How we wrote this: Every number here comes from the official pricing pages and docs of Systeme.io and MailerLite, checked in November 2026. Our team walked through Systeme.io’s free plan. We did not test MailerLite hands-on, so that side is based on its official pages only.
Affiliate disclosure: Some links are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we write.
TL;DR
- Pick Systeme.io if you want to sell something. Courses, a funnel, a digital product. The free plan gives you 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, 3 funnels and 1 course. No transaction fees.
- Pick MailerLite if you mostly want to send a newsletter and your list is small. The free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with more polished email tools.
- On free plans alone, Systeme.io gives you a lot more room. MailerLite’s free plan is tight once your list passes 250.
What these tools actually are
They aren’t quite the same kind of tool. That matters more than any single number.
Systeme.io is an all-in-one platform. Email, sales funnels, a blog, online courses, an affiliate program, payments. One login.
MailerLite is an email marketing tool first. It also does websites, landing pages, forms and simple digital product sales. But email is the core.
So the real question is: do you need an email tool, or a whole place to run a small online business?
Free plan comparison
| Feature | Systeme.io Free | MailerLite Free |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts / subscribers | 2,000 contacts | 250 subscribers |
| Emails per month | Unlimited | 2,500 |
| Automations | 1 automation rule | 3 active automations (5 steps each) |
| Funnels / pages | 3 sales funnels | 1 website + 1 landing page |
| Blog | 1 blog | Not confirmed for free |
| Courses | 1 course (500 students) | Not listed |
| Digital products | Via funnels | 1 digital product or booking |
| Forms | Part of funnels | 3 active forms |
| Custom domain | 1 | Not on free (per comparison table) |
| Transaction fees | 0% | Not stated on pricing page |
| Branding removal | Not stated on pricing page | Paid plans only |
| User seats | Not stated | 2 |
| Support | Support team, 7 days a week | Knowledge base only |
| Credit card needed | No | No |
A few things stand out.
The contact gap is big. 2,000 vs 250. That’s eight times more room.
Email volume too. MailerLite caps free sending at 2,500 a month. With 250 subscribers, that’s about ten emails each per month. Fine for a weekly newsletter. Systeme.io doesn’t cap sends at all.
One catch on MailerLite: if your active subscribers go over 250, sending gets locked. Campaigns and automations both. You either upgrade or remove people.
Where MailerLite wins on free: automations. You get 3 active ones. Systeme.io gives you 1 automation rule. If you want a welcome series plus a couple of tag-based flows, that’s a real limit on Systeme.io.
Paid plans: what you pay next
| Systeme.io | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Startup: $17/mo | Comfort: from $12/month (check current pricing) |
| What it includes | 5,000 contacts, 10 funnels, 5 courses, unlimited emails | 50 automations, 10 forms, 10 sites, 5 digital products, 3 seats |
| Next tier | Webinar: $47/mo (10,000 contacts, 50 funnels, 20 courses, evergreen webinars) | Power: from $25/mo (unlimited emails, automations, sites, seats) |
| Top tier | Unlimited: $97/mo | Enterprise: custom (200K+ subscribers) |
| How price scales | Fixed tiers by contact count | By active subscribers and sending volume |
| Annual discount | 2 months free | Save 10% |
The pricing models are different.
Systeme.io has flat tiers. You know what you pay. $17 covers up to 5,000 contacts.
MailerLite charges by list size. The “from $12” price is the starting point. It goes up as your list grows. The pricing page uses a slider, so check your exact number there.
On MailerLite Comfort, your email limit is 10x the top of your subscriber tier. On the up-to-1,000 tier, that’s 10,000 emails a month. Power removes the cap (fair use applies).
MailerLite also gives a 14-day trial of premium features on every new account. No card needed. Nonprofits get 30% off paid plans.
Email and automation features
This is where MailerLite earns its reputation.
On MailerLite you get three editors on every plan: drag and drop, custom HTML, and a simple editor. Paid plans add things like A/B testing, multivariate testing, dynamic content, auto-resend, a preference center and an AI writing assistant. It’s a deep email toolkit.
