Independent guide by Shinya Hatano of Kept Picks (keptpicks.com). Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Systeme.io. This page contains affiliate links: if you create an account through one, we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Short answer
The Systeme.io free plan is permanent and needs no credit card. According to Systeme.io's own comparison table (checked September 14, 2026), it includes 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels with 15 steps, 1 automation rule, 1 workflow, 1 tag, 1 email campaign, 1 course, 1 blog and 1 custom domain, plus unlimited email sends, unlimited file storage and 0% transaction fees.
In practice, the first walls are not contacts or funnels. They are automation (1 rule, 1 workflow, 1 tag), and one step the pricing page never lists: you cannot send any email until you verify a custom domain.
Start on the free plan (affiliate link)
Every free plan limit
From the comparison table on systeme.io/pricing, September 14, 2026:
- Contacts: 2,000
- Tags: 1
- CRM pipelines: 1
- Sales funnels: 3, with 15 funnel steps
- Automation rules: 1
- Workflows: 1
- Email campaigns: 1 (emails sent: unlimited)
- Courses: 1, up to 500 students
- Blogs: 1 (blog posts: unlimited)
- Websites: 1
- Custom domains: 1
- 1-click upsells: 1, order bumps: 1, coupon codes: 1
- Sub-accounts: unlimited
- File storage: unlimited
- Transaction fees: 0%
What we found on a real free account
We set up a Systeme.io free account to see where it stops. Three things stood out.
You cannot send email until you verify a domain. The sender address list stays empty, so you cannot send even a test email, until a custom domain is connected and verified in the email settings. "Unlimited emails" is accurate after that step, not before it. Budget time for it before you plan to send anything on day one.
Funnels do not start as a blank canvas. Choosing a funnel goal generated a two-step opt-in funnel with a template already attached.
Sub-accounts really are free. Creating one needed no approval step, and each is a separate workspace with its own contacts and funnels.
This page is published on the blog that comes with that same free account.
Which limit you will hit first
If you run one lead magnet with one welcome sequence, the free plan covers it. The moment you need a second automated sequence, such as a welcome series plus a separate follow-up for buyers, you are past 1 automation rule and 1 workflow. With 1 tag, you also get only a single label for segmenting contacts. For most people, those limits arrive long before 2,000 contacts or a fourth funnel.
A contradiction on the official pricing page
Systeme.io's pricing page disagrees with itself. The comparison table lists the $17 Startup plan with 10 sales funnels and the $47 Webinar plan with 50. The FAQ further down the same page, marked "Last updated: April 2026", describes Startup as having "unlimited funnels" and Webinar as "unlimited everything".
If the number of funnels decides which plan you pick, check the limit inside your own account before paying. Do not rely on either sentence alone.
When the free plan stops being enough
- More than one automation sequence or tag: Startup ($17/month) has 10 automation rules, 5 workflows and 10 tags.
- More than 2,000 contacts: Startup allows 5,000. Webinar ($47/month) allows 10,000.
- Automated evergreen webinars: Webinar plan and above.
- No caps at all: Unlimited ($97/month).
Prices are monthly, as shown on systeme.io/pricing on September 14, 2026.
Create a free Systeme.io account (affiliate link)
Frequently asked questions
Does the Systeme.io free plan expire?
No. It is permanent and does not ask for a credit card.
Can I send emails on the free plan?
Yes, and sends are unlimited, but only after you verify a custom domain. Until then the sender list is empty.
How many funnels does the free plan include?
3 sales funnels, with up to 15 steps in total.
Does Systeme.io take a cut of sales on the free plan?
No. Transaction fees are 0% on every plan. Your payment processor, Stripe or PayPal, still charges its normal fees.
What is the tightest limit in practice?
Automation: 1 automation rule, 1 workflow and 1 tag.
Free funnel template (imports in one click)
We built a two-step lead-magnet funnel that stays inside the free plan's limits: an opt-in page with the email field wired to a thank-you page, with placeholder copy in brackets. Open the link while logged in to Systeme.io (a free account is enough) and it copies into your account.
Import the free lead-magnet funnel (affiliate link: a funnel-sharing link is also an affiliate link, so if you create an account through it we may earn a commission at no cost to you)
What is in it: an opt-in page (headline, one-line promise, email field, button) and a thank-you page. It uses 2 of the 15 funnel steps on the free plan and no automation rule, so your single free rule stays available for the welcome email.
More detail
Shinya Hatano writes Kept Picks, an independent comparison site operated from Japan. Figures were checked against systeme.io/pricing on September 14, 2026. Plans change without notice, so confirm on the official page before you buy.