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How to build an email list without Mailchimp: a hosted landing page, a form, and a welcome sequence that runs itself, all of which systeme.io gives you free with 2,000 contacts and unlimited sends, and none of which needs a website. Mailchimp’s free plan now stops at 250 contacts and 500 sends a month with no automations, which is the reason most people are reading this.
What you need: a page, a form, a sequence, no website
An email list needs somewhere for people to sign up and something that happens when they do. That is a landing page with a form and a short automated sequence. A website is optional; a hosted page on a subdomain works, and the free plan includes one custom domain if you own one.
Set it up in four steps
- Create a funnel with the “build an audience” goal; systeme.io adds an opt-in page and a thank-you page from templates.
- Write the page: one headline, one promise (a checklist, a short guide, a template), one email field.
- Build the workflow: form submitted, send the lead magnet, wait two days, send your best piece, wait two days, send the offer. The free plan includes one workflow.
- Publish on the free subdomain or your domain, and set DKIM and DMARC at your registrar so the emails land.
How to build a landing page without WordPress
A hosted builder skips hosting, themes and plugins entirely. On systeme.io the page is a template with blocks you swap; there is nothing to update and nothing to break. The trade is design freedom: fewer blocks and less precision than a WordPress page builder. For an opt-in page that is fine; the page has one job.
How to build a sales page without a website
Same funnel, one more page: a sales page with an order form connected to Stripe or PayPal. The file or the course access is delivered automatically, and the buyer’s email joins the list. systeme.io takes 0% of the sale. One caveat that catches people outside the US and EU: Stripe or PayPal has to be available for your country, or there is nothing to connect.
Mailchimp’s free plan, and why people leave it
250 contacts, 500 sends a month or 250 a day, one seat, no automations. That is one newsletter a month to a small list with no welcome email. Essentials starts at $13 a month for up to four automation steps. Kit’s free tier holds 10,000 subscribers but also has no automations. systeme.io’s free plan is the one where the sequence runs.
Free plan, no card. Affiliate link; we earn a commission on paid plans.
Frequently asked questions
How do I build an email list without Mailchimp?
Use a free tool with a hosted landing page and automation. systeme.io gives 2,000 contacts, unlimited sends, a form and one workflow free; Mailchimp free has 250 contacts and no automations.
Can I build a landing page without WordPress?
Yes. A hosted builder like systeme.io publishes the page on a subdomain or your own domain with nothing to host or update.
Can I build a sales page without a website?
Yes. Add a sales page with an order form to the same funnel; delivery is automatic and the platform fee is 0%. Stripe or PayPal must be available in your country.
Is Mailchimp still free?
For 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, without automations. Past that it starts at $13 a month.
Related: free Mailchimp alternatives, funnel builder for beginners, systeme.io vs Mailchimp.