Brevo vs MailerLite: Which Is Better for Small Senders

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and MailerLite are two of the most-recommended affordable email platforms for small senders. They overlap heavily — both offer email, automation, forms, landing pages — but they make different tradeoffs. This comparison covers what each does well, where they differ, and which fits common small-sender scenarios in 2026.

For broader options, see Mailchimp review, Brevo review, and SendGrid review.

Quick comparison

Feature	Brevo	MailerLite
Email marketing	Yes	Yes
Transactional API	Yes	Limited
SMS marketing	Yes	No
CRM	Yes (basic)	No
Landing pages	Yes	Yes
Forms	Yes	Yes
Automation	Visual builder	Visual builder
Free tier	300 emails/day, unlimited contacts	12k emails/month, 1k contacts
Paid starting	$25/mo	$10/mo
Best for	Mixed marketing + transactional	Newsletters, content creators
Deliverability	Solid	Solid (slightly stronger)

Pricing models compared

Brevo charges based on monthly send volume, not contact count. This is unusual — most ESPs price by list size. For senders with large lists but low send frequency, Brevo can be dramatically cheaper.

Free:        300 emails/day, unlimited contacts
Starter:     $25/mo for 20,000 emails
Business:    $65/mo for 20,000 emails + advanced features

MailerLite charges by contact count with email volume mostly unmetered up to plan limits.

Free:        Up to 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month
Growing:     $10/mo for 500 subscribers (scales with list size)
Advanced:    $20/mo for 500 subscribers + advanced features

For a 10,000-contact list sending 4x/month (40,000 emails), Brevo's Business plan at $65/mo competes with MailerLite Advanced at ~$70/mo. Similar pricing at this scale.

For a 50,000-contact list sending once/month (50,000 emails), Brevo at $65/mo beats MailerLite at $189/mo significantly.

For a 5,000-contact list sending daily (~150,000 emails/month), MailerLite at $39/mo beats Brevo's $169/mo dramatically.

Pick by your usage pattern.

Feature comparison

Email editor

Both have drag-and-drop editors. MailerLite's is cleaner and more intuitive for non-designers. Brevo's has more options but feels denser.

Automation

Both offer visual workflow builders. MailerLite's automation is simpler and easier to set up; Brevo's is more powerful but has a steeper learning curve.

Common automation features in both: welcome sequences, abandoned cart (with ecommerce integration), date-based triggers, behavioral triggers.

Forms and landing pages

MailerLite has noticeably better landing page templates and editor. Brevo's are functional but less polished.

Transactional email

Brevo includes transactional sending in the same platform via API. MailerLite's transactional is limited; you'd typically use a separate tool (Postmark, Resend) alongside.

SMS, chat, CRM

Brevo includes all three. MailerLite doesn't. If you need email + SMS in one platform, Brevo is the only option here.

Deliverability comparison

Both have solid shared IP pools and generally good deliverability for legitimate senders. Independent placement tests (Glockapps, Mailtrap) have historically shown MailerLite slightly ahead, particularly for Gmail.

Reasons MailerLite tends to test better:

1. Curated user base. MailerLite has historically been stricter on signup approval, leading to higher-quality shared IP pools.
2. Focused product. Email-only platforms can optimize for deliverability without managing SMS or chat infrastructure.
3. Stronger anti-abuse. MailerLite has historically been faster to terminate accounts with high complaint rates.

The gap is small. Both require proper authentication setup (SPF, DKIM) to perform well. For setup, see the SPF setup guide and the DKIM setup guide.

Practitioner note: I've seen both platforms perform well and both perform poorly on individual customer accounts. The platform's shared IP reputation matters less than the sender's list quality and authentication setup. Don't pick based on deliverability alone — pick based on features and price, then implement authentication properly regardless.

When to pick Brevo

• Need email + SMS in one platform
• Send high volume to large contact lists infrequently
• Want basic CRM functionality alongside email
• Budget-conscious mixed-marketing SMB
• Want transactional API in the same platform

When to pick MailerLite

• Newsletter or content-creator focused
• Want the cleanest editor
• Send to smaller lists at higher frequency
• Don't need SMS or CRM
• Value usability over feature breadth
• Want better landing pages without separate tools

Use cases each is wrong for

Brevo isn't right for:

• Pure ecommerce — use Klaviyo or Omnisend
• High-volume cold outreach — use Instantly or Smartlead
• Heavy lifecycle B2B — use HubSpot or Customer.io
• Senders needing dedicated IPs at small volume

MailerLite isn't right for:

• Multichannel (email + SMS + CRM) needs
• API-heavy transactional
• Ecommerce-heavy lifecycle
• Senders needing CRM-style contact management

Migration considerations

Both support CSV import for contact migration. Things to verify when switching:

• Consent capture metadata preserved
• Suppression list migrated
• Automation flows rebuilt (no direct migration between platforms)
• Form embeds updated everywhere they're deployed
• API integrations updated
• DKIM records re-published for new sending domain

Practitioner note: When migrating between any two ESPs, plan 2-4 weeks of overlapping sending. Send the same content from both platforms briefly, monitor metrics, and confirm authentication is working on the new platform before turning off the old.

Verdict

For most small newsletter operators and content creators: MailerLite. Cleaner UX, focused on email, strong deliverability, fair pricing.

For SMBs needing email + SMS or a low-cost transactional + marketing combo: Brevo. Better value for multi-channel needs.

For ecommerce specifically: neither — use Klaviyo or Omnisend instead.

If you're choosing between these or any ESPs and want a deliverability-first perspective on which fits your sending pattern, book a consultation. I help small senders pick platforms and set up authentication properly.

Sources

• Brevo pricing — Brevo
• MailerLite pricing — MailerLite
• Gmail Sender Guidelines — Google
• M3AAWG Sender Best Common Practices — M3AAWG
• Email Tool Tester deliverability tests — Email Tool Tester

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v1.0 · May 2026