Last updated: October 2026 | Pricing checked on October 2, 2026 | 9 min read
Campaign Monitor has been a favourite with designers and agencies for years. The templates are polished, the editor is reliable, and the reports look good in front of clients. What’s changed is the price. At 10,000 subscribers, Campaign Monitor now costs $117/month on Lite, $182 on Essentials and $300 on Premier. And Lite limits you to 5 emails per subscriber per month.
We compared eight Campaign Monitor alternatives on the things Campaign Monitor users care about: design and templates, automation and segmentation, price at 5,000 and 10,000 subscribers, and reporting. All prices come from each vendor’s pricing page or slider on September 30, 2026.
Our pick for most small and mid-sized businesses is Mailercloud. It’s free for 1,000 contacts, then $10/month for 5,000 and $50 for 10,000 with unlimited sends. Campaign Monitor Essentials costs $117 and $182 at those sizes.
Quick Answer: Mailercloud is the best Campaign Monitor alternative in 2026 for most small and mid-sized businesses: free for 1,000 contacts, $10/month for 5,000 and $50 for 10,000 with unlimited sends (Campaign Monitor Essentials: $117 and $182). MailerLite is closest in design feel, Mailchimp has the most integrations, ActiveCampaign is best for advanced automation, and EmailOctopus is cheapest for simple newsletters.
Table of Contents
Why People Switch From Campaign Monitor
- Price at scale. Essentials costs $117/month at 5,000 subscribers and $182 at 10,000. Premier costs $300 at 10,000.
- Sending cap on Lite. Lite allows 5x your subscriber count in emails per month. Unlimited sending starts on Essentials.
- Key features on higher tiers. Phone support and send-time optimisation are Premier features.
- Slower product updates. Newer tools have moved faster on AI features, deliverability tools and integrations.
- Only 10% off for annual billing. Most competitors offer 15–30%.
How We Chose These Alternatives
- Design: editor quality, templates and custom HTML support.
- Automation and segmentation on the entry paid plan.
- Price at 5,000 and 10,000 subscribers, monthly billing.
- Sending limits and free plans.
- Reporting and deliverability tools.
Campaign Monitor Alternatives at a Glance
| Alternative | Best For | Free Plan | Price at 5,000 | Price at 10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MailercloudOur Pick | Best overall | 1,000 contacts | $10/mo | $50/mo |
| MailerLite | Design-focused teams | 250 subs | $49/mo | $89/mo |
| Mailchimp | Integrations | 250 contacts | $75/mo (Essentials) | $110/mo |
| Brevo | Email + SMS | 300 emails/day | From $9 (by emails) | By emails |
| ActiveCampaign | Advanced automation | Trial | Scales | Scales |
| Moosend | Low-cost automation | 30-day trial | $48/mo | $88/mo |
| EmailOctopus | Budget newsletters | 2,500 subs | $31.50/mo | $44.50/mo |
| Zoho Campaigns | Zoho users | 2,000 contacts | $31/mo | $49/mo |
1. Mailercloud — Best Overall Campaign Monitor Alternative
Mailercloud is the best Campaign Monitor alternative in 2026 for small and mid-sized businesses that want polished emails and full automation at a far lower price. Premium costs $10/month for 5,000 contacts and $50 for 10,000, with unlimited sends. On Campaign Monitor, unlimited sending starts on Essentials at $117 and $182.
You won’t lose much on design. Mailercloud has a drag-and-drop builder, a template gallery and a custom HTML editor, so you can import existing Campaign Monitor templates. Visual automation and segmentation are included, and Premium adds A/B testing, AI subject lines and 25 advanced automations.
Mailercloud also covers something Campaign Monitor doesn’t. The built-in Inbox Tracker shows whether each campaign lands in the inbox, Promotions tab or spam, and the built-in verifier cleans lists before you send.
