How Much Does Email Marketing Cost in the UK?

Is Email Marketing Expensive?

For most businesses, and especially for a small business, email marketing is a low-cost and accessible way to communicate with customers.

With Smart Messenger, pricing starts from £10 per month, allowing you to send up to 1,000 emails as part of your plan. If you need to send more, you only pay for what you use, with extra sends available at a modest cost.

Unlike some email marketing providers, Smart Messenger does not charge based on the number of contacts in your database. This means you can grow your list without your monthly budget increasing, which can make a significant difference in the longer term.

As your campaigns become more advanced or your sending volume increases, monthly cost may scale but email remains one of the most affordable ways to stay in touch with your audience, especially when you choose a low-cost email marketing solution.

Typical UK Email Marketing Costs

Costs can vary depending on your platform and how you plan to use it but there are some general ranges to be aware of. For a small business, monthly costs typically start from around £10 to £30 according to usage. As sending volumes increase or more advanced features are added, this may rise to between £30 and £100+ per month.

Larger organisations or those using more complex platforms may pay more, often where pricing is based on list size or includes advanced tools and integrations.

Some platforms also offer free plans but these are usually limited in terms of features, branding or the number of emails you can send, making them less suitable as your email marketing grows. Most platforms scale their pricing as your activity increases, so costs tend to rise as you send more campaigns or expand your audience.

Choosing a solution with clear and predictable pricing, like Smart Messenger, can help you stay in control of your budget.

What Affects Pricing for Email Marketing?

1. List size

Many email marketing platforms charge based on the number of contacts you store, which means prices can increase considerably as your database grows. This is something to be aware of if you plan to build your list over time.

As already mentioned, Smart Messenger takes a different approach and never charges based on contact numbers. This helps keep costs more predictable.

2. Features and functionality

The features you need will also have an impact on the overall subscription rate, particularly as your email marketing becomes more advanced.

Most platforms will include the basics, such as sending campaigns, using simple templates and tracking performance through reporting tools. These are often enough to get started and send regular marketing emails.

Once you’ve sent a campaign, monitor what’s working and what isn’t. This information helps you improve performance and get the best value from future activities.

As your requirements grow, you may want to introduce more advanced features such as automation, segmentation or tools for building landing pages and sign-up forms. These allow you to create more targeted, personalised campaigns, but can also increase spend depending on how the platform is structured.

If you’d like to see what’s included with Smart Messenger, compare our email plans to see how pricing and features stack up across each option. 

3. Level of support

The level of support you receive can have a big impact on how successful your email marketing is.

Many email marketing platforms are largely self-service, meaning you are expected to set everything up, manage campaigns and troubleshoot issues on your own. Some providers do offer personalised support but this is often only available as part of higher-priced subscriptions or premium add-ons.

Smart Messenger takes a different approach. We provide personalised, ongoing support as standard with all our plans. This includes initial training, a dedicated account manager and unlimited phone support whenever you need it.

This means you are not left figuring things out on your own, negotiating with chatbots or trawling through help files. Instead, you have expert guidance from real people built into the service, helping you get better results from your email marketing. If you’d like to explore this further, you can find out more about our approach to personalised support.

4. Design and set up

In some cases, there may also be additional costs involved in getting your email marketing up and running. This can include:

• Designing a professional email template
• Setting up campaigns
• Creating sign-up forms to grow your email list
• Getting advice on structure or content

Some businesses choose to manage this in-house, while others prefer to outsource it to save time and ensure a more polished result.

At Smart Messenger, we provide free training and advice to help you get started, along with optional services for businesses that want more support. For example, our Email Starter Package includes a bespoke email template and newsletter sign-up form for £169 + VAT, giving you a professional setup from the outset.

Choosing the Right Plan

Email marketing is widely seen as one of the strongest channels in terms of returns on investment, particularly when campaigns are well targeted and consistent.

With the right approach, it offers a cost effective way to stay in touch with your audience, build relationships and drive results. The key is choosing a platform and level of support that helps you get the most from your campaigns.

If you’re comparing options, it’s worth looking beyond headline pricing to understand what’s included, especially in terms of training and ongoing support, and how costs may change as your email marketing grows.

If you’d like help choosing the right option or getting started, the Smart Messenger team is always happy to offer advice or arrange a demo so you can see the platform for yourself.

Get Help