When you're launching a Shopify store, every dollar matters. The good news: some of the best email marketing tools offer genuinely useful free tiers — not just 14-day trials, but plans you can run on indefinitely as you grow.
This guide covers the five best free email marketing options for new Shopify stores, how they compare, and exactly when to upgrade.
Why Start With a Free Tool
Paid email platforms like Klaviyo make sense when you have a meaningful list size and enough revenue to justify the monthly cost. But in the early days — when you're under 1,000 subscribers and still figuring out your product-market fit — a free tool is the right call.
There are a few reasons to start free:
You're still learning. Email marketing has real complexity: deliverability, segmentation, automation logic, A/B testing. Learning the fundamentals on a free plan before investing in a paid one is good practice.
Your list is small. Even Klaviyo isn't expensive at 250 contacts. But if you're below 500 subscribers, you're paying for capacity you don't need.
Cash flow matters. Every $30–100/month you save on SaaS tools is money you can reinvest in inventory, ads, or product development.
The caveat: free plans have real limitations. Most cap your monthly send volume, restrict advanced automations, or limit the number of contacts. Plan for the day you'll need to upgrade.
For context on the broader email marketing landscape, see our complete Shopify email marketing guide.
The Top 5 Free Email Marketing Tools for Shopify
1. MailerLite
MailerLite is consistently the top recommendation for small Shopify stores that want a clean, capable free plan.
Free plan includes:
- Up to 1,000 subscribers
- 12,000 emails per month
- Automations (welcome series, basic flows)
- Landing pages and signup forms
- Basic reporting
Why it stands out: MailerLite's free tier is more generous than most competitors at the same subscriber count. The automation builder is intuitive — you can set up a welcome series and basic abandoned cart flow without a tutorial. The landing page builder is useful if you're building a pre-launch list before your store goes live.
The Shopify integration works but is less native than Klaviyo or Omnisend. You'll connect through MailerLite's Shopify app, which syncs subscribers and order events. Browse abandonment triggers aren't available on the free plan.
Best for: Stores in pre-launch or early days, creators with content businesses attached to their shop.
2. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo takes an unusual approach: instead of capping by contact count, its free plan is unlimited contacts with a daily send limit.
Free plan includes:
- Unlimited contacts
- 300 emails per day (9,000/month)
- Email automations
- Transactional emails
- Basic reporting
- SMS (paid separately)
Why it stands out: If you have a large imported list but low sending volume, Brevo's model works in your favor. The daily send limit means you'll need to pace campaigns over multiple days for larger lists, but for a store sending a weekly newsletter to 2,000–3,000 contacts, 300/day is workable with scheduling.
Brevo's automation builder is functional and supports basic e-commerce flows. The Shopify integration syncs orders and contacts reliably. It's not as polished as Omnisend or Klaviyo, but it handles the fundamentals.
Best for: Stores with large imported lists, or stores that send transactional emails alongside marketing emails.
3. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the most recognizable name in email marketing, and its free plan remains usable for small stores.
Free plan includes:
- Up to 500 contacts
- 1,000 emails per month
- Basic templates
- Single-step automations
- Limited reporting
Why it stands out: Mailchimp has the largest template library and the most name recognition. If you're working with a designer or agency, they'll almost certainly know Mailchimp. The drag-and-drop editor is polished.
Where it falls short: the free plan has gotten more restrictive over the years. Multi-step automations are locked behind paid plans, the contact limit is lower than MailerLite's, and the Shopify integration has historically been less seamless than purpose-built e-commerce tools. Mailchimp is a solid choice for content-forward brands; it's less ideal for stores that want deep automation from day one.
Best for: Content-first brands, stores with existing Mailchimp experience, stores that value design flexibility.
4. Omnisend
Omnisend is built specifically for e-commerce, which gives it an edge even on the free plan.
Free plan includes:
- Up to 250 contacts
- 500 emails per month
- 60 SMS messages per month
- Pre-built e-commerce automations
- Signup forms and popups
- Sales and performance reports
Why it stands out: Omnisend's free plan includes automations that most competitors lock behind paid tiers: welcome series, cart abandonment, and order confirmation flows are all available. The Shopify integration is native and pulls in order data in real time.