The trade-offs: Mailercloud’s integration library is smaller, and there’s no SMS channel. Agencies that rely on Campaign Monitor’s client-management tools should check how they’d manage multiple brands.
Key features
- Free plan: 1,000 contacts, 12,000 emails a month
- Unlimited sends on Premium from $10/month (5,000 contacts)
- Drag-and-drop builder, template gallery and custom HTML editor
- Visual automation (25 advanced automations on Premium)
- Behaviour and engagement segmentation, A/B testing, AI subject lines
- Inbox Tracker and built-in email verifier
✅Mailercloud Pros:
- $10/month for 5,000 contacts and $50 for 10,000 with unlimited sends (Campaign Monitor Essentials: $117 and $182)
- Drag-and-drop builder, template gallery and custom HTML editor for existing templates
- Visual automation and segmentation included
- Inbox Tracker shows inbox vs Promotions vs spam placement
- Built-in email verifier cleans lists before you send
- Free plan: 1,000 contacts, 12,000 emails a month
❌Mailercloud Cons:
- Smaller integration library than Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign
- No SMS channel
- Fewer agency client-management tools
💰Pricing: Free for 1,000 contacts; Premium from $10/month for 5,000 contacts; $50 at 10,000 (30% off annually).
Pricing: Free for 1,000 contacts; Premium from $10/month for 5,000 contacts; $50 at 10,000. 30% off on annual billing.
Best for: Businesses paying Campaign Monitor Essentials prices for newsletters and automation.
Try Mailercloud free — import your Campaign Monitor templates, then send to 5,000 contacts for $10/month.
2. MailerLite — Best for Design-Focused Teams
MailerLite is the closest match to Campaign Monitor’s clean, design-first feel. The drag-and-drop editor is polished, the templates look good, and it adds a website builder, landing pages, forms and popups.
MailerLite renamed its plans this year. On monthly billing, Comfort costs $49 at 5,000 subscribers and $89 at 10,000, with 50 automations. Power costs $69 and $129 and adds unlimited sending, unlimited automations and live chat support. Both are well below Campaign Monitor Essentials.
The free plan now covers only 250 subscribers, and Comfort caps monthly sends at 10x your subscriber count.
✅MailerLite Pros:
- Polished editor and templates, close to Campaign Monitor
- Website builder, landing pages and popups included
- Large integration library
❌MailerLite Cons:
- Free plan limited to 250 subscribers
- Comfort caps sending at 10x your subscribers
💰Pricing: Comfort $49 at 5,000 and $89 at 10,000; Power $69 and $129 (monthly billing).
Best for: Design-minded teams that want an all-in-one site and email tool. Compare it with a close rival in Brevo vs MailerLite.
3. Mailchimp — Best for Integrations
Mailchimp has the largest integration library in email marketing, with 300+ native connections, plus strong reporting and Customer Journeys automation on Standard. If Campaign Monitor struggled to connect to your CRM or store, Mailchimp almost certainly will.
On monthly billing, Essentials costs $75 at 5,000 contacts and $110 at 10,000. Standard costs $100 and $135. That’s cheaper than Campaign Monitor Essentials at both sizes, but not by much. Mailchimp can also count unsubscribed contacts towards your bill unless you archive them.
✅Mailchimp Pros:
- 300+ native integrations
- Strong reporting and testing
- Familiar, well-documented platform
❌Mailchimp Cons:
- $100/month at 5,000 contacts on Standard
- Unsubscribed contacts can count towards your bill
- Free plan limited to 250 contacts
💰Pricing: Essentials $75 at 5,000 and $110 at 10,000; Standard $100 and $135 (monthly billing).
Best for: Businesses that need the widest set of integrations. See our Mailchimp alternatives if price is the concern.
4. Brevo — Best for Email Plus SMS
Brevo prices by emails sent, not by subscribers, and includes unlimited contacts on every plan. It adds SMS, WhatsApp and a CRM in the same account.
