Best ofGTMUpdated Oct 27, 2026

Best AWeber alternatives · Kit for a free start, AWeber’s own Lite plan for a list around 2,500 subscribers

Pick Kit if your list starts from zero and you want a free plan that sends email, at $0 a month for up to 10,000 subscribers. Pick AWeber’s own Lite plan for a list near 2,500 subscribers that needs automations, at $12.50 a month billed annually.

Notes from GTM teamsWritten by people who run outboundWe use the tools we recommend.Updated Oct 27, 2026

our pick for you

Our pick

Pick Kit for a list starting from zero that wants a free plan before paying anything. Kit’s Free plan costs $0 a month for up to 10,000 subscribers. It includes unlimited broadcasts, emails sent to an entire list at once, landing pages, single web pages built to get someone to sign up, and sign-up forms. Automations and email sequences start on Kit’s paid Creator plan, $39 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $33 a month billed yearly ($390 a year). Billed yearly, that still costs more than AWeber Lite at $12.50 a month billed annually. Pick beehiiv to grow and sell a newsletter instead of only sending one; its Lite plan costs $59 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $49 a month billed yearly. Pick AWeber’s own Lite plan for a list sitting around 2,500 subscribers, AWeber’s own stated ceiling for that tier. Lite costs $12.50 a month billed annually, which comes to $150 a year, for up to 2,500 subscribers. AWeber’s own price list states no numbers at all for its free plan. It gives no subscriber limit and no send limit, even though its own navigation links to “Get AWeber Free.” Pick Mailchimp for a list already tracked by total contact count, Mailchimp’s own word for a subscriber. Its Free plan caps at 250 contacts with 500 sends a month. Pick MailerLite for the lowest paid price at 1,000 subscribers: Comfort costs $19 a month billed monthly, or $17.10 a month billed yearly ($205.20 a year). Flodesk’s Lite plan costs more at that size, $25 a month billed monthly or $19 a month billed yearly, and Flodesk’s Free plan cannot send an email at all.

Kit’s Free plan costs $0 a month for up to 10,000 subscribers; its paid Creator plan costs $39 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $33 a month billed yearly ($390 a year).
beehiiv’s Lite plan costs $59 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $49 a month billed yearly.
AWeber Lite costs $12.50 a month billed annually ($150 a year) for up to 2,500 subscribers.
AWeber’s own price list prints no numbers at all for its free plan.
Mailchimp’s Free plan caps at 250 contacts with 500 sends a month; Essentials starts at $8.85 a month billed monthly.
MailerLite’s Free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month; Comfort costs $19 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $17.10 a month billed yearly ($205.20 a year).
Flodesk Lite costs $25 a month billed monthly, or $19 a month billed yearly, for up to 1,000 subscribers; its Free plan cannot send email at all.
The math: AWeber Lite’s $12.50 a month billed annually comes to $12.50 × 12 = $150 a year, and its 10 times send cap at 2,500 subscribers allows 2,500 × 10 = 25,000 emails a month.

Ranked picks

#1
Kittop pick
Best for: A list starting from zero that wants a free plan before paying anything.
Free up to 10,000…Newsletter
- A Free plan that sends broadcasts to up to 10,000 subscribers at $0 a month.
- Unlimited broadcasts and landing pages on the free plan instead of a time-limited trial.
Go to the website Read our review
#2
Beehiiv
Best for: A writer who wants to grow and sell a newsletter instead of only sending one.
Free to 2,500 subscribers.Newsletter
- Built around growing and selling a newsletter, with tools for paid subscriptions built in.
Go to the website Read our review

Compare

Tool	Price band	Best for	Dealbreaker
#1 Kit	Free up to 10,000…	A list starting from zero that wants a free plan before paying anything.	Kit’s Creator plan costs $39 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, more than…
#2 Beehiiv	Free to 2,500 subscribers.	A writer who wants to grow and sell a newsletter instead of only sending one.	beehiiv’s Lite plan costs $59 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, more than…

MethodHow we scored these tools▾

Prices come from each vendor’s own price list. AWeber, Kit, Mailchimp, MailerLite, beehiiv, and Flodesk prices are exact numbers from each vendor’s own page. Kit’s Creator plan costs $39 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $33 a month billed yearly ($390 a year), and beehiiv’s Lite plan costs $59 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $49 a month billed yearly.

Who it's for

buy if

You are choosing an email tool for a newsletter, a small business list, or a creator audience.
You want a free tier to test for real before any money changes hands.
You want AWeber’s own numbers lined up next to real alternatives.

skip if

A list that already passes 100,000 subscribers moves past every plan on AWeber, Mailchimp, and Flodesk; all three send a list that size to a custom-priced sales call instead of a listed plan.

