Top 8 Free Email Marketing Software in 2024
Cem is the principal analyst at AIMultiple since 2017. AIMultiple informs hundreds of thousands of businesses (as per Similarweb) including 60% of Fortune 500 every month.
Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE, NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission. You can see more reputable companies and media that referenced AIMultiple.
Free email marketing software offers:
- a low-risk entry point to develop and refine an email marketing strategy,
- build and segment email lists, and
- create engaging content that converts visitors into customers.
Leveraging free email marketing software can be a strategic choice particularly for small business owners, startups, and nonprofit organizations.
While these email marketing tools may have limitations, they often provide enough functionality to meet the basic needs of organizations and individuals looking to expand their reach and influence effectively and economically.
Check out our email marketing pricing guide for a more comprehensive overview.
Top 8 free email marketing software
| Vendor | Average score | Subscriber/contact limit | Monthly email limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | 4.4 | 500 | 1,000 |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub | 4.4 | N/A | 2,000 |
| MailerLite | 4.7 | 1,000 | 12,000 |
| Zoho Campaigns | 4.3 | 2,000 | 6,000 |
| SendPulse | 4.6 | 500 | 15,000 |
| AWeber | 4.3 | 500 | 3,000 |
| EmailOctopus | 4.8 | 2,500 | 10,000 |
| Benchmark Email | 4.3 | 500 | 3,500 |
Sorting in the above table: The above table is ranked based on the number of reviews gathered from B2B review platforms G2 and Capterra.
Pricing information is obtained from vendor websites. Average review ratings are obtained from B2B review platforms G2 and Capterra.
Vendor selection guide:
Free plan: We included vendors that provide more than 1,000 emails per month as a part of their free plan.
Number of reviews: We selected vendors with more than 100 reviews obtained from B2B reviews platforms.
Detailed evaluation of free email marketing tools
Mailchimp
Mailchimp’s free plan allows 1,000 monthly emails, email support for the first 30 days, limited email marketing and segmentation tools such as pre-built email templates and a creative assistant, and pop-up forms and landing page builder.
With Mailchimp’s free plan, you can also utilize a single-step automations builder to support your email marketing automation efforts.
Reviews:
Capterra: 4.5/5 based on 16,880 reviews.1
G2: 4.3/5 based on 12,416 reviews.2
Figure 1: Mailchimp email builder feature.3
HubSpot Marketing Hub
HubSpot Marketing Hub’s free plan with 2,000 monthly emails, enables live chat support, mobile email optimization, ad management for all available ad types and 1 email automation action.
Reviews:
G2: 4.4/5 based on 10,841 reviews.4
Capterra: 4.5/5 based on 5,899 reviews.5
Figure 2: HubSpot Marketing Hub marketing automation workflows.6
MailerLite
MailerLite’s free plan includes 12,000 monthly emails, unlimited audiences and segmentation, 10 landing pages, and unlimited forms and pop-ups.
This free plan allows many email design options including a drag and drop editor for newsletter emails.
You can also utilize MailerLite’s email automation builder and limited automation templates as a part of its free plan.
Reviews:
Capterra: 4.7/6 based on 2,024 reviews.7
G2: 4.7/5 based on 917 reviews.8
Figure 3: MailerLite email automation process.9
Zoho Campaigns
Zoho Campaigns’ free plan enables you to send 6,000 emails per month with limited email design options, a marketing calendar, and reporting and analytics capabilities.
Email marketing automation feature is not supported in the free plan.
Reviews:
G2: 4.3/5 based on 1,009 reviews.10
Capterra: 4.3/5 based on 288 reviews.11
Figure 4: Zoho Campaigns email scheduling example.12
SendPulse
SendPulse free plan enables you to send 15,000 emails per month, 100 МB of image storage capacity, with 1 domain and 3 sender email addresses.
A/B testing and saved segments are not available in the Free plan.
Reviews:
Capterra: 4.6/5 based on 660 reviews.13
G2: 4.6/5 based on 516 reviews.14
Figure 5: SendPulse email segmentation feature.15
AWeber
AWeber email marketing and automation tool allows 500 subscribers, access to email design tools including a smart designer, a drag-and-drop email builder and dynamic content creation, custom sign up forms, basic subscriber and message analytics, 1 email automation, and chat and email support.
Custom segments, advanced analytics and landing page features are not included in the free plan.
Reviews:
G2: 4.2/5 based on 628 reviews.16
Capterra: 4.4/5 based on 301 reviews.17
Figure 6: AWeber email design builder.18
EmailOctopus
EmailOctopus free plan enables you to manage up to 2,500 subscribers and send up to 10,000 emails per month. You can also utilize a drag-and-drop email editor to create your emails, which supports importing and using HTML templates for more customization.
With this free plan, you can create up to 3 landing pages and sign-up forms to help grow your subscriber list. Email support and live chat support for 30 days is included in the free plan.
Reviews:
Capterra: 4.8/5 based on 404 reviews.19
G2: 4.2/5 based on 29 reviews.20
Figure 7: EmailOctopus email design templates.21
Benchmark Email
Benchmark Email’s free plan provides 25 credits for smart content creation, email authentication services, basic segmentation for email list growth, basic email automation features and 1 GB image gallery storage.
