- Premium features included
- No hidden costs or usage limits
- Scale from startup to enterprise
Plot twist: Moosend killed their free plan. Gone. What you get now is 30 days of their full platform, then you’re either paying $9/month or you’re packing up and leaving.
Remember when Moosend had that generous free-forever plan? Yeah, they axed it. The move didn’t exactly win them popularity points with users who’d built their entire email strategy around never paying for the thing.
Now it’s trial-only territory. You get a month to play with everything — unlimited emails, full automation suite, AI features, the works. No credit card upfront, which is nice. But when day 31 rolls around, you’re looking at $9/month for 500 contacts or you’re finding a new home for your email list.
The pricing scales pretty reasonably after that: $24/month for 2,000 contacts, $64/month for 10,000. They position themselves as the budget-friendly alternative to Mailchimp, and honestly, feature-for-feature, they kind of are. You get sophisticated automation tools and AI-powered recommendations that would cost significantly more elsewhere.
What makes their approach interesting is the unlimited email thing. Once you’re paying, send as many campaigns as you want. No monthly limits, no overage charges. For businesses that email frequently, that’s actually a pretty sweet deal.
Moosend started as this scrappy Greek startup and somehow evolved into a legitimate Mailchimp competitor. The interface is clean and modern — none of that cluttered, overwhelming dashboard nonsense you get with some platforms.
Their automation builder is where they really flex. Visual workflows with behavioral triggers, conditional logic, AI optimization. The system learns from your subscribers and automatically adjusts send times, content recommendations, even factors in local weather for relevant campaigns. It’s the kind of smart automation that used to require enterprise-level tools.
Ecommerce integration runs deep. Product recommendations, abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase sequences — all of it connects seamlessly with Shopify, WooCommerce, and the usual suspects. The revenue tracking actually works, showing you which emails drove real sales instead of just vanity metrics like open rates.
Template library is solid, analytics don’t overwhelm you with useless data, and A/B testing goes beyond subject lines to include entire email designs and send time optimization. It’s a grown-up platform that doesn’t treat you like a beginner, but also doesn’t require a computer science degree to figure out.
Since there’s no actual free plan anymore, let’s talk about what 30 days gets you. Spoiler: it’s not some stripped-down demo.
You get the full Pro experience. Every automation tool, unlimited email sends, landing pages, integrations, AI features — everything. It’s like they’re saying “here’s what we can do, decide if it’s worth paying for.” Bold strategy, considering most companies give you the bare minimum and hope you upgrade for the good stuff.
During your trial month, you can build complex automation workflows, test their AI product recommendations, create landing pages, import unlimited contacts (though realistically, test with around 1,000 for meaningful results). You also get chat and email support, which is refreshing since many platforms lock support behind paywalls.
The trial expires cleanly after 30 days. No sneaky auto-billing, no “forgot to cancel” charges. You manually choose to upgrade or walk away. In a world full of subscription traps, that actually builds trust.
But here’s the thing — 30 days isn’t tons of time to fully evaluate an email platform if you’re running a real business. You’re essentially speed-dating a tool that should be a long-term relationship.
The automation builder during your trial is legitimately impressive. You can create sophisticated customer journeys that respond to website behavior, purchase history, email engagement, even external data like weather patterns.
Pre-built templates cover the essentials — welcome series, win-back campaigns, abandoned cart recovery. But the visual workflow designer lets you build custom sequences without getting lost in technical details. Smart triggers respond to subscriber actions in real-time, and the AI optimization automatically tests different approaches to find what works best.
Goal-based automation is clever — you tell the system you want more sales or better engagement, and it optimizes workflows to achieve those outcomes. The machine learning gets smarter over time, learning from your subscriber behavior patterns to improve results.
This is where Moosend shows off its AI chops. The platform automatically identifies patterns in subscriber behavior to create targeted audience groups without you manually setting rules. It analyzes engagement history, purchase data, website activity, demographics — all of it.
Dynamic content goes way beyond “Hi [FirstName].” Product recommendations based on browsing history, location-specific offers, behavior-triggered messaging. The weather targeting is particularly cool — imagine promoting umbrellas to subscribers getting rained on or beach gear to people experiencing heat waves.
Predictive analytics identify which subscribers are most likely to convert, churn, or engage with specific content types. Real-time segmentation updates as behavior changes, so your targeting stays fresh without constant manual intervention.
Native ecommerce features connect directly with major platforms to pull product data, purchase history, and customer behavior into your campaigns. The AI product recommendation engine suggests relevant items based on browsing patterns and similar customer behavior.
Revenue attribution actually works — you can see which emails drove real sales and calculate ROI for each campaign. Abandoned cart recovery automatically triggers personalized follow-ups with product images, pricing, and strategic incentives.
Post-purchase automation creates lifecycle campaigns including order confirmations, shipping updates, review requests, cross-sell opportunities. Customer lifetime value tracking helps identify your most valuable subscribers so you can treat them accordingly.
Obviously, permanence. But even compared to competitors’ permanent free plans, there are some gaps worth noting.
SMS marketing isn’t included anywhere without paying extra. Advanced team collaboration features like user roles and approval workflows need higher-tier plans. White-label options aren’t available on basic plans, so your emails will have Moosend branding.
Dedicated IP addresses require enterprise pricing conversations. Advanced compliance features like GDPR automation and audit trails need custom plans. API access is more limited than developer-focused platforms.
And honestly? The 30-day evaluation period feels rushed. Most businesses need more time to properly test automation workflows with real subscriber data, especially if they’re migrating from another platform.
