Brevo Free Plan: Features, Limits, and Is It Worth It?

Let’s be real. Most “free” software comes with strings attached. Hidden limits. Surprise paywalls. Features that barely work unless you upgrade. So when someone asks if the Brevo free plan is actually worth using, I get the skepticism.

But here’s the thing. Brevo’s free tier is genuinely useful. You can send 300 emails per day, store unlimited contacts, and access real features without entering a credit card. For small businesses, bloggers, and startups, that’s a pretty solid deal.

In this guide, I’ll break down exactly what you get with the Brevo free plan. The good stuff. The limitations. And whether it makes sense for your situation. Let’s get into it.

What Is the Brevo Free Plan?

The Brevo free plan is a forever-free tier of Brevo’s email marketing platform. You don’t pay anything. Ever. There’s no credit card required to sign up. No trial period that expires after 14 days. You just create an account and start using it.

So what do you actually get for zero dollars?

The biggest thing is email sending. You can send up to 300 emails per day on the free plan. That limit resets every night at midnight. It doesn’t roll over, so if you only send 100 emails today, you don’t get 500 tomorrow. But 300 per day adds up to roughly 9,000 emails per month. For many small operations, that’s plenty.

Contacts are another win. Brevo lets you store unlimited contacts on the free plan. Well, technically there’s a 100,000 contact storage cap. But let’s be honest — if you have 100,000 contacts, you’re probably not on the free plan anyway. For practical purposes, contact storage isn’t a limitation.

The free plan also includes core email marketing features. You get a drag-and-drop email editor, pre-built templates, basic segmentation, and signup forms. There’s even basic automation for things like welcome emails. And you can send transactional emails through Brevo’s SMTP relay.

Now, there are limits. Your emails will show Brevo branding at the bottom. You’re limited to a single user account. And advanced features like A/B testing aren’t included. We’ll cover all the limitations in detail later.

But as a starting point? The Brevo free plan gives you real tools to build and email your list. That’s more than most free tiers offer.

Brevo Free Plan Features: What You Actually Get

A lot of free plans give you a stripped-down version that’s barely functional. Brevo takes a different approach. The free tier includes features that actually help you run email marketing campaigns.

Let me walk you through what’s included. I’ll break this into two parts: your regular email campaigns and CRM stuff, then transactional emails and SMTP access. Both are available on the free plan, which is honestly surprising.

The core idea is this. Brevo wants you to start with their free plan, see results, and eventually upgrade as you grow. So they give you enough tools to succeed early on. That’s a smart model because it means the free plan isn’t crippled on purpose.

You can create professional-looking emails, manage your contacts properly, and even automate basic sequences. For a blogger sending weekly newsletters or a small shop confirming orders, the free plan covers the essentials.

Let’s look at the specifics.

Email Campaigns, Templates, and CRM

Creating emails on Brevo’s free plan feels the same as on paid plans. You get the full drag-and-drop email editor. No watered-down version. You can add text blocks, images, buttons, and layouts exactly how you want them.

There are over 50 pre-built email templates included. These cover common use cases like newsletters, promotions, announcements, and welcome messages. Pick one, customize it with your branding, and you’re ready to send. You don’t need design skills.

Brevo also added an AI content generator to the free plan in 2025. It helps you write subject lines and email body text. If you ever stare at a blank screen wondering what to say, this feature saves time. It’s not perfect, but it gives you a solid starting point.

For personalization, you can use merge tags like {{FIRSTNAME}} to address subscribers by name. Small touch, but it makes emails feel more personal. Open rates tend to improve when people see their own name in the message.

Contact management is surprisingly robust on the free tier. You can import contacts from CSV files, sync them from other tools, and organize them using tags and custom fields. Basic segmentation lets you group contacts by behavior or attributes. So you’re not blasting everyone with the same message.

The CRM features are basic but functional. You get a dashboard showing your contacts, their activity, and engagement metrics. Real-time reporting shows opens, clicks, and bounces. There are even limited heatmaps so you can see where people click inside your emails.

One thing worth noting. Automation on the free plan is limited. You can set up simple workflows like welcome email sequences or inactivity triggers. But you’re capped at 2,000 automation contacts. And the more advanced multi-step automations require a paid plan.

Still, for managing a small list and sending regular campaigns, the free plan’s email and CRM features do the job.

