Email Marketing for Growing Businesses
MailerLite is an affordable, user-friendly email marketing platform known for its generous free tier and clean interface. It offers email campaigns, automation, landing pages, and website building for small businesses and creators.
Patterns extracted from real user feedback — not raw reviews.
Users report being suspended without warning, sometimes less than a month into a paid plan. Reasons given are generic 'anti-spam policy violations' with no specific campaign or clause identified despite repeated requests. Paying customers lost access to €250+ annual plans.
MailerLite's onboarding and approval system is stricter than many competitors. 60% of reviews mentioning account approval were negative. Users who want to start immediately are frustrated by delays and rejections.
Design options aren't the most flexible. Missing brand-wide color settings frustrate users. Updates sometimes mess with existing workflows. Template customization feels constrained.
The platform can be glitchy, especially in the drag and drop email builder. Side menus disappear unexpectedly. Workarounds needed to add blocks. Crashes reported when inserting files or images.
While some find segmentation valuable, others report confusion between groups and segments. Delays in list updates cause issues. Organization system isn't intuitive for all users.
Users find the learning curve challenging, especially with advanced automations and initial account setup. Despite being user-friendly overall, complex features require time to master.
While MailerLite has automation, it relies on relatively linear workflows. Complex 'if/then' branching based on user behavior, lead scoring, or third-party data is restricted. Advanced marketers find it limiting.
Design and reporting features are described as 'fairly basic.' Advanced analytics and custom reporting options are limited. Data-driven marketers may need additional tools.
Several reviews mention delayed responses, especially on lower-tier plans. Some users report support never replied except for automated emails, claiming 'support doesn't exist.' No phone support available.
Some users report email issues including unexpected subscriber deletions. Data loss concerns for businesses depending on subscriber lists. Backup recommended.
Users report deliverability issues with emails landing in spam folders. Some report better deliverability than competitors, but inconsistent experiences suggest shared IP problems for some users.
The integrations list is smaller compared to bigger platforms like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign. Users needing specific third-party connections may need Zapier workarounds.
Helpful support when you reach them
When support responds, they're often praised as helpful and knowledgeable. Support staff mentioned by name in positive reviews. Problem resolution is effective when contact is made.
Good deliverability for many users
MailerLite invests in deliverability. Many users report good inbox placement. Strict approval process actually helps maintain sender reputation for compliant users.
Exceptionally easy to use - best for beginners
MailerLite received Best Email Marketing Tool For Ease of Use badge for 2023, 2024, and 2025. Interface is intuitive. Email builder is accessible. Great for users new to email marketing.
Generous free plan with real features
Free plan includes 500 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month, automations, landing pages, and website. One of the most generous free tiers in email marketing. Great for testing.
Affordable paid plans that scale well
Paid plans start at just $10/month. Pricing scales reasonably with list size. More affordable than Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and ActiveCampaign at similar subscriber counts.
Landing pages and website builder included
Landing pages included even on free plan. Website builder available. Create complete marketing funnels without additional tools. Good value for small businesses.
Users: 1 user
Storage: Not specified
Limitations: 500 subscribers, MailerLite branding, limited support, 1 user only
Users: 3 users
Storage: Not specified
Limitations: 3 users max, no custom HTML editor, basic automation
Users: Unlimited
Storage: Not specified
Limitations: Still no phone support. Some enterprise features require Enterprise plan.
Users: Unlimited
Storage: Not specified
Limitations: Only for 100K+ subscribers. Commitment expected.
Budget-conscious small businesses
One of the most affordable email platforms. Free plan is genuinely useful. Paid plans start at $10/month. Excellent value for businesses watching costs.
Beginners and first-time email marketers
Best-in-class ease of use. Intuitive interface. Clean email builder. Great for learning email marketing basics without overwhelming complexity.
Creators and bloggers
Landing pages and website builder included. Simple automation for welcome sequences. Affordable pricing fits creator budgets. Good alternative to ConvertKit.
Businesses needing immediate start
Approval process can delay getting started by days. If you need to send immediately, other platforms offer faster onboarding. However, approval often completes within 24-48 hours.
Marketing teams
Good for small teams on budget. Growing Business plan allows 3 users. However, advanced teams may find automation and reporting limiting.
Businesses with compliance-sensitive lists
Strict approval process and account suspensions without warning are serious risks. If your business depends on email, MailerLite's policies may disrupt operations unexpectedly.
Advanced marketers needing complex automation
Automation is limited to linear workflows. Complex if/then branching, lead scoring, and behavior-based triggers are restricted. Choose ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo instead.
Sales teams
MailerLite is email marketing, not CRM. No sales pipeline features. Teams needing CRM should look at HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, or dedicated CRM tools.
Common buyer's remorse scenarios reported by users.
Paid €250 for annual plan. Less than a month later, account suspended for 'anti-spam policy violation.' No specific campaign or clause identified despite requests. Lost money and access.
Spent time setting up campaigns and importing contacts. Application rejected with vague reasons. Had to start over on different platform. Wasted setup time and delayed marketing.
Started on MailerLite attracted by pricing. Business grew and needed complex automation. Realized linear workflows were too limiting. Had to migrate to ActiveCampaign mid-growth.
Had issue with subscriber list. Contacted support but only received automated response. Issue never resolved. Felt like 'support doesn't exist.' Switched to platform with better support.
Tried to finish urgent campaign but email builder kept glitching. Side menus disappeared. Had to use workarounds to add blocks. What should have taken minutes took hours.
Discovered subscribers were deleted unexpectedly. No clear reason or warning. Had to re-import and lost engagement data. Trust in platform reliability shaken.
Scenarios where this product tends to fail users.
Suspensions happen without prior warning or specific explanation. Even paying annual customers report sudden termination. No opportunity to correct issues before suspension.
Approval process takes 24-48 hours minimum, sometimes longer. Rejection possible with vague reasons. Competitors offer faster onboarding. Time-sensitive launches may be delayed.
Automation limited to linear sequences. Complex if/then branching, lead scoring, and behavior triggers not supported. Must switch to ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo for advanced needs.
No phone support available. Email support can be slow, especially on lower plans. Some users report never receiving responses. Critical issues may go unresolved.
Drag-and-drop builder can glitch. Menus disappear, crashes when inserting images. Workarounds needed. Campaign creation takes longer than expected.
Integration list smaller than major platforms. Specific tools may not have native integration. Zapier workarounds add complexity and cost.
ActiveCampaign
Users needing advanced automation switch. Gain: powerful automation, CRM included. Trade-off: significantly more expensive, steeper learning curve.
Klaviyo
E-commerce businesses switch for better store integration. Gain: deep Shopify integration, purchase triggers. Trade-off: much more expensive, e-commerce focused only.
Sender
Budget users switch for even more generous free tier. Gain: 2,500 free subscribers, good automation. Trade-off: smaller brand, fewer integrations.
Brevo
Users switch for pay-per-email pricing and multi-channel. Gain: SMS + chat included, pay per email not contacts. Trade-off: deliverability concerns, less polished interface.
ConvertKit
Creators switch for creator-specific features. Gain: visual automation, subscriber tagging, creator focus. Trade-off: more expensive, recent price hikes.
Mailchimp
Businesses switch for brand recognition and templates. Gain: huge template library, more integrations. Trade-off: much more expensive, gutted free plan.
