A paid email marketing plan or the free tier

Your customer list is growing, and the free email plan that got you started is starting to pinch. Maybe a campaign didn’t go out, or a footer advertises someone else’s brand. Is it time to pay?

We compared the free and entry-level plans at Mailchimp, Brevo and Resend using their own pricing and help pages, checked on 13 November 2026. This isn’t a hands-on test.

Free means different things at each one

The three free plans limit you in different ways. Mailchimp caps both your list and your sends, Brevo caps your day, and Resend caps your contacts but not your sends.

Free plan	Mailchimp Free	Brevo Free	Resend Free (marketing)
Contacts	250	Up to 100,000	1,000
Sending	500 a month, 250 a day	300 a day	Unlimited broadcasts
Their branding	Can’t remove it	“Sent with Brevo” sticker on every email	Not stated
Users	1	1	Not stated

Mailchimp: a small list, firmly capped

Mailchimp’s pricing page puts it plainly: “Under 250 contacts? It’s free.” Its help centre says the Free plan includes up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with a daily limit of 250.

The 250 fills up faster than you’d think. Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts. Test emails count towards your sends too.

Go over 250 contacts and Mailchimp puts a hold on sending, including test emails, until you upgrade or trim the list. You can still edit emails and collect sign-ups.

The Free plan also lacks email scheduling, can’t remove Mailchimp’s branding, and comes with email support for the first 30 days only.

Brevo: a big list, a slow drip

Brevo goes the other way. Its Free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts, has no time limit and needs no credit card. The catch is 300 emails a day.

A campaign to more than 300 people doesn’t fail outright. Brevo sends to 300 on the day, and you have to resend it yourself with its Requeue option each day until everyone has it. A 1,200-person newsletter would take four days.

Every email on the Free plan carries a “Sent with Brevo” sticker. You get one user and basic statistics, and up to 2,000 unique contacts can enter your automations. There’s no A/B testing.

One more trap: Brevo deletes Free accounts that aren’t used for four months, and the data can’t be restored. It sends reminders first, and logging in resets the clock.

Resend: generous, but built for developers

Resend’s free marketing plan covers 1,000 contacts with unlimited broadcast sending. Resend says its marketing plans are limited only by the number of contacts, not by emails sent.

It includes three segments, three domains and open and click tracking. The marketing analytics dashboard is paid only.

Its feature list centres on APIs, code libraries and an SMTP relay for sending from your own systems. You can send broadcasts from its dashboard, but it suits a business with someone technical on hand.

What the first paid step costs

Prices rise with your list size, so these are entry prices at the smallest tier.

Mailchimp. Essentials starts at A$19.10 a month and Standard at A$29.38, for up to 500 contacts, after a 14-day free trial. Essentials lets you send 10 times your contact limit each month, so 5,000 emails at 500 contacts. Standard allows 12 times, or 6,000.

Two catches. Mailchimp says Australian-dollar prices are “indicative only” and charged at the US dollar exchange rate on your billing day. Its help centre adds that quoted prices don’t include sales or transaction taxes.

Brevo. Starter costs A$12 a month and Standard A$25, billed monthly. Both start at 5,000 emails a month, and Brevo’s pricing reference lists a 500-contact limit at that tier. Paying yearly takes 10% off.

Starter doesn’t drop the Brevo branding on its own. That’s an add-on, shown at A$13 a month billed monthly. Standard includes it. So Starter with the add-on comes to A$25 a month, the same as Standard, on our sums. Standard also adds unlimited automation workflows and A/B testing.

Resend. Pro marketing costs $40 a month for 5,000 contacts. Resend doesn’t name a currency or offer Australian-dollar prices, and bills monthly only.

Every one of these still leaves the law with you. The ACMA says you need consent, your business name and contact details, and a working unsubscribe in every marketing email, whatever service sends it. Our Spam Act basics story covers the detail.

The verdict

No, if your list is small and your sends are occasional. Under 250 contacts on Mailchimp, or a few hundred on Brevo, the free plans do the core job of sending a newsletter.

Yes, if your emails carry your brand to paying customers. A “Sent with Brevo” sticker or Mailchimp branding on every email is the price of free. On Mailchimp, paying also adds scheduling and up to three users on Essentials.

Yes, if you’ve hit the cap. Mailchimp stops sending past 250 contacts. Brevo’s daily drip means a large list needs days of manual requeuing for every campaign.

Only if you have someone technical. Resend’s free plan is the most generous on sending here, with unlimited broadcasts to up to 1,000 contacts, but its tools are built for people comfortable with APIs.

Whichever you choose, check that your sending domain is set up properly. Our DMARC explainer shows why a newsletter tool needs setting up with your domain, or your genuine email can fail checks.

Checklist

• Count your real contact total. Mailchimp counts unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts towards its 250-contact Free limit, so check the full number, not just subscribers.
• Compare your biggest send with the free cap. Brevo Free sends 300 emails a day, so a bigger campaign needs requeuing each day or a paid plan. Mailchimp Free allows 500 sends a month, which is two emails to a full 250-contact list.
• Look at the footer of your last campaign. If it says “Sent with Brevo” or shows Mailchimp branding, decide whether that’s acceptable on emails to customers.
• Price the tier for your list size. Entry prices cover up to 500 contacts on Mailchimp and Brevo, and 5,000 on Resend Pro marketing, and rise from there.
• Allow for exchange rates on Mailchimp. Its Australian-dollar prices are indicative and charged at the US dollar rate on your billing day.
• Log in to a quiet Brevo Free account. Brevo deletes Free accounts unused for four months, and the data can’t be restored.
• Check every marketing email has a working unsubscribe. The ACMA requires one, plus your business name and contact details, whichever service you use.