Brevo vs MailerLite: Which Email Marketing Tool for SaaS?

Overview

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and MailerLite are both known for offering excellent value at affordable prices. For SaaS companies watching their budgets, these platforms provide solid email marketing capabilities without enterprise-level costs.

Both have evolved from simple email tools into more comprehensive marketing platforms, but they take slightly different approaches to the market.

Key Differences

Pricing Model

Brevo charges based on email volume rather than subscriber count. This is advantageous if you have many subscribers but send infrequently, or if you want unlimited contacts without worrying about list size.

MailerLite uses traditional subscriber-based pricing. You pay based on how many contacts you have, with unlimited sending within your plan. Better if you send frequently to a stable list.

Multi-Channel Capabilities

Brevo is more of a multi-channel platform with built-in SMS, transactional email, chat, and CRM. It's positioning itself as an all-in-one marketing suite at affordable prices.

MailerLite focuses primarily on email marketing with excellent landing pages and forms. For transactional email, they have a separate product (MailerSend). The approach is more focused but less comprehensive.

User Experience

Brevo has a functional interface that gets the job done, but it's not as polished as some competitors. The breadth of features can sometimes make navigation confusing.

MailerLite is known for its clean, intuitive interface. The email editor and landing page builder are particularly well-designed. It's one of the most user-friendly platforms in this price range.

Pricing Comparison

Direct comparison is tricky due to different pricing models. Brevo's unlimited contacts can be valuable for large lists with low send frequency. MailerLite is often cheaper for active senders with smaller lists.

Pros and Cons

Who Should Choose What

Choose Brevo if:

• You have a large list but send infrequently
• You want SMS and email in one platform
• You need built-in transactional email
• CRM features are important to you
• You want unlimited contacts without worrying about list growth

Choose MailerLite if:

• User experience and design matter to you
• You need excellent landing pages
• You have a smaller, engaged list
• You want the easiest possible setup
• Budget is your primary constraint

The Bottom Line

Both Brevo and MailerLite offer excellent value for budget-conscious SaaS companies. They prove you don't need to spend enterprise-level money to get solid email marketing capabilities.

Brevo is the better choice if you want a more comprehensive platform with SMS, CRM, and transactional email included. The unlimited contacts model works well for large lists.

MailerLite wins on user experience and simplicity. If you want beautiful emails and landing pages without complexity, and your list is relatively small, MailerLite is hard to beat.

For SaaS companies with specialized needs, consider whether these general-purpose tools meet your requirements, or if SaaS-specific platforms like Loops, Encharge, or Customer.io would be better investments despite higher costs.