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Existing free accounts moved to the new limits on July 1, 2026. If your list has grown past 250 contacts, sending stops until you upgrade or trim. Here is exactly what is changing and what to do about it.
by Alkan Balkaya · Last updated: 2026-06-16MailerLite cut its Free plan to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails per month, down from 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails, and capped free accounts at 3 automations, 3 forms, and 1 landing page. The change took effect June 16, 2026 for new signups and July 1 for existing free accounts. Mailsoftly’s free plan offers 500 contacts, real human support, and free hands-on migration.
MailerLite reduced its Free plan effective June 16, 2026, with existing free accounts moving to the new limits on July 1. The free tier drops to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails per month, down from 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails. It also caps free accounts at 3 active automations, 3 forms, 1 landing page, and 1 website. Existing free accounts transitioned automatically, and if your list is over 250 contacts, you cannot send campaigns until you upgrade or reduce your subscriber count.
If you build on a free plan, this is a real change worth a few minutes of attention. The good news: your data is not deleted, you have time to plan, and you have options. This guide breaks down exactly what is changing, how to tell if you are affected, and the three sensible paths forward, including the most generous free alternatives if you would rather not pay yet.
Already shopping around? See our full roundup of MailerLite alternatives for the complete side-by-side picture.
Quick context: Mailsoftly’s free plan gives you 500 contacts (double the new MailerLite limit), automation, segmentation, and real human support, with no credit card.
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Key Takeaways
On July 1, 2026, MailerLite’s Free plan moved to lower usage limits while unlocking a handful of features that used to be paid-only. The headline numbers are the subscriber cap and the monthly send limit, both of which drop sharply. Feature-use limits on automations, forms, and pages follow shortly after, with enforcement planned for August. Here is the before and after.
| Free plan limit | Before | Since July 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Active subscribers | 500 | 250 |
| Emails per month | 12,000 | 2,500 |
| User seats | 1 | 2 |
| Active automations | Included | 3 |
| Active forms | Included | 3 |
| Landing pages | 10 | 1 |
Source: the official MailerLite Free plan update. Newly introduced caps on automations, forms, and pages are planned for enforcement in August 2026. Campaigns themselves remain unlimited within the monthly send cap.
It is not all reductions. Free accounts gain a second user seat and pick up features that were previously locked to paid plans, including a custom HTML campaign editor, more campaign and landing page templates, blogs, and promotional pop-ups. So the change is best understood as a trade: richer tooling for a much smaller usage allowance. For a frame of reference on how MailerLite priced before this, our MailerLite pricing breakdown walks through the paid tiers.
You are affected if your MailerLite account is on the Free plan and exceeds any of the new limits. The most common trigger is the subscriber count: many free users sit between 250 and 500 contacts today, which was fine under the old cap but is over the new one. Run through this quick checklist now.
If you ticked any box, plan ahead so a launch or a scheduled send does not get blocked. If none apply, you are fine, and you actually gain a second seat and the new features. Not sure how much room you have? It helps to understand how providers count contacts and sends in the first place, which our primer on email marketing fundamentals covers alongside list hygiene and deliverability.
If you are over 250 subscribers, MailerLite pauses your ability to send campaigns, run automations, and manually add new subscribers until you either upgrade to a paid plan that fits your list or reduce your subscriber count below 250. If you stay within the subscriber cap but exceed the 2,500 monthly email limit, campaign and automation sends stop for the rest of that month. Importantly, your account and data are not deleted, so nothing is lost while you decide.
The 12,000 to 2,500 email cut is the one that surprises people. A 250-contact list emailed twice a week already uses about 2,000 sends a month, so even a small, engaged list can hit the ceiling fast. If sending pauses mid-month, your newsletter or automated welcome series simply stops going out until the next cycle or an upgrade.
Want headroom without paying yet? Mailsoftly’s free plan gives 500 contacts and keeps your automations on as you grow.Start free with Mailsoftly →
There is no single right answer; it depends on your list size, how often you send, and whether you are ready to pay. Broadly, you have three sensible paths.