Transactional Emails and SMTP Access

Here’s something that sets Brevo apart from other free email tools. You get transactional email access on the free plan. Most competitors lock this behind a paywall.

What are transactional emails? These are the automated messages triggered by user actions. Order confirmations. Password reset links. Shipping notifications. Account verification emails. Stuff that needs to arrive immediately and reliably.

Brevo gives you SMTP relay access for free. The server address is smtp-relay.brevo.com. You can connect it to WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, or any platform that supports SMTP. Once connected, your transactional emails route through Brevo’s infrastructure instead of your web host.

Why does this matter? Deliverability. Brevo reports 99% inbox delivery rates for emails sent through their SMTP. Compare that to the 20-30% you might get from cheap shared hosting. Your password resets actually arrive. Your order confirmations land in inboxes, not spam folders.

The emails send fast too. Brevo’s transactional emails typically deliver in under 20 seconds. That’s important for time-sensitive messages like verification codes or purchase receipts.

Setting this up is straightforward. You generate SMTP credentials in your Brevo dashboard, then enter them in your WordPress SMTP plugin or ecommerce platform settings. The whole process takes maybe 10 minutes.

There’s also API access if you prefer that route. Brevo’s API lets you trigger transactional emails programmatically. Developers use this for custom applications or tighter integrations.

For WordPress users specifically, Brevo has an official plugin with over 1 million installs. It handles SMTP configuration automatically and syncs your contacts to Brevo’s CRM.

The transactional email feature alone makes the Brevo free plan worth considering. Getting reliable SMTP access at no cost is rare. Most services charge for this.

Brevo Free Plan Limits You Should Know

Okay, let’s talk about what you don’t get. The Brevo free plan is generous, but it has real limitations. Understanding these upfront helps you decide if free is enough or if you’ll need to upgrade eventually.

The 300 emails per day cap

This is the biggest constraint. You can only send 300 emails in a 24-hour period. The counter resets at midnight. If you try to send more, the extra emails queue until the next day. For a list under 300 subscribers, this works fine. But if you have 1,000 contacts and want to email everyone at once, you’ll need multiple days to get through them. Or you’ll need to upgrade.

Brevo branding on your emails

Every email you send includes a small Brevo logo at the bottom. You can’t remove it on the free plan. For personal projects or early-stage businesses, this probably doesn’t matter. But if you want a fully branded experience, you’ll need to move to a paid plan. Removing the logo costs $10 per month as an add-on, or it’s included in higher tiers.

No A/B testing

Want to test two subject lines and see which one gets more opens? That’s not available on free. A/B testing requires the Starter plan or above. For beginners, this might not matter much. But as you grow, testing becomes important for improving results.

Basic automation only

You can set up simple automated workflows on the free plan. Welcome emails, basic triggers, that kind of thing. But you’re limited to 2,000 contacts in automation workflows. And the advanced automation builder with complex branching and multi-channel sequences isn’t available. If automation is central to your strategy, you’ll hit this wall quickly.

Single user access

Only one person can use the account. There’s no way to add team members on the free plan. If you’re a solo operator, no problem. If you have a team, you’ll need to upgrade.

Email support only

Need help? You can email Brevo’s support team. But there’s no live chat or phone support on the free tier. Response times are reasonable, but you won’t get instant answers.

Limited landing pages

You get one basic landing page. That’s it. For running multiple campaigns with dedicated landing pages, you’ll need more.

These limits are real. But for many users — especially those just starting out — they’re acceptable trade-offs for a completely free tool.

Brevo Free Plan vs Starter and Business Plans

At some point, you might outgrow the free plan. When that happens, Brevo offers two main upgrades: Starter and Business. Let’s compare them so you know what you’re getting into.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

When Starter makes sense

If you’re sending more than 300 emails per day but don’t need advanced automation, Starter works well. Starting at $9 per month for 5,000 emails, it’s affordable. You get A/B testing, better reporting, and no daily sending cap. The limit becomes monthly instead.

When Business makes sense

If automation is important to your marketing, Business is the move. Starting at $65 per month for 20,000 emails, you get the full visual automation builder. That means complex workflows, behavioral triggers, and customer journey sequences. You also get multiple user seats, landing pages, and AI-powered features like send-time optimization.

