Best Cheap Email Tools for Etsy Sellers (2026)
Etsy's built-in marketing tools are fine as far as they go — but every customer you win lives inside Etsy's walls. An email list is the one audience you own outright: past buyers you can email about new drops, a list you can take with you if you ever open your own store, and a channel that doesn't charge you a transaction fee per sale.
For Etsy sellers, the email tool question is really about the free plan: which tool lets you start free, stay free while your list is small, and stay affordable when it grows. Four tools clear that bar. Here's the honest breakdown — including the free-plan catches nobody advertises.
The short answer
- Best free plan: Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — up to 10,000 subscribers free. Start here if you're building from zero.
- Best cheap paid plan: MailerLite — $10/mo for 1,000 subscribers with automations included. The best value once you outgrow free.
- Best free sends: Brevo — free plan based on emails per day, not list size. Good if you email a small list often.
- Best truly-free-for-small-lists: Sender — generous free tier up to 2,500 subscribers / 15,000 emails per month.
If you only take one recommendation: start on Kit's free plan, and re-evaluate when your list passes a few thousand. For a detailed head-to-head of Kit against a heavier platform, see our Kit vs GetResponse comparison.
Kit: the biggest free plan in email
Kit (renamed from ConvertKit in 2024) is built for creators and digital sellers — a natural fit for Etsy shops selling patterns, templates, and printables. Its free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, which is unheard of. The catch: automations and sequences require a paid plan, so your free list is broadcast-only.
Pricing (verified Sept 2026):
- Newsletter: $0 — up to 10,000 subscribers, broadcasts and landing pages, no automations
- Creator: from $39/mo at 1,000 subscribers — full automations and sequences
- Pro: from $79/mo — advanced reporting, subscriber scoring
Honest pros:
- The most generous free plan in the industry — 10,000 subscribers free
- Dead simple to use; landing pages and forms take minutes
- Built-in digital product checkout if you ever sell outside Etsy
Honest cons:
- No automations on free — no welcome sequence until you pay $39/mo
- Gets pricey as you grow ($139/mo at 10,000 subscribers on Creator)
- No SMS, no webinars, no funnel builder — it's email, period
MailerLite: the best value paid plan
MailerLite is the tool sellers switch to when Kit's paid plans feel expensive. For $10/mo at 1,000 subscribers you get automations, landing pages, and a genuinely pleasant editor. It's the rare email tool that stays affordable as you scale — $21/mo at 5,000 subscribers is roughly half what Kit charges.
Pricing (verified Sept 2026):
- Free: $0 — 500 subscribers, 12,000 emails/mo, basic automations
- Growing: from $10/mo at 1,000 subscribers — full automations, no MailerLite branding
- Advanced: from $21/mo — adds Facebook and website integrations, smart sending
Honest pros:
- Best price-to-features ratio once you leave the free tier
- Automations included on paid plans from day one (Kit gates them higher)
- Clean, modern templates that look good for product launches
Honest cons:
- Free plan is modest — 500 subscribers means you'll outgrow it fast
- Smaller integration ecosystem than Kit or Brevo
- Strict approval process for new accounts — some sellers report signup friction
Brevo: free sends for frequent emailers
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) prices differently: the free plan is capped at 300 emails per day, with unlimited contacts. That's an odd structure that happens to suit a specific seller — a small buyer list you email often, like a weekly new-arrivals broadcast to 500 past customers.
Pricing (verified Sept 2026):
- Free: $0 — unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day
- Starter: from $9/mo — 5,000 emails/mo, no daily cap
- Business: from $18/mo — automation, A/B testing, landing pages
Honest pros:
- Unlimited contacts on free — no other tool does this
- Built-in SMS and WhatsApp if you want multi-channel later
- Strong transactional email (order confirmations) in the same account
Honest cons:
- 300 emails/day on free is tight — one broadcast to a 1,000-person list takes four days
- Interface is busier than Kit or MailerLite
- Automation features sit behind the $18/mo Business plan
Sender: the underdog free plan
Sender is the least-known tool here, and its free plan is quietly one of the best: 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month free, with automations included. It lacks Kit's brand recognition and community, but on raw free-plan value it's hard to beat.
Pricing (verified Sept 2026):
- Free: $0 — 2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails/mo, automations included
- Standard: from $8/mo — higher limits, priority support
Honest pros:
- Most generous free plan that includes automations
- Cheapest paid entry of the four if you outgrow free
- Simple enough that you'll actually use it
Honest cons:
- Smallest community and fewest third-party integrations
- Templates and design options are more basic than MailerLite
- Less certain long-term — smaller companies get acquired or change pricing
Side-by-side
| Kit | MailerLite | Brevo | Sender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 10,000 subs | 500 subs | Unlimited contacts, 300/day | 2,500 subs, 15k emails/mo |
| Automations on free | No | Basic | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid | $39/mo | $10/mo | $9/mo | $8/mo |
| Cost at 5,000 subs | ~$89/mo | ~$21/mo | ~$18/mo | ~$16/mo |
| Best for | Starting free | Growing affordably | Small list, frequent sends | Free + automations |
Which should you pick? Three scenarios
"I have no list and no budget." → Kit. The 10,000-subscriber free plan might carry you for a year or more. Add a signup form to your Etsy shop announcement and your package inserts, and start collecting.
"I have a list and I'm ready to pay a little." → MailerLite. $10/mo gets you real automations — a welcome sequence for new subscribers and a win-back email for past buyers.
"I email my buyers every week about new products." → Brevo or Sender. Brevo's unlimited contacts or Sender's 15,000 free monthly emails fit frequent broadcasters better than Kit's automation-gated free plan.
How to get your first 100 subscribers (Etsy-specific)
- Put a signup link in your Etsy shop announcement and your About section
- Add a small card to every package: "10% off your next order — join the list" with a QR code
- Offer a digital freebie (a printable, a pattern sample) in exchange for the email
- Send your first broadcast when you launch a new product — past buyers are your warmest audience
Pair this with solid product discoverability — our Etsy SEO tools guide covers getting found on Etsy in the first place, which is where most of your subscribers will come from.
FAQ
Is email marketing worth it for a small Etsy shop?
Yes — even a list of 200 past buyers outperforms Etsy ads for repeat sales. A new-product announcement email to people who already bought from you converts at rates social media can't touch.
Can I email my Etsy customers directly?
Be careful here. Etsy's terms restrict using buyer data outside Etsy. The safe play: invite buyers to opt in voluntarily (package inserts, shop announcement) rather than adding past orders to your list unasked.
What about Mailchimp?
Mailchimp's free plan is now capped at 250 contacts, and paid plans scale aggressively. All four tools above beat it on free-plan value for sellers in 2026.
Can I switch tools later?
Yes. Every tool here exports your list as a CSV, and most offer free migration. Start where it's cheap; move when your needs change.