MailBluster vs MailerLite (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MailerLite grades higher than MailBluster: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
MailBluster grades higher on value for money. MailerLite grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MailBluster
Email marketing with unlimited contacts, on your own SMTP or managed
MailerLite
Email newsletters, automations, sites and paid subscriptions
Which one is for you
Pick MailBluster if
- Fits if you already have an Amazon SES account and want to avoid list-size pricing
- Works for ecommerce senders on WordPress or WooCommerce
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 3,000 emails in total, not a month
- Watch out: your SMTP provider bills you separately, and Amazon SES adds a small SNS charge past 100,000 requests
- Watch out: Pro and Executive are shown only as billed yearly, with no monthly price
- Skip it if you want one bill, as the managed plans cost more and stop at 250,000 emails a month on the page
- Not for you if you want a mobile or desktop app, as it is web only
Pick MailerLite if
- Fits if you want a newsletter, a few automations and a basic website without juggling three tools
- Works for selling a paid newsletter or an ebook through Stripe
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free and your list is heading past 250 people, as campaigns lock past it
- Not for you if you also need receipts and password-reset emails, which come from a separate product
- Pricey if your list grows in bursts, as subscribers count up through each billing cycle and move you up a tier automatically
- Watch out: Comfort caps emails at 10 times your tier, and live chat support starts on Power at $25
- Watch out: the free plan can't send through the API and has community support only
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAMailBlusterFair | 2.6GPAMailerLiteGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$5 a month plus $0.60 per 1,000 emails on yearly billing is inside the cheapest quarter, before your SMTP provider's fees. A managed plan with sending included is $15.30 for 10,000 emails. | C$12 a month for 500 subscribers, just under the middle of what email tools charge, and that already gets you 50 automations, 10 forms and 10 sites. At 10,000 subscribers it's $89 a month, and yearly billing takes 10% off. |
| Free plan and trial | CStarter is free with your own SMTP, but it allows 3,000 emails in total and keeps MailBluster branding. There is also a 14-day trial of Managed plans with no card. | CFree for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with automations, one website and three forms. That's a start, but 250 people is a cap you'll hit, and then campaigns and automations lock until you pay. There's a 14-day trial of paid features too, no card needed. |
| Features | CUnlimited leads, automation, A/B testing, custom fields, a WordPress plugin and API access. The listing shows no forms or landing pages. | BThree email editors, a visual automation builder, websites, landing pages and forms, plus paid newsletters, digital products and bookings through Stripe. That's the whole job. Receipts and other transactional emails live in a separate product, MailerSend. |
| Ease of use | CA web app where you connect your own SMTP provider on the cheaper plans, which is setup work. No rating on record. | B4.67 from about 1,100 App Store ratings for its companion app, just under the 4.7 an A needs. The real work still happens in the web app, building emails and automations. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with WordPress, WooCommerce, Salesforce, Zoho, Zapier, Make, Pabbly Connect and Amazon SES. | BWeb and an iPhone app, with Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe, Claude and ChatGPT, an API and an MCP server. No desktop app, so it can't go higher than a B. |
| Best for | senders who bring their own SMTP and want low fees | a newsletter with a simple website on the side |
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: MailBluster and MailerLite. How we grade
Price against what you get
MailBluster starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MailerLite starts at $12 a month and scores 3.0.
MailerLite scores higher, and starts $7 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, 2 score higher than MailBluster for less, and 1 scores higher than MailerLite 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
- MailBluster also covers transactional email and a/B testing.
- MailerLite also covers forms and paid newsletters.
At a glance
| MailBluster | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per month, plus $0.60 per 1,000 emails, billed yearly | $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Starter plan with your own SMTP provider: up to 3,000 emails in total, with MailBluster branding on your emails. No credit card needed. | Up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, 2 seats, automations, 1 website, 1 landing page and 3 forms. No sending through the API. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Managed plans, up to 100 emails a day, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of paid features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | MailBluster | MailerLite |
| Price read from | mailbluster.com | mailerlite.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
MailBluster
- With your own SMTP, provider fees are extra; Amazon SES also adds a small Amazon SNS charge past 100,000 requests a month.
- The Starter plan allows 3,000 emails in total, not per month, and keeps MailBluster branding.
- Managed plans cover up to 250,000 emails a month on the page; above that it is sold through sales.