Systeme.io’s email side is simpler. You can send newsletters and campaigns, and build automation rules and workflows. Our team found it straightforward on the free plan. But it’s not trying to be a specialist email tool. If you care about fine-grained email testing and segmentation, MailerLite has more.
One more practical thing. MailerLite’s free API and MCP access is limited and can’t send email. Sending through the API needs a paid plan.
Funnels, courses and selling
Here it flips.
Systeme.io is built for selling. Even the free plan has sales funnels, 1-click upsells, order bumps, an affiliate program, and a course with up to 500 students. It connects to Stripe and PayPal. It says it charges no transaction fees on any plan.
When our team walked through the free plan, the main thing we noticed was how connected it is. A purchase can tag a contact, enroll them in a course, and start an email sequence. No extra tools.
MailerLite can sell too, but in a lighter way. You get digital products and bookings (1 on free, 5 on Comfort), paid newsletters and recurring subscriptions, plus Stripe, Shopify and WooCommerce integrations. Course hosting isn’t listed on its pricing page. If you want a proper course area, you’d connect another platform.
New to Systeme.io? See our step-by-step Systeme.io tutorial.
See Systeme.io’s free funnel builder
Honest downsides
Systeme.io
- Only 1 automation rule on free. That runs out fast.
- Only 1 email campaign on free.
- The email tools are basic next to a specialist like MailerLite.
- The pricing page doesn’t say whether Systeme.io branding shows on free pages. Check before you launch.
- Lots of features in one place means more menus to learn.
MailerLite
- 250 subscribers on free is small. Sending locks if you go over.
- 2,500 emails a month on free.
- Knowledge base support only on free.
- MailerLite logo stays on free (removing it is a paid feature).
- No course hosting listed. Selling is limited to digital products, bookings and subscriptions.
- Paid price climbs with your list, so budgeting takes a bit more work.
Who should pick which
| Your situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Starting from zero, no budget, list could pass 250 | Systeme.io | 2,000 contacts and unlimited emails free |
| Small newsletter, writing is the main job | MailerLite | Better email editors and 3 free automations |
| Selling a course | Systeme.io | Course hosting on every plan, 500 students on free |
| Selling with funnels and upsells | Systeme.io | Funnels, order bumps and 1-click upsells built in |
| Paid newsletter or simple digital download | MailerLite | Paid newsletters and digital products built in |
| You want advanced email testing and segmentation | MailerLite (paid) | A/B, multivariate, dynamic content |
| You want one tool instead of five | Systeme.io | Email, funnels, courses, blog, affiliates in one |
If you’re leaning Systeme.io, our Systeme.io tutorial walks through setup step by step.
Start with Systeme.io’s free plan
Prefer MailerLite? You can sign up at mailerlite.com.
FAQ
Is Systeme.io really free forever?
Yes. Systeme.io says the free plan never expires and needs no credit card. If you cancel a paid plan, your account goes back to free.
What happens if I go over 250 subscribers on MailerLite Free?
MailerLite locks sending, both campaigns and automations. You’ll need to upgrade or remove active subscribers.
Which is cheaper once I outgrow the free plan?
It depends on your list size and billing. Systeme.io’s Startup plan is a flat $17/mo for up to 5,000 contacts. MailerLite’s paid plans start from $12/month, but the price changes with your list size and with monthly vs yearly billing. Check MailerLite’s pricing slider for your exact number.
Can I host an online course on MailerLite?
Course hosting isn’t listed on MailerLite’s pricing page. You can sell digital products and bookings. For a full course area, Systeme.io includes one even on free.
Does Systeme.io take a cut of my sales?
Systeme.io says there are no transaction fees on any plan. Your payment processor (Stripe, PayPal) still charges its own fees.
Last checked: November 2026. Prices and limits change. Always confirm on systeme.io/pricing and mailerlite.com/pricing before you decide.