MailerLite vs rapidmail (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, MailerLite grades higher than rapidmail: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
MailerLite grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money 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
rapidmail
German newsletter tool with recipient-based monthly plans
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 rapidmail if
- Fits if you want a German-run tool with phone support
- Makes sense if you run Shopware or WooCommerce and send to a few hundred people
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan, since you get one mailing, once
- Tight if you want A/B tests or scheduled sending, as those start on Performance at €25
- Watch out: monthly prices rise with the recipient count and the steps above 500 weren't readable
- Watch out: prices are in euros and the page doesn't say whether VAT is included
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMailerLiteGood | 2.0GPArapidmailFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C€15 a month for up to 500 recipients on Essential, €25 on Performance and €35 on Unlimited, rising with the list. That's ordinary against a $20 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. | DThe free offer is one mailing to up to 2,000 recipients, once. There's no recurring plan and no trial. |
| 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. | CEditor, automations, forms, reporting and transactional email. A/B tests, scheduled delivery and 1-click design aren't in Essential. |
| 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. A web app where you build the newsletters and automations. |
| 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 Shopware and WooCommerce plugins and an API for other systems. No phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | a newsletter with a simple website on the side | German newsletters priced by recipients |
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 rapidmail. 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. rapidmail starts at about $16.76 a month and scores 2.3.
MailerLite scores higher and starts $4.76 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than MailerLite for less, and 18 score higher than rapidmail 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.
- rapidmail also covers reports, transactional email and a/B testing.
At a glance
| MailerLite | rapidmail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly | €15 per month for up to 500 recipients (Essential), or €20 for a single send to 500 |
| 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. | The first mailing to up to 2,000 recipients is free of charge; this is a one-time trial of a single send, not a recurring plan. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of paid features, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | MailerLite | Positive Group Deutschland GmbH |
| Price read from | mailerlite.com | rapidmail.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.
rapidmail
- Prices are shown in euros; the page does not state whether VAT is included.
- Monthly prices rise with the recipient count; the steps above 500 recipients were not readable on the page as fetched.
- A/B tests, scheduled delivery and 1-click design are not in Essential.
- Shop plugins are listed for Shopware and WooCommerce; other systems connect through the API.
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.
rapidmail
- Drag-and-drop newsletter editor
- Build mailings from more than 250 templates; the 1-click design feature builds a template in your brand style on paid plans.
- Automations
- Send automated email sequences for set occasions. The number of automations depends on the plan, from 1 to unlimited.
- Sign-up forms
- Forms for subscribing and unsubscribing, with automatic double opt-in, can be embedded on a website.
- Reporting
- Delivery statistics, a click map, device and location analysis and Google Analytics tracking are listed in the feature table.
- Transactional email
- SMTP sending for transactional messages is offered as a separate feature of the service.
- Phone, email and ticket support
- The vendor says all customers get free support by phone, email and ticket, whatever the package.
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.
rapidmail
Essential€15
per month for up to 500 recipients, billed monthly
1 automation, 3 sender addresses, 3 recipient lists, 250 templates. Price rises with the recipient count.
Performance€25
per month for up to 500 recipients, billed monthly
5 automations, 10 sender addresses, 10 lists, 2 extra users, A/B tests and scheduled delivery.
Unlimited€35
per month for up to 500 recipients, billed monthly
Unlimited automations, sender addresses, lists and extra users, plus the Performance features.
Pay as you go€20
single delivery of 500 emails, no contract term
No subscription: you pay per send. 1 automation, 3 sender addresses and 3 lists.
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.
rapidmail
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MailerLite or rapidmail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, MailerLite is cheaper to start with: $12 a month, against about $16.76 a month for rapidmail. MailerLite starts at $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly, and rapidmail starts at €15 per month for up to 500 recipients (Essential), or €20 for a single send to 500.
Which has a free plan, MailerLite or rapidmail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both MailerLite and rapidmail have a free plan.
Which platforms do MailerLite and rapidmail 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.