Benchmark Email
Free planA drag-and-drop email builder, sign-up forms and contact lists for small businesses sending regular campaigns.
Best for small businesses that send a newsletter or promotion to a few thousand people and want human support on every plan
Facts checked November 4, 2026 · First written by Mutuo Mbilla
The short answer
Benchmark Email suits a small business that writes its own campaigns and wants a tidy builder, pop-up forms and a support team it can reach 24/7 by chat or email, even on the free plan. Pro starts at $12 a month for 500 contacts and every feature is on every plan, so you only pay for room. Automation is the weak spot. Benchmark's own comparison with Mailchimp says the new platform has none yet, so welcome series and abandoned cart emails need another tool. It also connects to other apps only through Zapier, Playable Video and its API.
Choose it if
- You send one-off campaigns and newsletters and don't need automated sequences
- You want to chat with a person at any hour, including on the free plan
- Your list is under 500 contacts and you send fewer than 1,000 emails a month, which the free plan covers
- You want your list checked for typos, dead inboxes and spam traps before you send, which Pro includes once
- You want your data hosted in the United States or Japan
Skip it if
- You need welcome series, abandoned cart emails or other automated sequences, which the new platform doesn't offer yet
- You want built-in connections to Shopify, WooCommerce or a CRM without going through Zapier
- You want to A/B test subject lines: the current feature list doesn't include it
- You have a team of five on a tight budget, since each extra user costs $15 a month
- You need landing pages beyond a hosted sign-up form page
Main features
Drag-and-drop email builder
Build emails from content blocks, blank layouts or ready-made templates, then save your own blocks to reuse. There is also an HTML editor where you paste your code and check a live preview.
AI Assistant
Writes copy and creates images inside the email and form builders, and its Smart Text tool fixes spelling, grammar, tone and length. Free accounts get 150 credits a month and Pro gets 1,000.
Email audit checklist
Before you send, Benchmark flags missing links, missing image alt text and broken image addresses. You can also preview on desktop and mobile and send tests to colleagues.
Sign-up forms and pop-ups
Build embedded forms, pop-ups that show on page load or after a delay, and hosted form pages you can share as a link. New sign-ups can join a list and get tagged automatically, and Google reCAPTCHA runs on every form.
Brand kit
Save your logo, colors and fonts once and use them in every email and form.
Lists, tags and segments
Organize contacts with lists, tags and custom fields, then filter them into lists that update as contacts change. Merge fields put names and other details into subject lines and emails.
List verification
Pro includes one verification of a list up to your plan size. You send the list name to support, and the team flags typos, dead inboxes, spam traps, duplicates and risky addresses.
Deliverability help
Benchmark sends through Amazon SES and walks you through authenticating your domain with records matched to your DNS provider. You can send marketing email from a subdomain to protect your main domain.
Reports and activity feed
See opens and clicks as they happen, compare campaigns over time, check which links get clicked and find the times your contacts engage most.
Zapier, API and Playable Video
Zapier connects Benchmark to more than 8,000 apps, and the API links your CRM or store. Playable adds instant-play video to emails but needs its own Playable plan.
Pricing
Prices checked November 4, 2026, in US dollars, from the price table Benchmark's pricing page loads. Pro rises with your contact count. Billed monthly, it costs $19 at 1,000 contacts, $33 at 2,500, $49 at 5,000, $69 at 8,000, $89 at 10,000, $119 at 15,000, $139 at 20,000, $169 at 25,000, $209 at 30,000, $259 at 40,000, $279 at 50,000, $329 at 60,000, $389 at 75,000 and $499 at 100,000. Billed yearly, the same tiers cost $16, $28, $42, $59, $76, $101, $118, $144, $179, $219, $237, $279, $329 and $425 a month. If you go over your contact limit, Benchmark tells you and offers an upgrade instead of moving you up on its own.
Free
$0
500 contacts, 1,000 emails a month, 1 user, 1 domain, 2 API keys, 150 AI credits a month, every feature, Benchmark branding
Pro
$12 / month
500 contacts and 5,000 emails a month (sends are 10 times your contact tier), 1 user, 10 domains, 10 API keys, 1,000 AI credits, one list verification, removable branding
Pro, yearly
$10 / month, billed yearly
Same as Pro for 500 contacts
Extra user
$15 / month
Each user after the first on a paid plan
Enterprise
Custom / month
More than 100,000 contacts, premium support, phone support, dedicated account management
Reviews
Write a reviewNo reviews yet. If you use Benchmark Email, yours would be the first.
