🏆 Top 5 email marketing tools for freelancers
Our selection of the best emailing and newsletter tools: Brevo, MailerLite, Kit (formerly ConvertKit), Beehiiv and Mailchimp.
📊 Detailed comparison
Compare the key features of each tool at a glance.
| Criterion |  Brevo Free (300 emails/day), then from $9/month |  MailerLite Free up to 250 subscribers, then from $12/month |  Convertkit Free up to 10,000 subscribers, then from 33 USD/month |  Beehiiv Free up to 2,500 subscribers, then from $49/month billed annually |  Mailchimp Free up to 250 contacts, Standard from €18.05/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | All-in-one emailing (FR) | Simple & affordable emailing | Creator newsletters | Newsletter growth & monetisation | Mainstream email marketing |
| Free plan | 300 emails/day, near-unlimited contacts | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month | Up to 10,000 subscribers | Up to 2,500 subscribers | Up to ~250 contacts |
| French interface | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Built-in SMS marketing | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Paid newsletter / monetisation | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
- Best for
- All-in-one emailing (FR)
- Free plan
- 300 emails/day, near-unlimited contacts
- French interface
- ✓
- Built-in SMS marketing
- ✓
- Paid newsletter / monetisation
- ✗
- Best for
- Simple & affordable emailing
- Free plan
- 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month
- French interface
- ✗
- Built-in SMS marketing
- ✗
- Paid newsletter / monetisation
- ✓
- Best for
- Creator newsletters
- Free plan
- Up to 10,000 subscribers
- French interface
- ✗
- Built-in SMS marketing
- ✗
- Paid newsletter / monetisation
- ✓
- Best for
- Newsletter growth & monetisation
- Free plan
- Up to 2,500 subscribers
- French interface
- ✗
- Built-in SMS marketing
- ✗
- Paid newsletter / monetisation
- ✓
- Best for
- Mainstream email marketing
- Free plan
- Up to ~250 contacts
- French interface
- ✓
- Built-in SMS marketing
- ✗
- Paid newsletter / monetisation
- ✗
🎯 Which emailing tool should you choose for your profile?
💼You are starting your newsletter and want free + French
To start without paying, Brevo is the most generous on the French side: 300 emails a day with a near-unlimited number of contacts, a French interface and SMS included. If your first goal is subscriber volume, Kit's free plan (formerly ConvertKit) goes up to 10,000 subscribers. MailerLite remains an excellent, simple and affordable entry point once you move to a paid plan.
🌱You want to grow and monetise your newsletter
If your goal is to turn your newsletter into income, Beehiiv and Kit let you sell paid subscriptions natively. Beehiiv even adds an ad network and 0% commission on paid subscriptions with its Scale plans. Substack remains the simplest option to start a paid newsletter for free (in exchange for a commission on your revenue).
Frequently asked questions
Several tools have a real free plan, but with different limits. Brevo offers 300 emails a day with a near-unlimited number of contacts (and SMS): ideal if you send little but to a big list. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is free up to 10,000 subscribers, perfect for growing an audience. MailerLite has a more limited free plan (250 subscribers) but is very simple. Check whether the limit applies to the number of emails or of contacts, depending on how you use it.
Both are available in French. Brevo is a French all-in-one platform: email, SMS, WhatsApp, CRM and automation, with pricing based on the volume of emails sent (not on the number of contacts), which is an advantage if you have a big list. Mailchimp is the mainstream standard with a very rich ecosystem, but its bill climbs fast as your contacts grow. In short: Brevo for multichannel and a big list on a small budget, Mailchimp for its ecosystem and integrations.
To launch a newsletter without paying anything, Substack is the simplest: free, you only pay a commission (10%) if you sell paid subscriptions. Beehiiv has a free plan up to 2,500 subscribers built for growth, and Kit up to 10,000 subscribers. For a newsletter tied to your business with classic emailing, Brevo's free plan (300 emails a day) also does the job.
Beehiiv and Kit natively include the sale of paid subscriptions (and digital products). Beehiiv pushes monetisation further with an ad network and 0% commission on subscriptions with its paid plans. Substack remains the zero-budget option to get started, in exchange for a commission on your revenue. On the other hand, Brevo and Mailchimp are excellent sending tools but do not handle paid subscriptions natively.
Most start for free, then charge according to the number of contacts or the volume of emails sent. The first paid plans range from a handful of euros a month for a small list to several dozen euros as soon as your audience grows. The exact prices of each tool are in the comparison table above. Tip: choose according to your 12-month subscriber projection, because volume is what drives the bill up.