Litmus raised prices by 151%, eliminated their affordable Basic plan, and gave existing customers no choice but to accept the new terms or leave. New customers had to consider whether Litmus pricing justified the platform’s offerings.
If you’re one of the two, I’ve prepped this guide to help you out, covering:
- Whether the features justify the price
- What changed and what disappeared
- Alternatives that you can switch to (if you want to).
Let’s examine whether the increase makes sense for your situation.
TLDR: How does the Litmus pricing look (as of now)
Here’s what changed:
| Pricing element | Before August 2025 | After August 2025 | Change |
| Entry plan | Basic: $79-99/month | Gone completely | Eliminated |
| Mid-tier plan | Plus: $159-199/month | Core: $500/month | +151% increase |
| Features included | Same preview/analytics limits | Identical features | No improvements |
What changed with Litmus pricing in August 2025?
On August 1st, Litmus completely overhauled its pricing structure. Existing customers discovered the changes through unexpected charges rather than advance notifications.
The price hike that hit customers
Litmus Plus jumped from $199 to $500 per month. That’s an additional $3,612 annually if you pay monthly (or $3,000 more on the annual plan). The percentage increase alone (151%) tells only part of the story.
The Basic plan vanished entirely. Small teams and solo users previously paid $79- $ 99 per month for entry-level access. That tier disappeared without replacement, making Core the only starting point. Freelancers and small agencies who relied on the affordable option found themselves priced out completely.
Many customers reported auto-charges for the new $500 rate. They received no prior notice, no opt-out window, and no explanation for the sudden change. The email marketing community reacted with immediate cancellations and public complaints about the approach.
Timing matters here. Validity Inc. acquired Litmus on April 10, 2025, then conducted layoffs, and then pushed through this price increase four months post-acquisition. The sequence raised questions about motives.
What is the current Litmus pricing structure?
Litmus now operates with three tiers, though only one displays transparent pricing:
| Plan | Monthly cost | Annual cost | Target audience |
| Core | $500 | $415/month ($4,980/year) | Small teams (5+ users) |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Custom quote | Large email departments |
| Deliverability Add-on | Custom quote | Custom quote | Advanced monitoring needs |
Annual billing saves 17%. You’ll still pay $4,980 upfront for features that cost $2,388 annually, just months earlier.
What do you actually get for $500/month in Litmus?
Core includes specific limits that determine how much testing you can do each month. Understanding what counts against these caps helps you gauge whether the pricing fits your volume.
| Feature | Monthly limit | What this means |
| Full users | 5 seats | Team members with full access |
| Email previews | 2,000 | Each client/device version you test counts separately |
| Analytics opens | 500,000 | Tracked email opens per month |
| Personalize impressions | 50,000 | Dynamic content views (countdown timers, custom images) |
Preview math gets expensive fast. Testing one email across six Outlook versions, three Apple Mail versions, and mobile/desktop variants burns through 18 previews per test. Run 111 tests and you’ve maxed out your monthly allocation.
Core features include automated QA checks across 100+ email clients, a code/no-code builder, personalization templates, ESP integrations (Mailchimp, Klaviyo), and email/phone/chat support. You’re paying 151% more for the exact same feature set that the Plus plan offered before August.
Is the Litmus price hike justified?
Customer reactions split sharply when the price increase hit. Most felt the change wasn’t defensible, while Litmus likely sees this as repositioning for enterprise markets.
What existing customers are saying about new Litmus pricing
Users pointed out several issues with the pricing revision. Features stayed completely unchanged despite the 151% increase. The elimination of the affordable Basic tier forced everyone into enterprise-level pricing regardless of their actual needs.
Many linked the price hike to Validity’s acquisition and noted the company’s reputation for aggressive pricing. Layoffs occurred just before the increase, raising questions about financial motives. The community response included mass cancellations and public complaints about feeling exploited.
One user described the situation as forcing customers to “pay off that acquisition.” When a service triples its price overnight while keeping everything identical, people see that as opportunistic rather than value-driven.
What is Litmus saying about the price change?
The company is targeting larger teams willing to pay premium prices for email testing tools.
Maintaining preview accuracy across 100+ email clients requires significant infrastructure investment and ongoing maintenance costs. Their preview quality remains among the best available in the market.
However, customers counter that if these features warranted $500 monthly, the original pricing should have reflected that value from the start.
The sudden jump without corresponding improvements suggests the previous pricing was appropriate, and the new model capitalizes on customer dependency.
Should you negotiate with Litmus or switch?
If you’re currently on Litmus, you have options beyond accepting the new pricing at face value.
Negotiation tactics
Validity’s pricing model accommodates negotiation, so customers have successfully pushed back on the initial quote:
- Contact them before renewal with cancellation intent
- Reference specific competitors and their pricing
- Request rates matching your previous plan
- Ask for custom quotes with reduced limits
Results vary, but negotiated pricing typically still exceeds pre-August rates.
Better Litmus alternatives to consider
Several email testing platforms offer comparable functionality at significantly lower price points:
| Alternative | Starting price | Key advantage |
| Email on Acid | $74/month (annual) | 90% cheaper with similar preview quality |
| Parcel | $25/month | Built for developers who code emails |
| Stripo | Free tier available | Drag-and-drop builder with testing |
We’ve compared Email on Acid vs Litmus, and we believe it offers nearly identical functionality (email previews, spam testing, analytics) for $888 annually, compared to Litmus’s $4,980. The feature gap doesn’t justify the price difference for most users.
Who should still consider Litmus?
Despite the pricing controversy, some organizations may find value in the Core plan depending on their needs and budget allocation.
Large enterprises with email teams of 10+ people typically have budgets that absorb the $6,000 annual cost without significant impact. Brands running 150+ email tests monthly (approaching the 2,000 preview limit) get proportional value from the usage caps.
Organizations that require advanced collaboration workflows and approval systems may benefit from Enterprise features. Companies where email testing accounts for a negligible share of their marketing budget might not feel price pressure.
Most small teams, agencies, solo marketers, and startups find better returns with alternative platforms that match their actual testing volume and budget constraints.
Stop overpaying for basic email testing
Litmus’s price hike reveals what many suspected — email testing tools have been overpriced for years. You’ve been paying premium rates for features that are available elsewhere at a fraction of the cost (or even free).
But there’s one more thing that’s more important than simply how your email looks. Your emails need to reach inboxes, not get buried in spam folders. EmailWarmup.com addresses deliverability without enterprise pricing:
- Free email spam checker extension showing inbox rates in Gmail and Outlook
- Unlimited free deliverability testing across 50+ mailbox providers
- Unlimited access to an email deliverability consultant
- Personalized email warmup starting at $0
We can set everything up right away. Want to know how?
Frequently asked questions about Litmus pricing
Here are some commonly asked questions about Litmus pricing changes:
August 1, 2025. The change took effect immediately without customer notification.
No. Litmus eliminated the Basic tier entirely. Core ($500/month) is now the minimum entry point.
Email on Acid provides email preview testing, spam analysis, and analytics starting at $74/month (annual billing). Features closely match Litmus Core while costing 90% less.
If you send complex HTML emails across multiple email clients, preview testing catches rendering issues before sending. Simple text emails or tested templates don’t need expensive preview tools.
References
- G2. (2025). Litmus email marketing software reviews and pricing. G2 Crowd, Inc.
- Litmus. (2025). Pricing and plans: Email marketing and collaboration tools. Litmus Software, Inc.
- Reddit. (2025). Email marketing community discussions on Litmus pricing changes. Reddit, Inc.
- Validity, Inc. (2025). Litmus acquisition and product integration announcement. Validity, Inc.
