For the vast majority of small businesses, MailerLite offers the best ROI in the email marketing industry due to its rare balance of high-end automation and bottom-tier pricing.
While competitors often gatekeep advanced features behind expensive “Pro” tiers, I’ve found that MailerLite provides multi-step automations and a robust drag-and-drop editor even on its free and entry-level plans. In my 10 years of managing digital campaigns, I’ve seen that the average email marketing ROI is roughly $36 to $40 for every $1 spent, but MailerLite’s lower overhead significantly boosts this margin for lean teams.
If you have fewer than 500 subscribers, the Free plan is a zero-risk starting point. For growing lists, the Growing Business plan starts at just $10/month, making it nearly 50% cheaper than Mailchimp for similar list sizes, provided you don’t need complex enterprise-level reporting or hyper-granular CRM integrations.
Why I Switched (and Why You Might Too)?
When I first started consulting, I was a die-hard Mailchimp user. But I remember the exact moment that changed: I was sitting in a coffee shop, staring at a client’s invoice that had jumped by $50 simply because they hit a new subscriber “bracket,” even though half those contacts were inactive.
I tested MailerLite for a boutique retail client who was terrified of “techy” dashboards. When I logged in, the first thing I noticed wasn’t a flashy graphic, but the clean, white space of the interface. There was no “smell of the engine” so to speak—no clunky code or hidden menus. I was able to build a welcome sequence with three conditional splits in under 20 minutes. That speed-to-deployment is where the real ROI lives for a small business owner who is also the HR, marketing, and janitorial department.
The Success Story: From Manual to Monthly Revenue
Take “lower case coffee,” a small roastery I worked with. They were manually emailing customers whenever a new roast dropped. It was exhausting and inconsistent. We moved them to MailerLite’s $10 plan and set up an automated abandoned cart flow.
Within 30 days, that one automation—which took an hour to build—recovered $1,200 in sales. The ROI wasn’t just the 120x return on the software cost; it was the 10 hours a month the owner got back to actually roast coffee.
The ROI Breakdown: Features vs. Cost
To understand the value, you have to look at the “hidden” costs of other platforms. Many tools charge you for “unsubscribed” contacts still sitting in your list. MailerLite only charges for active subscribers.
1. Automation for the Masses:
In the past, if you wanted “if/then” logic, you had to pay for a premium tool like ActiveCampaign. In MailerLite, I discovered that even the Free plan allows for single-trigger automations. According to recent 2026 industry data, automated workflows generate 30x higher returns than one-off newsletters.
2. Deliverability Performance:
An email tool is worthless if it hits the spam folder. In my testing, MailerLite’s strict approval process—while annoying when you’re trying to sign up—results in a higher sender reputation. According to EmailDeliverabilityReport, MailerLite maintains a solid 83/100 deliverability score, putting it on par with much more expensive “enterprise” solutions.
Where MailerLite Might Fail You?
It isn’t all sunshine. If you are a high-volume e-commerce brand needing deep “predictive analytics” (like knowing a customer’s “likelihood to churn”), MailerLite’s reporting will feel thin.
⚠️ Common Pitfall: The "Silent" Send Limit
Expert Tip: On the Free plan, you are limited to 12,000 emails per month. If you have 500 subscribers and send more than 24 emails a month (e.g., a daily newsletter), you will hit a hard wall. Always calculate your send frequency before assuming the Free plan is enough. I once had a client’s automated “Daily Tip” sequence freeze mid-month because they forgot to account for the send-cap.
Conclusion & Next Steps:
If you are a small business looking to move beyond basic BCC emails without spending $500 a year, MailerLite is arguably the most sensible choice on the market today. It offers the professional “look” of a high-end brand without the high-end invoice.
Your 3-Step Action Plan:
Audit Your List:
Export your current contacts and remove anyone who hasn’t opened an email in 6 months.
Start for Free:
Sign up for the mailerlite free plan (up to 500 subscribers) to test the drag-and-drop builder.
Build One Automation:
Don’t worry about newsletters yet. Build a simple “Welcome Email” that sends automatically when someone joins your list.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
1. is mailerlite really free for small businesses?
Yes, the platform offers a generous free plan for those with up to 500 subscribers, making it an ideal entry point for startups. Unlike many competitors that restrict your access to advanced tools, this version includes the robust drag-and-drop editor and essential automation features. However, you must keep an eye on the monthly send limit of 12,000 emails; if your strategy involves high-frequency daily updates, you may need to transition to a paid tier like the growing business plan sooner than expected.
2. how does mailerlite compare to mailchimp regarding pricing?
For a growing small business, the cost difference is often the deciding factor in total roi. While platforms like mailchimp frequently charge for “inactive” or unsubscribed contacts, mailerlite only bills you for your active subscriber count. On average, their paid plans start at roughly half the price of mailchimp for similar list sizes, allowing lean teams to redirect those savings into other areas of their marketing budget without sacrificing high-end features like multi-step automations.
3. can i build complex automation sequences on a budget?
One of the standout benefits for small business owners is that high-level “if/then” logic is not gated behind an enterprise-level paywall. You can build welcome sequences, abandoned cart flows, and conditional splits even on entry-level plans. As demonstrated with “lower case coffee,” these automated workflows are often the highest-returning assets a business can own, as they generate revenue around the clock while freeing up the owner from manual tasks.
4. will my emails actually land in my customers' inboxes?
Deliverability is a core strength of the platform, consistently performing on par with expensive enterprise solutions. Because there is a strict manual approval process for new accounts, the sender reputation across the entire network remains high. According to recent data, it maintains a strong deliverability score of 83/100, ensuring that your marketing spend isn’t wasted by having your newsletters filtered into the spam folder.
5. when should a business consider an alternative to mailerlite?
While it is an excellent fit for most, it may not be the right choice for high-volume e-commerce brands that require hyper-granular reporting or predictive analytics. If your strategy relies on complex crm integrations or “likelihood to churn” data, the interface might feel a bit limited. It is designed for speed and ease of use, so those who need deep data-mining capabilities might eventually find themselves outgrowing the platform’s streamlined reporting tools.
