Tool profile
MailerLite: cost, fit and limits
MailerLite is an email and newsletter platform made by MailerLite that combines a drag-and-drop editor, automations, landing pages and an AI writing assistant. It is aimed at small businesses, creators and nonprofits that want one low-cost tool for newsletters, signup forms and simple websites.
What to know first
MailerLite is a tool you can start on without paying: the free plan allows 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, and the paid tiers add seats, volume and AI helpers. Pricing is built on subscriber count, so the figure you pay depends on your list size, not just the plan name. The page we read showed some per-plan AI checkmarks that did not render, so confirm which assistant sits on which tier before upgrading.
MailerLite at a glance
| Maker | MailerLite, Lithuania |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | from $12 per month (Comfort, tiered by subscribers) |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Newsletter Platforms in 2026, rank 2 of 10 |
| Website | mailerlite.com |
Who MailerLite is best for
Nonprofits and small charities
The pricing page lists a 30 percent discount for nonprofits, which matters when a list grows and the monthly cost is set by subscriber tier.
Writers who also sell digital products
The free plan includes one website, signup forms and digital products or bookings, so a newsletter and a small shop can start in the same account.
Teams with EU data requirements
MailerLite states that its data storage center is in the European Union with an ISO 27001 certificate, which gives a data protection officer something concrete to check.
People who work through Claude or ChatGPT
The free plan lists limited API and MCP access for Claude and ChatGPT, though sending is not included, so it suits reading and drafting rather than automated sends.
MailerLite plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, 2 seats, campaigns, automations, one landing page, one website and signup forms, with knowledge base support only. |
| Comfort | From $12 per month | Three seats and ten times the top of your subscriber tier in monthly emails, plus HeyLite intelligence and the AI writing assistant according to the FAQ. |
| Power | From $25 per month | Unlimited seats and unlimited monthly emails subject to fair use, with the larger feature set and unlimited integrations. |
| Enterprise | Custom | For 200K or more subscribers, with custom email volume and unlimited seats, quoted individually. Pricing is by negotiation. |
Checked October 2026.
What MailerLite does
- HeyLite intelligence
- The pricing page lists HeyLite intelligence for Comfort, Power and Enterprise. The page does not spell out its functions, so ask for a walkthrough before counting on it for segmentation or send-time work.
- AI writing assistant and landing page builder
- The comparison table names an AI writing assistant and an AI landing page builder. The free plan gets one use of the builder, and the FAQ says the writing assistant is included from Comfort.
- Subject line generator
- A limited subject line generator is part of the free plan, which lets a new sender try AI on the one line that most affects opens without paying anything.
- Websites and digital products
- Free accounts can run a website, a landing page and digital product or booking sales, so a small seller can keep storefront and newsletter together.
- MCP and API access
- Free includes limited API and MCP access for Claude and ChatGPT without sending. The privacy policy points users who connect third-party AI agents to a separate AI policy.
How MailerLite handles your data
MailerLite's privacy policy says it uses OpenAI's GPT technology and Google's Vertex AI platform for writing assistants and subject line generation, under enterprise-grade agreements that keep your data from being used to train the providers' models. The pricing page says data is stored in the European Union at a center holding an ISO 27001 certificate, and that the company is GDPR compliant. The policy sets deletion within 30 days of an eligible request, keeps billing records for 7 years, and may delete accounts inactive for 3 years after notice.
Where MailerLite falls short in practice
- Plan prices hide behind a slider. The pricing page showed the Comfort and Power prices only as starting figures in the FAQ, and the box with the price was blank in the page text. Work out your exact cost with the calculator for your own subscriber count.
- Per-plan AI access is unclear. The comparison table lists the AI writing assistant and landing page builder, but the checkmarks per plan were not visible to us. A buyer who needs the assistant on a specific tier should ask support in writing.
- Support is thin on the free plan. Free accounts get knowledge base support only, and trial features switch off after 14 days unless you upgrade, so a launch with a deadline needs a paid tier from the start.
Works with
Alternatives to MailerLite
MailerLite: common questions
Does MailerLite use my newsletter content to train AI models?
The privacy policy says MailerLite relies on OpenAI and Google Vertex AI under enterprise agreements that stop your data from training their models. It does not say whether MailerLite trains its own models, so the vendor's policy was not checked for that point beyond this.
What happens to my data if I stop using MailerLite?
Data is deleted or anonymized within 30 days of an eligible deletion request, according to the privacy policy. Billing and transaction records stay for 7 years, and accounts inactive for three years may be deleted after notice and a 60-day export window.
Is the MailerLite free plan enough for a small newsletter?
It covers 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, two seats, automations, one landing page and one website. That is enough for a starting list. Support is knowledge base only, and the 14-day trial of premium features ends unless you upgrade.
Does MailerLite give a discount to nonprofits?
Yes. The pricing page lists a 30 percent nonprofit discount, and yearly billing separately saves 10 percent. Check with support how to apply the nonprofit rate, since the page we read did not describe the verification steps. Ask support which documents it needs.
Can I connect Claude or ChatGPT to MailerLite?
Yes, in limited form. The free plan lists API and MCP access for Claude, ChatGPT and similar assistants, and the access does not include sending. The privacy policy refers users who connect third-party AI agents through MCP to a separate AI policy.