Starter costs $9/month for 5,000 emails, and Standard costs $18/month and adds marketing automation, A/B testing and landing pages. Prices rise with sending volume. For a large list you email weekly, compare the total carefully.
✅Brevo Pros:
- Unlimited contacts on every plan
- Email, SMS and WhatsApp in one account
- Free plan with 300 emails a day
❌Brevo Cons:
- Costs rise with every email you send
- Brevo logo on Starter unless you pay extra
- Editor is functional rather than design-led
💰Pricing: Free with 300 emails/day; Starter from $9/month; Standard from $18/month.
Best for: Businesses that want email and SMS together. See Brevo vs Mailchimp for a head-to-head.
5. ActiveCampaign — Best for Advanced Automation
If Campaign Monitor’s automation feels limited, ActiveCampaign is the step up. Its visual builder branches on tags, site visits, purchases and custom events, and it connects to 1,000+ apps.
At 1,000 contacts on annual billing, Starter costs $15/month, Plus $49 and Pro $79. Prices rise quickly with your list, and the most useful features sit on Plus and Pro.
✅ActiveCampaign Pros:
- Best-in-class automation and branching
- 1,000+ integrations
- CRM integrations on Plus and above
❌ActiveCampaign Cons:
- Price rises fast as your list grows
- Steeper learning curve than Campaign Monitor
💰Pricing: At 1,000 contacts (annual): Starter $15/month, Plus $49, Pro $79.
Best for: Marketing teams that want complex, behaviour-based journeys. See our ActiveCampaign alternatives for cheaper options.
6. Moosend — Best Low-Cost Automation
Moosend includes unlimited emails, automation workflows, landing pages and forms on its Pro plan. On monthly billing it costs $48 at 5,000 subscribers and $88 at 10,000, or $38 and $70 billed annually.
There’s a 30-day free trial but no free plan, and the integration library is smaller than Mailchimp’s.
✅Moosend Pros:
- Unlimited emails and automation on one plan
- Much cheaper than Campaign Monitor Essentials
- 20% off on annual billing
❌Moosend Cons:
- No free plan
- Smaller integration library
💰Pricing: Pro $48 at 5,000 and $88 at 10,000 (monthly); 20% off annually.
Best for: Small teams that want automation at a low monthly price.
7. EmailOctopus — Best Budget Newsletter Tool
EmailOctopus is a simple, low-cost newsletter tool. On monthly billing, Pro costs $31.50 at 5,000 subscribers and $44.50 at 10,000, the lowest 10,000-subscriber price on this list. The free plan covers 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month.
It’s much simpler than Campaign Monitor. Automations are basic sequences, and templates are less design-heavy.
✅EmailOctopus Pros:
- $44.50/month at 10,000 subscribers
- Free plan: 2,500 subscribers
- Clean, easy editor
❌EmailOctopus Cons:
- Basic automation
- Fewer design options than Campaign Monitor
💰Pricing: Free up to 2,500 subscribers; Pro $31.50 at 5,000, $44.50 at 10,000 (monthly).
Best for: Simple newsletters where cost matters most.
8. Zoho Campaigns — Best for Zoho Users
Zoho Campaigns fits teams already using Zoho CRM. The Forever Free plan covers 2,000 contacts, and Standard costs $31 at 5,000 contacts and $49 at 10,000 on monthly billing, with 25% off yearly.
The interface is busier than Campaign Monitor’s, and advanced automation needs the Professional plan.
✅Zoho Campaigns Pros:
- Low price at every size
- Free plan for 2,000 contacts
- Deep Zoho CRM sync
❌Zoho Campaigns Cons:
- Busier interface
- Advanced automation on Professional only
💰Pricing: Free up to 2,000 contacts; Standard $31 at 5,000, $49 at 10,000 (monthly).
Best for: Businesses already running on Zoho.
