Email marketing
How to create a newsletter: free tools and what they cost as your list grows
How to create a newsletter for your business or association? How to start, what the free versions of 7 tools allow and what it costs at 500 to 5,000 contacts.
Creating a newsletter can be free while your list is small. We show how to get started, what consent you need, what the free versions of seven newsletter tools allow and what you pay at 500, 2,000 and 5,000 contacts.
How to create a newsletter: the short answer
Creating a newsletter can be free, as long as your list is small. On 24 October 2026 we went through the pricing and help pages of seven newsletter tools from our comparison. This article is written for businesses, associations and foundations in the Netherlands and Belgium that want to send a newsletter to their customers, members or donors. For web shops with e-mails about orders and abandoned carts there is a separate article.
The Dutch tool Laposta is free up to 2,000 contacts, with a Laposta credit under every e-mail. Brevo is free with 300 e-mails per day. Mailchimp's free plan goes up to 250 contacts and YMLP's up to 1,000. As your list grows, these packages cost roughly €20 to €70 per month for 5,000 contacts and two mailings a month. All amounts exclude VAT unless stated otherwise.
How to make your first newsletter
- Decide what about and how often: a newsletter that comes once a month and brings something useful every time works better than a weekly e-mail without substance. Choose two or three fixed sections in advance, such as news, a tip and upcoming events.
- Build your list with consent: put a sign-up form on your website and let people tick the box themselves. A pre-ticked box does not count as consent. How it works for existing customers and members is explained below.
- Choose a newsletter tool: compare the free versions and the price for the list you expect in a year. That is what the rest of this article is about.
- Set up your sender: send from an address on your own domain and follow the tool's steps to connect that domain (with the SPF, DKIM and DMARC settings). Without that step, your newsletter ends up in the spam folder more often.
- Make a template: every tool has an editor in which you drag blocks of text, images and buttons. Add your logo and brand colours and keep the layout simple, so the e-mail is also easy to read on a phone.
- Test and send: send a test e-mail to a few colleagues, check that the links work and that the unsubscribe link is at the bottom. After sending, you can see how many people open the e-mail and what they click on.
Consent: when are you allowed to send?
Two sets of rules apply to a newsletter. The GDPR (in Dutch the AVG) covers the processing of personal data, such as e-mail addresses. On top of that, every country has its own rules for advertising by e-mail. In the Netherlands these are in the Telecommunications Act (Telecommunicatiewet), supervised by the Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM); the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) supervises the GDPR.
- New subscribers: in the Netherlands, a commercial newsletter to private individuals needs their consent in advance. Keep a record of when and through which form someone signed up.
- Existing customers: in the Netherlands you may e-mail customers who bought something from you about similar products or services, if you gave them the chance to refuse at the time of purchase and every e-mail has an unsubscribe link.
- Unsubscribing: every newsletter must have a working unsubscribe link. The tools in this article add it themselves.
- Double confirmation (double opt-in): the new subscriber confirms the sign-up with a click in an e-mail. In the Netherlands this is not required, but it helps to show that someone signed up themselves. Practice can be stricter in other countries; in Germany, for example, double opt-in is standard.
If you have addresses without consent, for example from a trade fair, do not use them for your newsletter. An e-mail asking for consent also counts as unsolicited advertising. Instead, invite people through your website, a sign-up form at the trade fair itself or your social media.
What the free plans allow
We only list limits and prices that the supplier publishes itself. Note the difference between the number of contacts and the number of e-mails: two mailings a month to 500 contacts are 1,000 e-mails.
| Tool | Free plan | First paid plan | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laposta (Dutch) | Up to 2,000 contacts and 12,000 e-mails per month, at most three users, a Laposta credit under every e-mail; double opt-in only in the paid subscription | Subscription from €210 per year for up to 500 contacts, without the credit; the price depends only on the number of contacts | rates, subscription |
| Brevo | 300 e-mails per day and, according to Brevo's own price overview, up to 100,000 contacts, with the 'Sent with Brevo' credit under every e-mail; automations up to 2,000 contacts | Starter: €7 per month for 5,000 e-mails and 500 contacts, or €6.33 per month with annual billing; removing the Brevo credit costs €9 per month extra, or €8.10 with annual billing | pricing page, price overview |
| Mailchimp | Up to 250 contacts and 500 e-mails per month (at most 250 per day), one user, with the Mailchimp logo | Essentials: €11.68 per month for up to 500 contacts and 5,000 e-mails | pricing page, free plan |
| YMLP | Up to 1,000 contacts and 1,000 e-mails per month; contacts only come in through a sign-up form on your own website, and importing an existing list is not possible | Pro: €3.75 per month for 500 e-mails, with a minimum term of six months | free plan, pricing page |
| Enormail (Dutch) | No free version; 30-day free trial | Sumo: €15 per month up to 2,500 contacts, or €12.50 per month with annual billing, with unlimited mailings | pricing page |
| Flexmail (Belgian) | No free version; free trial available | Start: €17 per month for 1,000 contacts, or €15 per month with annual billing; sending without the Flexmail logo is only possible from Pro (€78 per month) | pricing page |
| MailCamp (Dutch) | No free version; 30-day free trial | Essential: €55 per month up to 5,000 e-mails, billed annually | rates |
Laposta, Enormail and Flexmail state their prices excluding VAT, as does Mailchimp in its help pages. Brevo, YMLP and MailCamp do not say on their pricing page whether the amounts include or exclude VAT. Laposta, Enormail and MailCamp are Dutch tools with a Dutch-language website and support; Flexmail is from Belgium. Mailchimp, Brevo and YMLP are international.