The bottom line

The free plan works great for small lists and simple needs. Once you’re regularly hitting the 300/day limit or need automation beyond welcome emails, upgrading saves headaches. The good news is your contacts, templates, and data transfer seamlessly. You don’t lose anything when you upgrade.

Most users stay on free for a while. Brevo reports that about 80% of users remain on the free tier. But those who upgrade typically see better results because they can send more and automate smarter.

Who Should Use the Brevo Free Plan?

The Brevo free plan isn’t for everyone. But for certain users, it’s exactly the right fit. Let me break down who benefits most from this tier.

Startups and New Businesses

If you’re just launching, cash flow matters. Spending money on email marketing software before you have revenue feels risky. The Brevo free plan lets you start building your list and sending emails without any upfront cost. You can validate your business idea, collect leads, and communicate with early customers. Once money starts coming in, upgrading is easy.

Bloggers and Content Creators

Running a blog or newsletter? The free plan handles this beautifully. With 300 emails per day, you can easily send weekly newsletters to a few thousand subscribers. The drag-and-drop editor makes creating content simple. And the templates save time when you’re focused on writing, not designing emails. RSS-to-email is included too, so you can automatically notify subscribers about new posts.

Freelancers and Solopreneurs

When you’re a one-person operation, every tool needs to earn its place. The Brevo free plan gives you email marketing and basic CRM in one platform. You can manage client contacts, send project updates, and stay in touch with leads. The single-user limit doesn’t matter because it’s just you anyway.

Small Lists Under 9,000 Contacts

Here’s a practical threshold. If you email your entire list once per month and have fewer than 9,000 subscribers, the free plan mathematically works. At 300 emails per day, you can reach everyone within the month. Once your list grows beyond that, or you want to email more frequently, the daily cap becomes a problem.

Testing Before Committing

Maybe you’re evaluating email platforms. The Brevo free plan works great for testing. You can import contacts, build campaigns, try the automation features, and see if you like the interface. No risk. If it doesn’t fit, you haven’t spent anything.

WordPress and Ecommerce Testing

Setting up a new WordPress site or WooCommerce store? Use the free plan to handle transactional emails during development and early launch. Order confirmations, password resets, and contact form notifications all work. Once your store scales, you can upgrade.

The common thread? The Brevo free plan suits people who are starting small, testing ideas, or operating on tight budgets. It’s a real tool, not a demo.

When Should You Upgrade from Brevo Free?

The free plan works until it doesn’t. Here are the signs that it’s time to move to a paid tier.

You’re Hitting the 300 Email Daily Limit

This is the clearest signal. If you regularly max out your daily sending quota, you’re leaving emails unsent. Maybe you have a growing list. Maybe you want to send more than once a week. Either way, the cap is holding you back. The Starter plan removes the daily limit and gives you a monthly quota instead.

You Need A/B Testing

Guessing which subject line works better isn’t a strategy. A/B testing lets you send two versions to a small portion of your list, see which performs better, then send the winner to everyone else. It’s a basic optimization tool that improves open rates over time. If you’re serious about results, you need this. And it’s not on the free plan.

Your Automation Needs Are Growing

Welcome emails are great. But what about abandoned cart sequences? Lead nurturing workflows? Re-engagement campaigns? The free plan caps automation at 2,000 contacts and only allows simple workflows. Once you want multi-step sequences with branching logic, you need the Business plan.

You Want to Remove Brevo Branding

That little Brevo logo at the bottom of your emails might not bother you. But if you’re building a professional brand, you probably want clean emails with only your branding. Removing the logo requires a paid plan or a $10/month add-on.

You Have a Team

Hiring a virtual assistant to manage emails? Bringing on a marketing person? The free plan only allows one user. Adding team members requires upgrading.

You’re Sending High-Volume Transactional Emails

The 300/day limit applies to all emails, including transactional ones. If your WooCommerce store sends 500 order confirmations a day, you’ll hit the wall fast.

Recommended Upgrade Path

For most users, the jump looks like this:

• Starter at $9/month: You need more emails but not advanced automation. Good for growing lists and regular campaigns.
• Business at $65/month: You need full automation, landing pages, and team access. Good for serious marketers and scaling businesses.

Don’t upgrade just because you can. Upgrade when the limits actually block your goals. The free plan works surprisingly long for many users. About 80% of Brevo users stay on free. But when you’re ready, the transition is smooth.

FAQs About Brevo Free Plan