MailPoet vs Mailster (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, MailPoet grades higher than Mailster: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
MailPoet grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MailPoet
Email marketing plugin that runs inside WordPress and WooCommerce
Which one is for you
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
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
| 2.6GPAMailPoetGood | 1.8GPAMailsterWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | 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 Starter plan is free for 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month through the MailPoet Sending Service, with MailPoet branding on emails. | FNo free edition and no trial. There's a demo and a 14-day money-back guarantee, which isn't the same thing. |
| Features | CNewsletters, automated emails, WooCommerce emails and a choice of sending method. Segmentation, detailed statistics and unbranded emails need a paid plan. | 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 a WordPress site, with no rating on record. You install it, set up sending and build your own emails. | 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 | BInside WordPress only, with WooCommerce, Google Analytics and Mailchimp connections. | BWeb only, inside WordPress, but it connects to Mailgun, SendGrid, SparkPost, Mailjet, Gmail and Gravity Forms, among others. |
| Best for | WordPress sites sending newsletters from 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: MailPoet and Mailster. How we grade
Price against what you get
MailPoet starts at $8 a month 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.
MailPoet scores higher, and starts $1.42 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, 3 score higher than MailPoet 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
- MailPoet also covers transactional email.
- Mailster also covers templates and rSS reader.
At a glance
| MailPoet | Mailster | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $8 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly | $79 per year for 1 site, renewing at full price after a first-year price of $39 |
| Free plan | Starter plan: up to 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month, sent through the MailPoet Sending Service. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | MailPoet | Mailster |
| Price read from | mailpoet.com | mailster.co |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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, MailPoet or Mailster?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mailster is cheaper to start with: $6.58 a month when paid by the year, against $8 a month for MailPoet. MailPoet starts at $8 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly, 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, MailPoet or Mailster?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only MailPoet 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.