Mike Slater *Seren Web - Email newsletter platforms

Email newsletter platforms

Email newsletter platforms – best choices by use

Key point: Most “sending problems” are not the platform – they’re usually missing email authentication. For best deliverability we normally set SPF, DKIM and (optionally) DMARC for the chosen provider.

Please let us know which platform you are using so we can do the DNS/auth setup and make sure the mail records are good for inbox delivery.

Best value (most small businesses)

Budget-friendly

Newsletters + automation

Sender.net Top pick

Very generous free tier: up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails/month (branding on free)
Includes templates, signup forms/popups, landing pages and automation.
Good option when Mailchimp free limits are too small.

Best “simple + clean” newsletters

Easy to use

Good for artists/venues

MailerLite

Free tier currently supports up to 500 subscribers.
Free tier allows up to 12,000 emails/month.
Great for straightforward newsletters, event updates, and list growth.

Best when you need SMS too

Email + SMS

Pay-by-sends

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Free tier: 300 email sends/day (daily cap).
Often suits businesses that send occasional campaigns and want SMS as an add-on.
Worth considering if the list is larger but sending is infrequent.

Best for “big brand” ecosystem

Most integrations

Mainstream

Mailchimp

Free tier is now very limited: 250 contacts and 500 sends/month (250/day).
Still strong for integrations and familiarity, but many clients outgrow free immediately.

Best for Shopify / e-commerce

E-commerce

Abandoned cart

Klaviyo

Free tier: up to 250 active profiles and 500 email sends/month.
Designed around customer data, segmentation and automated store flows.
Best when email marketing is tightly tied to products and purchases.

Best for busy creators

Creators

Lead magnets

Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

Popular with creators for landing pages, forms and simple funnels.
If the client is a “content-first” brand (artist, author, educator), it can be a strong fit.
(Plans and limits vary by tier – we’ll check the current tier against list size when choosing.)

Quick comparison (free tiers)

Free tiers change often; we recommend checking before migrating a large list.

Platform	Best for	Free tier headline limit(s)	Notes
Sender.net	Most small businesses on a budget	2,500 subscribers; 15,000 emails/month	Great value; includes automation, forms, landing pages.
MailerLite	Simple newsletters and events	500 subscribers; 12,000 emails/month	Clean UI; ideal for “send a newsletter each month” setups.
Brevo	Email + optional SMS	300 sends/day	Daily cap matters for bigger lists; good for smaller blasts.
Mailchimp	Mainstream + integrations	250 contacts; 500 sends/month (250/day)	Free tier is now very tight; often pushes clients to paid.
Klaviyo	Shopify / e-commerce flows	250 active profiles; 500 sends/month	Excellent for e-commerce segmentation and automation.

Seren Web recommended default choice:

If you want a generous free plan and straightforward newsletters: Sender.net
If you want “clean and simple” and don’t need a huge free list: MailerLite
If you are e-commerce (Shopify) and want abandoned cart + revenue reporting: Klaviyo