Campaign Monitor free trial: what 30 days gets you
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Campaign Monitor Reviews · Updated October 4, 2026
Disclosure: this site reviews Campaign Monitor and earns a commission if you sign up through our links. The trial terms below come from Campaign Monitor's own pricing page.
Campaign Monitor gives new accounts 30 days to try the product with up to 500 contacts and 500 emails. You don't enter a card to sign up. There is no permanent free plan, so the trial is the free way in, and it is long enough to build a template, import a list, and send a few real campaigns.
What the Campaign Monitor free trial includes
Campaign Monitor calls it “a general free trial so you can see behind the scenes of our product.” Its pricing grid shows exactly what that covers.
Included during the 30 days
- The drag-and-drop builder and the template library of 100+ responsive designs
- Branded templates: enter your website address and it imports your creative elements into templates
- Segmentation tools, custom fields, and A/B testing
- Drip campaigns (Campaign Series) and subject line recommendations
- Mobile layout settings, a preference center, and a link checker
- API access, integrations, and email and deliverability support
Limited or saved for paid plans
- Signup forms, real-time reporting, and dynamic content are marked as limited
- The new Marketing Studio tools (Email Workspace, Creative Lab, Social Suite) have limited trial access
- Automated emails, prebuilt journeys, and transactional email start on Lite
- Custom coded HTML templates, the AI Writer, and Marketing Monitor benchmarks start on Lite
- Design and spam testing starts on Essentials
The 500-email cap is the limit most people hit first. Use it on a test list and one or two real sends rather than your whole audience.
What happens when the Campaign Monitor trial ends
Because the signup form asks for no payment details, there is no card on file to charge when the 30 days are up. To keep sending, you choose a paid plan. Prices are per month and depend on your contact count, with 10% off for annual billing (agency plans excluded) and a 15% nonprofit discount through sales. Full details are on our Campaign Monitor pricing page.
Which Campaign Monitor plan to pick after the trial
| Plan | 500 contacts | 2,500 contacts | 10,000 contacts | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | $13/mo | $47/mo | $117/mo | You send a regular newsletter and stay within 5x your contacts in emails a month. |
| Essentials | $31/mo | $74/mo | $182/mo | You want unlimited sends, unlimited automated emails, priority support, and the full AI tools. |
| Premier | $171/mo | $182/mo | $300/mo | You need phone support, send time optimization, or locked template sections for a team. |
Monthly prices on monthly billing from campaignmonitor.com/pricing as of 2026-10-04. Lite sends up to 5x your contacts each month; Essentials and Premier have unlimited sends. Above 50,000 contacts, Enterprise is quoted by sales.
Essentials is the plan most small teams grow into: no send limit and unlimited automated emails. Lite suits a once-a-month newsletter. Premier makes sense when several people edit shared templates or when you want to reach support by phone.
Campaign Monitor's free trial vs competitors' free plans and trials
| Compared on | Free plan | Free trial |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign Monitor | No | 30 days, 500 contacts and 500 emails, no card on signup |
| Mailchimp | Yes: 250 contacts, 500 sends a month (250 a day), Mailchimp branding, no automation flows | 14 days on Standard or Essentials; the no-card version caps you at 100 emails |
| Constant Contact | No | 30 days, up to 100 email sends, no card required |
| Brevo | Yes: 300 emails a day, up to 100,000 contacts stored, Brevo branding on emails | None published; new accounts start on the free plan |
| ActiveCampaign | No | 14 days, 100 contacts and 100 emails, no card |
| MailerLite | Yes: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, MailerLite logo, 3 automations | 14 days of premium features, no card |
| Klaviyo | Yes: 250 active profiles, 500 sends a month, Klaviyo logo on emails | None; the free plan takes its place |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-10-04. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
How the Campaign Monitor trial compares
Campaign Monitor's trial lets you send 500 emails, against 100 in the no-card trials at Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and ActiveCampaign. Among self-serve trials, only Constant Contact matches its 30 days. That is enough to test real campaigns as well as the editor.
To keep sending to a small list at no cost for months, you need a free plan instead. Mailchimp, MailerLite, Brevo, and Klaviyo have one, with their branding on your emails and tighter limits. Our comparisons with MailerLite, Brevo, and Mailchimp go through what you give up on each.
“Their 30 days trial pack without card or payment option.”Tarun Pratap Singh P., G2, Dec 2024
“It is very easy to create an email campaign by using the drag-and-drop functionality, and we have found it to be great for new starters to be able to pick up, even with not a lot of prior experience.”Ben E., G2, Jun 2026
Campaign Monitor free trial FAQ
Does the Campaign Monitor free trial need a credit card?+
No. The signup form asks for your name, company, email, and password, with no payment details.
How long is the Campaign Monitor free trial, and what are the limits?+
30 days, up to 500 contacts, and up to 500 emails in total. Some tools are limited or left out until you pick a paid plan.
Does Campaign Monitor have a free plan?+
No. There is no permanent free plan. After the trial, Lite starts at $13 a month for 500 contacts, and annual billing takes 10% off.
Can I test automation during the trial?+
Partly. The pricing grid marks drip campaigns (Campaign Series) for the trial, but automated emails and prebuilt journeys start on Lite, with unlimited automated emails on Essentials.
Which plan should I choose after the trial?+
Lite for a simple newsletter, Essentials if you send often or run automations, and Premier if you need phone support or locked team templates. Nonprofits can ask sales about a 15% discount.