The short answer

Pick Kit for a free plan before paying anything; Kit’s Creator plan costs $39 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $33 a month billed yearly ($390 a year).

Pick beehiiv for growing and selling a newsletter instead of just sending one; its Lite plan costs $59 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $49 a month billed yearly.

Pick AWeber’s own Lite plan if a list sits around 2,500 subscribers. Lite costs $12.50 a month billed annually, for up to 2,500 subscribers.

Pick Mailchimp for a list tracked by total contact count. Pick MailerLite for the lowest flat price at 1,000 subscribers.

What AWeber’s Lite plan actually costs and allows

The math: AWeber Lite costs $12.50 a month billed annually. $12.50 × 12 = $150 a year, matching AWeber’s own listed annual price exactly.

Lite also caps monthly sends at 10 times the subscriber count. At Lite’s own ceiling of 2,500 subscribers, that is 2,500 × 10 = 25,000 emails allowed in a month.

Kit’s Free plan costs $0 a month, so there is no payment to run through the math; its Creator plan costs $39 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $33 a month billed yearly ($390 a year).

Why AWeber’s free plan has no numbers

AWeber’s own navigation links to “Get AWeber Free,” and a free account clearly exists. But AWeber’s own price list states no subscriber limit and no send limit for it anywhere. Every number on that page belongs to Lite, Plus, or Unlimited, three paid tiers with a stated subscriber ceiling, send cap, and transaction fee apiece.

A reader who needs a true free plan can look to Kit’s Free plan or MailerLite’s free plan instead. MailerLite states 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month for its free plan; Kit’s Free plan costs $0 a month for up to 10,000 subscribers.

Mailchimp, MailerLite, and Flodesk by the numbers

Mailchimp bills by total contact count. Free costs $0 a month billed monthly, with a hard limit of 250 contacts and up to 500 sends a month. Essentials costs $8.85 a month billed monthly, a promotional $4.42 a month billed monthly for the first 12 months at 500 contacts. Standard costs $13.25 a month billed monthly, promotional $6.63 a month billed monthly for the first 12 months at 500 contacts. Premium costs $265.03 a month billed monthly, promotional $132.51 a month billed monthly for the first 12 months at 10,000 contacts.

MailerLite’s Free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Comfort costs $19 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $17.10 a month billed yearly ($205.20 a year). Power costs $39 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $35.10 a month billed yearly ($421.20 a year).

Flodesk’s Free plan builds forms and landing pages but cannot send email. Lite, its first sending plan, costs $25 a month billed monthly or $19 a month billed yearly, for up to 1,000 subscribers.

Common questions

What is the cheapest alternative to AWeber?▾

It depends on list size. Under Kit’s Free plan, up to 10,000 subscribers, the price is $0 a month. At AWeber’s own Lite ceiling of 2,500 subscribers, AWeber’s own Lite plan costs $12.50 a month billed annually, so a list sitting right at that size does not need to switch away from AWeber’s Lite plan.

Does AWeber have a free plan?▾

AWeber’s own navigation links to “Get AWeber Free,” and a free account exists, but AWeber’s own price list prints no subscriber limit and no send limit for it. Every number on that page belongs to Lite, Plus, or Unlimited.

Is Kit cheaper than AWeber?▾

For broadcasts only, yes. Kit’s Free plan costs $0 a month for up to 10,000 subscribers. For automations, no. Kit’s Creator plan costs $33 a month billed yearly ($390 a year) for 1,000 subscribers, against AWeber Lite at $12.50 a month billed annually ($150 a year) for up to 2,500 subscribers.

What does AWeber’s Done-For-You setup cost?▾

$79 one time, 87% off a $599 one-time list price. It is an add-on to the Lite or Plus plan, where AWeber’s own team builds a first email, landing page, and sign-up form.

What is the subscriber cap on AWeber’s Lite plan?▾

Up to 2,500 subscribers, with monthly sends capped at 10 times that subscriber count, 25,000 emails a month at the plan’s own ceiling.

Is beehiiv a good AWeber alternative for newsletters?▾

beehiiv is built around growing and selling a newsletter instead of just sending one. That job fits a writer better than a small business sender. Its Lite plan costs $59 a month billed monthly for 1,000 subscribers, or $49 a month billed yearly.

Sources6 references▾

what to do next

What to do next

Count your current subscriber list. If it sits right at AWeber’s own 2,500-subscriber Lite ceiling, price AWeber’s own Lite plan before you switch anywhere else. If your list is smaller and still growing, start with Kit’s Free plan and look up its paid price once you pass that free limit. Try Kit