Landing page customization is functional but limited compared to dedicated builders like Unbounce. Form builder capabilities are basic. Integration quality varies — they connect with 100+ tools, but not all connections are as robust as you’d get with platforms that specialize in integrations.
Customer support response times can be slow during peak periods, and there’s no phone support on standard plans. Training resources are adequate but not as comprehensive as platforms that prioritize user education.
Advanced analytics like cohort analysis and customer journey mapping require enterprise features. Multi-brand management is limited compared to agency-focused platforms.
Pricing escalates quickly with list growth. That $9/month sounds reasonable until you hit 10,000 contacts and you’re suddenly paying $64/month. Volume discounts aren’t as generous as some competitors offer.
Add-on costs accumulate: SMS marketing, advanced integrations, dedicated IPs, premium support all cost extra. Annual payment gets you better pricing but means committing to longer terms.
Migration from other platforms can get complex, especially for sophisticated automation workflows. Platform lock-in becomes stronger as you build advanced automations that would be difficult to recreate elsewhere.
Since there’s no permanent free plan, the 30-day trial works best for businesses with actual decision-making authority and budget allocated for email marketing tools.
Ecommerce businesses considering a switch from basic platforms will find the trial perfect for testing product recommendations, abandoned cart sequences, and revenue tracking with real customer data. Growing agencies can evaluate automation capabilities for client campaigns and assess whether the pricing structure works for their business model.
Established businesses outgrowing simpler tools like Kit or MailerLite can test advanced segmentation, behavioral automation, and AI features to determine if the sophistication upgrade justifies the cost.
But if you’re hunting for permanent free solutions, look elsewhere. Sender offers 2,500 contacts permanently free with automation features. MailerLite provides 500 contacts free with 12,000 monthly emails. Both give you ongoing access without trial time limits.
Budget-conscious startups will find better long-term value with competitors offering generous permanent free tiers that don’t force immediate commitment after short evaluation periods.
Without a permanent free plan, you’re comparing trial experience to subscription reality. The trial gives you full Pro access, so there’s no feature shock when you upgrade — you know exactly what you’re getting.
Pro pricing starts at $9/month for 500 contacts with unlimited sends, scaling to $64/month for 10,000 contacts and $315/month for 50,000. Moosend+ offers custom pricing with enterprise features. Enterprise includes priority support, dedicated IPs, custom reporting, SSO, and SLA guarantees.
Pricing scales with contact count rather than feature restrictions, so you get the same automation and AI capabilities regardless of list size. The value proposition depends heavily on your sending frequency and automation needs.
Feature
30-Day Trial
Pro ($9/mo)
Moosend+ (Custom)
Contacts
Unlimited
500+
Custom
Monthly Emails
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Users
1
1
Multiple
Email Templates
✅ All
✅ All
✅ All
Automation
✅ Advanced
✅ Advanced
✅ Advanced
AI Features
✅
✅
✅
Landing Pages
✅
✅
✅
Ecommerce Integration
✅
✅
✅
A/B Testing
✅
✅
✅
Custom Reporting
❌
❌
✅
Dedicated IP
❌
❌
✅
Priority Support
❌
❌
✅
SMS Marketing
Add-on
Add-on
Included
Account Manager
❌
❌
❌
Upgrade becomes mandatory after 30 days if you want to keep using Moosend — there’s no long-term free alternative. Pro subscriptions make sense for businesses planning frequent campaigns with sophisticated automation needs.
For basic email marketing, Sender’s permanent free plan with 2,500 contacts or MailerLite’s free tier offer better long-term value for simple campaigns. Moosend+ custom plans become attractive for agencies or larger businesses needing multiple users and advanced integrations.
ROI calculation should weigh the value of unlimited sends, advanced automation, and AI features against monthly subscription costs. Annual payment provides savings but requires longer commitment.
Use the 30-day trial to thoroughly evaluate whether Moosend’s automation capabilities and unlimited sending model justify ongoing subscription costs compared to permanent free alternatives. Migration timing should account for setup complexity and learning curve during the trial period.
The decision point is clear: sophisticated automation and AI features come at a price. If you need those capabilities, Moosend delivers solid value. If you’re just sending basic newsletters, permanent free alternatives make more sense.
Looking for permanent free alternatives? Try Sender’s generous free plan with 2,500 contacts and advanced automation, without trial time limits.
Look, the 30-day trial is fine. But if you’re not ready to commit that fast, Sender’s forever-free plan might make more sense.
Sender gives you 2,500 contacts and 15,000 emails per month. Forever. No trial countdown. That’s more than double what Moosend lets you test with, and you never lose access. Unlimited automation workflows. Unlimited landing pages. Unlimited forms. All on the free plan.
The catch? Sender puts their branding on your emails and forms. Plus you don’t get SMS, transactional emails, or animated countdown timers on the free tier.
But if you need time to build your list without pressure, or you want to test multiple workflows right away, Sender just… makes sense. It’s also about 75% cheaper than Mailchimp once you start paying.
When Sender’s the move: You’re bootstrapping. You need extended testing time. You want multiple automations from day one without worrying about a clock running out.
When Moosend’s trial works: You’re migrating from another platform and know you’ll commit within 30 days. You need zero branding from the start. You want to test every Pro feature before spending money.
Honestly? For most people just starting out, Sender’s permanent free plan feels less stressful. No countdown. No locked account if you’re not ready. Just more breathing room to figure out what you actually need.