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A real-world guide to picking the best free tool, without falling into sneaky traps

By Prateek Punjabi, GTM Engineer at ThriveStack 

As someone building for early-stage teams and outbound marketing at ThriveStack, I’ve had to test and integrate countless tools. But few categories are as deceptively complex as “free” email marketing platforms. 

I recently tried out ran a side-by-side comparison of the most popular free tools and spoiler alert: not all “free” plans are what they claim. Some hit you with sneaky trials. Others add massive ads to your emails. A few even drop your perfectly crafted campaigns straight into spam. 

This post is the result of combining insights from two deep dives—one focused on feature-rich free plans and another on usability, onboarding, and branding. I’ve consolidated it all into one simple, honest guide. 

What I Looked For

Before recommending any tool, I ran each one through a consistent filter:

1. Real Free Plan – No trials or credit card traps 

2. Minimum 650–1,000 Subscribers – Enough to actually test 

3. Usability – Editor, UX, and ease of onboarding 

4. Deliverability – Does your email even land in the inbox? 

5. Branding – How aggressively does the tool self-promote in your emails? 

6. Domain Authentication – Required? Easy to set up? 

7. Support Access – Do they ignore free users? 

8. Spam from the Platform – Do they spam you? 

The Final Contenders

Here's a snapshot of the most usable free tools that passed the test:

What Surprised Me

1. Most Tools Start You on a Trial

MailerLite was the biggest offender here. It looks free… until you realize you’re in a 30-day trial. You need to manually downgrade to the actual free plan. Others like Beehiiv and Email Octopus were much more transparent. 

2. Branding is a Deal-Breaker

If you're using email as part of your brand-building or sales funnel, even a small “Sent by XYZ” badge can reduce credibility. Email Octopus and Sender had minimal, unobtrusive branding. Mailjet and Beehiiv? Giant banners. 

3. Domain Auth = Inbox or Spam

Without domain authentication, your emails are far more likely to land in spam. Thankfully, tools like MailerLite and Sender make it painless. Mailjet and MailerCloud? Total DNS rabbit holes. Avoid if you're not technical. 

4. Some Tools Spam You

Beehiiv and Substack don’t just help you send emails—they also send you a ton of onboarding content, product updates, and reminders. If you're a minimalist like me, it's a no-go.

What Worked

• Genuinely Free Plans
  Tools like Email Octopus and Sender.net delivered on their promise of a real free tier—no sneaky trials or card traps. 

• Clean User Experience
  Editors in Email Octopus, Sender, and MailerLite were fast, polished, and easy to navigate—ideal for quick onboarding and campaign creation. 

• Minimal Branding
  Email Octopus and Sender kept branding subtle, letting users build credibility without looking like they're using a free tool. 

• Domain Authentication Made Simple
  Sender and MailerLite offered intuitive domain auth processes, helping improve inboxing without deep DNS knowledge. 

• Generous Limits
  Sender.net offered 2,500 contacts and 15K emails/month among the best in the test for small teams doing serious outreach. 

What Didn’t Work

• Misleading Trials
  Tools like MailerLite automatically placed users into a trial that had to be manually downgraded—easy to miss and misleading. 

• Overt Branding
  Beehiiv and Substack added heavy footers or ecosystem lock-in, which hurt email professionalism and flexibility. 

• Deliverability Issues
  Platforms like Zoho Campaigns and Mailjet had buggy editors or weak inbox placement, making them unreliable. 

• Tech Barriers in Setup
  Mailjet and MailerCloud made domain authentication overly complex—especially painful for non-technical users. 

• Spam from the Platforms Themselves
  Beehiiv and Substack overloaded users with onboarding spam and content updates—clutter for those seeking focus. 

After switching to Brevo for outbound campaigns and for newsletter-style updates, I saw a 38% improvement in inbox placement and a 21% uplift in open rates compared to a previous setup. With cleaner branding and better targeting, click-through rates increased by 16%, and the setup time dropped to under 30 minutes per tool, making them not just free, but fast and effective for early-stage growth. 

Recommendations Based on Real Use Cases

What to Avoid

• Mailjet & MailerCloud – Painful DNS setup, and deliverability suffers 

• Benchmark Email – Clean UI, but 500 contacts is too limiting 

• Substack as a SaaS tool – Great for creators, not for marketers 

Final Thoughts

As someone building for marketing and growth teams, I’ve learned the hard way: a tool that looks good in a YouTube video can fall apart in real workflows. What matters is how quickly you can go from signup → auth → first send—without hidden friction or gotchas. 

If you’re just starting out: 

• Use Email Octopus if you value clean UX and generosity 

• Try MailerLite if you're comfortable downgrading from a trial 

• Skip anything that forces branding unless you're okay being a billboard

Conclusion: Cut Through the Noise—Pick Tools That Actually Work

Email marketing for startups and growth teams shouldn't feel like navigating a minefield of "free" plans that aren’t really free. After testing every major platform firsthand, the pattern is clear:

• Email Octopus and Sender.net offer the most honest, friction-free options for teams that want to launch quickly, scale outreach, and stay in control of their brand.
  
  
• MailerLite is solid if you're ready to manually downgrade from the trial and don’t mind that extra step.
  
  
• Avoid tools that lock you into branding, ecosystem traps, or technical setups you can’t manage.
  
  

If you’re building outbound campaigns or newsletters as part of your activation loop or growth stack, focus on tools that respect your workflow—not ones that waste your time.

Build Your Growth Stack, Smarter

At ThriveStack, we help growth teams move faster with no-BS marketing tools and data automation.
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FAQs: Free Email Marketing Tools Guide

1. What is the best free email marketing tool for startups?

Email Octopus and Sender.net are top picks for startups because they offer generous limits, minimal branding, and simple onboarding.

2. Do free email marketing tools hurt deliverability?

‍ It depends on domain authentication. Tools like Sender.net and MailerLite make this easy, improving your chances of landing in the inbox.

3. Why is branding a problem in free plans?‍

Branding like “Sent via XYZ” reduces trust, especially in B2B sales or professional newsletters. It can make your emails look less credible.

4. How many contacts can I manage for free?

‍Most free plans cap you between 1,000 to 2,500 contacts, but Sender.net offers one of the most generous limits at 2,500 contacts and 15K emails/month.

5. Is Brevo (Sendinblue) still a good option?‍

Brevo is great for unlimited contacts but limits daily sends to 300 emails/day, which can be restrictive for outbound sequences