Litmus, a leading email testing platform, has recently undergone significant pricing changes, sparking a lot of discussions within the email marketing community. In August 2025, the company overhauled its pricing structure, eliminating its affordable plans and significantly raising rates. In this article, we’ll break down what changed, what it means for businesses, and explore some alternatives.
How Litmus Pricing Looks 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 | Identical features | No improvements |
Overview of the Litmus Pricing Change in August 2025
On August 1st, Litmus completely revamped its pricing structure, catching many existing customers by surprise. This change came without prior warning, with many users noticing the increase through unexpected charges. Here’s what happened:
What the Price Hike Looks Like
The most notable change was the jump in price for the Litmus Plus plan, which rose from $199 to $500 per month—a shocking 151% increase. If you’re paying monthly, this translates to an extra $3,612 annually. The Basic plan, which was previously available for solo users and small teams at a price of $99/month, was also eliminated completely.
The Impact on Small Businesses and Freelancers
For freelancers, small agencies, and businesses that previously relied on the Basic plan, this price hike has made Litmus nearly inaccessible. These users are now forced into the $500/month Core plan, which significantly increases their costs. Without any advance notice or opt-out window, many users felt frustrated by the sudden shift in pricing.
Why Did This Happen?
Litmus was acquired by Validity Inc. in April 2025, just a few months before these price hikes were rolled out. Validity is known for its aggressive pricing strategies, and many customers are now questioning if this price increase is part of a broader plan to recover acquisition costs or target larger, enterprise-level clients.
Current Litmus Pricing Structure
Here’s a look at the current pricing structure for Litmus, as of August 2025:
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | $500 | $5000/year (Save 17%) | Small teams (5+ users) |
| Enterprise | Custom Quote | Custom Quote | Large email teams |
| Deliverability Add-On | Custom Quote | Custom Quote | Advanced needs |
Note: Annual billing saves 17%, but this still means paying $5,000 upfront for features that were previously priced at $2,388 annually.
What Do You Get for $500/Month?
The Core plan includes a variety of features and limits:
| Feature | Monthly Limit | What This Means |
|---|---|---|
| Full Users | 5 seats | Full access for team members |
| Email Previews | 2,000 | Tests across different client/device versions |
| Analytics Opens | 500,000 | Tracked email opens per month |
| Personalized Impressions | 50,000 | Dynamic content views (e.g., countdown timers) |
Testing Costs Add Up Quickly:
For instance, testing one email across six Outlook versions and three Apple Mail versions could consume 18 previews per test. This means you can run about 111 tests before reaching your monthly preview cap.
View Work Sample
Core Features Include:
- Automated QA checks across 100+ email clients
- Code/no-code email builder
- Personalization templates
- Integrations with ESPs like Mailchimp, Klaviyo
- Dedicated email/chat support
Despite the significant price increase, Litmus Core provides exactly the same feature set as the previous Plus plan.
Was the Price Increase Justified?
Many customers have voiced their frustration with the price hike, especially since the features remain unchanged. While Litmus may be positioning itself as a premium solution for larger teams, many feel that the previous pricing model was more appropriate.
Customer Feedback: What Are They Saying?
The reactions have been largely negative. Many users feel that the price increase was simply a way to capitalize on their dependency on Litmus without providing additional value. The absence of the Basic plan has left freelancers and small businesses with no affordable alternatives.
“It feels like Litmus is forcing us to pay for the acquisition,” one user commented, reflecting the sentiment that this sudden increase is driven by internal restructuring rather than product enhancements.
Litmus’ Official Response to the Price Increase
According to Litmus, the new pricing reflects the need for continued investment in infrastructure to maintain high-quality email previews across over 100 email clients. They justify the increase by emphasizing their premium features and support.
However, many users argue that these same features should have been priced reasonably from the start, and the sudden jump in costs feels like an opportunistic move.
Should You Negotiate with Litmus or Switch?
If you are currently using Litmus, you don’t have to accept the price increase without exploring alternatives or negotiating better terms.
Negotiation Tactics
There’s room for negotiation, and some users have successfully reduced their pricing by taking the following steps:
- Contact Litmus before your renewal with cancellation intent.
- Reference competitors’ pricing to highlight cheaper alternatives.
- Request a custom quote with reduced limits.
However, even after negotiation, prices still tend to be higher than what users were paying pre-August.
Better Alternatives to Litmus
Several email testing platforms offer similar functionality at a much lower cost. Here are some alternatives:
| Alternative | Starting Price | Key Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Email on Acid | $74/month (annual) | 90% cheaper with similar preview quality |
| Parcel | $25/month | Great for developers who code emails |
| Stripo | Free tier available | Drag-and-drop builder with testing |
For example, Email on Acid offers comparable features to Litmus for just $888 annually, compared to Litmus’s $5,000. Many find that the additional cost of Litmus is not justified by the minor feature gap.
Should You Still Consider Litmus?
If you’re a large organization with complex email testing needs, Litmus Core might still be worth considering. However, smaller businesses and freelancers should seriously explore more affordable alternatives.
At XHTMLTEAM, we understand the frustration surrounding Litmus’ price changes, and we’ve subscribed to the $500/month plan to ensure we can continue offering high-quality email testing services to our clients. If you need Litmus testing for your email templates—whether from Figma, Framer, or Canva—don’t hesitate to reach out to XHTMLTEAM. We’re here to provide cost-effective solutions with Litmus testing included.