Email Marketing Pricing in 2026: What You'll Pay

Every email marketing platform looks affordable on the pricing page. Mailchimp starts at $13/mo. Constant Contact at $12/mo. Klaviyo has a free plan. But pricing pages show the lowest tier with the smallest contact list, and that number changes fast once your list grows past 500 subscribers.

We pulled real pricing from five major platforms at three list sizes: 500, 2,500, and 10,000 contacts. If you're choosing a platform or evaluating whether to switch, this is what you'll actually pay.

The real cost at 500, 2,500, and 10,000 contacts

Here's what each platform charges on their most popular mid-tier plan (billed monthly):

A few things jump out. Mailchimp is the cheapest at scale if you only need email. ActiveCampaign's Plus plan includes a CRM and stays flat up to 2,500 contacts. HubSpot charges per seat, not per contact, which makes it cheap for large lists but expensive for large teams. Constant Contact is the most expensive for what you get.

For a complete ranking, see our best email marketing platforms for 2026.

Mailchimp: cheap to start, expensive to scale

Mailchimp's free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails per month. It's enough to test the platform but not enough to run a real campaign schedule.

The paid tiers tell the real story:

The gap between Essentials and Standard is small at lower contact counts. Standard adds send time optimization, behavioral targeting, and dynamic content. Premium is a different tier entirely, aimed at teams that need advanced segmentation and multivariate testing.

The catch: Mailchimp counts unsubscribed and inactive contacts toward your billing limit. If 2,000 of your 10,000 contacts are unsubscribed, you're paying for 10,000. Most other platforms only count active subscribers.

If Mailchimp's scaling costs are a problem, see Mailchimp alternatives for cheaper options at higher contact counts.

ActiveCampaign: you pay for the automation

ActiveCampaign doesn't have a free plan. The 14-day trial isn't long enough to properly evaluate the automation builder, which is the main reason to choose it.

The Plus plan is the sweet spot for most users. It includes A/B testing, landing pages, a basic CRM, and lead scoring. Starter is limited to basic automation and inline forms.

Pro's jump to $339/mo at 10K contacts is steep, but it unlocks predictive content, split automation testing, and attribution reporting. If you're not using those features, stick with Plus.

For a direct comparison, see ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp. If you're considering switching, check ActiveCampaign alternatives.

Klaviyo: the e-commerce premium

Klaviyo charges based on "active profiles" rather than contacts. An active profile is anyone who's received an email or SMS in the past 365 days. This means your bill drops automatically if you stop emailing inactive subscribers.

The pricing is higher than Mailchimp at every tier, but Klaviyo includes features that Mailchimp charges extra for or doesn't offer: predictive customer lifetime value, churn risk scoring, product recommendations, and 80+ pre-built e-commerce flows. SMS is built into the platform rather than sold as a separate add-on.

If you're running a Shopify store and spending $150/mo on Klaviyo, the revenue from automated flows (abandoned carts, post-purchase, win-back) typically covers the cost within the first month.

See our Klaviyo vs Mailchimp comparison for a feature breakdown. If pricing is a concern, check Klaviyo alternatives.

HubSpot: a different pricing model

HubSpot doesn't charge per contact for CRM. It charges per seat. This makes direct comparison tricky because a 3-person team sending to 50,000 contacts pays $60/mo on Starter, while a solo user pays $20/mo regardless of list size.

The free plan is the most generous in the category: up to 1M contacts, deal tracking, live chat, forms, and basic email marketing. If you only need occasional email campaigns and a contact database, the free tier might be all you need.

The cost escalates when you add Marketing Hub on top of the CRM. Marketing Hub has its own contact-based pricing for "marketing contacts" (contacts you actively email), which stacks on top of your seat costs. A 5-person team on Professional can easily spend $500+/mo before factoring in marketing contacts.

If you need CRM and email together, HubSpot's free tier is hard to beat. If you only need email marketing, you're paying for features you won't use. See our HubSpot vs Mailchimp comparison or browse HubSpot alternatives.

For CRM-focused options, see our guide on the best CRMs with built-in email marketing.

Constant Contact: reliable but overpriced

Constant Contact has been around since 1995, and the pricing reflects a legacy business model rather than current market rates.

At 500 contacts, Constant Contact Standard costs $35/mo. Mailchimp Standard costs $20/mo with more automation features. At 10,000 contacts, the gap narrows ($120 vs $100), but Mailchimp still offers more: dynamic content, behavioral targeting, and send time optimization that Constant Contact reserves for Premium.

Where Constant Contact justifies its pricing: deliverability (88% in independent tests, among the highest in the industry), a 60-day free trial, and niche features like event ticketing and registration forms. If you run events, that's a real differentiator no other platform on this list matches.

