Pay-as-you-go email marketing
4 of the 11 platforms we track sell email credits instead of a monthly plan, and 2 publish the price: Sender from $29 for 5,000 emails ($5.80 per 1,000) down to $1.70 per 1,000 in its 1,000,000-email pack and Moosend at $1.00 per 1,000 in packs from 350,000 emails ($350). Mailchimp and Brevo sell credits but list no price. Emailing 1,000 subscribers 4 times a year (4,000 emails) costs $29 in Sender credits, against $156 for a year of the cheapest plan, Moosend Pro.
4,000 emails a year: cheapest is Sender credits at $29.
Free at this size: Kit (up to 10,000 subscribers; no automations or sequences; Kit branding), beehiiv (up to 2,500 subscribers; no automations; beehiiv branding), Sender (up to 2,500 subscribers; 15,000 emails a month, Sender branding), Brevo (up to 100,000 subscribers; 300 emails a day, Brevo branding).
A year of sending: the cheapest set of each platform's credit packs that covers it, against 12 months of the cheapest paid plan that fits your list and the busiest month, at its yearly-billing price where it has one. Leftover credits aren't counted. Mailchimp and Brevo aren't in it: their credit prices aren't published.
Credits or a plan: which costs less?
Credits are priced per email, plans per subscriber, so credits win when you send rarely. At 1,000 subscribers credits cost less than a year of the cheapest plan up to 30 campaigns a year; at 10,000, up to 11.
| Subscribers | Sender credits, 4 a year | Moosend credits, 4 a year | Cheapest plan, a year | Credits cost less up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $29 | $350 | Moosend $84 Pro | 20 a year |
| 1,000 | $29 | $350 | Moosend $156 Pro | 30 a year |
| 2,500 | $57 | $350 | Brevo $270 Starter | 28 a year |
| 5,000 | $97 | $350 | Brevo $345 Starter | 22 a year |
| 10,000 | $167 | $350 | Brevo $345 Starter | 11 a year |
| 25,000 | $277 | $350 | Brevo $420.96 Starter | 20 a year |
| 50,000 | $547 | $350 | Brevo $605.04 Starter | 10 a year |
| 100,000 | $947 | $500 | Brevo $885 Starter | 8 a year |
Four campaigns a year to the whole list. The last column compares the cheaper of the credit options with the cheapest plan as campaigns a year go up, to 52.
Which platforms sell email credits?
| Platform | Credit prices | Credits expire |
|---|---|---|
| Sender | $5.80 to $1.70 per 1,000, from $29 | Not stated |
| Moosend | $1.00 per 1,000, from $350 | Never |
| Mailchimp | Not published | After 12 months |
| Brevo | Not published | Never |
No credits, only monthly or yearly plans: Kit, MailerLite, beehiiv, ActiveCampaign, AWeber, Klaviyo and Flodesk.
Sender credit packs
| Emails | Price | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | $29 | $5.80 |
| 10,000 | $57 | $5.70 |
| 20,000 | $97 | $4.85 |
| 50,000 | $167 | $3.34 |
| 100,000 | $277 | $2.77 |
| 250,000 | $547 | $2.19 |
| 500,000 | $947 | $1.89 |
| 1,000,000 | $1,697 | $1.70 |
Whether you send once a week or once in a while, our 'Pay as you go' plan gives you the freedom to purchase credits as needed—no recurring fees, just total flexibility.
Branding is removed once you move to one of our paid plans or switch to the credits system.
Included, by its page: Email templates, drag & drop editor, unlimited subscribers, no Sender logo, reporting & analytics, email automation; not SMS campaigns, advanced automation, advanced editor features, priority support or a dedicated IP.
Source: sender.net/pricing
Moosend credit packs
| Emails | Price | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 350,000 | $350 | $1.00 |
| 500,000 | $500 | $1.00 |
| 750,000 | $750 | $1.00 |
| 1,000,000 | $1,000 | $1.00 |
Yes, you can purchase email credits to send campaigns whenever you need. Each credit equals one email to a single recipient. To avoid interruptions, you’ll get a notification when you’ve used 80% of your credits. Note that the email credits you purchase for your Moosend account never expire, so you can use them at your own pace.
When your free trial ends, you can either upgrade to a subscription plan or purchase email credits.
Included, by its page: Unlimited subscribers, SMTP server, reporting & analytics, live chat/email support, marketing automation, subscription forms, landing pages (the list under the credit bundles).
Source: moosend.com/pricing
Mailchimp pay as you go: what do the credits cost?
Mailchimp doesn't publish them. Its help article lists credit packages but no prices: Pay As You Go credit blocks start 5000 credits. These credits cannot be used with any other Mailchimp pricing plan.
After the list it adds: You'll see the localized rates in the credit blocks.
The rates appear only inside your account's billing page. Credits expire after 12 months.
The Pay As You Go plan comes with the same set of features as the Essentials plan.
Mailchimp's monthly plans are on Mailchimp pricing, and its free plan sends up to 500 emails a month: see Mailchimp's free plan limits.
Source: mailchimp.com/help/about-the-pay-as-you-go-plan
Brevo pay as you go
Brevo's pricing page: A pay-as-you-go plan is ideal for businesses and organizations that don't send emails often, or that don’t have a large contact list. PAYG credits do not expire, so you can use them at your own pace. One email sent equals one credit deducted.
It lists no price for those credits, and neither does its public pricing data. Its monthly plans are priced by emails sent, which also suits occasional senders: see Brevo pricing and Brevo's free plan limits.
Source: brevo.com/pricing
Quick answers
Which email marketing platforms have pay as you go?
Of the 11 we track: Sender, Moosend, Mailchimp and Brevo. Sender and Moosend publish credit prices; Mailchimp and Brevo don't list theirs on their public pages. Kit, MailerLite, beehiiv, ActiveCampaign, AWeber, Klaviyo and Flodesk sell monthly or yearly plans only.
How much are Mailchimp's pay-as-you-go credits?
Mailchimp doesn't publish the price. Its help page says: “Pay As You Go credit blocks start 5000 credits. These credits cannot be used with any other Mailchimp pricing plan.” and “You'll see the localized rates in the credit blocks.” Credits expire after 12 months.
Does Brevo have a pay-as-you-go plan?
Yes, its pricing page says: “A pay-as-you-go plan is ideal for businesses and organizations that don't send emails often, or that don’t have a large contact list. PAYG credits do not expire, so you can use them at your own pace. One email sent equals one credit deducted.” It lists no price for the credits. Brevo's free plan sends up to 300 emails a day.
Do pay-as-you-go email credits expire?
Sender: not stated, Moosend: never, Mailchimp: after 12 months and Brevo: never.
Is pay as you go cheaper than a monthly plan?
For occasional sending, yes: at 1,000 subscribers credits cost less than a year of the cheapest plan up to 30 campaigns a year, and at 10,000 up to 11. Send more often and a plan costs less.
See the cost per email on every platform's monthly plans, the free plans, or price your list by month.
Credit packs and what each page says about credits read on 7 October 2026; plan prices on 5 October 2026.
Prices checked against each platform's own pricing page on .
Plan features checked against each platform's own pages on .