MailerLite vs Recart: which fits your store?

Last verified 2026-08-29 some data medium/low confidence

MailerLite and Recart are both email & sms marketing tools compared here on pricing verified 2026-08-29, published plans, App Store standing, and themes from recent merchant reviews. MailerLite starts cheaper (free vs $200/mo); MailerLite has a free tier, Recart does not. On the Shopify App Store, MailerLite holds 3.1 ★ across 23 reviews and Recart holds 4.7 ★ across 447. MailerLite: These reviews suggest the app fits cost-conscious Shopify merchants who want an easy email editor, basic automation, and are comfortable troubleshooting integration issues if they appear. Recart: These reviews suggest the app fits Shopify merchants that want a managed or strategy-supported SMS growth channel with popups, automations, and campaign optimization. — from tracked pricing and recent App Store review analysis.

How do MailerLite and Recart compare?

	MailerLite	Recart
App Store rating	3.1 ★ (23 reviews)	4.7 ★ (447 reviews)
Price from	free	$200/mo
Free tier	✓ yes	✗ no
Published plans	4	25
Data confidence	high	medium

App Store rating

MailerLite 3.1 ★

Recart 4.7 ★

→ Recart rates higher

Review volume

MailerLite 23

Recart 447

→ Recart has the larger base

What would you actually pay?

MailerLite plans

Plan	Monthly	Limits / notes
Free	$0	Up to 250 active subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 2 user seats, 3 automations, 1 website, 1 landing page, 1 digital product or booking, and 3 signup forms. Sending is locked if the subscriber limit is exceeded.
Comfort	$12	Starting price; scales with active subscriber tier. Monthly email allowance is 10× the upper bound of the subscriber tier. Includes 3 user seats, 50 automations, 10 websites and landing pages, 5 digital products or bookings, and 10 signup forms.
Power	$25	Starting price; scales with active subscriber count. Unlimited monthly emails subject to fair-use policy, unlimited user seats, automations, landing pages, websites, signup forms, digital products, and bookings.
Enterprise	—	For 200,000+ subscribers; custom sending volume and pricing based on active subscriber count and add-ons. Unlimited user seats.

Prices are displayed in USD; applicable taxes may be added. Paid pricing scales with active subscribers and sending volume. Annual billing advertises a 10% saving. A 50%-off-first-month promotion with code GOLITE50 is shown. Eligible nonprofits receive a 30% discount.

Verified 2026-08-29 from vendor pricing page.

Recart plans

Plan	Monthly	Limits / notes
List Growth ($200, quarterly commitment)	$200	Unlimited subscribers; OneClick Opt-in included; $0.020 OneClick verification fee.
List Growth ($300, quarterly commitment)	$300	Unlimited subscribers; OneClick Opt-in included; $0.020 OneClick verification fee.
List Growth ($500, quarterly commitment)	$500	Unlimited subscribers; OneClick Opt-in included; $0.020 OneClick verification fee.
List Growth ($800, quarterly commitment)	$800	Unlimited subscribers; OneClick Opt-in included; $0.020 OneClick verification fee.
List Growth ($1,500, annual commitment)	—	Unlimited subscribers; OneClick Opt-in included; $0.020 OneClick verification fee.
List Growth ($2,000, annual commitment)	—	Unlimited subscribers; OneClick Opt-in included; $0.020 OneClick verification fee.
List Growth ($3,000, annual commitment)	—	Unlimited subscribers; OneClick Opt-in included; $0.020 OneClick verification fee.
List Growth (custom, annual commitment)	—	Unlimited subscribers; OneClick Opt-in included; $0.020 OneClick verification fee.
List Growth + SMS ($500, quarterly commitment)	$500	Unlimited subscribers; US SMS $0.0085 + carrier fees; US MMS $0.025 + carrier fees; OneClick verification fee included.
List Growth + SMS ($1,000, quarterly commitment)	$1000	Unlimited subscribers; US SMS $0.0075 + carrier fees; US MMS $0.018 + carrier fees; OneClick verification fee included.
List Growth + SMS ($2,250, annual commitment)	—	Unlimited subscribers; US SMS $0.0055 + carrier fees; US MMS $0.016 + carrier fees; OneClick verification fee included.
List Growth + SMS ($4,250, annual commitment)	—	Unlimited subscribers; US SMS $0.0050 + carrier fees; US MMS $0.015 + carrier fees; OneClick verification fee included.
List Growth + SMS (custom, annual commitment)	—	Unlimited subscribers; US SMS $0.0045 + carrier fees; US MMS $0.014 + carrier fees; OneClick verification fee included.
Starter (12 month)	—	23,000 SMS included at $0.0100/SMS plus $0.003 carrier fee; 8,795 MMS included at $0.0280/MMS plus $0.006 carrier fee; international SMS Australia & United Kingdom $0.054; unlimited active subscribers.
Pro (12 month)	—	41,583 SMS included at $0.0085/SMS plus $0.003 carrier fee; 15,354 MMS included at $0.0265/MMS plus $0.006 carrier fee; international SMS Australia & United Kingdom $0.051; unlimited active subscribers.
Scale (12 month)	—	100,000 SMS included at $0.0070/SMS plus $0.003 carrier fee; 33,300 MMS included at $0.0240/MMS plus $0.006 carrier fee; international SMS Australia & United Kingdom $0.048; unlimited active subscribers.
Enterprise (12 month)	—	SMS starting at $0.0045/SMS plus carrier fee; MMS starting at $0.0190/MMS plus carrier fee; international SMS custom; unlimited active subscribers.
Starter (6 month)	$319	23,000 SMS included at $0.0109/SMS plus $0.003 carrier fee; 8,795 MMS included at $0.0303/MMS plus $0.006 carrier fee; international SMS Australia & United Kingdom $0.054; unlimited active subscribers.
Pro (6 month)	$535	41,583 SMS included at $0.0099/SMS plus $0.003 carrier fee; 15,354 MMS included at $0.0288/MMS plus $0.006 carrier fee; international SMS Australia & United Kingdom $0.051; unlimited active subscribers.
Scale (6 month)	$1069	100,000 SMS included at $0.0077/SMS plus $0.003 carrier fee; 33,300 MMS included at $0.0261/MMS plus $0.006 carrier fee; international SMS Australia & United Kingdom $0.048; unlimited active subscribers.
Enterprise (6 month)	—	SMS starting at $0.0045/SMS plus carrier fee; MMS starting at $0.0190/MMS plus carrier fee; international SMS custom; unlimited active subscribers.
Starter (3 month)	$345	23,000 SMS included at $0.0120/SMS plus $0.003 carrier fee; 8,795 MMS included at $0.0332/MMS plus $0.006 carrier fee; international SMS Australia & United Kingdom $0.054; unlimited active subscribers.
Pro (3 month)	$565	41,583 SMS included at $0.0106/SMS plus $0.003 carrier fee; 15,354 MMS included at $0.0308/MMS plus $0.006 carrier fee; international SMS Australia & United Kingdom $0.051; unlimited active subscribers.
Scale (3 month)	$1149	100,000 SMS included at $0.0085/SMS plus $0.003 carrier fee; 33,300 MMS included at $0.0285/MMS plus $0.006 carrier fee; international SMS Australia & United Kingdom $0.048; unlimited active subscribers.
Enterprise (3 month)	—	SMS starting at $0.0045/SMS plus carrier fee; MMS starting at $0.0190/MMS plus carrier fee; international SMS custom; unlimited active subscribers.