For a direct comparison, see Mailchimp vs Constant Contact. For more options, check Constant Contact alternatives.

Hidden costs that don't appear on pricing pages

The monthly subscription is only part of the total cost. Watch for these:

Onboarding fees. HubSpot charges $1,500 for Professional onboarding and $3,500 for Enterprise. This is mandatory, not optional. No other platform on this list has required onboarding fees.

SMS add-ons. Mailchimp charges $20/mo+ on top of your plan for SMS. Klaviyo bundles SMS into the Email + SMS plan for $15/mo more. ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact also treat SMS as a paid add-on.

Billing for inactive contacts. Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts toward your limit. If you imported a list of 5,000 and 1,500 unsubscribed, you're billed for 5,000. Klaviyo only counts active profiles. ActiveCampaign counts all contacts. HubSpot separates "marketing contacts" (billed) from regular CRM contacts (free).

Feature gating. ActiveCampaign locks A/B testing behind Plus ($49/mo) and predictive content behind Pro ($79/mo). Mailchimp locks advanced segmentation behind Premium ($350/mo). Constant Contact limits A/B testing to subject lines only. Check what's included on the plan you can afford, not just the plan they highlight.

Cancellation friction. Constant Contact requires a phone call during business hours to cancel. Every other platform on this list lets you cancel online.

How to choose based on your budget

Under $20/mo: Start with Mailchimp's free or Essentials plan, or HubSpot's free CRM if you need contact management alongside email. Both cover small lists without spending anything.

$20-50/mo: Mailchimp Standard ($20/mo at 500 contacts) gives you the best feature set. ActiveCampaign Starter ($15/mo annual) is worth it if automation matters more than templates. Klaviyo ($20/mo) makes sense only for e-commerce.

$50-150/mo: This is where the real decisions happen. ActiveCampaign Plus ($49/mo) gets you automation and a CRM. Klaviyo ($60-150/mo) is the best value for online stores. HubSpot Starter ($20/seat x team size) works if you need CRM-first, email-second.

$150+/mo: Evaluate whether you need ActiveCampaign Pro's advanced features or if Plus covers you. Consider HubSpot Professional if you need full marketing attribution. At this budget, the tool should be generating measurable revenue.

For a more detailed breakdown of what to look for beyond price, read our guide on how to choose an email marketing platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which email marketing platform is cheapest at 10,000 contacts?

Mailchimp, at approximately $100/mo on both Essentials and Standard plans. Constant Contact Standard is $120/mo, ActiveCampaign Plus is $145/mo, and Klaviyo Email is $150/mo. HubSpot's per-seat pricing makes it potentially cheaper for solo users ($20/mo) but more expensive for teams.

Does Mailchimp charge for unsubscribed contacts?

Yes. Unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts count toward your billing limit on Mailchimp. This is one of the most common complaints. You can archive or delete these contacts to reduce your bill, but it requires manual cleanup.

Is ActiveCampaign worth the higher price over Mailchimp?

If you use automation beyond basic welcome sequences, yes. ActiveCampaign's automation builder has 135+ triggers and unlimited steps on every plan. Mailchimp limits automation to 4 steps on Essentials. The price difference pays for itself if automation drives your email revenue. If you only send newsletters, stick with Mailchimp.

What's the cheapest way to get email and CRM together?

HubSpot's free plan. It includes a CRM with up to 1M contacts, deal tracking, and basic email marketing at no cost. ActiveCampaign Plus ($49/mo) is the cheapest paid option with both email automation and a CRM with deal pipelines.

How much does email marketing cost per month for a small business?

Most small businesses with 500-2,500 contacts spend $20-75/mo. The exact amount depends on the platform and plan tier. Mailchimp Standard runs $20-45/mo in that range. ActiveCampaign Plus is $49/mo. Constant Contact Standard is $35-75/mo.

Which platform has the best free plan?

HubSpot for CRM + email combined (1M contacts, deal tracking, live chat). Mailchimp for email marketing only (250 contacts, 500 emails/mo, landing pages, forms). Klaviyo for e-commerce (250 active profiles, 500 emails, 150 SMS credits). Constant Contact and ActiveCampaign don't have free plans.

Next steps

Pricing is one factor. Features, automation depth, and integrations matter too. Here's where to go from here:

• Compare two platforms directly: HubSpot vs Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp, Klaviyo vs Mailchimp, Mailchimp vs Constant Contact
• See our full ranking: Best email marketing platforms for 2026
• Thinking about switching? Browse alternatives for Mailchimp, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, or Constant Contact