Choosing between Brevo and MailerLite is a common challenge for businesses looking for affordable, easy-to-use email marketing tools that actually help them grow. Both platforms are popular, but they excel at very different things. Brevo focuses on automation, segmentation, behavioral triggers, and CRM. MailerLite focuses on beautiful designs, newsletters, landing pages, and simple campaigns. This guide breaks down every detail—automation, templates, analytics, AI, workflows, deliverability, pricing, CRM, and real performance—so you can choose confidently.
Why This Comparison Matters
Email marketing is no longer about sending bulk messages. Businesses now need platforms that support multi-step nurturing, timing optimization, behavioral segmentation, AI recommendations, and consistent deliverability. Choosing the wrong tool limits your growth: weak automation causes drop-offs, weak templates hurt conversions, and poor segmentation wastes traffic.
Brevo and MailerLite dominate the “affordable” category, but they are built for completely different audiences. This comparison shows how they perform in real business environments—creators, consultants, ecommerce shops, agencies, and small businesses.
Feature Breakdown
1. Email Builder
- Brevo: Clean drag-and-drop editor focused on fast execution. Templates are simpler but optimized for deliverability.
- MailerLite: One of the best newsletter builders. Stunning templates, animations, beautiful design blocks, and branding-friendly layouts.
2. Automation & Workflows
- Brevo: Advanced automation builder, behavioral triggers, multi-step flows, branching logic, lead scoring, and automation on all paid tiers.
- MailerLite: Offers good automation but limited branching and behavioral options. Better suited for basic newsletter sequences.
3. CRM & Contact Management
- Brevo: Built-in CRM for tracking deals, activity, segmentation, and customer communication.
- MailerLite: No real CRM. Only basic contact tagging and groups.
4. Segmentation Power
- Brevo: Behavior-based segmentation, predictive segmentation, purchase history segments, time-based triggers.
- MailerLite: Simple segmentation. Custom fields and tags but no predictive or behavioral depth.
5. AI Features
- Brevo: AI send-time optimization, AI content assistance, and AI-powered segmentation.
- MailerLite: AI writing assistance, but limited strategic AI features.
6. Deliverability
- Brevo: Excellent deliverability because their infrastructure is built around transactional + marketing emails.
- MailerLite: Strong deliverability but slightly sensitive to sender reputation because of shared IP environments.
7. Templates & Design Flexibility
- Brevo: Functional templates focused on clarity, not aesthetics.
- MailerLite: Some of the best newsletter templates available in any email tool.
8. Learning Curve
- Brevo: Very straightforward. Anyone can build workflows quickly.
- MailerLite: Simple, but more design-oriented users will appreciate its interface.
Use Cases
Best for Automation-Focused Businesses
Brevo clearly wins because of branching automation, workflow flexibility, segmentation depth, and CRM integration.
Best for Creators, Bloggers, and Newsletters
MailerLite wins due to stunning templates, fast editing, and design-focused brand experiences.
Best for Ecommerce
Both platforms can work, but Brevo offers deeper ecommerce automation with behavioral triggers and product-based segmentation.
Best for Agencies
Brevo wins due to multi-account support, scalable pricing, and shared workflows.
Best for Small Businesses
If your priority is beautiful newsletters → MailerLite. If your priority is automated growth → Brevo.
Pricing Table
| Plan | Brevo Monthly Price | MailerLite Monthly Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | $9/month (5,000 emails) | $10/month (1,000 subscribers) | Small newsletters & simple campaigns |
| Standard | $18/month (advanced automation) | $21-$35/month (2k–3k subscribers) | Growing businesses & consistent content |
| Pro | $499/month (150k emails) | $100-$190/month depending on list size | Scaling brands & heavy email users |
| Enterprise | Custom Pricing | Custom Pricing | Large-scale operations |
Pros & Cons
Brevo Pros
- Superior automation depth
- Built-in CRM
- AI segmentation & send-time optimization
- Affordable automation tiers
- Better for serious growth systems
Brevo Cons
- Template designs are not as strong as MailerLite
- High-volume email plans become expensive
MailerLite Pros
- Industry-leading templates & visuals
- Great for creators and brand-focused newsletters
- Simple and intuitive UI
- Strong landing page builder
MailerLite Cons
- Automation is limited compared to Brevo
- No CRM functionality
- Price increases quickly with subscribers
Final Verdict
Choose Brevo if automation, segmentation, workflows, and CRM-driven marketing are your priorities. Choose MailerLite if your brand relies on design-rich newsletters, landing pages, and visual storytelling.
If your goal is long-term automation, predictable lead nurture, or behavior-based flows, you will get far more value from Brevo. If you prioritize branding, newsletters, and creator-style communication, MailerLite is a perfectly balanced choice.
Want to compare more tools? Explore our other email platform reviews before choosing your next marketing system.