Our verdict: is MailerLite worth it?
Yes — for straightforward email marketing, MailerLite is a strong, honestly priced choice, and its free plan is one of the most usable in the category. Look at GetResponse only if you will genuinely use the extra tools it bundles: funnels, webinars and courses.
If your work is newsletters, regular campaigns and a few automated sequences, MailerLite covers it at a lower entry price than GetResponse. The reason to compare before you decide is scope: GetResponse bundles tools MailerLite's published plans do not list — named sales funnels, webinars and a course creator — into its higher plans. If your business sells courses, runs webinars, or needs cart-recovery funnels in the same platform as your email, that difference in scope, not headline price, should drive your choice.
Consider MailerLite if…
- You want a permanent free plan to start a real list (250 subscribers).
- You mainly send newsletters and straightforward campaigns.
- You want automations early: 3 free, 50 on Comfort.
- Its starting prices ($12 Comfort, $25 Power) fit your budget.
Consider GetResponse if…
- You need webinars or a course creator in the same platform (Creator plan).
- You want named sales-funnel and abandoned-cart tools (Marketer and up).
- You want unlimited email sends from the entry paid plan (Starter, $19/month).
- You prefer one platform as your marketing grows in several directions.
Need more than basic email campaigns?
Explore GetResponse's automation, funnel, webinar and course tools to see whether its current plans match your business needs.
Explore GetResponse PlansCheck the official website for current features, pricing and trial availability. Link is an affiliate link — see our disclosure.What is MailerLite?
MailerLite is an email marketing platform built around campaigns, automations, signup forms, landing pages and websites. Alongside email it sells digital products and bookings, and on its Comfort plan and above it supports paid newsletters — so for some creators it doubles as a simple storefront and subscription tool, not just a mailing service. Its published approach is a low entry price that scales with the size of your subscriber list: you choose a subscriber tier, and the plan price follows it.
Who is it for, on its own plans' evidence? Beginners and small lists (a genuinely usable free plan), newsletter writers (paid newsletters from Comfort), and small sellers (digital products and bookings, with unlimited products on Power). Who should look wider? Anyone whose model depends on webinars or structured online courses — MailerLite's pricing and features pages list neither a webinar tool nor a course creator — and anyone who wants sales funnels as a named, guided feature rather than something assembled from automations.
Key features, from MailerLite's official pages
Email campaigns and editors
MailerLite offers three ways to build an email — a drag-and-drop editor, a rich-text editor and a custom HTML editor — and all three are included even on the free plan, together with a template library and AI writing assistance in the drag-and-drop editor. Campaigns can be A/B tested on every plan we checked, including free; multivariate testing arrives on Comfort.
Automations
Automations are where MailerLite's plans differ most clearly from GetResponse's entry offer. The free plan includes 3 visual automations; Comfort raises that to 50; Power is unlimited. For comparison, GetResponse's pricing page lists 1 custom automation workflow on its Starter plan and unlimited workflows from Marketer upward. If automated sequences are central to how you sell or onboard, the mid-priced MailerLite plans allow far more of them before you must upgrade.
Landing pages, websites and forms
The free plan includes 1 website and 1 landing page with 3 forms or pop-ups. Comfort raises this to 10 websites and landing pages with unlimited templates; Power makes landing pages, websites and forms unlimited. GetResponse also builds landing pages and websites, and its free offer is a trial: 14 days of premium features, after which the free account carries limits such as 1,000 landing-page visits per month.
Selling: products, bookings and paid newsletters
MailerLite lists digital products and bookings among its features, unlimited on Power, and paid newsletters from Comfort upward. GetResponse approaches selling from the funnel side instead: sales funnels, abandoned-cart recovery and promo codes appear on its Marketer plan and above, and its Creator plan adds a course creator (up to 500 students) and premium newsletters.
Webinars and courses — the documented gap
GetResponse's Creator plan includes webinars for up to 100 attendees and a course creator for up to 500 students. Neither MailerLite's pricing page nor its features page lists a webinar tool or a course creator. That is a statement about published plans, not a judgement of quality — if you never run webinars or courses, the gap costs you nothing.
Support
MailerLite's free plan includes email support; Comfort advertises 24/7 email support; Power adds 24/7 live chat. Check the support channel on the exact tier you are considering, because it changes by plan on both platforms.
MailerLite pricing — from its official pricing page
Checked October 28, 2026. MailerLite prices by subscriber tier; the figures below are the starting prices it publishes. Confirm the price for your actual list size on the official page before buying.
