The Userlist Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Userlist in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Userlist
The Insider’s Guide
Lifecycle email and in-app messages for SaaS user and company accounts
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email marketing and newsletter tools, read from Userlist’s own pages.
Made by Userlist, Inc. · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Userlist’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Userlist’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 25 of the 102 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade
Userlist is an email and in-app messaging platform built for SaaS companies. It tracks both individual users and the company accounts they belong to, so a campaign can start from an action by a user or by a whole company. Plans are priced by the number of users stored.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Userlist, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You have to send data from your product through the API or integrations first.
- 1
Best for email and in-app messages for SaaS products
Userlist sends email and in-app messages from what users and their companies do inside a SaaS product.
- 2
Paid plans start at $119 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $119 per month for up to 10,000 users, billed annually ($149 monthly).
- 3
You can try it first
14-day free trial
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Users and companies
Stores many-to-many relationships between users and company accounts, with profiles, activity feeds and segments for each.
- 6
Visual workflows
A visual builder for onboarding and lifecycle campaigns, triggered by user or company events.
- 7
In-app messages
Sends messages inside the product as well as by email, plus internal notifications to your own team.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 25 of 102
That is against the other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Userlist 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.
Userlist at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $119 per month for up to 10,000 users, billed annually ($149 monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Userlist, Inc., since 2017
- Category
- Email Marketing & Newsletters
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for email and in-app messages for SaaS products
Userlist sends email and in-app messages from what users and their companies do inside a SaaS product. It starts at $119 a month for 10,000 users, A/B tests sit on the $279 plan, and it counts every stored user whether active or not.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | Basic is $119 a month for up to 10,000 users billed yearly, which is in the dearer end of this category. A/B tests, goals and webhooks need Professional at $279, and each extra 1,000 users is $10 to $12 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | C | A 14-day free trial, and no free plan. The page we read doesn't say if the trial needs a card. |
| Features | C | Users and companies, visual workflows, in-app messages, transactional email and an API. A/B tests, goals and outbound webhooks are Professional only. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. You have to send data from your product through the API or integrations first. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web only, with an API and integrations like ActiveCampaign, Airtable and Amplitude. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Userlist is for
- Fits if you run a SaaS product and want mail triggered by what users and companies do
- Works for teams with developers who can send events from the app
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you just want to send a newsletter to a list
- Pricey if you need A/B tests or goals, which are on Professional at $279 a month
- Tight if you store lots of dormant users, since every user counts, active or not
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there is only a 14-day trial
Good to know
Good for
- SaaS companies that sell to teams and want to message by company as well as by user
- Product teams that want onboarding email and in-app messages in one place
- Teams that are comfortable sending data through an API
Worth knowing
- Priced by the number of users stored, counted at the highest level in the previous 30 days, and all users count whether active or not.
- A/B testing, conversion goals and outbound webhooks are Professional features.
- There is no free plan; new accounts start on a 14-day trial.
- Built around data sent from a SaaS product, so it suits a product with an API or integration more than a simple newsletter list.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$119
A month to start
Userlist is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $119 per month for up to 10,000 users, billed annually ($149 monthly).
The page we read doesn't say if the trial needs a card.
Basic
$119
per month for up to 10,000 users, billed annually ($149 monthly)
Marketing, lifecycle and transactional email, broadcasts, visual workflows, in-app messages and company accounts, with 5 team seats. Each additional 1,000 users costs $10 a month.
Professional
$279
per month for up to 10,000 users, billed annually ($349 monthly)
Everything in Basic plus A/B split testing, conversion goals, advanced workflow logic, outbound webhooks and 10 team seats. Each additional 1,000 users costs $12 a month.
Enterprise
Custom
Custom message limits, a dedicated account manager and monthly review calls, sold through sales.
Trying it first
14-day free trial
Read from userlist.com on Nov 13, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Userlist's pricing page shows annual billing at a 20% saving over monthly billing.
Stated on userlist.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Lifecycle email and in-app messages for SaaS user and company accounts. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, marketing automation, workflow automation, email campaigns, transactional email, a/B testing.
Users and companies, visual workflows, in-app messages, transactional email and an API.
- Users and companies
- Stores many-to-many relationships between users and company accounts, with profiles, activity feeds and segments for each.
