How much does Campaign Monitor cost?
The real price of the email marketing tool, plan by plan, contact tiers included.
Short answer: Campaign Monitor starts at $13/mo on the Lite plan, for 500 contacts and a capped send volume. But pricing is tied to your list size, and it climbs fast: at 10,000 contacts, the Essentials plan (unlimited sends) runs closer to ~$182/mo. There's no permanent free plan. We walk through every plan, every tier, and what you actually pay for your profile.
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Campaign Monitor, the key numbers
What each Campaign Monitor plan costs
Here are the three consumer plans, plus Enterprise. The listed price is for 500 contacts; it rises by tier as your list grows. The Lite plan caps your sends (about 5x your contact count); Essentials and Premier move to unlimited sends. Billed monthly, with 10% off when you pay yearly.
Prices in USD for 500 contacts, monthly. Checked June 2026.
Lite
To get started simply
capped sends (~2,500/mo)
- 500 contacts included
- Capped sends (~5x contacts)
- Drag-and-drop builder, AI Writer
- Automated and transactional emails
- Basic reporting
Essentials
Best value for most
unlimited sends
- Unlimited sends
- All core features
- Unlimited AI access
- Unlimited automations
- Priority support
Premier
Advanced segments and deliverability
unlimited sends
- Everything in Essentials, plus:
- Advanced segments
- Send-time optimization
- Website builder included
- Premier support
Enterprise
Multi-brand and managed deliverability
- Dedicated account manager
- Multi-brand support
- Proactive deliverability monitoring
- Quarterly reviews
Prices checked June 2026 on campaignmonitor.com/pricing for 500 contacts. The rate rises by contact tier (see real cost below). Lite caps sends; Essentials and Premier are unlimited. Yearly: 10% off. Nonprofits: 15%.
Campaign Monitor is billed by contact volume
The headline price only covers 500 contacts. As soon as your list grows, you move tiers and the bill follows. Here are the levers that really matter.
Your list size
This is factor number one. On Essentials, 500 contacts cost $31/mo, but ~$74 at 2,500, ~$182 at 10,000 and ~$429/mo at 25,000. Inactive, unsubscribed and bounced contacts aren't billed, which helps.
The Lite send cap
Lite limits your sends to about 5x your contact count (roughly 2,500 emails/mo at 500 contacts). If you send often, you're quickly pushed toward Essentials and its unlimited sends, pricier from the start.
The website builder
The website builder is a $10/mo add-on on Lite and Essentials. It's only included from Premier up. Budget for it if you need it.
No refunds
Campaign Monitor doesn't refund unused or partially used plans. Size your tier carefully and prefer monthly billing until your volume is stable.
- List under 500 contacts and rare sends? Lite is enough.
- Send often? Go straight to Essentials (unlimited).
- Growing list? Simulate your contact tier before signing.
- Need a website? Add $10/mo, or take Premier.
- Pay yearly for 10% off once your volume is stable.
How we estimate the real cost
Campaign Monitor's headline price tells you nothing about your real bill, because everything hinges on list size. To estimate the real cost, we use the Essentials plan (unlimited sends, the most chosen) and read the rate at the most common contact tiers. Here's the detail.
- Essentials, 500 contactsUnlimited-sends entry point$31
- Essentials, 2,500 contactsSmall active list~$74
- Essentials, 10,000 contactsGrowing list~$182
- Essentials, 25,000 contactsLarge base, ~14x the entry~$429
Estimate on the Essentials plan. Adjust for your plan, list and add-ons. Prices above 500 contacts to confirm on the official page.
What you actually pay per month
The price depends on your list and plan. Four typical profiles on Essentials (unlimited sends), monthly price, tiers shown.
Estimates in USD, monthly, Essentials plan. Add-ons not included.
Beginner
Small list
- 500 contacts, Essentials
- Unlimited sends
- All core features
Active list
Ramping up
- 2,500 contacts, Essentials
- Unlimited sends, AI included
- The most frequent tier
Growing SMB
Scaling list
- 10,000 contacts, Essentials
- Unlimited sends
- Automations at volume
Large base
High volume
- 25,000 contacts, Essentials
- About 14x the entry price
- Premier rises to ~$547/mo
Monthly estimates (June 2026) on the Essentials plan, based on contact tiers. Official source plus third-party cross-check (sendx.io); confirm your exact tier on the official page. Yearly billing removes 10%.
Campaign Monitor's price versus the alternatives
Campaign Monitor's entry plan compared with other email marketing platforms. Brevo bills by email volume (unlimited contacts), the others by contact count. Sort by price or score.
| Best for | Model | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brevo | By email volume | Unlimited contacts | 4.4/5 | $9/mo | ✓ | Solo to SMB | Visit → |
| 2 | Mailchimp | Best known | Per contact | 4.0/5 | $14/mo | ✓ | Solo and ecommerce | Visit → |
| 3 | Campaign Monitor | Polished design | Per contact | 3.6/5 | $13/mo | — | Design-led SMBs | Visit → |
Entry prices checked June 2026 (500 contacts, except Brevo by email volume). Campaign Monitor starts low but climbs fast by contact tier; Brevo stays at unlimited contacts. ActiveCampaign starts at $19/mo for 1,000 contacts.