Free
$0
- Up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month
- Campaigns, 3 visual automations
- 1 website & 1 landing page, 3 forms/pop-ups
- A/B testing, all 3 email editors
- 1 user seat, email support
Comfort
from $12/month
- Sending: 10× your subscriber tier per month
- 50 visual automations, 3 user seats
- 10 websites & landing pages, unlimited templates
- Dynamic emails, multivariate testing
- Paid newsletters, AI writing assistant, smart sending
- 24/7 email support
Power
from $25/month
- Unlimited monthly emails, seats and automations
- Unlimited landing pages, websites and forms
- Unlimited digital products & bookings
- Facebook custom audiences, multiple triggers
- 24/7 live chat & email support
Enterprise
Custom
- For lists over 200,000 subscribers
- Dedicated success manager
- Deliverability support and account audits
For comparison, GetResponse's published starting prices: Starter $19/month (unlimited email sends, 1 landing page, 1 custom automation workflow), Marketer $59/month (unlimited sends and workflows, sales funnels, abandoned-cart recovery), Creator $69/month (webinars up to 100 attendees, course creator up to 500 students, website builder). Its free offer is a 14-day trial of premium features, then a limited free account — not a permanent free plan like MailerLite's.
Pros & cons — each with its basis
Advantages
- ✓ A permanent free plan that includes automations, a landing page and A/B testing — usable, not just a trial.
- ✓ Lower entry prices than GetResponse ($12 and $25 starting points vs $19 and $59).
- ✓ Automations early: 50 on Comfort, where GetResponse Starter includes only 1 workflow.
- ✓ Digital products, bookings and paid newsletters in the same tool.
Limitations
- ✗ Unlimited sending only arrives at Power ($25); Comfort caps sending at 10× your tier.
- ✗ Its pricing and features pages list no webinar tool and no course creator.
- ✗ "Sales funnels" are not a named feature; funnels are assembled from automations.
- ✗ Price follows list size, so a fast-growing list raises the bill automatically.
MailerLite vs GetResponse — side by side
Every row is taken from the two official pricing/features pages on the check date. This table — not either company's marketing — is the fairest summary of the choice.
| Feature / term | MailerLite | GetResponse |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Permanent free plan: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month | 14-day trial of premium features, then a limited free account (e.g. 1,000 landing-page visits/month) |
| Entry paid price | Comfort from $12/month | Starter $19/month |
| Second tier | Power from $25/month | Marketer $59/month |
| Creator tier | — (Enterprise is custom, for 200k+ lists) | Creator $69/month |
| Unlimited email sends | Power plan, from $25/month | All paid plans, from $19/month |
| Automations | Free: 3 · Comfort: 50 · Power: unlimited | Starter: 1 workflow · Marketer and up: unlimited |
| Landing pages | 1 free · 10 Comfort · unlimited Power | From Starter (1 on Starter, more above) |
| Sales funnels | Not a named feature; built from automations | Named feature on Marketer and up |
| Webinars | Not listed on the pages checked | Creator and up (up to 100 attendees) |
| Online courses | Digital products & bookings; no course creator listed | Course creator on Creator (up to 500 students) |
| Paid newsletters | Comfort and up | Creator and up (premium newsletters) |
| Ecommerce | 150+ integrations, ecommerce revenue reporting listed | Cart recovery, promo codes, revenue reports (Marketer+) |
| AI tools | AI writing assistant (Comfort+), AI in drag-and-drop editor | Generators and AI features, limited on Starter |
| Support | Email (free) · 24/7 email (Comfort) · 24/7 live chat (Power) | Varies by plan — check the official page |
| Pricing model | By subscriber tier | By plan and list size |
Read plainly: for email alone, MailerLite gives more at the bottom for less money. GetResponse's case rests on consolidation — funnels, cart recovery, webinars and courses under one subscription — and it only holds if you will genuinely use those tools every month.
Selling courses, webinars or products online?
Those are the cases where GetResponse's Creator and Marketer plans add tools MailerLite's published plans do not list. Compare the current plans before you decide.
Explore GetResponse PlansCheck the official website for current features, pricing and trial availability. Link is an affiliate link — see our disclosure.Who should choose which?
The beginner starting a first list
MailerLite. Its permanent free plan — 250 subscribers, campaigns, 3 automations, a landing page and A/B testing at $0 — lets you learn on a real list without a trial clock. GetResponse's free route is a 14-day premium trial that then steps down to a limited free account.
