Comparison
| Tool | Why it fits (from official info) | Pricing | Official pricing | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 MailerLite | Cheapest with built-in AI writing at this size. Free is $0 but capped at 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Comfort (AI writing assistant, smart sending, automations) at 1,000 subscribers is $19 monthly or $17.10/month billed yearly ($205.20/year) with 10,000 emails a month — enough for about two sends a month to the full list. Power ($39 monthly / $35.10 yearly at 1,000) removes the email cap. 14-day trial, no card. | Freemium | Official pricing (2026-11-14, USD): Free $0 for 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month and 2 seats; Comfort from $12/month (500 subscribers, billed monthly; 10% off yearly at $10.80/month), at 1,000 subscribers $19 monthly or $17.10/month billed yearly with 10,000 emails a month, AI writing assistant included; Power from $25/month (at 1,000 subscribers $39 monthly or $35.10/month yearly) with unlimited emails and seats; Enterprise for 200K+ subscribers via sales. 14-day free trial of paid features, no credit card required. | |
 Kit | Best free plan if you write the emails yourself (or with ChatGPT/Claude). Free is $0 for up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, but no visual automations or email sequences. Creator at 1,000 subscribers is $390/year ($33/month) and adds automations, sequences and Kit MCP, which connects Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini to your list. 14-day trial without a card. | Freemium | Official pricing (archived snapshot of 2026-11-13, USD): Free $0 for up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms; Creator at 1,000 subscribers $390 billed yearly ($33/month, yearly saves 17%), adding visual automations, email sequences and Kit MCP; Pro at 1,000 subscribers $66/month standard (yearly), with a limited-time first year at $593. 14-day free trial of paid plans, no credit card; refund within 30 days of signup. | |
 beehiiv | Best if the newsletter itself is the product. Free is $0 for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends and custom domains. In-editor beehiiv AI, automations and 2 seats start on Lite: up to 1,000 subscribers $588/year ($49/month) or $59 monthly. 0% cut of paid-subscription revenue (Stripe fees apply). The most expensive AI option at this list size. | Freemium | Official pricing (2026-11-14, USD): Free $0 for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, custom domains and the AI website builder; Lite up to 1,000 subscribers $588/year ($49/month) or $59 monthly, with in-editor beehiiv AI, automations and 2 seats; Pro at the same size $1,140/year ($95/month) or $109 monthly, with beehiiv branding removed; Enterprise custom. 0% take on paid-subscription revenue (Stripe fees apply). | |
 Mailchimp | Familiar, with Intuit Assist generative AI on Standard and Premium. Free covers only 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. At the 0–500 contact tier Essentials starts at $13/month and Standard (with Intuit Assist) at $20/month, both 50% off for the first 12 months; the price for 1,000 contacts appears only after you pick your list size on the pricing page. Trial requires payment details. | Freemium | Official pricing (2026-11-14, USD, 0–500 contacts tier): Free $0 with 1 seat, up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month (250 a day); Essentials from $13/month (50% off for 12 months at $6.50), monthly sends 10x contacts; Standard from $20/month ($10 for the first 12 months), sends 12x contacts, Intuit Assist generative AI included; Premium from $350/month ($175 for the first 12 months). Prices rise with contact count; a Pay As You Go credits option also exists. 14-day free trial of Essentials/Standard requires payment details. |
How to do it with AI
- Count your real list: subscribers who opted in, not every customer email you have. Pricing on all four tools rises with list size, so clean out old or never-confirmed addresses before importing.
- Decide whether you need AI inside the email tool. If you already use ChatGPT, Claude or similar, a free plan (Kit Free up to 10,000 or beehiiv Free up to 2,500 subscribers) plus your own chatbot costs $0.
- If you want AI writing built in, compare yearly totals at 1,000 subscribers: MailerLite Comfort $205.20; Kit Creator $390 (AI via Kit MCP rather than an in-editor writer); beehiiv Lite $588; Mailchimp Standard from $20/month at 500 contacts (check the 1,000-contact price on its slider).
- Check the sending cap against your schedule: MailerLite Comfort allows 10,000 emails a month at 1,000 subscribers; Mailchimp sends are 10x contacts on Essentials and 12x on Standard; Kit and beehiiv do not limit sends.