So, is Campaign Monitor expensive?
Our take: the entry price is fair, but the real cost depends on your list, and it ramps fast at scale. Here's when it's worth it, and when it stings.
Good value if…
You have a small list and you care about email design. At $13/mo (Lite) or $31/mo (Essentials, unlimited), Campaign Monitor offers polished templates and real simplicity without blowing the budget.
Too expensive if…
Your list goes past 10,000 contacts. At that point, ~$182/mo (Essentials) or ~$300 (Premier) get steep next to Brevo, which stays at unlimited contacts. The Marigold rebrand also pushed rates up.
The verdict
Campaign Monitor is a solid tool for teams that value design and keep a tight list. Take Essentials for unlimited sends, simulate your contact tier before signing, and switch to yearly once your volume stabilizes.
- Pay yearly: 10% off once your volume is stable.
- Aim for Essentials, not Lite, once you send often.
- Clean your list: inactive contacts aren't billed.
- Nonprofits: ask for the 15% discount.
- Compare your 10,000+ contact tier with Brevo before committing.
Frequently asked questions about Campaign Monitor pricing
How much does Campaign Monitor cost per month?
Campaign Monitor starts at $13/mo on the Lite plan for 500 contacts, with a capped send volume. The Essentials plan, with unlimited sends, costs $31/mo for 500 contacts, and Premier is $171/mo. But these rates only apply to 500 contacts: the price rises by tier as your list grows. On Essentials, expect around $74/mo at 2,500 contacts and around $182/mo at 10,000. There's no permanent free plan, only a limited test sandbox.How much does Campaign Monitor cost per year?
Annual billing saves about 10% versus monthly. On the Essentials plan at 500 contacts ($31/mo), expect around $335/year. At 2,500 contacts, yearly runs about $800/year, and at 10,000 contacts about $1,965/year. The Lite plan at $13/mo lands around $140/year. Always check the exact price for your contact tier on the official page before paying, since rates can change.Does Campaign Monitor have a free plan?
No, Campaign Monitor has no permanent free plan. It only offers a limited test environment that lets you send to about 5 test subscribers while you explore the interface. To send real campaigns, you have to move to a paid plan, starting at $13/mo on Lite. That's a notable difference from Brevo or Mailchimp, which both offer a real free plan with daily or monthly send limits.What is the price difference between Lite, Essentials and Premier?
For 500 contacts, Lite is $13/mo, Essentials is $31/mo and Premier is $171/mo. Lite caps your sends at about 5x your contact count, while Essentials and Premier offer unlimited sends. Premier adds advanced segments, send-time optimization and the website builder included. For most users, Essentials is the best value: unlimited sends and all core features without the Premier surcharge.Does Campaign Monitor's price rise with my list?
Yes, and it's the main factor. Campaign Monitor bills by contact count, in tiers. On Essentials, you move from about $31/mo at 500 contacts to about $74 at 2,500, about $182 at 10,000 and about $429/mo at 25,000. Good news: unsubscribed, unconfirmed and bounced contacts aren't billed. Simulate your real tier before signing, because the price climbs sharply at scale, faster than some competitors that bill by email volume.Are there hidden costs with Campaign Monitor?
The main line to watch is the website builder, billed at $10/mo as an add-on on Lite and Essentials, and only included from Premier up. The Lite send cap can also force a move to the pricier Essentials. Finally, Campaign Monitor doesn't refund unused or partially used plans, so it's best to size your tier carefully and stay on monthly billing until your volume is stable.Is Campaign Monitor more expensive than Mailchimp or Brevo?
It depends on your list. At entry, Campaign Monitor ($13) is close to Mailchimp (around $14) and slightly above Brevo ($9). But Brevo bills by email volume with unlimited contacts, so it gets much cheaper as your list grows. At 10,000 contacts, Campaign Monitor Essentials runs about $182/mo, where Brevo stays on send-volume tiers. If you target a large base, Brevo or Mailchimp are often more economical.Is there a discount for paying yearly?
Yes. Annual billing saves about 10% versus monthly on every plan. That's the main official lever to pay Campaign Monitor less. Verified nonprofits and charities also get a 15% discount on top. There's no reliable recurring promo code: be wary of third-party coupon pages. The best move is to size your contact tier well and clean your list regularly.How much does Campaign Monitor cost for a large list?
For a large base, the price climbs fast. On Essentials, expect around $182/mo at 10,000 contacts and around $429/mo at 25,000 contacts. The Premier plan rises to about $300 and $547/mo respectively at those tiers. Beyond that, the Enterprise tier is custom-quoted, with a dedicated account manager and multi-brand support. At that list size, seriously compare with Brevo, which bills by email volume and keeps contacts unlimited.Can you cancel Campaign Monitor easily?
Yes, the subscription cancels from your account, with no long commitment on monthly plans. The thing to watch is the lack of refunds: Campaign Monitor doesn't refund an unused or partially used plan, including after switching to yearly. So it's best to stay on monthly until your volume is stable, export your contacts and reports before closing the account, and only switch to yearly once you're sure you'll keep the tool.
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