FluentCRM vs Mailster (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, FluentCRM grades higher than Mailster: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
FluentCRM grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. Mailster grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FluentCRM
CRM and email marketing plugin that runs inside WordPress
Which one is for you
Pick FluentCRM if
- Fits if you already run a WordPress site and want contacts and email in one place
- Works for agencies, where one $499 licence covers 50 sites
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not use WordPress, as there is no separate app
- Watch out: delivery through Amazon SES or similar is billed separately
- Pricey if you renew: the first-year discount does not apply, so it returns to $129, $249 or $499
- Tight if you want drag-and-drop design on the free plugin, since that is Pro
- Not for you if you want email sent for you with no setup
Pick Mailster if
- Fits if you already run WordPress and want your subscriber list kept in your own database
- Works for sites that send their latest posts or products to a list
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your site isn't on WordPress, because the plugin only runs there
- Tight if you want to send for free: there's no free edition and no trial
- Watch out: it renews at full price after the first year, and each licence covers one site
- Not for you if you don't want to set up a separate sending provider, since Mailster doesn't send the mail itself
- Tight if you need more than 3 automations, which is the Starter limit
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFluentCRMFair | 1.8GPAMailsterWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$129 a year for one site with unlimited contacts is about $10.75 a month, just above the cheapest quarter. The 40% first-year discount ends at renewal, and sending through a delivery service costs extra. | B$79 a year for 1 site is about $6.60 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of email tools ($9.99). The first-year price is $39, then it renews at full price, and you pay your sending provider on top. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe base plugin is free forever, with contacts, lists, tags, basic segmentation, campaigns and automations. You need your own WordPress site and a sending service. | FNo free edition and no trial. There's a demo and a 14-day money-back guarantee, which isn't the same thing. |
| Features | CCampaigns, sequences, automation and segmentation with a Fluent ecosystem. Drag-and-drop design, dynamic segmentation and many integrations are Pro only. | CNewsletters, drip emails, post-triggered sends, a template editor and segmentation. But Starter has 3 automations, and it doesn't send mail itself, so delivery depends on the provider you connect. |
| Ease of use | CA plugin on your own WordPress site, with no rating on record. You install it and connect a sender such as Amazon SES. | DYou need a WordPress site that you host and keep updated, plus an SMTP or email-service connection. No rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BRuns inside WordPress only, with WooCommerce, Fluent Forms, FluentCart, FluentBooking, FluentSMTP and other connections. | BWeb only, inside WordPress, but it connects to Mailgun, SendGrid, SparkPost, Mailjet, Gmail and Gravity Forms, among others. |
| Best for | WordPress sites that want email inside the dashboard | newsletters sent from inside your own WordPress site |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: FluentCRM and Mailster. How we grade
Price against what you get
FluentCRM starts at $10.75 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Mailster starts at $6.58 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
FluentCRM scores higher, and starts $4.17 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 9 score higher than FluentCRM for less, and 3 score higher than Mailster for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- FluentCRM also covers reports.
- Mailster also covers templates and rSS reader.
At a glance
| FluentCRM | Mailster | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $129 per year for 1 site | $79 per year for 1 site, renewing at full price after a first-year price of $39 |
| Free plan | Free edition: lead generation, email campaigns and automations with the base plugin, with fewer features than Pro. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | WPManageNinja | Mailster |
| Price read from | fluentcrm.com | mailster.co |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FluentCRM
- It runs only on WordPress and has no separate app.
- Emails are sent through the site's own email setup, and the connected delivery service, such as Amazon SES, may charge separately.
- The 40% first-year discount does not apply to renewals, which return to $129, $249 and $499.
- Drag-and-drop email design, dynamic segmentation and many integrations are Pro features.
Mailster
- It runs only inside WordPress, and every licence covers one site or domain.
- There is no free edition; the site offers a demo and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
- Updates and support need an active licence. The plugin keeps working after expiry, but renewals are at full price.
- Mailster does not send mail itself. Deliverability depends on the email provider or server you connect, and the vendor recommends a dedicated provider.
Key features
FluentCRM
- Contact overview
- Each contact record gathers activity, and in Pro also purchase history from WooCommerce, FluentCart and EDD, form submissions and support tickets.
- Email campaigns and sequences
- One-off and recurring campaigns, email sequences and templates, with a drag-and-drop visual builder in Pro.
- Marketing automation
- Funnels that act when someone signs up, buys, books or joins, including abandoned cart recovery.
- Segmentation
- List and tag segments in Free, and dynamic, advanced and activity-based segmentation in Pro.
- Fluent ecosystem
- Connects to the company's own plugins such as Fluent Forms, FluentCart, FluentBooking, FluentCommunity and FluentSMTP.
Mailster
- Newsletters and automation
- Send newsletters, welcome emails, birthday emails, drip campaigns and autoresponders. The number of automations depends on the tier.
- Send your latest posts
- Send new posts, products, events or other custom post types, and use them to trigger automations.
- Editor and templates
- A drag-and-drop editor with more than 400 free and premium templates.
- Any sending provider
- Mail can go out through SMTP or an email service provider; integrations are available for services such as Mailgun, SendGrid, SparkPost, Mailjet and Gmail.
- Segmentation and tracking
- Segment subscribers and track opens, clicks, email providers and locations from within WordPress.
- Precheck
- A pre-send check that flags issues in a campaign, capped at 10, 100 or 1,000 runs a month by tier.
Plans
FluentCRM
Free$0
The base plugin, described as free forever: contacts, lists and tags, basic segmentation, campaigns and automations.
Solo/Blogger$129
per year for 1 site
Pro license for one site with unlimited contacts and all Pro features, one year of updates and priority support. First year $77.
Small Business$249
per year for 5 sites
Pro license for five sites with all features. First year $149.
Agency License$499
per year for 50 sites
Pro license for fifty sites with all features. First year $299.
Mailster
Starter$79
per year for 1 site
Unlimited subscribers, 3 automations, 10 prechecks a month, 10 free templates. $39 for the first year in a Black Friday listing; renewals at full price.
Professional$99
per year for 1 site
Adds 10 automations, 100 prechecks a month and 7 premium templates. Shown at $49 for the first year in a Black Friday listing, with renewals at the full price.
Agency$199
per year for 1 site
Unlimited automations and 1,000 prechecks a month. Shown at $99 for the first year in a Black Friday listing, with renewals at the full price.
Ways to pay less
FluentCRM
- Other savings
40% off the first year
The pricing page shows first-year prices of $77, $149 and $299 for the 1, 5 and 50 site licenses; the offer applies to the first year only.
Mailster
- Other savings
First-year price in a Black Friday listing
The pricing page currently shows $39, $49 and $99 for Starter, Professional and Agency, against $79, $99 and $199 regular prices, and states that renewals are at full price. It gives no end date.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FluentCRM or Mailster?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mailster is cheaper to start with: $6.58 a month when paid by the year, against $10.75 a month when paid by the year for FluentCRM. FluentCRM starts at $129 per year for 1 site, and Mailster starts at $79 per year for 1 site, renewing at full price after a first-year price of $39.
Which has a free plan, FluentCRM or Mailster?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only FluentCRM has a free plan. Mailster does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.