When you’re ready to step up your newsletter game, you’ll often find yourself staring at a spreadsheet of features: send limits, automation depth, template variety, and pricing tiers. Two names keep popping up: MailerLite and Sendinblue. I spent a month testing each, and here’s what I learned.
What You Get Right Out of the Box
MailerLite offers a free plan that lets you send up to 12,000 emails per month to 1,000 subscribers. Sendinblue’s free tier caps you at 300 emails per day, but you can add unlimited contacts. If you’re just starting, the 300‑email/day limit can feel restrictive unless you’re a heavy‑traffic site.
Automation Complexity
MailerLite’s automation builder is drag‑and‑drop, with 30 pre‑built workflows. I set up a welcome series in 20 minutes. Sendinblue’s workflow editor is more code‑heavy; I had to tweak JSON to get the same sequence. For teams that need granular triggers, Sendinblue’s flexibility pays off, but it takes a learning curve.
Template Quality and Customisation
MailerLite ships with 60 responsive templates, and you can edit them in a visual editor that feels like a word processor. Sendinblue has 70 templates, but its editor is more limited; you can’t move elements freely. If you’re a designer, MailerLite gives you more freedom.
Pricing When You Scale
With 5,000 contacts, MailerLite costs $19/month; Sendinblue jumps to $25/month for the same list size, but you pay per email sent, so if you run 20,000 emails a month, the cost climbs faster. For high‑volume senders, MailerLite’s flat rate is more predictable.
Deliverability and Support
Both platforms have good deliverability, but MailerLite’s dedicated support team answers within 12 hours, whereas Sendinblue’s support can take 48 hours during peak times. If you need quick help, that matters.
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Which One to Pick?
If you value a gentle learning curve, visual design tools, and a predictable price, MailerLite is the safer bet. If you need advanced automation, a larger free contact pool, and are comfortable with a steeper setup, Sendinblue may be worth the extra effort. Test both with a small list; the one that feels more intuitive will likely save you time in the long run.