Quick answer
EmailOctopus - EmailOctopus wins for most builders who want the simplest free email marketing plan with a much larger subscriber cap, while MailerLite wins if you need websites, landing pages, and product or booking sales inside the same free tool.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers solve different problems. EmailOctopus is more focused on straightforward email marketing: it gives you 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month on the free plan, plus one landing page, one form, and one user. That makes it better for a small list that needs basic campaigns without quickly hitting the subscriber ceiling. MailerLite is more of an all-in-one starter for email plus site tools: the free plan includes only 500 subscribers, but it offers 12,000 emails, 10 landing pages, 1 website, signup forms, pop-ups, and even one digital product or booking. So the choice is mostly about whether your free-tier bottleneck is list size or feature breadth. Both are no-card free tiers, and both have low-cost entry paid plans, but MailerLite’s paid ladder expands into broader site and team features sooner.
EmailOctopus vs MailerLite free tier, side by side
| EmailOctopusFTV 52 | MailerLiteFTV 49 | |
|---|---|---|
| SubscribersEmailOctopus allows a much larger free list. | 2,500 | 500 |
| Emails per monthMailerLite allows slightly more sends on the free plan. | 10,000 | 12,000 |
| Landing pagesMailerLite is much better if landing pages matter. | 1 | 10 |
| FormsMailerLite includes broader form capture tools. | 1 | Signup forms and pop-ups |
| User seatsBoth free tiers start with a single user. | 1 | 1 |
| Website builderMailerLite includes a free website; EmailOctopus does not list one. | Not included | 1 website |
| Digital products or bookingsThis is a meaningful free-tier differentiator for MailerLite. | Not included | 1 |
| Credit card required for free tierBoth inputs explicitly say no credit card is required. | No | No |
After you outgrow the free tier
Both products use simple flat monthly pricing at the first paid step. EmailOctopus jumps from free to Pro at $9/month billed yearly, which raises subscriber capacity to 10,000 and removes branding and reporting limits. MailerLite starts at $10/month for Growing Business, then $20/month for Advanced, with Enterprise as custom pricing. For small-team use, EmailOctopus is slightly cheaper at the entry point, but MailerLite expands faster if you need websites, unlimited landing pages, or more seats. Neither input provides usage-based rates, so there are no volume-based cost curves to calculate.
When to pick each one
Pick EmailOctopus when…
- You already have more than 500 subscribers and want to stay free as long as possible.
- You mainly send newsletters or simple campaigns and do not need a website builder.
- You want a free plan with one landing page and one form, not a broad site toolkit.
- You are an individual operator who only needs one user on the account.
Pick MailerLite when…
- You are under 500 subscribers but want more than basic email, such as landing pages and a website.
- You want to sell one digital product or take one booking from the free plan.
- You need signup forms and pop-ups as part of the free starter bundle.
- You expect to move into websites, blogs, or more automation-oriented workflows later.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, EmailOctopus is the better free-tier pick if your main goal is to run email campaigns to a growing list without paying early. Its free cap is much roomier on subscribers, which is usually the first limit that bites. MailerLite is the better free-tier pick if you want the free plan to cover more of your site and conversion stack, especially landing pages and a basic website. If you are choosing one default, pick EmailOctopus for list-building, MailerLite for all-in-one experimentation.
Read the full listings: EmailOctopus and MailerLite. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.