MailerLite vs Customer.io: Side-by-Side Comparison (2025)

Choosing between MailerLite and Customer.io comes down to your specific use case. MailerLite is built for small businesses and freelancers on a budget, while Customer.io targets product and growth teams sending behaviour-triggered messages.

Quick Verdict

Overall winner
MailerLite
Better pricing
MailerLite
More features
Customer.io
For beginners
MailerLite
E-commerce
MailerLite

Feature Comparison

Feature Customer.io MailerLite
๐Ÿ’ฐ Pricing
Free Planโœ—โœ“
Starting Price$100/mo$9/mo
Free Trialโœ“โœ“
โš™๏ธ Features
Email Automationโœ“โœ“
Visual Workflow Builderโœ“โœ—
Landing Pagesโœ—โœ“
Built-in CRMโœ—โœ—
SMS Marketingโœ“โœ—
A/B Testingโœ—โœ—
E-commerce Integrationโœ—โœ“
Transactional Emailโœ“โœ—
Remove Brandingโœ“โœ—
๐Ÿค– AI Features
AI Subject Linesโœ—โœ—
AI Send-Time Optimisationโœ—โœ—
๐Ÿ›Ž Support
Email Supportโœ“โœ“
Live Chatโœ“โœ—
Phone Supportโœ“โœ—
Customer.io
โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜† 4.4/5
MailerLite
โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜† 4.6/5
Our verdict

Customer.io is best for product and growth teams sending behavior-triggered messages.

Try Customer.io Free โ†’
Our verdict

MailerLite is best for small businesses and freelancers on a budget.

Try MailerLite Free โ†’

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Customer.io ifโ€ฆ

  • You are primarily focused on small businesses and freelancers on a budget
  • You value drag-drop editor
  • You prefer freemium pricing
Try Customer.io โ†’

Choose MailerLite ifโ€ฆ

  • You are primarily focused on product and growth teams sending behaviour-triggered messages
  • You value behavioural triggers
  • You prefer paid pricing
Try MailerLite โ†’

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MailerLite better than Customer.io?

It depends on your use case. MailerLite wins for small businesses and freelancers on a budget, while Customer.io is stronger for product and growth teams sending behaviour-triggered messages.

Which is cheaper, MailerLite or Customer.io?

MailerLite starts at a lower price point. Pricing scales with subscriber count so total cost depends on your list size.

Can I switch from Customer.io to MailerLite?

Yes, switching is possible. Most platforms support CSV import/export. Plan time to recreate automations and templates.