Prices are shown in USD. Carrier fees are additional for SMS/MMS where indicated; average US carrier fees listed as $0.0045/SMS and $0.011/MMS, and rates shown apply to the 50 US states. International rates are also shown in USD for listed countries.

Verified 2026-07-16 from vendor pricing page.

What do merchants say about them?

MailerLite

Sentiment is mixed: merchants like MailerLite Classic for approachable email creation, lower cost, and useful marketing features, especially when moving from Mailchimp. However, many negative reviews focus on unreliable Shopify integration behavior and uneven support, with some serious complaints about account approval or suspension processes.

＋ Ease of use and interface — Merchants often describe the platform as intuitive, quick to set up, and easier to use than competing email tools.
＋ Email design tools — Several reviewers like the drag-and-drop editor, popup customization, and ability to create polished emails quickly.
＋ Support praise — Positive reviewers mention responsive help, live chat, and support that resolves setup or migration issues.
＋ Pricing and value — Some merchants value the free tier or lower paid pricing, especially when switching from Mailchimp.

－ Shopify integration reliability — The most common issue is broken or unreliable syncing, ecommerce tracking, abandoned cart, popups, triggers, tags, or needing repeated reconnects.
－ Support delays or quality — Several merchants say support was slow, unresponsive, or unable to resolve recurring technical problems.
－ Account approval and suspension — Multiple reviewers complain about approval requirements, blocked or cancelled accounts, anti-spam enforcement, or refund disputes after setup.

Watch out: The main caveat is recurring instability in Shopify-specific syncing, ecommerce tracking, abandoned cart, popup, and automation trigger features.

Synthesized from the 20 most recent App Store reviews (2026-07-16); themes paraphrased.

Recart

The identifiable reviews are mostly positive, with merchants frequently reporting strong SMS revenue, better opt-ins, and valuable strategic support. Negative reviews are fewer but detailed, centering on support breakdowns, billing disputes, platform bugs, and Facebook-related limitations in older use cases.

＋ Strategic support — Merchants often describe the team as responsive, hands-on, and useful for campaign planning, testing, implementation, and optimization advice.
＋ Revenue lift — Many reviewers report stronger sales, ROI, or SMS becoming a major revenue channel after adopting the app.
＋ Opt-in and list growth — Several merchants credit popups, signup flows, and testing support with materially improving subscriber growth and opt-in rates.
＋ Automation and campaign tools — Users value automated flows, segmentation, campaign templates, and prebuilt assets that reduce manual marketing work.

－ Support failures — Negative reviewers cite slow or absent support, poor communication, or unhelpful account management when issues arose.
－ Billing and pricing transparency — Some merchants complain about confusing charges, unexpected costs, disputed balances, or difficulty verifying usage and credits.
－ Platform reliability — Several complaints describe bugs, disconnected channels, missed campaigns, malfunctioning automations, or inconsistent message delivery.

Watch out: The main caveat is that merchants should clarify support scope, billing details, data access, and automation expectations before committing.

Synthesized from the 20 most recent App Store reviews (2026-07-16); themes paraphrased.

FAQ

Which is cheaper, MailerLite or Recart?

MailerLite starts lower at free, vs $200/mo for Recart (verified 2026-08-29).

Does MailerLite or Recart have a free plan?

MailerLite has a free tier; Recart does not publish one.

Which is rated higher on the Shopify App Store?

Recart rates higher at 4.7 ★, vs 3.1 ★ — though both counts matter: MailerLite has 23 reviews and Recart has 447.

How we compare: pricing and plans are collected automatically from vendor pages on a schedule and shown with verification dates; ratings come from the Shopify App Store; merchant sentiment is synthesized from the most recent App Store reviews (paraphrased, never quoted). We currently have no affiliate relationship with either vendor. Found an error? The data snapshot behind this page is dated — check the vendor's page for same-day changes.

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