MailerLite vs MailPoet (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MailerLite and MailPoet share a 2.6 GPA, both have a free plan, and MailPoet starts cheaper, at $8 a month against $12 a month.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
MailerLite grades higher on features and ease of use. MailPoet grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MailerLite
Email newsletters, automations, sites and paid subscriptions
MailPoet
Email marketing plugin that runs inside WordPress and WooCommerce
Which one is for you
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
Pick MailPoet if
- Fits if you already run a WordPress site with fewer than 500 subscribers
- Works for WooCommerce shops that want order emails and newsletters
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not use WordPress, because it needs a WordPress site
- Tight if you stay free: 500 subscribers, 5,000 emails and MailPoet branding
- Watch out: segmentation and detailed ecommerce statistics start on the $10 Business plan
- Watch out: the figures are the 500-subscriber step on monthly billing, and the price rises from there
- Not for you if you want a standalone app, since it lives in WordPress
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMailerLiteGood | 2.6GPAMailPoetGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BPaid plans start at $8 a month for 500 subscribers and $10 on Business, inside the cheapest quarter of this category. The price rises with subscribers in steps up to 500,000. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BThe Starter plan is free for 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month through the MailPoet Sending Service, with MailPoet branding on emails. |
| Features | 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. | CNewsletters, automated emails, WooCommerce emails and a choice of sending method. Segmentation, detailed statistics and unbranded emails need a paid plan. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CA plugin on a WordPress site, with no rating on record. You install it, set up sending and build your own emails. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BInside WordPress only, with WooCommerce, Google Analytics and Mailchimp connections. |
| Best for | a newsletter with a simple website on the side | WordPress sites sending newsletters from the dashboard |
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: MailerLite and MailPoet. How we grade
Price against what you get
MailerLite starts at $12 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MailPoet starts at $8 a month and scores 2.3.
MailerLite scores higher, and starts $4 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, 1 scores higher than MailerLite for less, and 3 score higher than MailPoet 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
- MailerLite also covers paid newsletters.
- MailPoet also covers transactional email.
At a glance
| MailerLite | MailPoet | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly | $8 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly |
| Free plan | 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. | Starter plan: up to 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month, sent through the MailPoet Sending Service. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of paid features, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | MailerLite | MailPoet |
| Price read from | mailerlite.com | mailpoet.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
MailPoet
- It runs only inside WordPress, so it needs a WordPress site.
- Starter is capped at 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month; segmentation, detailed statistics and unbranded emails need a paid plan.
- The price rises with the subscriber count in steps up to 500,000, and the figures above are the 500-subscriber step on monthly billing.
- The pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 15%, and nonprofits can request 20% off any plan.
Key features
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.
MailPoet
- Newsletters in the WordPress dashboard
- Emails are built with a drag-and-drop editor and more than 70 templates, and can pull in posts, pages and WooCommerce products.
- Automated emails
- Welcome emails for new subscribers and automatic notifications for newly published posts, daily, weekly or monthly.
- WooCommerce emails
- Abandoned cart reminders, first-purchase emails, product and category emails, and customizable WooCommerce transactional emails.
- Segmentation
- Business and above can segment by engagement, purchasing behavior and other properties.
- Choice of sending method
- Send through the MailPoet Sending Service, the web host, or a third-party SMTP service.
Plans
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.
MailPoet
Starter$0
Up to 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month, with forms, basic automation and summarized statistics. MailPoet branding stays on emails.
Creator$8
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Business features without the MailPoet Sending Service, for people who send through their own host or SMTP. The price rises with the subscriber count.
Business$10
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Unlimited emails, no MailPoet branding, priority support, segmentation and detailed ecommerce statistics. The price rises with the subscriber count.
Agency$30
per month for up to 500 subscribers per site, billed monthly
Business features on up to 50 websites, with the subscriber limit counted per MailPoet install.
Ways to pay less
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.
MailPoet
- Annual discount
Up to 15% off with yearly billing
The pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 15% compared with monthly billing.
- Nonprofit
20% off for nonprofits
Nonprofits get 20% off any plan by contacting support to request it.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MailerLite or MailPoet?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MailPoet is cheaper to start with: $8 a month, against $12 a month for MailerLite. MailerLite starts at $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly, and MailPoet starts at $8 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, MailerLite or MailPoet?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both MailerLite and MailPoet have a free plan.
Which platforms do MailerLite and MailPoet 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.