How much does email marketing cost? 13 tools priced (2026)
Short answer: At 5,000 subscribers most email tools cost $31.50 to $145 a month. At 100,000 subscribers it is $329 to $800 or more. Price is set by list size, not by how many emails you send.
Free up to 1,000 contacts. No card.
Monthly price by list size
| Tool (plan) | 5,000 | 10,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SendFox | $29 once | $39 | $79 | $79 | $149 |
Mailchimp
Standard |
$100 | n/a | n/a | $450 | $800 |
Creator |
$89 | $139 | $199 | $379 | $679 |
Scale |
$89 | $109 | $169 | $249 | $329 |
Comfort |
$49 | $89 | $179 | $319 | $439 |
Lite |
$60 | $100 | $210 | $375 | $600 |
Pro |
$59 | $79 | $169 | $389 | $689 |
Pro |
$31.50 | $44.50 | $94.50 | $178 | $345 |
Starter |
$54 | $79 | $174 | $299 | $539 |
Plus (annual) |
$145 | $189 | $389 | $609 | n/a |
Ghost(Pro)
Publisher |
$75 | $105 | $169 | $249 | $329 |
Pro |
$48 | $88 | $160 | $315 | $624 |
Substack
Free + 10% of paid subs |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Monthly price by number of subscribers, monthly billing unless noted, read from each vendor's pricing page in September 2026. n/a means the vendor does not publish a price at that list size (custom quote or no tier there). SendFox: $29 once covers 5,000 contacts and 300,000 total sends; above that, Pro plans are monthly.
Cost over one year
| Tool | 5,000 subs, 1 year | 50,000 subs, 1 year |
|---|---|---|
| SendFox | $29 | $948 |
| Mailchimp | $1,200 | $5,400 |
| Kit | $1,068 | $4,548 |
| beehiiv | $1,068 | $2,988 |
| MailerLite | $588 | $3,828 |
| EmailOctopus | $378 | $2,136 |
SendFox pricing
| Plan | Price | Contacts | Sends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1,000 | 3,000/month |
| Lifetime | $29 once | 5,000 | 300,000 total |
| Pro 1 | $19/month | 5,000 | 100,000/month |
| Pro 2 | $39/month | 15,000 | 200,000/month |
| Pro 3 | $79/month | 50,000 | 400,000/month |
| Pro 4 | $149/month | 100,000 | 800,000/month |
| Pro 5 | $399/month | 250,000 | 2,000,000/month |
Pro billed yearly: pay for 10 months, get 12. Every feature is included on every Pro tier.
What else to budget for
- Send caps. Some plans cap monthly sends (Mailchimp Standard at 12x contacts, MailerLite, AWeber, EmailOctopus and ActiveCampaign at 10x).
- Transaction fees. Substack takes 10% of paid subscriptions. Kit takes 3.5% + 30¢ on digital product and paid newsletter sales. SendFox paid newsletters run on your own Stripe account with no platform fee.
- Plan gates. Kit's free plan has no automations; its Creator plan is the one priced above.
FAQ
How much does email marketing cost per month?
At 5,000 subscribers, paid plans from the major tools range from $31.50 (EmailOctopus Pro) to $145 (ActiveCampaign Plus, billed annually) a month. At 100,000 subscribers the range is $329 to $800 or more. Substack charges no monthly fee but takes 10% of paid subscriptions.
What is the cheapest email marketing tool?
SendFox is free for 1,000 contacts and $29 once for 5,000 contacts and 300,000 sends. Above that, SendFox Pro starts at $19 a month.
Why does email marketing get more expensive as my list grows?
Most tools price by number of subscribers, so each time your list crosses a tier the monthly price goes up, even if you send the same number of emails.
Comparing one tool? See SendFox vs Mailchimp, SendFox vs Kit or Mailchimp alternatives.
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