MailerLite vs EmailOctopus:
fit the list and the sending calendar.
Count automated messages alongside campaigns, then check the account and workflow limits.
A subscriber cap and a send allowance
can fail at different points.
Include MailerLite when newsletter production, forms and landing-page work belong in the same small-team account. Include EmailOctopus when a focused campaign workflow and a larger free audience allowance fit the brief. Compare the exact welcome journey, editor roles and reporting period, not only the biggest free number.
Seven differences that change the shortlist
| Buying question | MailerLite | EmailOctopus |
|---|---|---|
| Free subscribers | 250 active subscribers | 2,500 subscribers |
| Free monthly emails | 2,500; campaigns and automated sends count | 10,000; include automated messages in the forecast |
| Account users | Two seats on Free | One user on Starter |
| Automation capacity | Free has limits; current paid Comfort and Power differ | Starter: three automations, five steps each excluding the trigger |
| Forms and landing pages | Free limits apply; Comfort and Power expand the capacity | Starter: one form and one landing page |
| Reporting and branding | Test retained Free reports and branding; paid packages remove the vendor logo | Starter reports available for 30 days; branding retained |
| Paid arrangement | Comfort, Power and Enterprise; audience and sending band matter | Pro; check audience, send band, billing period and standard vs Connect product |
Four worked buying briefs
These are hypothetical scenarios with explicit assumptions. They do not establish equal capabilities, measured usability or a negotiated price.
| Newsletter brief | Monthly emails | MailerLite Free | EmailOctopus Starter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 subscribers, weekly newsletters | 950 | Audience and sends fit | Audience and sends fit |
| 600 subscribers, four newsletters | 2,400 | Subscriber cap exceeded | Audience and sends fit |
| 2,500 subscribers and a welcome journey | 10,250 | Both caps exceeded | Send cap exceeded |
| 200 subscribers, twelve sends and 200 automated emails | 2,600 | Send cap exceeded | Audience and sends fit |
200 subscribers, weekly newsletters
Can both free allowances cover this month?
MailerLite: 950 planned emails fits the checked audience and send caps.
EmailOctopus: 950 planned emails fits the checked audience and send caps.
Four full-list campaigns use 800 emails; add 150 automated messages. This is a capacity fit only. The chosen journey, approval process and deliverability still need testing.
600 subscribers, four newsletters
Can spare send capacity compensate for too many subscribers?
MailerLite: 2,400 sends fits the email cap, but 600 subscribers exceeds the 250 cap.
EmailOctopus: 600 subscribers and 2,400 sends fit these two Starter limits.
A monthly send total below the allowance does not repair a subscriber overage. Include new signups and the vendor’s actual subscriber-count rules.
2,500 subscribers and a welcome journey
What happens at the edge of the allowance?
MailerLite: The audience exceeds the current Free subscriber cap.
EmailOctopus: Four campaigns use the full 10,000 emails; 250 welcome messages raise usage to 10,250.
EmailOctopus’s audience fits exactly, but sends exceed the monthly allowance by 250. Leave headroom for resends, automations and future growth.
200 subscribers, twelve sends and 200 automated emails
Can a small list still outgrow the sending allowance?
MailerLite: 2,600 emails exceeds the 2,500-email cap despite the audience fitting.
EmailOctopus: The same 2,600-email model fits these audience/send limits.
Twelve × 200 + 200 = 2,600. A two-person editing team would also need to review EmailOctopus Starter’s one-user limit.
Build the calendar before choosing a band
The worked totals are subscribers × full-list campaigns + automated emails. They assume every campaign reaches the whole list and count automation messages individually. For segmented campaigns, add their actual recipient counts instead. Do not subtract anticipated bounces to make a plan appear to fit.
Plan for the busiest ordinary month. A welcome sequence, a resend to a segment and a one-off announcement all use capacity. Check how the provider counts subscribers across lists, inactive records and unsubscribes before using a raw contact-file size.
A journey needs steps and ownership as well as emails
EmailOctopus Starter permits three automations and up to five steps in each, excluding the trigger. MailerLite’s current packages are Free, Comfort, Power and Enterprise. An older comparison using only Growing Business or Advanced is not the package map used here.
Draw the actual journey: signup, delay, condition, email, another delay and an exit. Confirm which actions count as steps and which package supports the branch or additional trigger. Record who can edit and approve it; sharing one login is not a substitute for the required account roles.
For longer reporting, check retention before assuming a campaign history stays accessible. EmailOctopus Starter’s 30-day report window is different from the subscriber allowance. Exports and a paid report archive should be evaluated as part of the work.
Request the price of the selected band
Neither provider’s current GBP price is verified in this comparison. Ask for the exact audience band, send allowance, user access, billing interval, taxes and automation scope in the currency you intend to pay. No USD or EUR fee is converted into an official pound quote.
Standard EmailOctopus and EmailOctopus Connect are different arrangements. Connect uses your Amazon SES setup and its associated operational and sending costs. Do not compare the standard hosted plan with only the platform portion of a Connect bill.
A free capacity fit does not establish good inbox placement. Domain authentication, permission, list quality and message relevance still affect the practical result. No email delivery benchmark has been run for this comparison.
Use a small, consented evaluation
Use a test list you are authorised to email, preview the message on a phone and check an unsubscribe. Build one short welcome journey, then inspect the trigger, delay, branch and stop condition.
Check a second editor’s access, export the subscribers and review one campaign report. Record the retained package, not the features temporarily shown in a higher-tier trial. No MailerLite–EmailOctopus campaign has been sent for this article.
Questions before you choose
Is MailerLite Free still 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails?
The current checked Free plan is 250 active subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails. Older figures and Legacy Classic terms should not be applied to this current package.
Does a list of 2,500 fit EmailOctopus Starter?
It fits the checked subscriber cap. Four full-list campaigns consume all 10,000 monthly emails, so additional automated sends would exceed the send allowance.
Can two people use the free account together?
MailerLite Free includes two seats. EmailOctopus Starter includes one account user, so a second editor changes the required arrangement.
Which tool will deliver more emails to the inbox?
These plan limits do not measure delivery or inbox placement. Test the intended consented audience and authenticated domain; no delivery winner is established here.
Keep the assumptions with the figures
Use the date, billing cycle, units and limits with each example. Check current account terms before purchasing. Unverified prices and model costs stay unpriced.
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Use these examples when discussing the shortlist with your team.