- Use the free trials (MailerLite and Kit need no card) to send one real issue to yourself and a few colleagues before paying, and set a calendar reminder before any trial ends.
Newsletter brief you can paste into any AI writing tool (our suggested wording, not a test output)
Write this month's customer newsletter for my small bakery. Audience: about 1,000 local customers who signed up in the shop. Goal: get people to pre-order holiday cakes by December 15. Include: one short story from the kitchen (we are testing a new sourdough), the holiday menu with prices I give you below, opening hours over the holidays, and one clear button text. Tone: warm, plain English, no exclamation marks in the subject line. Give me 3 subject lines under 45 characters and a preview text under 90 characters. Do not invent prices, dates, discounts or customer quotes; if something is missing, write [ADD].
Hands-on log
- 2026-11-14 · Not tested
Not tested hands-on yet. MailerLite, Kit, beehiiv and Mailchimp all require creating an account before you can use their AI writing features or send a newsletter, so we did not run them. Facts on this page come from the official pricing pages (Kit's from an archived copy of its official page captured 2026-11-13, because kit.com blocked our fetch); yearly totals are our arithmetic from the published rates.
China-made vs Western: Focussend next to MailerLite, Kit, beehiiv and Mailchimp
Focussend is listed in our mainland China section. In mainland China, consumer newsletters mostly go out through WeChat Official Accounts, so email marketing there is used mainly by B2B companies sending permission-based campaigns. Focussend focuses on that, with AI built into its email editor; the Western tools above are self-serve newsletter platforms with public per-subscriber pricing.
| Need | Focussend | MailerLite / Kit / beehiiv / Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| AI writing | AI email writing with body text and images, AI polishing with 6 tones, AI subject lines, AI images | MailerLite AI writing assistant (Comfort+), beehiiv AI (Lite+), Mailchimp Intuit Assist (Standard+), Kit MCP to connect your own AI assistant (Creator+) |
| AI audiences | Describe the customers you want in plain words; AI turns it into segment rules | Manual segments and tags; Kit Pro adds subscriber engagement scoring |
| Free way to start | Free trial and demo | Free plans: Kit up to 10,000, beehiiv up to 2,500, MailerLite 250, Mailchimp 250 subscribers |
| Price | No public price list | Public per-subscriber pricing, e.g. MailerLite Comfort $17.10/month yearly at 1,000 |
| Best for | B2B companies in mainland China running permission-based email and lead nurturing | Small businesses and creators elsewhere sending newsletters and promotions |
FAQ
What is the cheapest email newsletter tool with AI writing for 1,000 subscribers?
MailerLite Comfort. At 1,000 subscribers it costs $17.10/month billed yearly ($205.20 a year) or $19 monthly, includes the AI writing assistant and allows 10,000 emails a month.
Which newsletter tool is free for 1,000 subscribers?
Kit Free covers up to 10,000 subscribers and beehiiv Free up to 2,500, both at $0 with unlimited sends or broadcasts. MailerLite Free and Mailchimp Free stop at 250 subscribers/contacts.
Does beehiiv's free plan include AI?
Not the in-editor writer: beehiiv AI starts on Lite ($49/month billed yearly or $59 monthly up to 1,000 subscribers). The Free plan does include an AI website builder and read-only beehiiv Agent and MCP access.
Which Mailchimp plan includes AI?
Intuit Assist, Mailchimp's generative AI feature, is included on Standard and Premium, not on Free or Essentials. Standard starts at $20/month for up to 500 contacts, with 50% off for the first 12 months.
Is there a sending limit at 1,000 subscribers?
On MailerLite Comfort, 10,000 emails a month at that size (Power is unlimited). Mailchimp allows 10x your contacts on Essentials and 12x on Standard. Kit and beehiiv do not limit email sends on any plan.
Is there a mainland China alternative?
Focussend (focussend.com) is a permission-based email marketing and automation platform with AI email writing, polishing, subject lines and images built into its editor. It has no public price list; a free trial and demo are offered. See our mainland China section.
Head-to-head comparisons
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