MailerLite vs Omnisend Comparison 2026
MailerLite is a general email tool priced to stay cheap as a list grows: free to 250 subscribers, then $12 a month for Comfort with automations included from that first paid tier. Omnisend is built specifically around a store, with abandoned-cart flows, product blocks and SMS on the same automation, free for 500 emails and then $11.20 a month at a comparable size, essentially the same price as MailerLite. The prices barely differ; what differs is whether there is a store behind the list for Omnisend's machinery to connect to.
Email marketing that stays cheap as lists grow
Email and SMS for people selling products
At a glance
- Omnisend starts cheaper, at $11.20.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
MailerLite | Omnisend | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $12 | From $11.20 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial (they differ) | 14 days | None |
| API |
MailerLite
Email marketing that stays cheap as lists grow
MailerLite sends campaigns, runs automations and hosts the signup forms feeding them, and prices all of it under the tools it competes with. The editor is plain in a way that suits people who write more than they design. The free plan stops at 250 subscribers, which is a fraction of what beehiiv and Kit give away, so the comparison is really about what you pay at ten thousand.
Our note
The cheap end of email, done properly. Kit is better at automation and beehiiv at growth, and MailerLite wins on the bill, which for a list that is not itself the product is often the only comparison that matters.
Only on this side
- Covers newsletter & email
Omnisend
Email and SMS for people selling products
Omnisend is built around a shop rather than a newsletter: abandoned-cart flows, product recommendations in the email, and SMS on the same automation. For a creator selling merch or digital products through Shopify it does the job that a general email tool leaves to plugins. The free plan is 500 emails a month, which is a test rather than a starting point.
Why people weigh these two
- Omnisend instead of MailerLite
- Omnisend from $11 with a free tier adds SMS alongside email, aimed at stores rather than at a growing list.
- MailerLite instead of Omnisend
- MailerLite is aimed at a general mailing list rather than an online shop specifically, priced to stay cheap as that list grows, with a free tier to start on.
Which one should you pick
Pick MailerLite for a newsletter that is the product itself rather than a companion to a shop: the editor is plain, the price stays low as the list grows, and nothing in the plan goes unused. Comfort is $12 a month, close to Omnisend's price at a similar list size.
Pick Omnisend when there is a store behind the send: cart-recovery emails, product recommendations and SMS all fire from the same automation without a second tool. Standard is $11.20 a month, about the same as MailerLite, but by Omnisend's own description, a newsletter with no shop behind it is paying for automation that never triggers.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, MailerLite or Omnisend?
- They land close together: MailerLite Comfort is $12 a month and Omnisend Standard is $11.20 at a comparable contact count. Price is not really the deciding factor between these two; what each plan actually automates is.
- Does MailerLite send abandoned-cart emails like Omnisend?
- Not as a built-in ecommerce flow the way Omnisend does. MailerLite is a general email and automation tool; Omnisend is built specifically around a store, with cart-recovery and product blocks ready to turn on.
- Is Omnisend worth it for a newsletter with no store?
- By its own description, no. Omnisend says a newsletter without a shop behind it is buying machinery it will never connect. MailerLite is the more direct fit for that case, and its bill stays lower as a plain list grows.
- Can Omnisend send SMS as well as email?
- Yes, on the same automation, billed separately from $0.007 a message. MailerLite's listing does not describe a comparable native SMS channel.
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.