India SMB email marketing is not “pick the brand with the biggest logo.” Free tiers die at different contact cliffs, rupee prices on global ESPs are often promo pricing, and TRAI DLT is for commercial SMS — not email. This finder shortlists Brevo, Mailchimp, Zoho Campaigns, and MailerLite from your list size, send frequency, automation need, ecommerce flag, and lean vs growth budget — then explains deliverability basics and list-size pricing cliffs so you do not outgrow a free plan by accident.
Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission when you buy through some ScaleSaathi links — read the disclosure. This page uses official ESP pricing URLs only (no coupon codes and no affiliate links for these four brands). Always verify live checkout.
Your list & send profile
Answers stay in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Print tip: shortlist and comparison table below; sticky bar hidden.
Shortlist (top 2–3)
Scored for India SMB fit from your inputs — not a lab deliverability ranking. Verify official pricing before you pay.
Comparison: contacts, cliffs, India relevance
| ESP | Contacts / model | Pricing cliff (verify) | India relevance | Ecommerce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Volume + contact caps; Free stores up to 100k contacts | Free: 300 emails/day; Starter ~US$9 (5k emails); Standard ~US$18 — 23 Oct 2026 listed price | Strong free send path; SMS/WhatsApp add-ons ≠ email DLT | Deepens on Professional — verify connectors |
| Mailchimp | Contact tiers; Free ≤250 contacts / 500 sends/mo | Essentials ~INR 770/mo promo; Standard ~INR 1,150/mo promo — model year-two | INR promo prices common; Free cliff at 250 is early for India lists | Store sync + automations on paid — verify |
| Zoho Campaigns | Contact tiers; Free 2,000 contacts / 6,000 emails / 5 users | Paid from 500 contacts, unlimited emails; ~25% yearly — verify INR cart | Best India free-tier cliff + Zoho CRM/Books stack | Cart abandonment / purchase flows on Professional |
| MailerLite | Subscribers × sends; Free 250 / 2,500 emails/mo | Comfort ~US$12; Power ~US$25 — verify currency/tax | USD/EUR checkout + forex; simple Comfort path | Shopify/Woo triggers on paid — verify |
Listed prices dated 23 Oct 2026 (IST) from official pricing pages / help docs. Checkout can change without notice.
Deliverability basics (do these before scale)
- Authenticate the domain: SPF + DKIM + DMARC at your DNS host (ESP wizards walk you through records).
- Warm up: ramp volume on new domains/IPs; do not blast a cold list on day one.
- Consent & hygiene: confirmed opt-in where required; remove hard bounces; never buy lists.
- Separate streams: keep marketing vs transactional paths clear so one does not poison the other.
This page does not invent inbox-placement scores or claim lab-tested deliverability rankings.
India DLT / SMS rules
Commercial SMS in India generally requires sender / template registration on a TRAI-approved Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform. That is a telecom compliance track — not something your email ESP signup finishes for you. WhatsApp Business commercial messaging has its own rules. Email marketing still needs consent and domain authentication, but do not conflate email ESP choice with DLT. If you also run SMS or WhatsApp campaigns, budget time and cost for those channels separately.
List-size pricing cliff (read before you grow)
Most India SMB teams under-price the jump from free to paid. Mailchimp Free stops at 250 contacts. MailerLite Free stops at 250 subscribers. Zoho Campaigns forever-free goes to 2,000 contacts / 6,000 emails/month — the widest free cliff in this set. Brevo Free is generous on stored contacts but caps at 300 emails/day, so high-frequency senders hit a volume cliff instead of a contact cliff. Before you run ads into the list, model: (1) contacts in 6–12 months, (2) emails per month, (3) promo vs renewal INR/USD, (4) whether you need transactional email on the same vendor.
How to use this shortlist
- Set contacts, frequency, automation, ecommerce, and budget — the sticky bar and cards update in-browser.
