Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. If you sign up or buy, Side Stack gets a cut at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change what we say about anything.
Mailchimp's free plan is pretty tight now. According to Mailchimp's own help page, it's 250 contacts, 500 sends a month and 250 a day. Automations are preview-only. If you're starting a list, you'll hit that fast.
systeme.io free
2,000 contacts and unlimited emails on the free plan, plus signup pages and automations. This is what we'd start with if the goal is to build a list and eventually sell something. systeme.io free plan (affiliate link).
MailerLite free
A clean editor and a decent free tier. Good if you just want a newsletter and don't need a checkout.
Brevo free
Brevo caps daily sends instead of contacts, so it works if you have a lot of contacts but email rarely.
What actually matters for a new list
- Enough contacts that you're not forced to pay at 251 people
- A simple signup page so you don't need a separate tool
- One welcome email that goes out on its own
Limits change often, so check each pricing page before you commit. Also see how to build a list with systeme.io and the free stack.