AWeber has been around since 1998 — a lifetime in the email marketing world. We tested the free plan, automation builder, deliverability, and how it compares to newer tools like Brevo and Mailerlite for content creators building their first list.
AWeber is one of the original email marketing platforms, founded in 1998 by Tom Kulzer. It was among the first to commercialise autoresponder sequences — the “follow-up email” system that is now standard in every email platform. Despite its age, AWeber has kept pace with modern requirements: a drag-and-drop email builder, marketing automation, landing page creator, and a free plan that is genuinely competitive.
The platform serves over 100,000 businesses and creators. Its reputation is built on two things: reliability and deliverability. AWeber’s deliverability rates consistently rank among the top three in independent tests — important for creators whose revenue depends on subscribers actually opening their emails.
For affiliate marketers, AWeber is interesting both as a tool to use and as a product to promote. The 30% recurring commission means a single referral at the $19.99/month plan earns $6 per month indefinitely. Promote it to an audience of new creators and a handful of conversions builds meaningful passive income.
Up to 500 subscribers with unlimited email sends per month. No credit card required. Includes automation, landing pages, and sign-up forms. The unlimited sends is a meaningful advantage over Mailchimp’s 500-send monthly cap on its free plan.
Drag-and-drop builder with 600+ templates. AI writing assistant generates email copy from a prompt. The templates look dated but function well. We built a 5-email welcome sequence in under 30 minutes from scratch.
Visual automation builder with triggers including subscribe, tag applied, link clicked, and email opened. Simple enough for a beginner welcome sequence, but lacks the conditional branching depth of ActiveCampaign. Sufficient for 95% of creator use cases.
AWeber consistently ranks in the top tier for deliverability in independent tests. We ran a 1,000-subscriber broadcast and achieved a 92.4% deliverability rate with a 38% open rate on a cold-ish list. Strong numbers — deliverability is where AWeber still leads most competitors.
Drag-and-drop landing page builder with templates for opt-in pages, lead magnets, and thank-you pages. Hosted on AWeber’s domain by default or maps to your custom domain. Adequate for a simple lead magnet delivery page.
AWeber’s Smart Designer generates branded email templates from your website URL. The AI writing assistant drafts email copy and subject lines. Both are useful time-savers, though the quality is comparable to other tools’ AI writers rather than a standout feature.
These three are the most-compared free email platforms for creators under 1,000 subscribers:
AWeber: unlimited sends on free plan, strong deliverability, 30% recurring affiliate commission. Interface feels older than competitors. Best for creators who prioritise deliverability and affiliate income.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): 300 emails/day free (9,000/month), more modern UI, better automation on paid plans. Charges by email volume rather than subscriber count — better for large lists with infrequent sends.
>Mailerlite<: 1,000 subscribers free, 12,000 emails/month, cleanest interface of the three. Best for creators who prioritise design and simplicity. Automation is excellent for a free plan.
Our verdict: for a new creator building their first list, AWeber and Mailerlite are the two strongest free options. Mailerlite wins on UI; AWeber wins on deliverability and affiliate commission.
| Plan | Price | Subscribers |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | Up to 500 |
| Lite | $12.50/mo | 500 |
| Plus | $20/mo | 500 (scales with list) |
| Unlimited | $899/mo | Unlimited |
AWeber is not the most exciting email platform in 2026 but it is one of the most reliable. For a creator just starting their list, the free plan’s unlimited sends beats Mailchimp’s restrictive cap. For affiliate marketers, the 30% recurring commission is the real reason to use AWeber — recommend it to a beginner audience and earn passive monthly income from every referral who stays. If your content covers email marketing, starting a list, or affiliate tools, AWeber should be in your stack as a promoted product.
500 subscribers. Unlimited email sends. Automation, landing pages, and sign-up forms included.
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