- Visual workflows
- A visual builder for onboarding and lifecycle campaigns, triggered by user or company events.
- In-app messages
- Sends messages inside the product as well as by email, plus internal notifications to your own team.
- Transactional email
- Receipts and notifications can be sent from the same tool as marketing and lifecycle email.
- Developer API
- Data comes in through an HTTP API and client libraries, or through customer data platform integrations.
- Conversion goals and A/B tests
- Measure whether a workflow reached its goal and split-test messages. Both need the Professional plan.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- ActiveCampaign
- Airtable
- Amplitude
- Cloudflare Turnstile
Userlist is made by Userlist, Inc., and has been around since 2017.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
25/102
Other email marketing and newsletter tools it is graded above
Userlist's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 25 of the 102 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 16.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 31 of 102) and worst on value for money (D, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $119 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 68 of the 78 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 33 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 103 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Userlist’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 1 of 102
- CFree plan and trialAbove 33 of 102
- CFeaturesAbove 4 of 102
- CEase of useAbove 11 of 102
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 102
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 82 email marketing and newsletter tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Userlist is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Userlist 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.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 61 of the 102 other email marketing and newsletter tools grade higher. It costs $1,428 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.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Splitting visitors between versions and telling you which won.
What this rests on. Userlist’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Customer.io, Loops, Encharge, Vero and Drip
The 5 tools Userlist is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Customer.io
Free trial · from $100/mo
Data-driven email, SMS, push and in-app messaging for product teams.
- Userlist also covers workflow automation, transactional email and a/B testing.
- Customer.io also covers business texting.
- 2.4GPA
Loops
Free plan · from $49/mo
Marketing, product and transactional email for SaaS teams.
- Loops has a free plan. Userlist does not, though it has a free trial.
- Userlist also covers workflow automation and a/B testing.
- 2.2GPA
Encharge
Free trial · from $79/mo
Behavior-based email automation for SaaS and subscription businesses.
- Userlist also covers workflow automation, transactional email and a/B testing.
- Encharge also covers forms.
- 2.2GPA
Vero
Free trial · from $49/mo
Event-driven email and push messaging for product-led companies.
- Userlist also covers workflow automation.
- 2.0GPA
Drip
Free trial · from $39/mo
Email automation and pop-ups for online stores.
- Userlist also covers workflow automation, transactional email and a/B testing.
- Drip also covers forms.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Userlist free?
No, Userlist is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial.
How much does Userlist cost?
Userlist lists 3 plans. Basic: $119 per month for up to 10,000 users, billed annually ($149 monthly).
What platforms does Userlist work on?
Userlist is available on Web.
Does Userlist offer any discounts?
Userlist publicly lists the following: Save 20% with annual billing.
Does Userlist have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Userlist is listed for Web.
Does Userlist have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Userlist is listed for Web.
Is Userlist open source?
Userlist is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Userlist have an API?
Yes. Userlist offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Userlist integrate with?
Userlist's listing names ActiveCampaign, Airtable, Amplitude and Cloudflare Turnstile.
Who makes Userlist?
Userlist is made by Userlist, Inc. It dates from 2017.
What are the alternatives to Userlist?
The closest alternatives to Userlist in our directory are Customer.io, Loops, Encharge, Vero and Drip.
How does Userlist compare with other email marketing and newsletter tools?
Userlist's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 25 of the 102 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 16.
Is Userlist good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Userlist D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $119 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 68 of the 78 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Userlist?
To replace Userlist you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Userlist’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Userlist's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Userlist, Inc. Prices change, so check userlist.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Userlist, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/userlist
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Userlist: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/userlist
Know someone choosing between email marketing and newsletter tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/userlist/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email marketing and newsletter tools after Userlist, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Marketing & Newsletters Insider's GuideEvery one of the 103 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, compared
- Substack Insider's GuideNewsletter, podcast and video publishing with paid subscriptions3.2 GPA
- Mailrelay Insider's GuideEmail marketing with a large free plan and SMS and WhatsApp add-ons3.0 GPA
- SendFox Insider's GuideEmail newsletters and list building for creators on a budget3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Userlist’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Userlist is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Userlist, Inc. Prices and plans change: check userlist.com before you buy.