What it costs as your list grows
We calculate with two newsletters a month to 500, 2,000 and 5,000 contacts, so 1,000, 4,000 and 10,000 e-mails per month. For each tool we take the cheapest plan that fits, at the monthly-billing price, except where the supplier only bills annually.
| Tool and plan | 500 contacts | 2,000 contacts | 5,000 contacts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laposta (per year; per month in brackets) | free with credit, or €210 (€17.50) | free with credit, or €465 (€38.75) | €735 (€61.25) |
| Brevo Starter | €7 | €21 (up to 2,500 contacts) | €28 |
| Mailchimp Essentials | €11.68 | €40.42 (up to 2,500 contacts) | €67.37 |
| YMLP Pro (by e-mails per month) | €7.50 | €15 | €22.50 |
| Enormail Sumo | €15 | €15 | €20 |
| Flexmail Start | €17 (up to 1,000 contacts) | €38 (up to 2,500 contacts) | €66 |
| MailCamp Essential (billed annually) | €55 | €55 | €69 |
At 500 contacts it can also be free: at Laposta with a credit under every e-mail, at YMLP if you build your list through your own sign-up form, and at Brevo if you spread the sending over two days. At 2,000 contacts only Laposta is still free; with 300 e-mails per day, Brevo would need a week for one newsletter. At Brevo, €9 per month is added if you want to remove the Brevo credit under your e-mails. YMLP charges per e-mail rather than per contact: if you send more than twice a month, you pay more.
Where free stops
- Supplier credit: the free versions of Laposta, Brevo and Mailchimp put their name or logo under your e-mail. For an association that is often no problem; for a business that wants to look professional it is.
- Daily sending limit: Brevo and Mailchimp limit the number of e-mails per day in their free version. Then your newsletter does not go to everyone at once.
- Importing: in YMLP's free version you cannot load an existing list. If you already have a membership list, that option is out.
- Users: Mailchimp's free plan has one user, Laposta's free version three. If several people work on the newsletter, look at this number.
- Automation: a welcome e-mail for new subscribers or a series of e-mails after sign-up is not included in every free version. Laposta's free version allows up to 100 automations, Brevo up to 2,000 contacts. If you want to go further, also look at marketing automation software.
Which tool suits which organisation?
- Association or foundation with a small list: Laposta is free up to 2,000 contacts and in Dutch.
- Business that wants to start cheaply without a credit: Brevo Starter or YMLP Pro are the cheapest paid steps. At Brevo, add the €9 per month for removing the credit.
- Fixed price per contact, unlimited sending: Enormail and Flexmail charge by number of contacts and let you send without limit, within their fair-use rules.
- Well-known international tool with many integrations: Mailchimp. Mailchimp gives non-profit organisations a 15% discount. If you are looking for an alternative instead, see our page with alternatives to Mailchimp.
You can compare all tools in the email marketing software category.
Frequently asked questions about creating a newsletter
Can I create a newsletter for free?
Yes. On 24 October 2026, Laposta was free up to 2,000 contacts and 12,000 e-mails per month, Brevo free with 300 e-mails per day, YMLP up to 1,000 contacts and Mailchimp up to 250 contacts. The free versions usually put a supplier credit under your e-mail.
What does a newsletter tool cost for 5,000 contacts?
With two newsletters a month, the cheapest suitable plan at the seven tools in this article costs €20 to €69 per month, or €735 per year at Laposta. Enormail (€20), YMLP Pro (€22.50) and Brevo Starter (€28) are at the low end, Flexmail, Mailchimp and MailCamp at the high end.
Do I need consent to send a newsletter?
For a commercial newsletter to private individuals, yes; in the Netherlands in advance. You may e-mail existing customers about similar products, if you gave them the chance to refuse. Every newsletter must have an unsubscribe link. Rules differ per country.
What is the difference between a newsletter and marketing automation?
You send a newsletter yourself, at a moment you choose, to your whole list or part of it. With marketing automation, e-mails go to someone automatically after an action, such as a sign-up or a visit to your website. Most newsletter tools can do both in a simple form.
