MailerLite groups vs segments: manual or rule-based lists

The direct answer about MailerLite groups vs segments

In MailerLite, groups and segments are both lists of subscribers you can send a campaign to. A group changes only when you move a subscriber, when an automation moves one with an Action step, or when an integration does it through the API. A segment has at least one rule, and subscribers join and leave it on their own as they match or stop matching.

What a segment can filter on

Segment rules can use groups, fields, other segments, signup date, signup source, location, time zone, campaign and email activity, automation workflows, and purchases of MailerLite products. Conditions combine with "and", where all must match, or "or", where one is enough.

Which to use where

Use a group when a signup form or an import should place people in a list, or when an automation should start as someone joins it; welcome emails run on the Joins group trigger. Use a segment when the list should keep itself current, such as everyone who signed up in the last 60 days.

Groups, segments and automations

An automation can start when a subscriber joins a group, and a segment can sit inside a workflow as a Condition step, Segment membership, that splits the path in two. You can also start an automation from a saved segment, which then becomes its trigger.

Common mistakes

• Including one list and excluding another that share a subscriber: that person gets nothing, because exclusion wins over inclusion.
• Forgetting to save: a filtered list is not a segment until you click Save as segment.
• Worrying about duplicates: a subscriber in several groups counts once toward your plan.
• Deleting a group to remove people: it deletes the group only, and the subscribers stay in the account.

Plans and limits

The plan limit that matters here is automations: 3 on Free, 50 on Comfort and unlimited on Power, and multiple triggers in one automation only on Power. A new account gets 14 days of premium features without a credit card.