MailerLite is the best email marketing software for small business in 2026, scoring 8.2 out of 10 on our six-dimension rubric -- full feature coverage from $12 per month with a free tier. AWeber (7.7) and Constant Contact (7.6) follow. Eight tools are ranked below on verified pricing, features, ease, support, integrations, and small-business fit.
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How these tools are scored
Every tool is scored on the same six-dimension rubric: pricing and transparency (25%), feature coverage (25%), ease of use (15%), support (15%), integrations (10%), and target fit for small business (10%). Pricing, feature, and integration scores project from facts verified against pages each vendor publishes, on the dates shown; ease, support, and fit are scored by a structured review of the materials each vendor publishes. A tool appears in the ranking only when its price is verified and at least four of six dimensions have evidence behind them -- otherwise it is listed as not yet fully evaluated, without a rank. Commercial partnerships never affect a score or a rank: several tools ranked on this page pay SoftwareSift nothing, and the buttons appear or disappear based on partner status while the scores do not move.
The ranking
| Rank | Tool | Score (0-10) | Starting price | Free tier | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MailerLite | 8.2 | $12/mo ($10.80/mo billed annually) | Yes (250 subscribers) | Check price |
| 2 | AWeber | 7.7 | $15/mo (Lite; $12.49/mo billed annually) | Not verified | Check price |
| 3 | Constant Contact | 7.6 | $12/mo (Lite) | No (trial) | Check price |
| 4 | Brevo | 7.6 | $9/mo (Starter) | Yes (300 emails/day) | |
| 5 | Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | 7.3 | $33/mo (Creator, 1,000 subscribers) | Yes (1,000 subscribers) | Check price |
| 6 | Moosend | 7.2 | from $7/mo billed annually (Pro) | No (30-day trial) | Check price |
| 7 | Mailchimp | 7.2 | $13/mo (Essentials) | Yes (250 contacts) | |
| 8 | beehiiv | 6.9 | $43/mo billed annually (Scale) | Yes (2,500 subscribers) | Check price |
| -- | Klaviyo | Not yet fully evaluated: pricing is calculator-only, so there is no published tier to score against | Calculator-based; no published entry tier | Yes (250 profiles) | Check price |
Scores are the six-dimension weighted rubric (0 to 10) projected from the stored, vendor-verified facts as of 2026-07-02. Prices are as published by each vendor on that date; billing basis is stated per row.
What to know about each tool
1. MailerLite -- 8.2/10
Top score in the cohort: full core feature set (segmentation, visual automations, reports on the free plan), public pricing from $12 per month, and a clean SMB fit.
2. AWeber -- 7.7/10
The support standout: 24/7 support on every plan -- the only entry tier here with round-the-clock help -- from $15 per month ($12.49 per month billed annually). Automations cap at 3 on Lite; Plus unlocks unlimited segments and automations.
3. Constant Contact -- 7.6/10
A strong all-rounder with 300+ integrations and phone plus chat support. Published support hours are business-hours, not 24/7.
4. Brevo -- 7.6/10
Feature-complete (advanced segmentation, automation, 150+ integrations) with a generous free tier. Ranked on merit as a non-partner; entry-plan support is email-only.
5. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) -- 7.3/10
Built for creators: visual automations, unlimited broadcasts, 24/7 email and chat support on Creator. Adjacent for general SMB use -- its published personas are authors, podcasters, and YouTubers.
6. Moosend -- 7.2/10
The budget pick with a full feature core and a 30-day trial. Merchant-stated 82 integrations; entry pricing renders cleanly only on annual billing.
7. Mailchimp -- 7.2/10
The category household name, with 300+ integrations and strong support tiers. Its entry-plan feature limits (4-step automations, 10x send cap) hold the feature score down.
8. beehiiv -- 6.9/10
The newsletter-growth specialist with a big free tier (2,500 subscribers). Human support starts only at the $43 Scale tier, and pricing below that is creator-focused.
Klaviyo -- not yet fully evaluated
Publishes calculator-based pricing with no named entry tier, which leaves its pricing dimension below our publishability floor -- so it appears here unranked until that changes. Feature depth and its 350+ integration ecosystem are excellent.