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Buyer guide
How much does email marketing software cost by list size?
Email marketing is priced by list size, not team size. At 500 contacts Mailchimp is $17 per month and Klaviyo is $20. At 2,500 to 3,000 contacts the published tiers run from $39 (ActiveCampaign Starter) to $51 (Mailchimp). At 10,000 contacts they run from about $115 to $375 per month. Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers.
| Contacts | Tool | Price per month | Billing basis | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | Mailchimp Standard | $17 | annual-equivalent; $20 billed monthly | Free plan: 250 contacts, 500 sends per month |
| 500 | Klaviyo Email | $20 | billed monthly | Bills on active profiles; free plan covers 250 |
| 1,000 | Kit Creator | $33 | $39 billed monthly | Free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers |
| 1,000 | Klaviyo Email | $30 | billed monthly | No annual-prepay discount on self-serve plans |
| 2,500 | ActiveCampaign Starter | $39 | annual-equivalent | Automation actions capped at 5 per automation |
| 2,500 | Mailchimp Standard | $51 | annual-equivalent; $60 billed monthly | Lower tiers cap automation |
| 3,000 | Kit Creator | $49 | $59 billed monthly | Free plan withholds automation |
| 10,000 | Mailchimp Standard | $115 | first-year promotional rate; $135 billed monthly | Not a guaranteed renewal rate |
| 10,000 | Kit Creator | ~$117 | annual-effective, rounded; $139 billed monthly | Confirm the exact total in Kit's calculator |
| 10,000 | Klaviyo Email | $150 | billed monthly | Every contactable profile counts |
| 10,000 | ActiveCampaign Pro | $375 | annual-equivalent | Public pricing is built around a contact-count selector |
The tiers don't line up perfectly across vendors: each publishes its own contact counts, so compare prices only within the same row of contacts. ActiveCampaign's figures are annual-equivalent rates from the vendor's contact-based calculator, and a consistent public month-to-month figure isn't posted at every contact level.
Contact counting differs. Klaviyo bills on active profiles, so every contactable subscriber counts, and Mailchimp's bill scales fast with contact count, with G2 reviewers flagging 'expensive' as a recurring theme.
Figures are published list prices aggregated from vendor pricing pages and independent third-party research as of October 2026. Totals marked as arithmetic are StackScope's multiplication of a listed per-seat price. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before purchasing. This is not a recommendation to buy any specific product. See the full Email Marketing Software report for every source and flagged conflict.
FAQ
Common questions
How much does email marketing software cost for 1,000 contacts?
Kit Creator is $33 per month ($39 billed monthly) and Klaviyo Email is $30 per month at 1,000 profiles. Mailchimp's published tiers are 500 and 2,500 contacts, at $17 and $51 per month.
What is the cheapest email marketing software at 10,000 contacts?
Mailchimp lists $115 per month, though as a first-year promotional rate, and Kit about $117 per month. Klaviyo is $150 and ActiveCampaign Pro is $375.
Is there free email marketing software?
Yes. Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers but withholds automation. Mailchimp's free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 sends per month, and Klaviyo's covers 250 active profiles and 500 sends per month.
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Keep comparing
Vendor pricing: Mailchimp pricing · Klaviyo pricing · ActiveCampaign pricing · Kit pricing
Head-to-head: Mailchimp vs. Klaviyo · ActiveCampaign vs. Mailchimp