Disclosure: This page contains an affiliate link for MailerLite. If you sign up through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We run our own newsletter, The AI Stack, on beehiiv, not MailerLite — so this is a vetted-partner review, not a first-hand daily-use account. Where a downside is real, we say so.
Tools we vet
MailerLite: An Honest Review
MailerLite's whole pitch is doing the essentials well at a lower price than most of the field: a clean drag-and-drop editor, decent automation, and landing pages — without the growth-and-monetization framing that beehiiv and Kit lean into. If your goal is simply "get a newsletter out reliably, cheaply," here's the honest version of what MailerLite does well and where you might outgrow it.
The one-line version: MailerLite is a straightforward, no-drama way to get a first newsletter out cheaply — the trade-off is it doesn't have the creator-specific growth tooling (referral networks, recommendation swaps) that beehiiv and Kit build in, so if audience-growth mechanics matter to you as much as the send itself, you may outgrow it.
The 10-second version
- Budget-friendly, no-drama email tool — a clean editor, decent automation, and landing pages without extra framing.
- Free tier to start, with pricing that stays lower than most of the field as you grow.
- No built-in creator growth network (referrals, cross-promotion) the way beehiiv and Kit have.
- Best fit: a first newsletter, a side-project list, or anyone prioritizing price and simplicity over built-in growth tooling.
What MailerLite does well
- Genuinely low cost. MailerLite consistently prices lower than beehiiv and Kit at comparable list sizes — a real factor if you're bootstrapping and don't yet know if the newsletter will earn its keep.
- A clean, simple editor. The drag-and-drop email builder is easy to pick up without a learning curve — you can write and send on day one.
- Automation without the growth-machinery framing. You get workflows and segmentation for the basics (welcome sequences, tagging by clicks) without extra "grow your media brand" tooling you didn't ask for.
- Landing pages included. Enough to launch a simple signup page or lead magnet without a separate tool.
Where it can frustrate you (the honest part)
- No creator-specific growth network. Unlike beehiiv's recommendation network or Kit's creator network, MailerLite doesn't have a built-in way to get discovered by other newsletters' audiences — you're on your own for growth.
- Thinner monetization tooling. If you plan to sell paid subscriptions or run sponsorships through the platform itself, MailerLite's tools here are lighter than Kit's or beehiiv's.
- Not built around being a public-facing media site. Landing pages, yes; a full customizable website the newsletter lives on, no — beehiiv goes further there.
- You may outgrow it. If audience growth mechanics start mattering as much as the send itself, the lack of built-in discovery tools becomes a real limitation, not just a missing nice-to-have.
Who should start on MailerLite — and who shouldn't
| Start on MailerLite if… | Look elsewhere if… |
|---|---|
| You want the lowest-friction, lowest-cost way to get a first newsletter out. | You want built-in referral/discovery tools to help grow the list — try beehiiv. |
| You're not ready to commit to growth-and-monetization machinery yet. | You're already selling something and want deep automation — try Kit. |
| You're testing whether a newsletter is worth running at all, cheaply. | You want the newsletter to be a full public-facing website. |
Pricing and features are 2026 figures and change — confirm the current details on MailerLite's own site before committing.
How to start (it takes about 10 minutes)
- Create a free account and set up your first signup form or landing page.
- Write one short welcome email — don't overthink issue #1.
- Import or start collecting subscribers from the channel you already have (Pinterest, social bio, existing site).
- Turn on one basic automation (a welcome sequence) once the first send goes out cleanly.
Start free on MailerLite →
Affiliate link — signing up through it may earn us a commission at no cost to you.
Not sure MailerLite is the right platform for you?
If you're still deciding between MailerLite, beehiiv, Kit, and other options, our full comparison lays out who each one actually fits — read that first if "which tool" is still an open question.
See the full platform comparison →FAQ
- Is MailerLite really free to start?
- Yes — there's a genuine free plan for a first list. Paid tiers kick in as your subscriber count and feature needs grow; check the current pricing page for exact thresholds.
- Is MailerLite better than beehiiv?
- Different bets. MailerLite is cheaper and simpler with no growth-network framing; beehiiv gives you built-in referrals, a recommendation network, and a full customizable website. We run our own newsletter on beehiiv for that reason, but if you just want a cheap, simple first list, MailerLite is the lower-friction pick.
- Is MailerLite better than Kit?
- MailerLite is the simpler, lower-cost option; Kit is the more powerful, creator-monetization-focused tool. If you have nothing to sell yet and just want a list out the door cheaply, MailerLite wins on friction and price. If you're already monetizing, Kit's automation depth is worth the extra cost and setup.
- Will I need to migrate off MailerLite eventually?
- Not necessarily, but if built-in audience-growth tools (referrals, cross-promotion networks) start mattering to you, that's the gap where creators most often move to beehiiv or Kit. Most platforms let you export your list if you do switch.
- Why are you recommending it?
- Because it's a vetted affiliate partner and, separately, a genuinely good low-cost starting point for a first newsletter — both are true and both are disclosed. We don't run our own newsletter on MailerLite, so treat this as an informed review rather than a first-hand daily-use account.
Bottom line: MailerLite is the lowest-friction, lowest-cost way to find out if a newsletter is worth running at all — the trade-off is you're giving up the built-in growth machinery that beehiiv and Kit offer. If price and simplicity are the deciding factor today, that's a fair trade.