Overview

MailerLite and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) are both budget-friendly alternatives to Mailchimp, but they approach email marketing differently. MailerLite focuses on doing email exceptionally well with an elegant interface. Brevo packs more features into one platform. See our MailerLite comparison and Brevo comparison for individual analyses.

Both are solid choices for small to medium businesses - the question is what you prioritize.

The Core Difference

MailerLite believes in simplicity. Their email builder, automation workflows, and analytics are all intuitive. You can start sending campaigns within minutes of signing up.

Brevo takes an all-in-one approach. Beyond email, you get SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, CRM, and transactional email. More capabilities, but more to learn.

Pricing Comparison

The pricing models differ significantly:

MailerLite charges per subscriber with unlimited emails:

• 10,000 subscribers: $73/month (Growing Business)
• Unlimited emails included

Brevo charges per email with unlimited contacts:

• Unlimited contacts: $25/month (Starter)
• 20,000 emails/month included

If you have a large list but email infrequently, Brevo saves money. If you send multiple emails weekly to a focused list, MailerLite may be better value.

Ease of Use

MailerLite wins for ease of use. The interface is clean and logical. Creating emails, setting up automations, and analyzing results all feel straightforward.

Brevo isn't difficult, but more features mean more menus and options. There's a learning curve to understand all the capabilities.

Multi-Channel Capabilities

Brevo offers significantly more channels:

• SMS marketing with built-in pricing
• WhatsApp campaigns
• Web push notifications
• Live chat widget
• Sales CRM

MailerLite is email-focused. They offer MailerSend for transactional email, but it's a separate product. No SMS, no chat, no multi-channel.

Free Plan Comparison

MailerLite Free: 500 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month. Most features included. Clean templates without aggressive branding.

Brevo Free: Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day (~9,000/month). Brevo branding on emails. SMS credits sold separately.

For getting started with email marketing, MailerLite's free plan is more practical.

When Each Platform Shines

Choose MailerLite when: You want intuitive email marketing. Ease of use matters more than feature count. You need a generous free tier. You want a website builder included.

Choose Brevo when: You need SMS and WhatsApp marketing. You want built-in CRM. You have a large list but send infrequently. Multi-channel marketing is important.

For SaaS Companies

Neither platform is built for SaaS businesses specifically. Both lack Stripe integration and subscription awareness.

MailerLite is simpler for basic email marketing. Brevo includes transactional email which SaaS products typically need. For subscription-aware automation, consider Sequenzy.

Pricing Models Compared

MailerLite charges per subscriber with unlimited emails on paid plans. At 10,000 subscribers, the Growing Business plan costs $73/month. Brevo charges per email with unlimited contacts, starting at $25/month for 20,000 emails. The right model depends on your list size versus sending frequency.

For businesses with large lists sending infrequently, Brevo's unlimited contacts model saves money. For businesses with smaller lists sending frequently, MailerLite's unlimited emails model is more predictable. Calculate your actual sending patterns before deciding which pricing model works better.

Multi-Channel Marketing Gap

Brevo offers email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat in one platform with unified automation. You can create workflows that start with email, follow up with SMS, and track conversions across channels. This multi-channel approach is increasingly important for businesses reaching customers on multiple platforms.

MailerLite is email-only. For SMS marketing, you need a separate tool like Twilio or an SMS platform. This means separate dashboards, separate billing, and no unified cross-channel analytics. If email is your only channel, MailerLite's focus is an advantage. If you need SMS, Brevo bundles it.

Email Builder Quality

MailerLite's email builder is consistently praised as one of the best in the industry. The drag-and-drop interface is intuitive, templates are modern, and the editing experience is smooth. Non-technical users can create professional emails without any learning curve.

Brevo's email builder works but is less polished. The interface feels busier and the editing experience requires more clicks to achieve the same results. For teams where email design quality matters, MailerLite provides a noticeably better experience. Check our email editor features for comparison.

CRM and Contact Management

Brevo includes a basic CRM with deal pipelines, contact management, and task tracking. For small businesses that need simple sales tracking alongside email marketing, this integration eliminates the need for a separate CRM tool.

MailerLite focuses on subscriber management without CRM functionality. Contact data is organized around email engagement rather than sales pipelines. Businesses needing CRM features would need a separate tool alongside MailerLite, adding cost and complexity.