Alternatives to Benchmark Email
| Product | Choose it instead if | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | You want automations on every plan, including the free one, at a similar $12 starting price for 500 subscribers | Free |
| GetResponse | You want unlimited sends, automation workflows and landing pages, starting at $19 a month for 1,000 contacts | Free |
| Kit | You are a creator with up to 10,000 subscribers and want a free plan that holds your whole list | Free |
| Brevo | You have a large list you email a few times a month and would rather pay for emails sent than for contacts | Free |
| Platformly | You want the welcome series and other automated flows Benchmark lacks, with sales from Stripe, Shopify or WooCommerce tracked back to the email that brought them in |
Questions people ask
Is Benchmark Email free?
Yes. The free plan covers up to 500 contacts and 1,000 emails a month for one user, with every feature, including 150 AI credits a month. Benchmark branding shows on your emails and forms until you pay, and you need a paid plan to invite teammates.
How much does Benchmark Email cost?
As of November 4, 2026, Pro costs $12 a month for 500 contacts, or $10 a month billed yearly. At 1,000 contacts it's $19 a month, at 5,000 it's $49 and at 10,000 it's $89, billed monthly. Each extra user adds $15 a month, and lists over 100,000 contacts need an Enterprise quote.
Does Benchmark Email have automation?
Not on the new platform. Benchmark's own Benchmark vs. Mailchimp page lists automation as "Not in MVP (roadmap planned)". Older accounts on Benchmark Classic had automations, but new sign-ups start on the new platform, so plan on another tool if you need welcome series or abandoned cart emails.
What is Benchmark Classic?
Classic is the older version of Benchmark that existing customers can still sign in to, with its own help center and support. New accounts go to the new platform. Benchmark doesn't publish a date for retiring Classic.
How many emails can I send on Benchmark Email?
The free plan sends up to 1,000 emails a month. Paid plans send up to 10 times their contact tier each month, so a 5,000-contact plan can send 50,000 emails.
What support does Benchmark Email offer?
Benchmark's homepage says live chat and email support run 24/7 on every plan, including Free. Enterprise adds phone support and premium support, and a deliverability team offers one-on-one help with getting into inboxes.
Does Benchmark Email work with Shopify or WordPress?
You can paste Benchmark's form embed code into WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace or any site that accepts HTML. For syncing customers or orders, you'd connect through Zapier or build on the API, since Benchmark's integrations page lists only Zapier and Playable Video.
Sources we checked 16
- benchmarkemail.com/pricing for plans, Free and Pro limits, extra user price, send limits, AI credits, list verification, branding, Enterprise, billing, contact limit policy, full feature list checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com/wp-content/themes/bb-theme-child/html/pricing/assets/page-code-eda9225859ee.js for monthly and yearly US dollar prices for every Pro contact tier (the price table the pricing page loads) checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com for 24/7 live chat and email on every plan, phone on Enterprise, free plan with no end date, Polaris Software trademark notice checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com/benchmark-email-vs-mailchimp for automation listed as not in the new platform yet, email marketing only, no CRM checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com/features for email builder, Smart Text, AI Assistant, contact lists, brand kit, reports checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com/integrations for Zapier and Playable Video as the only listed integrations, API checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com/features/list-verification for how list verification works and its one-list limit checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com/features/email-deliverability-help for Amazon SES sending, domain authentication, sending subdomain, deliverability team checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com/data-regions for data hosting in the United States and Japan checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com/about-us for founded in 2004 by Curt and Denise Keller, 100,000+ marketers, teams in 15 regions checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com/contact for Polaris Software, LLC address in St. Louis, Missouri; Benchmark Classic support link checked November 4, 2026
- benchmarkemail.com/product-updates for Classic-era automation and landing page updates; no retirement date for Classic checked November 4, 2026
- mailerlite.com/pricing for MailerLite alternative: $12 for 500 subscribers, automations on every plan checked November 4, 2026
- kit.com/pricing for Kit alternative: free plan up to 10,000 subscribers checked November 4, 2026
- brevo.com/pricing for Brevo alternative: plans priced by monthly email volume checked November 4, 2026
- getresponse.com/features for GetResponse alternative: $19 a month for 1,000 contacts in the US price data checked November 4, 2026