MailerLite

I have run a secondary newsletter list (founder personal updates, separate from MytheAi weekly) on MailerLite since Q1 2024 to test the platform against ConvertKit and Beehiiv at the under-1,000-subscriber tier. The free plan covers up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 monthly emails which is generous for a starting list. Tested specifically as a budget-friendly email tool for non-technical creators and small businesses.

The drag-and-drop email builder is the most polished in the budget tier (under $40 per month). Pre-built blocks (CTA buttons, image grids, product cards, video embeds) handle 90 percent of newsletter layouts without HTML knowledge. Automation flows are visual and intuitive, with native support for welcome sequences, abandoned cart triggers, and tag-based segmentation. Deliverability tested clean across Gmail and Outlook over 6 months with zero spam folder routing on a fresh sender domain.

Where MailerLite falls short: the free plan caps Automations at basic triggers (Subscriber added, Date based) without the conditional branching that ConvertKit Visual Automations or ActiveCampaign Goals offer. Reporting dashboards are functional but shallow versus Mixpanel or Brevo: per-link click maps and cohort retention need a paid Growing plan upgrade ($10 per month at 1,000 subs). The deliverability score reporting is yes-or-no rather than a granular sender reputation breakdown, which lags Postmark or SendGrid at the same price tier.

For solo creators, small business owners, and indie hackers under 5,000 subscribers who want a polished newsletter builder plus basic automation at near-zero cost, MailerLite free or Growing tier is the right pick: zero credit card barrier to entry plus better UX than ConvertKit at the entry tier. For multi-step launch automation, advanced segmentation logic, or deliverability-critical transactional sends (password resets, order confirmations), ConvertKit or Postmark plus a separate marketing platform fits the workflow better.