The newsletter writer
MailerLite, most likely. Paid newsletters start on Comfort ($12), and sending is capped at 10× your tier, which suits a weekly or monthly letter. GetResponse's premium newsletters sit on Creator ($69) alongside tools a pure writer may never open.
The course creator or webinar host
GetResponse. Its Creator plan ($69) is the only one of the two that lists webinars (up to 100 attendees) and a course creator (up to 500 students). MailerLite's pages list neither, so a course business on MailerLite needs separate webinar/course services on top.
The online seller
It depends on how you sell. Simple digital products and bookings: MailerLite covers them, unlimited on Power ($25). Funnel-led selling with abandoned-cart recovery and promo codes: that tooling is named on GetResponse Marketer ($59) and above.
The growing team watching its budget
MailerLite, with one caution. Its prices start lower and Power includes unlimited seats, but the bill follows your subscriber tier — model next year's list size, not this month's, before you commit on either platform.
How we review — our methodology
This site reviews from documents, not from demos. For every article we open the vendors' official pricing and features pages on a stated check date; record the plan limits exactly as published; compare like with like in a table whose rows come from those pages; and write the conclusion the documents support — including when the product under review beats the alternative we link to. We do not publish star ratings, we do not claim hands-on testing we have not done, and we update figures when a reader or a vendor shows us they have changed. Our full standards are in our editorial policy.
Frequently asked questions
Is MailerLite good for beginners?
On its published plans, yes: the free plan includes campaigns, 3 automations, a landing page, forms and A/B testing for up to 250 subscribers at $0, so a beginner can run a real list before paying anything.
How much does MailerLite cost?
From its official pricing page (checked October 28, 2026): free for up to 250 subscribers; Comfort from $12/month; Power from $25/month; Enterprise is custom-priced for lists over 200,000. Prices scale with subscriber tier.
Is MailerLite really free?
It has a permanent free plan — 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month — rather than a time-limited trial. Sending volume, automations (3) and seats (1) are capped, but the plan does not expire.
What is the difference between MailerLite Comfort and Power?
Comfort (from $12) allows sending up to 10× your subscriber tier monthly, 50 automations and 3 seats. Power (from $25) removes the caps: unlimited emails, automations, seats, landing pages, products and bookings, plus 24/7 live chat support.
Is GetResponse better than MailerLite?
Not universally. GetResponse bundles more kinds of tools — funnels, cart recovery, webinars, courses — in its higher plans. MailerLite is cheaper to start, has a permanent free plan, and allows far more automations on its mid plan than GetResponse's Starter.
Which platform offers better automation?
By published limits: MailerLite includes 3 automations free, 50 on Comfort and unlimited on Power. GetResponse includes 1 custom workflow on Starter and unlimited workflows on Marketer and above. Judge by the plan you would actually buy.
Does GetResponse have a free plan?
It offers a 14-day trial of its premium features; afterwards a free account remains with limits (for example, 1,000 landing-page visits per month and a GetResponse badge on emails). It is not a permanent full free plan like MailerLite's.
Can I sell digital products with MailerLite?
Yes — digital products and bookings are listed features, unlimited on the Power plan, and paid newsletters are available from Comfort upward.
Can I host webinars or courses on these platforms?
On GetResponse's Creator plan: webinars up to 100 attendees and a course creator for up to 500 students. MailerLite's pricing and features pages list neither a webinar tool nor a course creator.
What should I check before choosing?
Five things: what the free or trial option really includes; the automation limit on the plan you can afford; how the price changes as your list grows; whether the extra tools you are paying for (webinars, courses, funnels) are ones you will use monthly; and each platform's current acceptable-use rules for your kind of marketing.
Final verdict
MailerLite deserves its popularity: it starts free in a meaningful way, prices below GetResponse, and gives automations generously. For newsletters and straightforward campaigns, it is the recommendation of this page. GetResponse earns a serious look in a narrower situation: when your next year includes selling courses, hosting webinars, or running funnel and cart-recovery campaigns, and you would rather pay one subscription than assemble separate services. Neither conclusion needs exaggeration — the published plans make both cases on their own.
Explore MailerLiteExplore GetResponse
Sources (checked October 28, 2026): MailerLite — official pricing page (mailerlite.com/pricing) and official features pages. GetResponse — official pricing page (getresponse.com/pricing). Prices and limits change; the official pages govern.