MailerLite packs newsletters, automations and AI into a small-list budget
MailerLite is an email marketing platform founded in Lithuania in 2010, built for small businesses, freelancers and nonprofits. It gathers newsletters, automations, landing pages and even digital product sales in one place. A free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, and paid plans start at $12 per month.
- Very quick to pick up, even as a beginner
- Smart sending times delivery for each subscriber
- Connects to ChatGPT and Claude through an MCP server
- Built-in digital product sales and paid newsletters
- Free plan capped at 250 subscribers
- Transactional email lives in MailerSend, billed separately
- Reporting lighter than data-heavy marketing suites
Three editors, automations and ways to get paid
MailerLite gives you three ways to build an email: a drag-and-drop builder with ready-made blocks (countdown timers, product cards pulled straight from your store), a stripped-down editor for plain, personal-style messages, and an HTML editor for full control over the code.
Campaigns are only half the story. Signup forms, pop-ups, landing pages, automations and the sale of digital products or paid newsletter subscriptions all live under the same roof. You hook up Shopify, a customer abandons a cart, and the follow-up goes out on its own the next morning. WordPress, WooCommerce, Zapier and Stripe plug in too.
MailerLite's AI, from subject lines to an MCP server
Four AI features sit inside MailerLite, reachable straight from the editors while you write and schedule.
Where things get genuinely fun is the MCP server, currently in beta: you link Claude or ChatGPT to your account, then ask which newsletters performed best last quarter and what they have in common. The answer comes back backed by your own numbers (a small thrill the first time it works).
| AI tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Writing assistant | Drafts or rewrites copy from any text box in the editor |
| Subject line generator | Suggests several subject lines to test |
| Smart sending | Learns each subscriber's habits and picks the send time |
| Landing page generator | Builds a landing page from a short brief |
| MCP server | Links ChatGPT or Claude to your campaign data |
What MailerLite costs, from the free plan to Power
The free plan takes 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails per month, forms and automations included. Comfort starts at $12 per month for 500 subscribers, Power at $25 with the HTML editor, pop-ups and live chat support. Annual billing trims roughly 10% off, and an Enterprise tier takes over beyond 200,000 subscribers.
One thing to watch: the bill climbs in brackets as your list grows. Every new account opens with a 14-day trial of the full feature set, plenty to make up your mind before paying. And since these figures get revised from time to time, treat the official pricing page as the only version that counts.
Frequently asked questions
Is MailerLite free?
Yes, within a limit of 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails per month, with forms, landing pages and basic automations included. Every new account also starts with a 14-day trial of the paid features. Past those caps, paid plans begin at $12 per month.
Is MailerLite better than Mailchimp?
For price and ease of use at equal list size, MailerLite comes out ahead, while Mailchimp keeps the edge on e-commerce integrations and brand recognition. Independent comparisons regularly rank MailerLite among the friendliest and most affordable platforms to start with, which makes it the natural pick for small teams.
Does MailerLite handle transactional email?
No, order confirmations and other automatic messages run through MailerSend, a separate product from the same company with its own billing and its own free tier. An online store wanting marketing and transactional sends under one roof will therefore manage two distinct subscriptions.
Can you import any email list into MailerLite?
Only lists collected with consent are welcome. MailerLite enforces a strict anti-spam policy: bought or scraped lists are off the table, and an account found in violation can be suspended without a refund, even mid-billing cycle. Come with addresses gathered properly, with explicit opt-in from your subscribers.
Verdict: For a list counted in hundreds or a few thousand subscribers, MailerLite ticks nearly every box at a fair price. Teams living deep in analytics will simply pair it with a dedicated reporting tool when the time comes.
