Email software for podcasters, chosen by list ownership and cost.

Kit fits the way independent hosts work. You can send a release-day broadcast, tag listeners by the episode or guest that brought them in, and segment them later for a season launch. The free plan includes unlimited email broadcasts, landing pages, forms and audience tagging for up to 10,000 subscribers, so most shows never need to pay until they need automation.

For podcasters, the step up that matters is Creator at $33 a month billed annually. It adds unlimited Visual Automations and email sequences, which means a three-email welcome series for new subscribers and a sequence that introduces a new season can run without manual sends. Creator also removes Kit branding and adds A/B testing for subject lines, which is useful when you are deciding how to phrase an episode title.

Paid supporter tiers are a practical use case. The free plan lists the ability to sell digital products and subscriptions, so a show with a small premium offer can start there. Pro, at $66 a month billed annually, adds deliverability reporting and a newsletter referral system for shows that grow through other newsletters.

Where it falls short: Kit is an audience tool, not a billing system. If a premium feed renews every month through a payment processor, Kit will not track failed payments or pause and resume memberships for you, and the automations depend on tags you set up yourself.

Price: a show can begin with Kit's free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers, then move to Creator at $33 a month billed annually for automations or Pro at $66 a month billed annually. See the Kit pricing page.

MailerLite suits a show that is still finding its audience and wants a clean editor for a weekly letter with show notes, links and a recording. The free plan allows up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, which covers a new show's first months.

When the list grows, the paid Comfort plan is $12 a month billed monthly or $10.80 a month billed annually, and it starts at the 500-subscriber tier. Its monthly email allowance is tied to the subscriber tier, so a show that sends more often than its list size suggests should check the allowance before choosing a plan. The Power plan at $25 a month lifts that limit to unlimited monthly emails.

Where it falls short: MailerLite is strongest on the send itself. Sponsor-facing reporting and automation depth are lighter than what a network-scale tool offers, so a show that starts selling sponsorships regularly may outgrow it.

Price: free up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails; Comfort from $12 a month billed monthly; Power from $25 a month. See the MailerLite pricing page.

Brevo's free plan holds up to 100,000 contacts and allows 300 email sends a day, which is useful for a show with a big archive but sends rarely. Its Starter plan at $9 a month starts at 5,000 emails a month with no daily sending limit, which suits a show that mails once or twice a week to a large list.

Brevo's Standard tier costs $18 a month from 5,000 monthly emails and brings automation, A/B testing and advanced reports together. A podcast can use those tools to compare subject lines for a season launch and prepare campaign results when a sponsor asks how an announcement performed.

Where it falls short: the daily cap on the free plan can delay a launch if a big list needs a send on the same day, so schedule launches across the day or move to Starter. Brevo's templates and reporting are functional rather than distinctive, so spend time on your own template early.

Price: free with a 300-a-day sending cap; Starter $9 a month from 5,000 emails a month; Standard $18 a month. Check the Brevo pricing page for the current bands.

Many hosts already know Mailchimp from a previous project, and that familiarity shortens the time to a first episode letter. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with a daily sending cap of 250.

Mailchimp's Standard entry tier is $20 a month at the 500-contact selection and allows up to 6,000 emails a month at that size. When a show's listener list reaches the 2,501 to 5,000 band, the listed starting price is $100 a month with up to 60,000 monthly emails, so model that next step before a promotion drives a signup spike.

Where it falls short: pricing grows with every band a show crosses. A show that adds listeners quickly should estimate the next band before its list reaches the limit, and compare the cost with a tool that prices differently.

Price: free up to 250 contacts; Standard from $20 a month at 500 contacts; higher bands on the Mailchimp pricing page.

ActiveCampaign is built for teams that run many campaigns, scoring and cross-channel journeys. A network that sells sponsorships across several shows can use its pipeline features to track deals, while the email side handles listener journeys for each show.

The starting price is $15 a month at 1,000 contacts, and the Plus plan at $49 a month and Pro plan at $79 a month add segmentation and landing pages. Above 1,000 contacts, the pricing page moves the price with the contact count, and a show that needs a quote at its size should use the pricing-on-request route.

Where it falls short: for one independent show, most of the feature set goes unused. The learning curve and the monthly cost are hard to justify unless you run several shows or hire a person to manage the pipeline.

Price: Starter from $15 a month at 1,000 contacts; Plus from $49 a month; Pro from $79 a month; a free trial is available. See the ActiveCampaign pricing page.

Moosend's Pro plan is contact-based. At 1,000 contacts it costs $16 a month billed monthly or $13 a month billed annually, and it rises to $48 a month monthly or $38 billed annually at 5,000 contacts. That makes it a reasonable choice for a lean show that wants real automation sequences, not only broadcasts.

Email-credit packs are available for larger sends, such as a 350,000-credit pack at $350 a month, so a show that mails a very large list rarely should check the pack that matches its volume.

Where it falls short: Moosend has no ongoing free plan, only a 30-day trial. Its sponsor and reporting features are less developed than Kit's, so shows that rely on sponsor proof should test the reports before they commit.

Price: Pro from $7 to $9 a month at 500 contacts depending on billing; higher contact counts as listed. See the Moosend pricing page.

GetResponse is the tool to consider when a show records live in front of an audience or sells seats for events. Its Creator plan at $69 a month, or $56.58 billed annually, lists webinars alongside a website builder and a course creator, so a show that runs paid live episodes can keep registration and follow-up emails in one place.

The Starter plan at $19 a month monthly ($15.58 billed annually) includes unlimited monthly sends and a welcome series. The Marketer plan at $59 a month adds advanced segmentation and abandoned-cart recovery, which matters for a show selling merch or tickets.

Where it falls short: webinar features sit on the higher tier, so a studio-only show with no live audience pays for capability it will not use. GetResponse has a free trial but no ongoing free plan.

Price: Starter from $19 a month monthly or $15.58 billed annually; Marketer from $59 a month; Creator from $69 a month. See the GetResponse pricing page.

Constant Contact works well for a show that announces tour dates, live events and special releases to a long list and needs little more than a clean send. The Lite plan at $12 a month, or $10.20 billed annually, includes email and social media tools with monthly sends up to 10 times your contact count.

The Standard plan at $35 a month, or $29.75 billed annually, adds automation, scheduling and A/B testing. A show that wants a welcome series for new listeners will need that tier.

Where it falls short: listener nurture is shallow compared with the tools above. There is no ongoing free plan, though the free trial needs no credit card.

Price: Lite from $12 a month monthly or $10.20 billed annually; Standard from $35 a month; Premium from $80 a month. See the Constant Contact pricing page.

Drip is built for ecommerce-style workflows. A show that sells merch drops, limited t-shirt runs or bundles can use its flows to send a sequence after each drop and a reminder before a sold-out item returns. Its plans price by the number of people on your list, and the Email plan includes up to 50 workflows at each tier.

Where it falls short: Drip is priced on people and sends, and it has no free plan, only a 14-day trial with no card needed. A show that only sends episode letters pays for store features it does not use.

Price: $39 a month for 1 to 2,500 people; $89 a month for 4,501 to 5,000 people; $154 a month for 9,001 to 10,000 people. See the Drip pricing page.