Last updated: September 6, 2026. Some links on this page are affiliate links — if you sign up through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
How we know: we tested Systeme.io hands-on in our own free-plan account. Everything here about MailerLite comes from its published pricing page and documentation, checked on the date shown — we have not run a MailerLite account ourselves, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise.
Our verdict
Both Systeme.io and MailerLite have genuinely permanent free plans — the rare case in this comparison series. The real difference is scope: MailerLite’s free tier caps at 250 subscribers and is built around email and basic landing pages; Systeme.io’s free tier holds 2,000 contacts and includes actual multi-step sales funnels. If email is the whole job, MailerLite is a strong, focused tool. If you need funnels too, Systeme.io covers more without paying for a second tool.
Try Systeme.io freeFree plan, no credit card required. Affiliate link — see our disclosure.
Unlike most of the tools in this comparison series, MailerLite has kept a genuinely permanent free plan — not just a trial. That makes this comparison less about price and more about how much each free tier actually gives you, and where the paid tiers diverge in focus.
Pricing, side by side
List prices as of September 6, 2026, monthly billing at MailerLite’s 500-subscriber tier, checked directly on each company’s pricing page.
| Tier | Systeme.io | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 — 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, 0% fees | $0 — 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo, 1 landing page |
| Entry | $17/mo — 10 funnels, 5,000 contacts | $12/mo (Comfort) — 5,000 emails/mo, 50 automations, 10 landing pages |
| Mid | $47/mo — 50 funnels, 10,000 contacts | $25/mo (Power) — unlimited emails, automations, and landing pages |
| Top | $97/mo — unlimited everything | Custom (Enterprise) — 200,000+ subscribers |
The detail worth noting: MailerLite’s free plan caps at 250 subscribers — Systeme.io’s free plan holds 2,000 contacts, eight times as many, at the same $0 price. Both plans skip transaction fees; neither lists a percentage-based fee on their pricing page.
Create a free Systeme.io account — no card requiredAffiliate link — see our disclosure.
Where the money actually goes
What MailerLite has that Systeme.io does not
- An AI writing assistant and smart sending built into the email editor, from the Comfort tier up.
- An MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT integration — a distinctly recent, AI-tooling-first feature.
- 100+ third-party integrations, including native Shopify, WooCommerce, and Stripe connections on paid tiers.
- Unlimited automations at the top tier, versus Systeme.io’s automation rules scaling by plan.
What Systeme.io has that MailerLite does not
- Real multi-step sales funnels, not just standalone landing pages — the core structural difference between the two products.
- An eight-times larger free-tier contact limit at the same $0 price point (2,000 vs 250).
- An online course module built in — MailerLite sells digital products and bookings, but doesn’t have a dedicated course/membership builder.
- Unlimited sub-accounts on every plan, including free — separate workspaces for multiple brands or clients.
Two questions that decide it
1. Do you need actual sales funnels, or just a landing page?
MailerLite’s landing pages are standalone pages, not chained into a multi-step funnel with upsells and checkout flows the way Systeme.io’s funnel builder works. If your business model depends on a funnel sequence rather than a single opt-in page, that’s the structural gap MailerLite doesn’t close.
2. Is email deliverability and AI-assisted writing your priority?
MailerLite’s focus is email marketing done well — AI writing help, smart sending, and a large integration library. If your business is mostly about sending great newsletters to an existing audience rather than building funnels to grow one, that focus is worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
Does MailerLite have a free plan?
Yes — unlike most tools in this comparison series, MailerLite’s free plan is permanent, not a trial. It caps at 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails. Systeme.io’s free plan holds 2,000 contacts at the same $0 price.
Is Systeme.io cheaper than MailerLite?
At the entry paid tier, Systeme.io ($17/mo) costs more than MailerLite’s Comfort plan ($12/mo), but Systeme.io includes real sales funnels and course hosting that MailerLite doesn’t offer at any tier.
Does MailerLite have sales funnels?
Not in the multi-step sense Systeme.io offers. MailerLite has landing pages and can sell digital products or bookings, but it doesn’t chain pages into a funnel with upsells the way a dedicated funnel builder does.
Which is better for pure email marketing, Systeme.io or MailerLite?
MailerLite, by focus — its AI writing assistant, smart sending, and integration library are built specifically around email performance. Systeme.io’s email tools are solid but secondary to its funnel-building core.
I’ve been building and maintaining websites for about ten years. The first one is still online a decade later, and I still fix it when something breaks — which is how I learned that the interesting part of any platform is not the launch, it’s year three. I co-owned that site’s business, though I am not a co-owner today; the business itself has since closed. Separately, I have also run an online store on Shopify, until the fees pushed me onto a different payment system. Today I choose the host, the theme and write the plugins that run this site, and I pay for the tools I test out of my own pocket. More on the About page, and exactly what we did and did not test in how we test.
Prices verified against each company’s public pricing page on September 6, 2026, at MailerLite’s 500-subscriber tier. Vendors change pricing without notice — check before you buy, and tell us if you find something out of date.
Try it yourself: Systeme.io’s free plan is permanent, not a trial — 3 funnels, 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, 0% transaction fees. Start on the free plan and find out in a weekend whether it covers what you need. (Affiliate link — see our disclosure.)