Quick Answer
Drip pricing starts at $39/month for up to 2,500 people, with unlimited email sends and a 14-day free trial. Drip has no permanent free plan; the main cost driver is list size, so it becomes more expensive than MailerLite or Brevo for general newsletters but can be worth it for ecommerce brands that use its segmentation, onsite campaigns, and automation workflows.
Drip Pricing Tiers (2026)
| Plan | Starting Price | Contacts / People | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-day free trial | $0 for 14 days | Trial account | Test Drip before paying; no credit card required on the public pricing page |
| Drip email plan | $39/mo | Up to 2,500 people | Unlimited email sends, dynamic segments, onsite campaigns, up to 50 workflows, sub-accounts, API access |
| Higher-list tiers | Contact-based | 2,501+ people | Same core platform, with price increases as your list grows; chat support appears on higher spend tiers |
| High-volume accounts | Custom / contact-based | Large ecommerce lists | Migration and personalized onboarding may become available at higher list sizes |
Drip prices by the number of people on your email list, not by separate named plans like “Basic” and “Pro.” The public pricing calculator shows one ecommerce marketing platform that scales upward as your list grows.
How Drip Pricing Scales by List Size
Base Drip Plan ($39/month)
- Up to 2,500 people
- Unlimited email sends included on the public pricing page
- Dynamic segments
- Onsite campaigns
- Up to 50 workflows
- Unlimited sub-accounts
- Open API access
- Email support on lower tiers
Drip Pricing by People on Your List
| People on your list | Approx. monthly price | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 | $39 | Entry paid tier; unlimited email sends |
| 5,000 | $89 | Still email support on the public pricing page |
| 7,500 | $124 | Priced at the next published range up to 8,000 people |
| 10,000 | $154 | Higher ecommerce list cost; compare Klaviyo and Omnisend carefully |
| 12,500 | $169 | Still a single Drip platform tier, not a feature-plan upgrade |
| 15,000 | $209 | Cost starts to matter for lower-margin stores |
| 20,000 | $289 | Free migration may become relevant as lists get larger |
| 25,000 | $369 | Better fit for brands already monetizing lifecycle email |
| 30,000 | $449 | Compare against Klaviyo, Omnisend, and enterprise ESP quotes |
| 50,000 | $699 | High-list-size ecommerce pricing territory |
| 100,000 | $1,199 | Large sender pricing; verify current pricing directly before buying |
Pricing is based on Drip’s public calculator structure checked in June 2026. Exact totals can change, and taxes, SMS, and account-specific services may vary.
What’s Included: Feature Comparison by Plan
| Feature | Trial | Drip paid plan | Higher-list tiers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email campaigns | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Unlimited email sends | ✅ During trial | ✅ | ✅ |
| Ecommerce automation workflows | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dynamic segments | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Onsite campaigns | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Up to 50 workflows | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Unlimited sub-accounts | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Open API access | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Email support | Trial support may vary | ✅ | ✅ |
| Chat support | ❌ | Usually higher spend tiers | ✅ on qualifying tiers |
| Free migration | ❌ | ❌ at low list sizes | ✅ may appear at higher list sizes |
| Personalized onboarding | ❌ | ❌ at low list sizes | ✅ may appear at higher list sizes |
| Permanent free plan | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Hidden Costs to Watch For
1. Contact growth can raise the bill quickly
Drip starts at a higher entry price than many newsletter tools, and every list-size jump increases the monthly subscription. A store with 2,500 people pays about $39/month, while a 10,000-person list is about $154/month.
2. No forever-free plan
Drip offers a 14-day free trial, not a long-term free tier. If you are still validating a newsletter or lead magnet, MailerLite, Brevo, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, or Klaviyo may let you stay free longer.
3. Ecommerce value depends on implementation
Drip is priced for ecommerce lifecycle marketing. If you do not use product-triggered flows, segmentation, onsite campaigns, abandoned-cart style automations, or repeat-purchase campaigns, you may be paying for capability you are not monetizing.
4. SMS and deliverability work may add cost
Email pricing is only one part of total cost. SMS usage, list cleaning, deliverability consulting, migration work, creative production, and ecommerce integration cleanup can all increase the real monthly budget.
5. Platform switching costs
Moving into Drip from another ESP can require rebuilding automations, tags, segments, forms, popups, ecommerce events, and reporting dashboards. That labor cost matters even if the software price looks manageable.