Campaign Monitor vs Alternatives: Price at 5,000 and 10,000 Subscribers
Monthly billing, from each vendor’s pricing page on September 30, 2026.
| Platform (plan) | 5,000 | 10,000 | Sending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign Monitor Lite | $75 | $117 | 5x subscribers |
| Campaign Monitor Essentials | $117 | $182 | Unlimited |
| Campaign Monitor Premier | $203 | $300 | Unlimited |
| Mailercloud (Premium) | $10 | $50 | Unlimited |
| EmailOctopus (Pro) | $31.50 | $44.50 | 10x subscribers |
| Zoho Campaigns (Standard) | $31 | $49 | Unlimited |
| Moosend (Pro) | $48 | $88 | Unlimited |
| MailerLite (Comfort) | $49 | $89 | 10x subscribers |
| Mailchimp (Standard) | $100 | $135 | 12x contacts |
At 10,000 subscribers, moving from Campaign Monitor Essentials to Mailercloud saves $132 a month, or $1,584 a year.
The Mailercloud View: Move Your Templates First, Then Your List
Campaign Monitor users usually have a library of branded templates they don’t want to rebuild. So start there.
- Export your best templates as HTML and import them into the new tool’s custom HTML editor. Check them on mobile and in dark mode.
- Clean the list before the first send. Remove hard bounces and long-inactive subscribers, so your new sending domain starts with a good reputation. Watch it in Google Postmaster Tools.
- Authenticate your domain. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC as required by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft for bulk senders. dmarc.org has a plain-English overview of DMARC.
- Warm up gradually. Send to your most engaged subscribers first, then expand over two to three weeks.
- Rebuild automations and point your website forms at the new account.
Keep your consent records and unsubscribes when you migrate. Every campaign still needs an unsubscribe link and a postal address under the CAN-SPAM Act.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best alternative to Campaign Monitor?
Mailercloud is the best Campaign Monitor alternative in 2026 for most small and mid-sized businesses. It’s free for 1,000 contacts and $10/month for 5,000 with unlimited sends, against $117 on Campaign Monitor Essentials. MailerLite is closest in design feel, and ActiveCampaign is best for advanced automation.
How much does Campaign Monitor cost?
On monthly billing, Campaign Monitor Lite costs $75 at 5,000 subscribers and $117 at 10,000. Essentials costs $117 and $182, and Premier $203 and $300. Annual billing saves 10%.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Campaign Monitor?
Yes. Every alternative in this list is cheaper at 5,000 subscribers. Mailercloud costs $10, Zoho Campaigns $31, EmailOctopus $31.50 and Moosend $48 on monthly billing.
Does Campaign Monitor have a sending limit?
Yes, on Lite. It allows 5x your subscriber count in emails per month. Essentials and Premier include unlimited sending.
Can I move my Campaign Monitor templates to another tool?
Yes. Export templates as HTML and import them into any tool with a custom HTML editor, such as Mailercloud, MailerLite or Mailchimp. Test them on mobile before your first send.
Which Campaign Monitor alternative is best for agencies?
Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign have the broadest integrations for client work, and MailerLite suits design-led agencies. Check how each handles multiple brands, users and billing before you move client accounts.
Final Verdict
Campaign Monitor still makes beautiful emails, but at $117–$182/month for 5,000–10,000 subscribers on Essentials, it’s hard to justify for most small businesses. Mailercloud gives you polished emails, visual automation, segmentation and inbox placement tracking for $10 at 5,000 contacts and $50 at 10,000. Choose MailerLite for the closest design feel, Mailchimp for integrations and ActiveCampaign for advanced automation.
For a broader view, see our guide to email marketing for small business.
Keep the polished emails, drop the $182 bill — try Mailercloud free
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As a Marketing Director, I develop and implement marketing strategies, conduct market research, and manage a team of marketing professionals. With a successful track record of launching campaigns that drive revenue growth, I bring my marketing expertise to blog writing, creating engaging content that promotes the brand and its products/services.
