MailerLite vs Mailrelay (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Mailrelay: it is second in our ranking of email marketing and newsletter tools, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.6.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
MailerLite grades higher on ease of use. Mailrelay grades higher on value for money and the free plan. 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.
MailerLite
Email newsletters, automations, sites and paid subscriptions
Mailrelay
Email marketing with a large free plan and SMS and WhatsApp add-ons
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 Mailrelay if
- Fits if you have a list under 20,000 and want to send for nothing
- Works for shops that need an SMTP relay and an API alongside newsletters
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you grow, as Standard goes from €48 at 100,000 emails to €260 at 1,000,000
- Tight if you want a clean footer, because removing the logo is a €4.95 a month add-on
- Watch out: transactional email is a 30-day trial then €14.95 a month, and WhatsApp a 10-day trial then €9.95
- Watch out: prices are in euros and priority queue, chat and phone support are on paid plans only
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMailerLiteGood | 3.0GPAMailrelayVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BThe free plan is large, but paid starts at €48 a month for 100,000 emails and climbs to €132 at 500,000, which is above the $20 category middle. |
| 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. | AFree forever: 80,000 emails a month to up to 20,000 recipients. The cost is a Mailrelay logo in the footer of every email. |
| 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. | BEditor with AI, email and SMS automations, segments, landing pages, forms, SMTP and API, and statistics. The listed extras are paid on top. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record. It is a web app where you build the lists, templates and automations yourself. |
| 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. | BWeb app with an SMTP relay and API, plus Make.com and WooCommerce. No phone or desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | a newsletter with a simple website on the side | a big free email plan with a logo |
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 Mailrelay. 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. Mailrelay starts at about $53.63 a month and scores 2.7.
MailerLite scores higher and starts $41.63 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than MailerLite for less, and 3 score higher than Mailrelay 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 forms and paid newsletters.
- Mailrelay also covers sMS marketing, transactional email and a/B testing.
At a glance
| MailerLite | Mailrelay | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly | €48 per month for 100,000 emails, 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. | Free forever: 80,000 emails a month to up to 20,000 distinct recipients, with a Mailrelay logo in the footer of emails. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of paid features, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | MailerLite | Mailrelay |
| Price read from | mailerlite.com | mailrelay.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Mailrelay
- Prices are in euros and rise with monthly email volume: €76 at 250,000 emails on Standard, €260 at 1,000,000.
- Transactional email on the free account is a 30-day trial, then €14.95 a month; WhatsApp is a 10-day trial, then €9.95 a month.
- Free accounts carry a Mailrelay logo in emails; removing it is a €4.95 a month add-on.
- A prepaid option sells email credits instead of a subscription; annual billing takes 10% off.
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.
Mailrelay
- Drag-and-drop editor with AI
- A drag-and-drop email editor that can draft a basic template with AI, with scheduled delivery, conditional content and A/B tests.
- Automations by email and SMS
- A visual editor for workflows such as welcome, birthday and abandoned-cart messages. Automations are available on the free account.
- Segmentation
- Groups, tags, segments, custom fields and contact scoring for sending different content to different people.
- Landing pages and forms
- Subscription forms and landing pages that feed the same contact lists.
- SMTP and API
- A REST API, webhooks and an SMTP server for transactional email; the vendor lists Make.com and WooCommerce as integrations.
- Statistics
- Reports on open rate, click rate, a click heatmap, bounces and inbox placement.
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.
Mailrelay
Free€0
80,000 emails a month, up to 20,000 contacts, normal sending queue and ticket support.
Standard€48
per month for 100,000 emails, billed monthly
Priority queue, ticket and chat support, transactional email and WhatsApp included. Price rises with email volume: €132 a month at 500,000.
Enterprise€67
per month for 100,000 emails, billed monthly
Everything in Standard plus phone support at the highest priority. Price rises with volume: €185 a month at 500,000.
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.
Mailrelay
- Annual discount
10% off with annual billing
The pricing page shows an annual billing option that takes 10% off the monthly price on Standard and Enterprise.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MailerLite or Mailrelay?
As of Nov 13, 2026, MailerLite is cheaper to start with: $12 a month, against about $53.63 a month for Mailrelay. MailerLite starts at $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly, and Mailrelay starts at €48 per month for 100,000 emails, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, MailerLite or Mailrelay?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both MailerLite and Mailrelay have a free plan.
Which platforms do MailerLite and Mailrelay run on?
As of Nov 13, 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.