Drip vs Competitors: Pricing Comparison (Around 1,000-2,500 Subscribers)
| Platform | Starting Price | Automation Included? | Free Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drip | $39/mo up to 2,500 people | ✅ Ecommerce automation | ❌ 14-day trial only |
| MailerLite | $11/mo at 1,000 subscribers | ✅ Growing Business | ✅ 1,000 subscribers |
| Brevo | $9/mo entry paid plan | ✅ | ✅ 300 emails/day |
| Mailchimp | $13/mo entry paid plan | ✅ on higher tiers | ✅ 500 contacts |
| ConvertKit | $29/mo Creator plan | ✅ Creator plan | ✅ 1,000 subscribers |
| Klaviyo | $20/mo around 500 contacts | ✅ Ecommerce automation | ✅ 250 contacts |
| Omnisend | $16/mo Standard plan | ✅ Ecommerce automation | ✅ 250 contacts |
| ActiveCampaign | $19/mo entry plan | ✅ on paid plans | ❌ No permanent free plan |
| HubSpot | $20/mo Starter-style entry point | ✅ but contact tiers matter | ✅ Free CRM tools |
Bottom line: Drip is rarely the cheapest option for a small list. It makes more sense when ecommerce revenue per subscriber is high enough to justify stronger segmentation and lifecycle automation.
Who Should Use Drip (Based on Pricing)
Best for:
- Ecommerce brands that already generate revenue from email and need behavior-based segmentation
- Shopify or DTC stores that want lifecycle campaigns, onsite campaigns, and automation in one platform
- Teams outgrowing beginner newsletter tools because they need more granular customer journeys
- Brands with enough margin to justify $39+/month from the start
- Marketers who will actively build flows such as welcome, browse abandonment, cart recovery, post-purchase, winback, and VIP segments
Not ideal for:
- Brand-new newsletters that need a free plan while building the first 500-1,000 subscribers
- Local service businesses that only send a monthly newsletter and simple promotions
- Creators and coaches who primarily need landing pages, broadcasts, and simple automations
- Very price-sensitive teams comparing against MailerLite, Brevo, or Moosend
- Transactional email infrastructure use cases where SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, or Amazon SES may be a better fit
FAQs
Does Drip have a free plan?
No. Drip has a 14-day free trial, but it does not have a permanent free plan like MailerLite, Brevo, Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Klaviyo, or Omnisend.
How much does Drip cost for 2,500 contacts?
Drip starts at $39/month for up to 2,500 people on its public pricing page. That includes unlimited email sends and the core ecommerce marketing platform.
How much does Drip cost for 10,000 contacts?
Drip is about $154/month for 10,000 people based on the public pricing calculator checked in June 2026. Always verify the live calculator before buying because pricing can change.
Is Drip cheaper than Klaviyo?
Not always. Drip starts at $39/month for up to 2,500 people, while Klaviyo can start lower for very small lists. Drip can be easier to evaluate because the public pricing model is list-size based, but ecommerce stores should compare both at their actual contact count and SMS needs.
Is Drip cheaper than MailerLite?
No for most small lists. MailerLite is usually much cheaper for newsletters and simple automation. Drip is priced for ecommerce automation, segmentation, onsite campaigns, and customer lifecycle marketing.
Does Drip include unlimited email sends?
Drip’s public pricing page lists unlimited email sends with the email plan. You should still check acceptable-use rules and deliverability requirements if you send unusually high volumes.
When is Drip worth the price?
Drip is worth considering when your ecommerce email program can generate enough incremental revenue from segmentation, automation, and repeat-purchase campaigns to cover the higher monthly cost. If you only send basic newsletters, a cheaper ESP is usually the better first step.
Last updated: June 2026. Pricing may vary by region and is subject to change.
Choose this if
- The page matches the decision you are making now.
- The tool, pricing model, and workflow fit your business model.
- You have checked current official pricing before buying.
Skip this if
- You need a different business model, channel, or budget range.
- The platform adds complexity your team will not use.
- You are comparing only by starting price instead of total monthly cost.
Final verdict
Use the decision table, pricing notes, and related guides to narrow the shortlist. The best email marketing platform is the one that matches list size, automation depth, ecommerce needs, budget, and switching cost.