Dedicated IP, A/B testing and email engagement automations are not included in the free plan.
Reviews:
Capterra: 4.3/5 based on 183 reviews.22
G2: 4.3/5 based on 94 reviews.23
Figure 8: Benchmark Email email automation feature example.24
Choosing free email marketing software
Businesses often choose free email marketing software for several reasons, particularly when they are starting out or operating with limited budgets. Here are some key factors that contribute to this choice:
Editing features
One significant advantage of using free email marketing software is the access to a drag and drop editor, which simplifies the creation of email campaigns without needing advanced technical skills.
This feature, combined with email templates, allows businesses to maintain consistent, professional-looking marketing emails.
Number of emails and contacts
These free email marketing software often support a higher number of contacts and allow sending more than 1,000 emails, which is vital for growing businesses that need to scale their operations without immediate financial investment.
Marketing automation
Marketing automation, another key feature of these free email marketing software, enables the creating detailed automation workflows for email marketing efforts to enhance the effectiveness of email marketing campaigns.
This setup also supports businesses in automating repetitive tasks, such as welcome emails and transactional emails, thus helping to save time and increase efficiency.
Integration
Free email marketing services often allow integration with other marketing tools, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems and social media campaigns to enable a more comprehensive approach to customer engagement.
For example, the integration with free CRM tools helps in nurturing customer relationships more effectively by aligning email marketing efforts with user behavior insights.
Upgrade opportunities
For businesses ready to expand their capabilities, upgrading to a paid plan typically provides more advanced features, such as SMS marketing, email marketing automation, and advanced reporting features. These features allow for more targeted and personalized email marketing messages via creating deeper connections with audiences.
Overall, the best free email marketing tools offer robust features to small businesses aiming to develop a solid email marketing strategy. They serve not just as a marketing solution but as a starting point to more complex marketing automation techniques as business needs evolve.
While free email marketing software offers a host of benefits, particularly for small businesses and startups looking to launch their email marketing efforts without initial investment, there are notable limitations that might prompt a shift to paid plans as a business grows and its needs evolve.
Further reading:
- Top 10 Applications of AI in Email Marketing in 2024
- eCommerce Email Marketing in 2024: Guide & Top 5 Providers
- Top 10 Email Marketing Benefits in 2024
- Top 10 Email Marketing Best Practices in 2024
- Top 5+ Applications of Generative AI for Email Marketing in 2024
- Email Marketing Benchmarks: Key Insights & Statistics in 2024
- Transactional Email vs Marketing Email: Understanding the Differences
External links
External Links
- 1. “Mailchimp Reviews 2024“. Capterra. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 2. “Intuit Mailchimp Reviews 2024: Details, Pricing, & Features“. G2. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 3. “E-Mail Marketing Tools“. Mailchimp. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 4. “HubSpot Marketing Hub Reviews 2024: Details, Pricing, & Features“. G2. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 5. “HubSpot Marketing Hub Reviews 2024“. Capterra. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 6. “Boost Efficiency with HubSpot Marketing Automation“. HubSpot. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 7. “MailerLite Reviews 2024“. Capterra. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 8. “MailerLite Reviews 2024: Details, Pricing, & Features“. G2. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 9. “Automated Birthday Email Template“. MailerLite. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 10. “Zoho Campaigns Reviews 2024: Details, Pricing, & Features“. G2. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 11. “Zoho Campaigns Reviews 2024“. Capterra. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 12. “Optimize send time in email marketing“. Zoho Campaigns. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 13. “SendPulse Reviews 2024“. Capterra. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 14. “SendPulse Reviews 2024: Details, Pricing, & Features“. G2. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 15. “Send Bulk Email — Free Bulk Email Service“. SendPulse. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 16. “AWeber Reviews 2024: Details, Pricing, & Features“. G2. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 17. “AWeber Reviews 2024“. Capterra. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 18. “Email Marketing & Automation“. AWeber. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 19. “EmailOctopus Reviews 2024“. Capterra. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 20. “EmailOctopus Reviews 2024: Details, Pricing, & Features“. G2. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 21. “Features“. EmailOctopus. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 22. “Benchmark Email Reviews 2024“. Capterra. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 23. “Benchmark Email Reviews 2024: Details, Pricing, & Features“. G2. Retrieved April 19, 2024
- 24. “Marketing Automation“. Benchmark Email. Retrieved April 19, 2024
Cem is the principal analyst at AIMultiple since 2017. AIMultiple informs hundreds of thousands of businesses (as per Similarweb) including 60% of Fortune 500 every month.
Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE, NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission. You can see more reputable companies and media that referenced AIMultiple.
Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.
He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch and Business Insider.
Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
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Why Microsoft, IBM, and Google Are Ramping up Efforts on AI Ethics, Business Insider.
Microsoft invests $1 billion in OpenAI to pursue artificial intelligence that’s smarter than we are, Washington Post.
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Public-sector digitization: The trillion-dollar challenge, McKinsey & Company.
Hypatos gets $11.8M for a deep learning approach to document processing, TechCrunch.
We got an exclusive look at the pitch deck AI startup Hypatos used to raise $11 million, Business Insider.
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