2026 update of an article originally written in 2015. Free newsletter plans have changed significantly since this article was first published.
The best newsletter tool depends mainly on three things: the number of subscribers, how often you send, and how closely the tool needs to integrate with your website. For nonprofits, it is also important to consider data protection, unsubscribe management, statistics and long-term costs.
Newsletter or e-bulletin: an email sent to a subscriber list to share news, campaigns, events or calls to action.
Mailing list: a list of people subscribed to your communications.
Free plan limits have changed
The old “2,000 subscribers or fewer” rule no longer applies. In 2026, the free limits for several popular services are much lower.
- Mailchimp: the free plan includes up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month. It is useful for testing the tool, but the limit is reached quickly for an active organization.
- MailPoet: the free plan allows up to 500 subscribers when using MailPoet’s sending service. Its main advantage remains its WordPress integration.
- The Newsletter Plugin: this WordPress plugin lists unlimited subscribers and newsletters on the plugin side. You still need a reliable sending setup, such as SMTP or a transactional email service, to protect deliverability.
- Zeffy: an interesting option for nonprofits that want to connect newsletters with donors, forms, events, memberships and fundraising campaigns. Zeffy presents itself as a 100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits, funded by optional donor contributions.
Which tool should you choose?
Mailchimp is still well known and easy to use, with good templates and clear statistics. It works for small lists or organizations that want an established external tool, but its free plan is now very limited.
MailPoet is useful if your website already runs on WordPress and you want to build newsletters from your posts, pages or news items. It is simple for a small list, but the 500-subscriber free limit needs to be watched.
The Newsletter Plugin is a strong option when you want to keep newsletter management inside WordPress. It is the option Erick likes to work with: it gives a lot of control without imposing a subscriber limit in the plugin itself. The trade-off is that email sending must be configured properly to avoid spam-folder problems.
Zeffy is especially relevant for nonprofits that run fundraising campaigns, manage events or communicate with donors. Its value is in keeping communications close to donation and participation data.
Two recent examples
Here are two recent newsletter examples connected to projects we have supported:
In short
For a small list, Mailchimp or MailPoet may be enough. For a WordPress-based list that is expected to grow, The Newsletter Plugin can be more flexible. For a nonprofit that wants to connect newsletters, donations and events, Zeffy is clearly worth considering.
Custom support
Have questions? We can help you choose the right tool, configure sending, integrate a subscription form into your website and design a newsletter template that matches your visual identity.