- Pro and Executive are shown as billed yearly, and the page does not show a monthly price for them.
MailerLite
- The Free plan stops at 250 subscribers; above that, campaigns and automations are locked until you upgrade.
- Subscribers count cumulatively through each billing cycle, and passing your tier moves you up and charges the card automatically.
- Comfort caps monthly emails at 10 times the top of your subscriber tier; Power has no monthly cap, subject to fair use.
- Transactional email is not part of these plans; MailerLite points to its separate MailerSend product.
Key features
MailBluster
- No list-size pricing
- Every plan allows unlimited leads; cost follows the number of emails sent.
- Bring your own SMTP
- Connects to Amazon SES, Postmark, Mailgun or SMTP2GO, whose own sending fees are billed by those providers.
- Managed sending
- Managed plans include sending infrastructure, IP blacklist monitoring and sender reputation management, with no separate SMTP account.
- Automation and A/B testing
- Pro and above include automation and A/B testing, with unlimited automation workflows on Executive.
- Ecommerce and WordPress connections
- A WordPress plugin and WooCommerce connection, plus Salesforce, Zoho, Zapier, Make and other connectors.
MailerLite
- Three email editors
- Drag-and-drop, custom HTML and a simple text editor on every plan. Paid plans add the AI writing assistant, multivariate testing and dynamic content.
- Automation builder
- A visual workflow builder with templates, e-commerce triggers, RSS campaigns and auto-resend. Comfort allows 50 active automations; Power has no cap.
- Websites, landing pages and forms
- Build sites with a blog, landing pages, embedded forms and pop-ups. Free allows one site and three forms; an iPad app collects sign-ups offline.
- Paid newsletters and digital products
- Sell one-time or recurring newsletter subscriptions, digital downloads and bookings, with payments taken through Stripe.
- Reports
- Click maps, list growth and comparative reports, e-commerce sales tracking, individual subscriber profiles and custom report exports.
- MCP server and API
- Claude, ChatGPT and other AI tools can manage campaigns through MailerLite's MCP server. Full API and MCP access, including sending, needs a paid plan.
Plans
MailBluster
Starter$0
Bring your own SMTP provider. Up to 3,000 emails in total, with MailBluster branding. Meant for testing before upgrading.
Pro$5
per month, plus $0.60 per 1,000 emails (billed yearly)
Bring your own SMTP. Unlimited leads, automation, A/B testing, custom fields, no MailBluster branding, WordPress plugin and API access. SMTP fees are billed separately.
Executive$10
per month, plus $0.60 per 1,000 emails (billed yearly)
Pro plus dedicated 1-1 setup and support, 3 years of data retention, unlimited automation workflows and a 5% yearly reward on email sending.
Managed$15.30
per month for up to 10,000 emails, billed annually ($17 monthly)
MailBluster sends for you, with SMTP included. Steps up to 250,000 emails a month. Extra emails on the 10,000 pack cost $1.96 per 1,000.
MailerLite
Free$0
250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, 2 seats, 1 website, 1 landing page and 3 forms. Community support only.
Comfort$12
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Emails up to 10 times the tier (5,000 here), 3 seats, 50 automations, 10 forms and sites. Price rises with the list: $89 a month at 10,000 subscribers.
Power$25
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Unlimited emails, seats, automations, forms and sites, plus 24/7 live chat. Price rises with the list: $129 a month at 10,000 subscribers.
EnterpriseCustom
For more than 200,000 subscribers: custom sending volume, a success manager, account audits and a dedicated IP as an add-on.
Ways to pay less
MailBluster
- Annual discount
10% off Managed plans paid yearly
The pricing page marks yearly payment on Managed plans as saving 10%.
MailerLite
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
MailerLite's pricing page takes 10% off paid plans billed yearly: Comfort at 500 subscribers is $10.80 a month instead of $12.
- Nonprofit
30% off paid plans for nonprofits
Nonprofits get 30% off paid plans after sending support a document showing their status, such as an IRS tax exemption certificate.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MailBluster or MailerLite?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MailBluster is cheaper to start with: $5 a month, against $12 a month for MailerLite. MailBluster starts at $5 per month, plus $0.60 per 1,000 emails, billed yearly, and MailerLite starts at $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, MailBluster or MailerLite?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both MailBluster and MailerLite have a free plan.
Which platforms do MailBluster and MailerLite run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only MailerLite lists an iOS app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.