Pay-As-You-Go Email Marketing: When It Beats a Monthly Plan

Pay-as-you-go email marketing means you pay for the emails you send instead of a monthly subscription. If you email your list a few times a year (a newsletter each season, an event invite, a holiday promotion), you stop paying for the months you send nothing.

Most email tools bill monthly by how many contacts you store, whether you send or not. That suits businesses that email every week. It's an expensive fit for churches, clubs, schools, nonprofits, seasonal businesses, and anyone who sends in bursts. Use the calculator below to see which model costs less for the way you actually send.

How MailAddiction pay-as-you-go pricing works

Each month, the first 2,500 emails are free. If you send more than that in a month, you pay one flat price for that month's total volume. In a month you don't send, you pay nothing. There's no contract, and no charge for storing contacts.

MailAddiction price per month, by emails sent that month
Emails sent in a month	Price for that month
Up to 2,500	Free
2,501 to 5,000	$9.95
5,001 to 10,000	$14.95
10,001 to 25,000	$24.95
25,001 to 50,000	$39.95
50,001 to 100,000	$49.95
100,001 to 250,000	$99.95
250,001 to 500,000	$179.95
500,001 to 750,000	$239.95
750,001 to 1,000,000	$299.95
More than 1,000,000	Contact us

An “email” is one message to one recipient, so a 1,200-person newsletter sent twice in a month counts as 2,400 emails and costs nothing. AI writing help, scheduling, and reporting are included at every tier. Full details are on the pricing page.

Pay-as-you-go vs monthly plan calculator

Enter how you send today. The calculator works out a year of MailAddiction pricing and compares it to what a monthly plan costs you over the same year.

The calculator uses MailAddiction's published tiers and ignores taxes. A monthly plan's price is whatever you enter. Check your provider's current pricing page, since many advertise an introductory rate that rises later.

When pay-as-you-go wins, and when it doesn't

Pay-as-you-go usually costs less when:

You send in some months and not others, such as seasonal businesses, event organizers, schools, and clubs.
Your list is large but you email it rarely. Contact-based plans charge for every stored contact every month.
You're testing email marketing and don't want a subscription before you know it works.

A monthly plan can cost less when you email a large list several times every month, or when you depend on features that only subscription tiers include, such as advanced automation journeys. Run your own numbers in the calculator above. The answer depends on your volume, not on which model sounds cheaper.

What to check in any pay-as-you-go email plan

Credit-based plans differ in ways the headline price doesn't show. Before you buy, check:

Do credits expire? Mailchimp's Pay As You Go page says its credits expire after 12 months. Zoho Campaigns says its credits don't have a specific lifespan.
Are unused credits refundable? Both Mailchimp and Zoho Campaigns state they don't refund unused credits, so buying a big bundle “to save” carries risk.
How is a credit counted? Usually one email to one recipient. Zoho Campaigns notes that credits are also used for invalid addresses, so clean your list before you send.
Which features are included? Mailchimp says its Pay As You Go plan has the same features as its Essentials plan. Zoho Campaigns limits automation to its Professional plan.
What happens to your data? Zoho Campaigns keeps account data for 24 months after credits run out. Ask how long your list is kept if you go quiet for a season.

Competitor terms were checked on 2026-10-23 from the vendors' own pages: Mailchimp Pay As You Go and Zoho Campaigns pay-as-you-go plan. Terms change, so confirm on those pages before buying.

With MailAddiction there are no credit bundles to buy ahead of time. You pay for a month's volume in the month you send it, and the first 2,500 emails every month are free.

Pay-as-you-go email marketing FAQ

Is there an email marketing service with no monthly fee?

Yes. MailAddiction has no monthly subscription. You pay only in months where you send more than 2,500 emails, at the tier price for that month's volume.

How much does it cost to send 5,000 emails?

On MailAddiction, $9.95 for a month in which you send between 2,501 and 5,000 emails. Sending 10,000 in a month costs $14.95.

Do I pay to store contacts in months I don't send?

No. MailAddiction doesn't charge for stored contacts. A month without sends costs nothing.

Is pay-as-you-go cheaper than Mailchimp?

It depends on how often you send and how many contacts you keep. Enter your current Mailchimp bill in the calculator to compare a full year.

Can I try it before paying?

Yes. The free trial includes 2,500 emails with no credit card, and you stay on the free tier as long as you send 2,500 or fewer emails in a month.

Stop paying for months you don't send

Create a free account, send your next campaign on the free tier, and only pay when a month's volume goes past 2,500 emails. Compare pricing tiers or see the features included at every tier.