The contact limit (250) is quite low, but if you're in the very early days, it's enough to validate your flows before upgrading. The included SMS credits are a nice touch.
Best for: Stores that want to set up e-commerce automations immediately, stores interested in testing SMS alongside email.
5. ConvertKit (now Kit)
ConvertKit (rebranded to Kit in 2024) is primarily a creator platform, but it works well for Shopify stores that are built around a personal brand or content business.
Free plan includes:
- Up to 10,000 subscribers
- Unlimited email sends
- Basic automations
- Landing pages and forms
- No Shopify-specific e-commerce features
Why it stands out: The subscriber limit is extraordinarily generous for a free plan. If you have an existing audience — a YouTube channel, newsletter, podcast — and you're adding a Shopify store to that, ConvertKit lets you bring your whole list over without paying.
The tradeoff is that ConvertKit isn't e-commerce native. There's no native Shopify integration on the free plan, no abandoned cart flow, no product-triggered automations. It's an audience tool, not a store tool. For stores where the brand and content are the main draw, it fits well. For stores that need browse abandonment and purchase-triggered flows, look elsewhere.
Best for: Creator-led stores, stores with large existing audiences, personal brands expanding into products.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | MailerLite | Brevo | Mailchimp | Omnisend | ConvertKit | |---------|-----------|-------|-----------|----------|-----------| | Free contacts | 1,000 | Unlimited | 500 | 250 | 10,000 | | Monthly sends | 12,000 | 9,000 | 1,000 | 500 | Unlimited | | Automations | Yes | Basic | Single-step | Yes (e-com) | Basic | | Native Shopify integration | Yes (app) | Yes (app) | Yes | Yes (native) | Limited | | Abandoned cart flow | Paid only | Paid only | Paid only | Free | No | | Landing pages | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | SMS | Paid | Paid | No | 60 free | No |
When to Upgrade to a Paid Plan
Free plans are a starting point, not a long-term strategy. Here's when it makes sense to upgrade:
When your list outgrows the free limit. If you're consistently hitting contact limits and manually removing subscribers to stay under the cap, you're leaving money on the table. Upgrade.
When you need abandoned cart flows. For most free plans, multi-step abandoned cart automations require a paid subscription. Cart abandonment is one of the highest-ROI automations you can set up. Once your store is doing $5,000+ in monthly revenue, the cost of a paid plan is easily recovered.
When you want deeper Shopify data. Browse abandonment, predictive segmentation, and real-time product triggers typically require a paid tier. These features matter more as your store scales.
When deliverability becomes a concern. On free plans, you're sharing infrastructure with other users. Most reputable tools maintain good deliverability even on free tiers, but if you're seeing low open rates, a dedicated sending reputation on a paid plan can help.
For most stores, the right time to upgrade is somewhere between 500 and 2,000 subscribers, or when monthly revenue crosses ~$3,000–5,000. At that point, the ROI from better automations easily offsets the platform cost.
Not sure which platform to graduate to? Compare Klaviyo vs Omnisend — the two most popular paid options for Shopify stores — or take our quiz to get a personalized recommendation.
Getting Started Checklist
Whether you're starting with MailerLite, Brevo, or any other platform, this checklist will get your email program running:
- [ ] Connect your chosen tool to your Shopify store
- [ ] Set up a signup popup (offer an incentive — 10% off or a small freebie)
- [ ] Create a 3-email welcome series (send Day 0, Day 2, Day 5)
- [ ] Set up a basic abandoned cart flow (1 email, 1 hour after abandonment)
- [ ] Set up an order confirmation email if your platform supports it
- [ ] Import any existing subscribers you have
- [ ] Set up a simple weekly or biweekly campaign to stay top of mind
- [ ] Check your open rates after 4–6 weeks and iterate
You don't need 12 automations and a complex segmentation strategy to start. Set up the welcome series and cart abandonment flow, then improve from there.
Free plan details are accurate as of March 2026. Platform pricing and features change — always verify current limits on the official site before signing up.