Top 5 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses
With over 4.26 billion email users worldwide, email marketing remains one of the most powerful tools for small businesses. By reaching customers who have already shown interest, inform a large audience in a cost-effective way and even personalising messages. To turn these advantages into real results, you need the right platform. Here are the top 5 email marketing tools that make creating, automating, and tracking campaigns simple for small businesses.
Mailerlite
Mailerlite is a great platform for small businesses due to its all-in-one platform. With the chance to build emails, landing pages and even a website before paying. Mailerlites features on the free plan allows you to manage up to 500 subscribers so you can get started, test the waters, and see what works for your business before investing in a paid plan.
Key features of Mailerlite:
Drag and drop editor – easy to create professional-looking campaigns without needing design skills
Landing pages and sign-up forms – build forms and pages to grow your list without extra tools.
Basic automation – set up welcome emails and simple automated sequences to save time.
EmailOctopus
With its generous subscriber allowance of 2,500 on the free plan, EmailOctopus allows you to send up to 10,000 emails per month without paying a penny. The platform also offers a range of professional email templates, making it easy for small businesses to get started quickly and create campaigns that look polished. You can also use personalisation features on the free plan, helping you tailor emails to your audience and make your messaging feel more relevant and engaging.
3 key features in the free plan:
Email templates and campaign builder – choose from ready-made templates and create professional-looking emails quickly.
Personalisation and custom fields – tailor your emails using subscriber details, making messages feel more relevant and engaging.
Audience segmentation – organise your contacts into targeted groups, allowing you to send more specific campaigns based on customer interests or behaviour.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a very well-known email platforms but it’s free plan isn’t always the best for small businesses. While it does allow up to 250 contacts, the monthly email send limit is low compared to other platforms, which can be restrictive if you’re trying to grow your audience quickly. It’s a good starting point for basic campaigns, but small businesses looking for more value on a free plan may find better options elsewhere.
3 Key Features:
Built-in email templates and design tools – create professional emails quickly with a user-friendly editor.
Basic reporting and performance insights – track open rates and clicks to see what content your audience engages with most.
Integrations with popular platforms – connect Mailchimp with tools like Shopify, WordPress and social media to support your wider marketing.
Kit
If your priority is getting the biggest free plan allowance, kit is the platform for you. With the free plan allowing 5,000 subscribers and send to 10,000 emails per month far more than many competitors. This makes it ideal for small businesses that have a built a larger list early on but aren’t ready to invest in paid software yet.
Unlike some tools that focus on bells and whistles, Kit keeps things simple and email-focused, which many small business owners appreciate when they want straightforward campaign creation without complexity. Kit also allows for free templates, image library and conditional email content during the plan.
3 key features:
Customisable email templates to help you create clean and professional campaigns
Easy-to-use email editor that makes formatting quick, even for beginners
Landing page builder to create branded sign-up pages and grow your audience
Sender
Sender is a great option for small businesses that want to create professional, eye-catching emails without spending money upfront. Its free plan is generous, allowing you to send up to 15,000 emails per month to 2,500 subscribers, which is ideal if you’re trying to grow quickly while keeping costs low.
Senders top features:
Drag and drop email builder and templates
Sign-up forms and pop-ups to grow your subscriber list
Automation tools to save time and keep customers engaged.
Choosing the right email marketing platform can make a huge difference for small businesses, especially when you’re working with limited time and budget. The good news is that many of these platforms offer generous free plans, meaning you can start building your subscriber list, sending professional campaigns and testing what works before committing to a paid plan.
If you’re unsure where to start, pick one platform, make use of the free plan, and begin building your email list — because the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see results.
Got an idea about an email marketing platform but not sure where to go to next?
Sign up for our email marketing workshop and learn how to tailor your email strategy to your business: https://www.letsdomarketing.co.uk/events?cadpath=lets-do-business-group%2Femail-marketing