EmailOctopus vs Flodesk Comparison 2026
EmailOctopus is a plain list-and-campaign tool that stays free to 2,500 subscribers before Pro starts at $9 a month billed yearly. Flodesk is built around templates that look designed rather than assembled, with unlimited sending on every paid plan, starting at $19 a month billed yearly for up to 1,000 subscribers, after a free plan for building a list. The choice is between a bigger free tier with a plainer look, and a smaller paid entry point where the email looks like a designer touched it.
Email for lists that outgrew a free plan
Email that looks designed without a designer
At a glance
- EmailOctopus starts cheaper, at $9.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
EmailOctopus | Flodesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $9 | From $25 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes |
EmailOctopus
Email for lists that outgrew a free plan
EmailOctopus is deliberately plain: lists, campaigns, a drag-and-drop editor and simple automations, at a price that undercuts the platforms with more features than a newsletter needs. The free tier goes to 2,500 subscribers with the company's branding on every send. Reports only go back 30 days until you pay, which is the free plan's real limit rather than the subscriber count.
Our note
Against MailerLite this comes down to the free tier: 2,500 subscribers here against 250 there, with fewer features in return. Start here if the list is the thing growing and the automations can wait.
Flodesk
Email that looks designed without a designer
Flodesk is built around templates that come out looking considered rather than like a form, which is why it keeps turning up in the hands of people selling something visual. Every paid plan sends unlimited email regardless of how often. Pricing moves with the size of the list instead, starting from a thousand subscribers. A free plan exists for building a list before there is anything to send to it, and anybody wanting deep automation branching will find this deliberately simpler than its competitors.
Why people weigh these two
- Flodesk instead of EmailOctopus
- Flodesk is built around templates that look designed without hiring a designer, with a free tier and paid plans from $25 a month against EmailOctopus' $9 starting price.
- EmailOctopus instead of Flodesk
- EmailOctopus is the budget swap for straightforward sending, with a free tier and paid plans from $9.
Which one should you pick
Pick EmailOctopus if the bill matters more than how the email looks. It is free to 2,500 subscribers with EmailOctopus branding on every send, then $9 a month billed yearly once you want that branding gone and reports that outlast 30 days. Nonprofits get 20 percent off for life.
Pick Flodesk if you are selling something visual and want every send to look considered without hiring a designer, and if unlimited sending regardless of frequency matters more than the lower headline price elsewhere. Entry is $19 a month billed yearly for up to 1,000 subscribers, and price climbs with list size from there, so check the calculator against where your list will be in a year rather than the starting figure.
Common questions
- Which one is cheaper to start?
- EmailOctopus. It is free for up to 2,500 subscribers, and its paid Pro tier starts at $9 a month billed yearly. Flodesk has no paid tier under 1,000 subscribers cheaper than $19 a month billed yearly, or $25 paying month to month.
- Does Flodesk cap how many emails I can send?
- No. Every paid Flodesk plan sends unlimited email with no per-email charge, whatever the frequency. EmailOctopus's free plan caps sending at 10,000 emails a month for up to 2,500 subscribers, and Pro lifts the user, page and form limits instead.
- Which has the bigger free tier?
- EmailOctopus, clearly. Its free plan handles 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month as a working tool. Flodesk's free plan exists for building a list before there is anything to send to it, which is a narrower job.
- Why would somebody pick the dearer option, Flodesk?
- For how the email looks. Flodesk's templates are built to look designed rather than assembled, which is why sellers of visual products keep choosing it despite the higher starting price. EmailOctopus wins on cost and keeps its automations simple at every tier.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.