I’m Peter Carruthers, and I’ve been using direct marketing to win customers since 1984, when I started Link Technologies and sent sales letters through the post. Over the decades, those letters became email newsletters, websites and online courses, and I’ve worked with tools including WordPress and Systeme.io to run my own business. Along the way, I wrote Crashproof Your Business and trained more than 50,000 people. I know how easily a small business owner can spend money on software they don’t need. My recommendations come from more than forty years of practical experience, with one question in mind: what will help you earn an income without making your life unnecessarily complicated?
You need a way to reach people, explain what you offer, and help them take the next step. Choose the smallest, cheapest workable solution for the job you have today.
A sales funnel is simply a short journey: someone sees your offer, leaves their email address, hears from you, and decides whether to buy or ask a question. These tools can help you build the pages, send the emails and, where needed, take payment or deliver a course.
You can use them as a one-person business. Templates give you a starting point, and scheduled emails can follow up while you get on with your work. You will still need a useful offer and people who want it.
Find my starting pointAbout 3 minutes. No email address required.For combining email, sales pages, checkout and courses in one place while keeping costs low.
For an email-led business: newsletters, audience segments and email follow-up, especially when your website or course delivery is already sorted.
For a business focused on sales funnels, checkout journeys and conversion testing, with the budget and time to work on them.
For delivering and selling courses, coaching and memberships as a central part of your business.
The cost of learning marketing software is measured in hours as well as money. You have to understand the tools, build something useful, make mistakes and try again—all while running your business. A short free trial can disappear before you have found enough spare hours to give the software a fair chance.
Systeme.io’s free plan has no expiry date. Under its current limits, a business with 1,500 email subscribers can send a newsletter every week, use simple sales funnels and deliver one course without paying a software subscription. If those needs remain within the free allowance, that business could carry on for years. You can learn at your own pace and upgrade when you need more capacity.
ClickFunnels and Kajabi offer time-limited trials followed by paid subscriptions. Kit deserves credit: it also has an ongoing free plan and may be an excellent choice if email is your main requirement. What makes Systeme.io especially attractive is the combination of email, funnels, checkout and course delivery in one free account.
For a small business owner, having time to learn—and time to earn before adding a monthly bill—can make an enormous difference.
Plan details checked 4 October 2026: Systeme.io · Kit · ClickFunnels · Kajabi. “Free forever” describes the current non-expiring offer; providers can change their plans.
This is a first recommendation based on your answers, not a guarantee that every requirement is covered. Check the current plan and try your actual workflow before moving an existing business.
Tell me where you are stuck. Your email draft will include your answers and the suggested tool, so you do not have to explain everything again.
Open an email to PeterThis opens your email app. Review the draft and send it yourself. If no email app opens, write to peter@petercarruthers.com.
US dollars. Monthly billing unless stated. Checked 4 October 2026; plans and limits can change.
| Tool | Starting point | What to check | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | Free up to 2,000 contacts. Paid tiers: $17, $47 and $97/month. | Free includes 3 funnels and 1 course. Unlimited email sending. Choose by contacts and feature limits. | 4.9/5 8,610 reviews |
| Kit | Free up to 10,000 subscribers. Creator starts at $39/month for 1,000 subscribers. | Paid prices rise with list size. Advanced automation needs a paid plan; review the free plan's conditions. | 4.0/5 158 reviews |
| ClickFunnels | Launch $97/month; Scale $197/month; Optimize $297/month. | Launch includes 10,000 contacts and 50,000 emails/month. Larger lists or send volumes need a higher tier. | 4.7/5 2,484 reviews |
| Kajabi | Basic $179/month; Growth $249/month; Pro $499/month. | Basic includes 2,500 contacts and 5 products. Growth includes 25,000 contacts and 50 products. | 3.4/5 2,346 reviews |
Trustpilot ratings and review counts checked 4 October 2026. These are snapshots; follow the links to read the latest reviews.
Payment availability depends on your country and provider. A physical shop with complicated stock, shipping or tax requirements needs a closer review. Annual billing can reduce the monthly equivalent but requires a larger commitment.