SendPulse Free Plan
SendPulse kept popping up in my research. 500 subscribers, 15,000 monthly emails, completely free. Plus — and this caught my attention — web push notifications, chatbots, even SMS capabilities.
Sounded too good to be true. Usually is.
But after months of actually using it, running campaigns, comparing it to other platforms? SendPulse surprised me. Their free plan actually delivers, though there are some catches worth knowing about upfront.
What is the SendPulse Pricing Plan?
Here’s where SendPulse gets interesting — and potentially confusing. They don’t just do email marketing. They’ve built this whole multi-channel platform where you pay separately for different pieces.
Email marketing has its own pricing. SMS has its own. Chatbots, web push notifications, transactional emails — all separate. It’s modular, which sounds great until you realize your “free” plan might not stay free for long.
The email part starts with 500 subscribers and 15,000 monthly emails at no cost. Paid plans begin at $8/month, which according to industry research, makes SendPulse about 53% cheaper than similar services. But that’s just email. Start adding SMS or advanced chatbots and costs climb quickly.
A Quick Overview of SendPulse and Its Features
Think of SendPulse as the Swiss Army knife of marketing platforms. Email, SMS, web push, chatbots for Instagram and WhatsApp, even a CRM system — all in one dashboard.
Their “Automation 360” connects everything. Customer buys something? Trigger an email, then a web push notification, maybe a chatbot follow-up on Facebook. All automated, all from one place.
Honestly, it’s ambitious. Maybe overly so. Sometimes I wonder if trying to do everything means not doing any one thing exceptionally well. But for small businesses juggling multiple tools and subscriptions, consolidating everything into SendPulse makes sense.
What Do You Get with the SendPulse Free Plan?
More than I expected. Way more.
500 subscribers, 15,000 monthly emails — that’s standard competitive territory. But then you get web push notifications forever, basic chatbots, transactional email service. Most platforms charge for this stuff separately.
The email builder works well. Over 130 templates, drag-and-drop editing, A/B testing, spam checking tools. Nothing revolutionary, but solid and functional.
Key Features of the Free Plan
Three main areas where SendPulse actually impressed me.
Email Marketing and Automation Tools
The drag-and-drop editor creates decent-looking emails without needing to touch code. Templates cover most industries and occasions — nothing groundbreaking, but they get the job done quickly.
Automation 360 handles basic sequences. Welcome emails when someone subscribes. Birthday messages. Simple drip campaigns. It’s not sophisticated compared to dedicated automation platforms, but it covers essential nurturing workflows.
A/B testing lets you experiment with subject lines and content. Combined with their spam checker, you can optimize campaigns before sending. That’s professional-grade functionality most “free” plans don’t include.
Multi-Channel Communication Features
This is where SendPulse differentiates itself. Web push notifications work across browsers and devices — completely free, no restrictions. That alone saves money compared to dedicated push notification services.
Basic chatbots handle Facebook Messenger interactions. Keyword recognition, automated responses, simple conversation flows. Advanced features need upgrades, but you can handle common customer questions automatically.
The SMTP service surprised me most. 12,000 transactional emails monthly for order confirmations, password resets, system notifications. Other platforms charge $20+ monthly for similar capabilities.
Analytics and Subscriber Management
Campaign analytics show the usual metrics — opens, clicks, unsubscribes, geographic data. Nothing fancy, but enough to understand what’s working and what isn’t.
Segmentation tools organize subscribers by behavior, demographics, preferences. You can create targeted campaigns using variables and tags. The interface feels clunky compared to specialized email platforms, but functionality is there.
List cleaning happens automatically. Invalid addresses get removed, spam traps detected, duplicates merged. Keeps your sender reputation healthy without manual work.
What’s Missing in the SendPulse Free Plan?
The limitations become obvious once you want to do anything sophisticated.
Restricted or Limited Features
Advanced automation is locked away. Complex behavioral triggers, multi-step customer journeys, conditional logic — all require paid plans. The free automation feels basic once you understand what’s possible.
Chatbots are severely limited. Facebook Messenger only, simple keyword responses. Instagram, WhatsApp, website chatbots, AI-powered conversations — all premium features.
SMS marketing doesn’t exist on the free plan. At all. Considering how important mobile messaging has become, that’s a significant gap for comprehensive marketing strategies.
Hidden Costs and Limitations
That modular pricing structure? It adds up fast. Need SMS? That’s extra. Want advanced chatbots? More money. The “free” platform becomes expensive as you add necessary features.
SendPulse branding appears everywhere. Emails, forms, notifications. Not necessarily deal-breaking for startups, but established businesses won’t want another company’s logo on their communications.
Customer support is limited. Basic assistance only, no phone support, slower response times. When campaigns break or deliverability issues arise, you’re mostly on your own.
Integration options are restricted too. Want to connect with advanced CRM systems or e-commerce platforms? Premium features. The free plan works fine as a standalone tool but struggles in complex tech stacks.
Who’s the SendPulse Free Plan Perfect For?
Small businesses testing multi-channel marketing without commitment. The generous limits give you real room to experiment with email campaigns, web push notifications, and basic automation.
Ecommerce startups benefit from the combination of promotional and transactional email capabilities. Product announcements, abandoned cart reminders (via web push), order confirmations — all covered without multiple subscriptions.
Content creators and bloggers can leverage the sending limits for newsletters and subscriber engagement. Web push notifications drive traffic back to websites between email campaigns.
International businesses appreciate the platform’s language support and global infrastructure. Spanish, Russian, French, Italian, plus others — useful for reaching diverse audiences.
But if you need sophisticated automation or plan to scale quickly, the limitations will frustrate you. SendPulse works best as a starting point, not necessarily a long-term solution.
How Does the SendPulse Free Plan Compare to Paid Plans?
The jump from free to Standard ($8/month) unlocks most automation restrictions and removes subscriber limits. That’s where SendPulse becomes genuinely useful for growing businesses.
Feature Comparison
Standard Plan makes automation actually useful. Behavioral triggers, conditional logic, multi-step sequences — the stuff that turns basic email campaigns into sophisticated customer journeys.
Pro and Enterprise plans mostly add volume capacity and premium support. Unless you’re managing large lists or need dedicated account management, Standard covers most businesses’ needs.
When It Makes Sense to Upgrade
Hitting subscriber limits forces the decision. 500 contacts disappear faster than expected once you start growing seriously.
But automation limitations probably trigger upgrades more often. The free plan’s basic sequences work for simple welcome emails and birthday messages. Want abandoned cart recovery? Product recommendation sequences? Customer win-back campaigns? You’re upgrading.
Multi-channel needs drive upgrades too. If your strategy involves SMS campaigns or advanced chatbots across multiple platforms, the modular pricing starts making sense despite higher costs.
Professional appearance matters for established businesses. SendPulse branding on customer communications can look unprofessional, especially for companies with strong brand guidelines.
Compare this to Sender’s approach — they give you 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 monthly emails, but focus purely on email marketing excellence. SendPulse offers fewer contacts but broader capabilities across multiple channels.
Bottom Line
The verdict? SendPulse’s free plan works well for testing multi-channel marketing ideas without upfront investment. Just know that if it works — if you start seeing results and want to scale — you’ll be paying for additional features soon enough.
The question isn’t whether you’ll upgrade. It’s whether the integrated approach justifies potentially higher long-term costs compared to specialized tools.
