Today, digital marketing is a very vast area, and there are lots of strategies that businesses use to attract customers.
Though email marketing is a decade-old strategy, it still remains among the most effective digital marketing channels for businesses in 2023.
Since it allows you to reach customers or your potential customers directly, you can create and nurture relationships. And it can be done quickly as many tools and services allow you to send emails to thousands of customers with one click.
Here are the three best free email marketing tools and services from LookingLion for small businesses and startups on a budget.
The Top 3 Free Email Marketing Tools
Here is a quick overview of the free email marketing tools we will cover:
- Mailchimp – The leading email marketing platform with a generous free plan for up to 500 contacts and 1,000 emails per month. Offers email templates, automation, and integrations.
- Sendinblue – Provides unlimited contacts and 300 emails per day for free. Comes with automation, templates, and SMS & WhatsApp marketing.
- MailerLite – Lets you have 1,000 subscribers and send 12,000 emails per month for free. Includes email templates, automation, and analytics.
Next, let’s dive into the details of each platform.
1. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the world’s most popular email marketing platform, used by over 15 million businesses worldwide.
Key Features
- Drag and drop email builder: Easy to use visual editor to create professional emails with custom templates.
- Automations: Set up triggers like welcome emails, abandoned cart flows, and more.
- Reports: In-depth analytics on opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and more.
- Integrations: Connect your CRM, ecommerce store, and other tools.
- List management: Organize contacts into segments for targeted messaging.
- Mobile-optimized: Emails look great on any device.
Free Plan Details
Mailchimp’s free plan, called “Forever Free,” allows:
- Up to 500 contacts
- Send up to 1000 emails per month
- Access to all key features
The free plan is enough for most small businesses to get started. You can upgrade to paid plans starting at $4.60 per month as you grow.
Pros
- generous free plan
- Industry-leading deliverability
- Great templates and drag and drop builder
- Automations for personalized messaging
- Brilliant analytics and reporting
Cons
- Complex for beginners
- Must upgrade to add e-commerce features
2. Sendinblue
Sendinblue is a fast-growing email service focused on small businesses. It’s easy to use yet powerful.
Key Features
- Email editor: Visual drag-and-drop builder with templates.
- Automation: Create email sequences and workflows.
- SMS marketing: Send text messages to subscribers.
- Landing pages: Create optimized pages to capture leads.
- Web push notifications: Send web notifications to site visitors.
Free Plan Details
The Sendinblue free plan includes:
- Unlimited contacts
- Send 300 emails per day
- Access to all features
You can remove the daily sending limit starting at $25 per month. In a nutshell, it’s one of the most flexible and capable free plans.
Pros
- Unlimited contacts for free
- The daily email limit is generous
- SMS and WhatsApp campaigns included
- Simple and easy-to-use editor
Cons
- Must pay to remove daily sending limits
- Not many advanced features like A/B testing
- Primarily suited for beginners
3. MailerLite
MailerLite balances simplicity and power with a great free plan.
Key Features
- Drag and drop editor: Easy visual email builder.
- Email templates: There are hundreds of templates to pick from.
- Automations: It allows you to set up email automation.
- Reports: Track opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and more.
- Landing pages: It is easy to create optimized landing pages.
Free Plan Details
MailerLite’s free plan includes:
- Up to 1,000 subscribers
- 12,000 emails per month
- Access to key features
You can upgrade to unlock more subscribers, emails, and features starting at $10 per month.
Pros
- Simple and easy to use
- Great selection of templates
- Powerful automation capabilities
- Solid analytics and reporting
- Generous free plan
Cons
- Light on advanced features
- Must upgrade for many integrations
- Not suited for advanced email marketers
Which Free Email Marketing Tool is Best?
All three of the covered platforms are excellent choices, with generous and fully-featured free plans.
For those just starting out, MailerLite strikes the best balance of simplicity and capabilities. It’s easy to create professional emails in minutes.
Sendinblue is great if you want unlimited contacts and the ability to message them all daily. The automation is also very capable for free.
Mailchimp shines if you want industry-leading deliverability and reporting. It also scales up seamlessly when you are ready to upgrade.
No matter which you choose, you can’t go wrong with these three excellent free email marketing tools by LookingLion. As your needs grow over time, you can simply upgrade or switch platforms. The important thing is to get started now to build relationships with your audience.
Conclusion
Email marketing is still one of the best digital marketing strategies to engage with customers and audiences. If you are on a budget and want to try free services, these are the best three free email marketing tools and services. Use them to reach your customers, and if you like any one of them, you can explore their paid plans to take advantage of additional services.
