MailBluster review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Email marketing with unlimited contacts, on your own SMTP or managed
Black Friday: is there a MailBluster sale?
MailBluster report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for senders who bring their own SMTP and want low fees
MailBluster charges a small monthly fee plus $0.60 per 1,000 emails, and you bring your own SMTP provider such as Amazon SES. That keeps the price low but adds a second bill. The free Starter plan caps at 3,000 emails in total, not per month, and keeps MailBluster branding.
Who MailBluster is for
- Fits if you already have an Amazon SES account and want to avoid list-size pricing
- Works for ecommerce senders on WordPress or WooCommerce
Who MailBluster is not for
- 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
Why MailBluster gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for money$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.
- CFree plan and trialStarter 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.
- CFeaturesUnlimited leads, automation, A/B testing, custom fields, a WordPress plugin and API access. The listing shows no forms or landing pages.
- CEase of useA web app where you connect your own SMTP provider on the cheaper plans, which is setup work. No rating on record.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with WordPress, WooCommerce, Salesforce, Zoho, Zapier, Make, Pabbly Connect and Amazon SES.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from MailBluster's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailbluster#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/mailbluster.svg" alt="MailBluster: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where MailBluster stands among email marketing and newsletter tools
MailBluster's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 27 of the 57 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 15.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 44 of 57) and worst on features (C, above 3).
Its paid plans start at $5 a month, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 1 of the 47 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 58 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. MailBluster’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 44 of 57, level with 9
- CFree plan and trialAbove 11 of 57, level with 31
- CFeaturesAbove 3 of 57, level with 19
- CEase of useAbove 5 of 57, level with 48
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 7 of 57, level with 50
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 50 email marketing and newsletter tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep MailBluster, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace MailBluster you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $60 a year.
What you could not
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- Email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox.
- Mail servers with a good name among inbox providers.
- Splitting visitors between versions and telling you which won.
- It plugs into other products, WordPress, WooCommerce and Salesforce among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. MailBluster’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is MailBluster?
MailBluster is an email marketing platform that does not charge by list size. You can connect your own SMTP provider such as Amazon SES, Postmark, Mailgun or SMTP2GO and pay MailBluster a small subscription plus a per-email fee, or have MailBluster send for you on a Managed plan priced by monthly email volume.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
MailBluster pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, MailBluster has a free plan, and paid plans start at $5 per month, plus $0.60 per 1,000 emails, billed yearly.
- Starts at
- $5 per month, plus $0.60 per 1,000 emails, billed yearly
- 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.
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of Managed plans, up to 100 emails a day, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0 | Bring your own SMTP provider. Up to 3,000 emails in total, with MailBluster branding. Meant for testing before upgrading. |
| Pro | $5per 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 | $10per 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 | $15.30per 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. |
Read from mailbluster.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with MailBluster before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discount10% off Managed plans paid yearly
The pricing page marks yearly payment on Managed plans as saving 10%.
Stated on mailbluster.com
Works with
MailBluster alternatives
- MailBluster vs Sendy
From $69 one-time
- MailBluster vs EmailOctopus
Free plan · from $9/mo
- MailBluster vs Mailcoach
Free trial · from $9.99/mo
- MailBluster vs MailerLite
Free plan · from $12/mo
Common questions
Does MailBluster have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. MailBluster is listed for Web.
Does MailBluster have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. MailBluster is listed for Web.
Is MailBluster open source?
MailBluster is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does MailBluster have an API?
Yes. MailBluster offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.