email marketing software compares it with other tools you can host yourself.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp's free plan includes 1 seat and 1 audience of up to 250 contacts. You can send up to 500 emails a month, and no more than 250 in a day. It suits a very small list. Our Mailchimp alternatives page compares what its paid plans cost as a list grows.
Brevo
Brevo has a free plan that needs no credit card. Once Brevo approves your account for sending, you can send up to 300 emails a day. Emails on the free plan carry a "Sent by Brevo" sticker, which only paid plans remove. The pricing page does not state a contact limit for the free plan.
Omnisend
Omnisend's free plan includes the features of its paid plans, including SMS and push notifications. The limits are 500 emails a month to up to 250 contacts, and newsletters carry a "Powered by Omnisend" badge. It is built for online stores.
Benchmark Email
Benchmark's free plan covers up to 500 contacts and 1,000 emails a month, with one user and one domain. Benchmark branding shows on every email and form. Paid plans remove the branding and let you send up to 10 times your contact limit each month.
Sendloop
Sendloop's free plan allows unlimited subscribers and includes 100 emails a month. Paid plans charge for the emails you send each month, so it suits a large list that you email rarely.
GetResponse
GetResponse has a free account. For its first 14 days it includes the premium features, and after that they are switched off unless you upgrade. Every message from a free account carries a GetResponse badge, and landing pages are limited to 1,000 unique visitors a month. The pricing page does not state a contact limit for the free account.
Moosend
Moosend offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card. It includes the email builder, templates, automations, segmentation and unlimited sends to up to 1,000 contacts. When the trial ends, you upgrade or buy email credits, and your account data stays in place.
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card. The pricing page does not list the contact or send limits that apply during the trial, and there is no free plan.
AWeber
AWeber's pricing page offers a 14-day trial of its paid plans: Lite, Plus and Done For You. It does not list free plan limits or the limits that apply during the trial.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact is a paid platform with a free trial that needs no credit card. The pricing page does not state the trial length. Paid plans start at $12 a month and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How to choose
- Count your contacts. Free plans with a contact cap stop at 250 (Mailchimp, Omnisend) or 500 (Benchmark). The Community License goes to 10,000.
- Count your sends. Brevo caps you per day, while Mailchimp, Omnisend, Benchmark and Sendloop cap you per month.
- Decide whether branding matters. Every hosted free plan in the table adds the vendor's branding to your emails.
- Decide who should hold your list. A hosted plan keeps your contacts on the vendor's servers. A self-hosted tool keeps them on yours.
- Look at the price after the free tier. Hosted plans charge more as your list grows. The cost comparison shows where that crosses the cost of a self-hosted setup.
When you outgrow a free plan
Most hosted free plans end at a few hundred contacts. After that you pay a monthly fee that rises with your list. A self-hosted license costs the same at any list size, and you pay separately for your server and email delivery. Our guide to choosing a VPS for email marketing covers the server side. For more tools beyond free plans, see the email marketing software directory.
FAQ
Which free email marketing tool allows the most subscribers?
Of the tools checked here, Sendloop's free plan allows unlimited subscribers but only 100 emails a month. The Octeth Community License allows up to 10,000 subscribers with no time limit, on your own server. Moosend's trial covers up to 1,000 contacts for 30 days. Among hosted free plans with a contact cap, Benchmark allows 500, and Mailchimp and Omnisend allow 250.
Which free trials need no credit card?
ActiveCampaign, Moosend and Constant Contact state that their trials need no credit card. Brevo's free plan and the Octeth Community License need none either.
Is a self-hosted free tool really free?
The license is free. You still pay for the server it runs on and for the email delivery provider that sends your emails.
Can I use a free plan to send email for clients?
The Octeth Community License is for one business sending its own email. Sending for clients needs a paid license. For other tools, check the vendor's terms.
