What email marketing software costs in 2026: price benchmarks across 14 providers
List prices for 14 platforms at 1,000, 10,000 and 50,000 contacts, with the feature set that becomes standard at each price step.
The data
Fourteen platforms publish a price for a 10,000 contact list. The median is $144 a month on annual billing. The cheapest plan that carries the full automation builder is $74, the most expensive is $410, and nothing in between explains the gap on features alone.
| Provider↕ | Entry plan↕ | 10,000 contacts▲ | 50,000 contacts↕ | Meters sends↕ | SSO↕ | Support↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corvus Mail | $19 | $74 | $285 | Yes | No | |
| Sendwell | $25 | $89 | $320 | Yes | No | |
| Quillbox | $15 | $99 | $349 | No | No | Chat |
| Birchmail | $29 | $105 | $362 | Yes | No | Chat |
| Loopline | $32 | $115 | $395 | Yes | Add-on | Chat |
| Hearthsend | $24 | $124 | $410 | No | No | Chat |
| Tidewell | $39 | $139 | $455 | Yes | Add-on | Phone |
| Orcasend | $35 | $148 | $470 | Yes | Yes | Phone |
| Glasswing | $45 | $162 | $520 | Yes | Yes | Phone |
| Pennant | $49 | $179 | $560 | No | Yes | Phone |
| Marchetti | $60 | $210 | $640 | Yes | Yes | Phone |
| Vellum Reach | $79 | $236 | $720 | Yes | Yes | Manager |
| Arclight CX | $99 | $289 | $845 | No | Yes | Manager |
| Northgate | $149 | $410 | $1,150 | Yes | Yes | Manager |
List prices on annual billing, read 6 to 17 October 2026. Vendor names are placeholders in this sample dataset.
What is standard at each price tier
Grouping the fourteen providers by their 10,000 contact price gives three bands: under $100, $100 to $199, and $200 and above. The automation builder is table stakes everywhere. Governance features are what the top band sells.
| Feature↕ | Under $100↕ | $100 to $199↕ | $200 and above↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual automation builder | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Subject line A/B testing | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Full content A/B testing | 1 of 3 | 5 of 7 | 4 of 4 |
| SSO and SAML | None | 2 of 7, paid add-on | Standard |
| Deliverability dashboard | None | 4 of 7 | Standard |
| Dedicated sending IP | Not offered | Add-on, $80 to $150 | 2 of 4 included |
| Phone or managed support | None | 4 of 7 | Standard |
| Uptime SLA in contract | None | 1 of 7 | Standard |
| Billing term | Monthly | Monthly | Annual minimum |
Where the money goes
Above $150 a month you are mostly buying governance and support: SSO, an uptime SLA, deliverability reporting and a named contact. Send capacity and the editor barely move.
How to use this
- Price your real list size, not the plan name. Three providers change tier between 10,000 and 12,000 contacts.
- Ask whether sends are metered on top of the contact price. Ten of fourteen meter them, usually at 10 to 12 sends per contact per month.
- If you need SSO, budget $150 a month or more, or expect an add-on fee.
- Read the renewal clause. The median annual discount is 17%, and it is the first thing to disappear at renewal.
Related research
- VoIP per-seat pricing across 12 providers, the same tier-gating pattern in telephony.
- What to ask before buying accounting software, the checklist for seat-priced software.
- Methodology, including how plans are normalized before comparison.