- Open each shortlisted brand’s official pricing link and confirm India currency / GST / year-two price.
- Authenticate SPF/DKIM/DMARC on the domain you will send from (often your business email domain).
- If you also send SMS, start DLT registration on a TRAI-approved platform — separate workstream.
- Pair with Business Email Provider Finder, CRM Selector, SaaS Cost Calculator, and Social Media Scheduler Finder. More on Free tools.
Sources (official, dated 23 Oct 2026)
- Brevo pricing
- Mailchimp marketing pricing
- Zoho Campaigns pricing
- MailerLite pricing
- TRAI / DLT commercial SMS context: telecom DLT platforms (email ESP signup ≠ DLT registration)
FAQ
What is the difference between transactional and marketing email?
Marketing email is promotional or newsletter content you send to a consented list (campaigns, offers, digests). Transactional email is triggered by a user action — order receipt, password reset, shipping update. Many India SMBs need both, but they often sit on different products or plans (for example Brevo includes transactional on plans; Mailchimp marketing vs transactional paths differ; MailerLite points transactional to MailerSend). Do not blast marketing from a transactional stream without consent.
How do SPF, DKIM, and DMARC improve deliverability?
SPF authorises which servers may send for your domain. DKIM cryptographically signs messages so receivers can verify they were not altered. DMARC tells receivers what to do when SPF/DKIM fail and helps you monitor spoofing. Set these up at your DNS host before scaling sends; most ESP help centres have domain-authentication wizards. Warm up new domains gradually and keep list consent tight — authentication alone does not fix bought lists.
What is a list-size pricing cliff?
ESPs price by contacts (Mailchimp, Zoho Campaigns, MailerLite) or by email volume (Brevo). A cliff is the jump when you cross a free or tier boundary — for example Mailchimp Free ends at 250 contacts, Zoho forever-free ends at 2,000 contacts / 6,000 emails per month, MailerLite Free at 250 subscribers. Model the next paid tier and year-two renewal before you grow the list, not after.
Is TRAI DLT required for email marketing in India?
No. TRAI Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) registration applies to commercial SMS (and related telecom messaging) under Indian telecom rules — not to email marketing. WhatsApp Business commercial messaging has its own compliance path. Do not conflate email ESP signup with DLT. If you also send SMS/WhatsApp campaigns, handle DLT/WhatsApp compliance separately from this finder.
Brevo vs Mailchimp vs Zoho Campaigns vs MailerLite — which should India SMBs shortlist first?
Use the finder above with your contact band, send frequency, automation need, ecommerce flag, and lean vs growth budget. Typical patterns: lean under 2,000 contacts often surfaces Zoho Campaigns free or Brevo Free; growth ecommerce with deeper journeys often surfaces Mailchimp Standard or Brevo Standard/Professional; subscriber-simple Comfort/Power paths surface MailerLite. Always verify live official pricing.
Can I use a free ESP forever?
Free tiers are real but capped. Zoho Campaigns forever-free (2,000 contacts / 6,000 emails / 5 users) is the most generous India-relevant free cliff in this set. Brevo Free allows large contact storage with a 300 emails/day send cap. Mailchimp and MailerLite free caps sit at 250 contacts/subscribers. Growth past those caps means paid plans — plan the cliff before you buy ads.
Does this tool store my answers or email list?
No. Your shortlist inputs stay in the browser for this session. We do not upload your contact list. Official ESP links open on their sites. See ScaleSaathi privacy practices on the main site; this page is a decision aid, not an ESP account.
Should I pick an ESP only on price?
No. Price cliffs matter, but so do deliverability hygiene (SPF/DKIM/DMARC, warm-up, consent), whether you need transactional email, ecommerce triggers, and India billing/support. Pair this finder with your CRM and business-email choices. Cross-check /crm-selector/ and /business-email-provider-finder/.
Assumptions checked 23 Oct 2026 (IST). Listed prices are not invoices. ScaleSaathi Editorial.