Option two is genuinely reasonable if MailerLite already fits your workflow; the entry price is fair. But if the appeal was the free plan in the first place, it is worth knowing that other providers still offer materially more for free. Before deciding, it helps to weigh how each tool performs on support and deliverability, which independent review sites like the G2 email marketing category aggregate from verified users. If you want the full landscape across paid and free tools, our guide to the best email marketing services compares every major platform on price, support, and features.
If option three appeals, Mailsoftly is the closest like-for-like swap for growing teams that want simple sending without a subscriber cliff. The honest summary: Mailsoftly gives you double the contacts and keeps your automations and forms running as you grow, while MailerLite’s new free plan allows slightly more monthly emails. For most small lists, the contact headroom and the lack of asset throttling matter more.
| Free plan | MailerLite (current) | Mailsoftly |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | 250 | 500 |
| Emails per month | 2,500 | 2,000 |
| Automations | 3 active | Included |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Human support on free | Limited | Yes, all plans |
| Hands-on migration | Self-serve | Free, done for you |
| Credit card required | No | No |
Mailsoftly figures from our published pricing. MailerLite figures from its Free plan update. If you mostly send a regular newsletter to a list between 250 and 500 contacts, the contact cap is usually the deciding factor.
Where Mailsoftly pulls ahead is the experience around the free plan, not just the numbers. Human support is available on every plan, including free, so you are not stuck in a help-doc loop when a send misbehaves. Migration is hands-on rather than a CSV-and-hope exercise. And paid plans stay transparent as you scale, with Basic at $49 per month, or $39 per month annual, for 5,000 contacts and 40,000 emails. If you want the deeper feature-by-feature view, read our MailerLite vs Mailsoftly comparison.
Prefer to keep a free plan but with more room than MailerLite or Mailsoftly offer at the top end? Our roundup of the best free email marketing tools ranks the most generous free tiers, including Kit’s larger subscriber allowance for creators.
Outgrowing the new free limits? See why teams switch to Mailsoftly as a MailerLite alternative — free hands-on migration in 1-2 hours, no contracts, and real human support on every plan.
No. If you exceed the 250-subscriber limit, MailerLite pauses your ability to send campaigns, run automations, and manually add new contacts, but your account and data are not deleted. Nothing is lost while you decide whether to trim your list under 250, upgrade to a paid plan, or switch to a more generous free provider.
The new Free plan limits take effect on July 1, 2026 for accounts that were on the Free plan before June 16, 2026. New signups and downgrades from paid plans get the new limits immediately. The tighter feature-use limits on automations, forms, and pages are planned for enforcement starting in August 2026.
Since July 1, 2026, the MailerLite Free plan allows 250 active subscribers, 2,500 emails per month, 2 user seats, 3 active automations, 3 active forms, and 1 landing page and website. This is down from 500 subscribers and 12,000 monthly emails, though free accounts also gain features like a custom HTML editor and more templates.
If you exceed 250 subscribers, sending campaigns, running automations, and manually adding subscribers will stop working until you upgrade to a paid plan or reduce your list below 250. Exceeding 2,500 monthly emails pauses sending for the rest of that month. Your account and data are not deleted, so you can decide without losing anything.
Yes. Mailsoftly’s free plan offers 500 contacts, double the new MailerLite cap, with automation, segmentation, and human support on every plan and no credit card. Kit’s free plan allows a larger subscriber count for creators but limits automations and shows its branding. The best fit depends on whether you value contact headroom, support, or send volume most.
MailerLite’s paid plans start at $12 per month and raise the subscriber and sending limits. That is a fair entry price if the tool already fits your workflow. If the free plan was the main appeal, compare it against a more generous free alternative first, since you may not need to pay yet at your current list size.
Outgrowing MailerLite’s new free plan?Start free with Mailsoftly →
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