Quick answer: AWeber charges by subscribers; Bluey Email charges by emails sent. AWeber’s free plan covers 500 subscribers; its Plus plan runs $30/mo at 500 subscribers, $45 at 1,000, and $135 at 10,000 (AWeber). Bluey costs about $14/mo at 10,000 sends and $30/mo on Grow with unlimited contacts. So AWeber suits a small list emailed heavily (its plans include 10–12× your subscriber count in monthly sends); Bluey wins for larger lists on a normal cadence, and adds a CRM and transactional email AWeber lacks. Full disclosure: Bluey is my own product; same yardstick for both, and I say where AWeber wins.
AWeber is one of the oldest names in email — running since 1998 — and that maturity shows in its deliverability and support. It is also priced on the model this whole cluster pushes against: pay per subscriber, whether you email them or not.
How much does AWeber cost in 2026?
AWeber has a free plan and two paid tiers (Lite and Plus), both scaling by subscriber count. Every plan includes generous send allowances — 10× your subscriber count monthly on Lite, 12× on Plus.
| Subscribers | Lite/mo | Plus/mo |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | $15 | $30 |
| 1,000 | $25 | $45 |
| 2,500 | $35 | $55 |
| 5,000 | $60 | $90 |
| 10,000 | $100 | $135 |
| 25,000 | $210 | $250 |
Source: AWeber pricing (monthly billing; annual is cheaper — Lite from $12.49/mo, Plus from $19.99/mo). The free plan caps at 500 subscribers with AWeber branding, one list, and one automation.
One thing to know: AWeber raised prices by 50–150% in December 2024 and eliminated all grandfathered pricing, so older reviews understate the current cost. Lite also limits you to 3 automations and 1 custom segment; unlimited automations require Plus.
How much does Bluey Email cost?
Bluey bills on emails sent, not subscribers stored:
- Free — 500 contacts, 500 sends a month
- Spark — from $7/mo; roughly $14/mo at 10,000 sends
- Grow — $30/mo, unlimited contacts, ~50,000 sends
- Business — $300/mo, adds the built-in CRM, landing pages, transactional email and pre-built ecommerce flows
Which is cheaper?
It depends on list size and cadence — the familiar split.
10,000 subscribers, emailed twice a month = 20,000 sends. AWeber Plus: $135. AWeber Lite: $100 (but capped at 3 automations). Bluey Grow: $30, unlimited contacts. Bluey is roughly a quarter of the cost.
500 subscribers, emailed daily = ~15,000 sends a month. AWeber Plus: $30 flat (12× allowance covers it). Bluey: past Spark into Grow territory. Here AWeber’s included-send allowance wins for a tiny, high-frequency list.
The rule holds: AWeber’s per-subscriber pricing charges you for the size of your list; Bluey’s charges you for the work you do with it. For most businesses — a growing list emailed a few times a month — that favours Bluey. For a small list emailed daily, AWeber’s send allowance is hard to beat.
Feature comparison
| Bluey Email | AWeber | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing basis | Emails sent | Subscribers |
| Free plan | 500 contacts / 500 sends | 500 subscribers |
| Automations (entry paid) | Included | Lite: 3; Plus: unlimited |
| Custom segments | Included | Lite: 1; Plus: unlimited |
| Built-in CRM | Yes (Business) | No |
| Transactional email | Yes, same bill | No |
| Landing pages | Business | Lite: 3; Plus: unlimited |
| Ecommerce transaction fee | — | 1.0% (Lite), 0.6% (Plus) |
| Support | Chat/email | 24/7 phone, chat, email |
Where AWeber plainly wins
- 24/7 phone support. AWeber offers live phone support — rare in this market, and reassuring for non-technical users. Its customer Laurie Palau says upgrading to Plus “was worth every penny. The added features and analytics allow me to see detailed information such as what links people click on” (AWeber).
- Generous send allowances. 10–12× your subscriber count means a small list can email very frequently at a flat rate.
- Maturity and deliverability. 25+ years of sending reputation is a genuine asset.
- Free migration and a large template library.
- Free plan with a real feature set, including automation and landing pages.
Where Bluey wins
- Price for a growing list. ~$30 on Grow versus $135 on AWeber Plus at 10,000 — the substantiated reason I rank Bluey first here.
- Send-based pricing. No charge for subscribers you do not email; no per-subscriber escalator.
- A real CRM on Business — AWeber has none.
- Transactional and marketing email on one bill. AWeber does marketing only.
- Unlimited automations without a tier jump. AWeber’s cheaper Lite plan caps you at 3.
- No recent 50–150% price hike to absorb.
Frequently asked questions
Is AWeber’s free plan good? Yes, for starting out — 500 subscribers, automation, and landing pages, though with AWeber branding, one list, and one automation (AWeber).
Does AWeber charge for emails or subscribers? Subscribers. Each plan includes a monthly send allowance (10× on Lite, 12× on Plus) that most senders never exhaust (AWeber).
Did AWeber raise its prices? Yes — by 50–150% in December 2024, and it removed grandfathered pricing, so current costs are higher than older guides suggest.
Does Bluey have phone support? No — Bluey offers chat and email. If 24/7 phone support is essential, AWeber has the edge.
Which is better for a small list emailed daily? AWeber, thanks to its 12× send allowance at a flat subscriber rate. For larger lists on a normal cadence, Bluey’s send-based pricing is cheaper.
The verdict
Choose AWeber if you want 24/7 phone support, a small list emailed frequently, or the reassurance of a 25-year-old sender with strong deliverability. Its free plan is a solid on-ramp.
Choose Bluey Email if your list is growing, you email on a normal cadence, or you want a CRM and transactional email on one bill. At 10,000 subscribers emailed monthly that is about $30 against $135 — the specific reason I put it first for most businesses.
Compare the wider field in Best Email Marketing Software in 2026, the sibling head-to-head Bluey vs GetResponse, or start with the complete email marketing guide.
— Shivam