Brevo Review: A No-BS Look at This Budget Email Marketing Platform

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) has positioned itself as the affordable alternative to Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign. But is cheap actually good? After digging through real user feedback and testing the platform, here's what you need to know before you sign up.

The short version: Brevo is genuinely solid for small businesses that need email marketing, basic automation, and don't want to pay per contact. But it has limitations that become frustrating as you scale. Let's break it down.

What Is Brevo?

Brevo is an all-in-one marketing platform that handles email campaigns, SMS marketing, WhatsApp messaging, live chat, and CRM functionality. The company rebranded from Sendinblue in May 2023 and now serves over 500,000 businesses worldwide with a 4.3-star rating on Trustpilot.

What sets Brevo apart is its pricing model: you pay based on the number of emails you send, not the size of your contact list. This is a big deal if you have a large list but only email occasionally. Most competitors will charge you for every subscriber whether you email them or not.

Founded in Paris in 2012, Brevo has grown from a simple email tool to a comprehensive marketing suite. The rebrand to Brevo in 2023 signaled their expansion beyond email into a true multi-channel platform. The company now employs over 850 people focused on product development and customer support.

Brevo Pricing: The Real Numbers

Here's the current pricing breakdown for Brevo's Marketing Platform:

Annual plans get you a 10% discount, dropping the Starter plan to about $8.08/month and Standard to $16.17/month when paid yearly. For a deeper dive into what each tier includes, check out our full Brevo pricing breakdown.

How Brevo Pricing Scales by Volume

The email volume tiers work like this:

Beyond 100,000 emails monthly, you need to upgrade to Standard (up to 1 million emails) or Professional plans. This pricing structure favors businesses with large contact lists but moderate sending volume.

Hidden Costs to Watch For

The base prices look great, but extras add up:

That $9/month Starter plan suddenly becomes $18/month if you want to remove branding. Add SMS capabilities and extra users, and costs climb quickly. Something to factor into your budget.

Pay-As-You-Go Option Explained

If you don't send regularly, prepaid email credits are available. One credit equals one email, credits never expire, and you get Starter plan features without a monthly commitment. Packs range from 5,000 to 1 million credits. Useful for seasonal businesses or one-off campaigns.

When you purchase email credits, the "Sent with Brevo" logo is automatically removed from your emails - a nice perk compared to the monthly Starter plan where you'd pay extra for this.

What Brevo Actually Does Well

User-Friendly Email Builder

The drag-and-drop email editor is legitimately easy to use. Even complete beginners can create professional-looking emails in minutes. The brand assets feature saves your logos, colors, and fonts so campaigns stay consistent. There are about 47 email templates organized by purpose (welcome, sales, re-engagement, etc.), though some users find the template selection limited compared to competitors like Constant Contact.

The email builder includes a visual image editor that lets you crop, resize, add filters, and manipulate images directly within the platform. You don't need external tools like Canva for basic image edits. The responsive design preview shows how emails look on desktop, tablet, and mobile before sending.

Recent updates added AI-powered content suggestions through Brevo's AI assistant, Aura. It can help write subject lines, generate email copy, and optimize send times based on subscriber behavior patterns.

Solid Automation for the Price

Brevo's automation builder punches above its weight. You can build workflows for welcome sequences, abandoned carts, and behavioral triggers. The visual editor is straightforward, and you can even automate SMS and WhatsApp messages within the same workflow - something many competitors don't offer at this price point.

That said, automation on the free and Starter plans is limited to 2,000 contacts entering automations. You'll need the Standard plan ($18/month) for unlimited automation contacts. This limitation hits faster than you'd think if you're running multiple workflows.

Automation Capabilities Deep Dive

Brevo's automation includes:

The automation builder supports multi-channel workflows, meaning one automation can send an email, wait for engagement, then follow up via SMS if there's no response. This cross-channel capability is rare at Brevo's price point.

However, some users report occasional loading issues with the automation builder when building complex workflows. The interface can get clunky with many branches and conditions. More in-app guidance for advanced setups would help.

Built-In CRM

Every plan includes a basic CRM with deal pipelines, contact management, and activity tracking. It won't replace HubSpot or Salesforce, but for small businesses managing leads alongside marketing, it's a nice bonus. You can customize deal stages, set probability percentages, and log communication history without paying for separate software.

The default pipeline includes 7 stages: New > Qualifying > Demo scheduled > Pending commitment > In negotiation > Won/Lost. You can customize these stages to match your sales process.

CRM Features Breakdown

The free CRM includes:

The Sales Advanced package ($64/month) adds features like proposal tracking, document sharing, advanced reporting, team collaboration tools, and automated deal creation based on website behavior.

For B2B companies juggling leads and opportunities, this built-in CRM eliminates the need for separate tools like Pipedrive or Close in the early stages. Once you hit the 50 deal limit or need multiple pipelines, the upgrade cost is still reasonable compared to standalone CRM pricing.

Multi-Channel Messaging

Beyond email, Brevo handles SMS marketing, WhatsApp campaigns, and live chat. The live chat (called Brevo Conversations) is available on the free plan with unlimited chats and full conversation history. The Pro version at $15/month per user adds features like visitor tracking, typing insights, and advanced routing.

WhatsApp integration is only available on Professional and Enterprise plans. It includes 1,000 free messages per month before credits kick in. WhatsApp pricing varies by recipient country and message type (marketing vs. utility templates).

SMS Pricing Details

SMS credits work on a pay-as-you-go basis across all plans. Costs vary significantly by destination:

One SMS credit equals one message segment (typically 160 characters). Longer messages consume multiple credits. For US-based businesses sending MMS (messages with images) via toll-free numbers, pricing equals 2.1 SMS credits per message.

Credits never expire, making them useful for occasional SMS campaigns without monthly commitments.

WhatsApp Business Integration

WhatsApp campaigns require Professional or Enterprise plans. As of April 2025, Meta temporarily suspended WhatsApp marketing templates to US phone numbers (+1 country code), limiting US-based marketing use.

WhatsApp pricing depends on recipient country and template type (marketing or utility). There are no setup fees or monthly subscription costs beyond the base Brevo plan. Credits are purchased as needed and never expire.

The first 1,000 WhatsApp messages monthly are free on Professional/Enterprise plans, after which you purchase credits. This makes WhatsApp viable for businesses with international audiences or those replacing SMS with a more cost-effective channel.

Transactional Email

All Brevo plans include transactional email capabilities - emails triggered by user actions like purchase confirmations, password resets, shipping notifications. You get:

This is valuable for ecommerce sites, SaaS platforms, and apps that need reliable transactional messaging without paying for separate services like SendGrid or Amazon SES.

Landing Pages and Forms

Landing pages are only available on Standard plans and above. The Standard plan includes 1 landing page; additional pages cost extra. Landing pages use the same drag-and-drop builder as emails, with templates for lead generation, product launches, event registration, and downloads.

Form builder is available across all plans, including free. You can create signup forms, embedded forms, popups, and floating boxes to capture leads. Forms integrate directly with contact lists and can trigger automation workflows.

Double opt-in is supported to maintain list quality and comply with GDPR. This adds an extra confirmation step where subscribers verify their email before being added to your list.

Where Brevo Falls Short

Deliverability Is... Variable

This is the elephant in the room. Email deliverability testing shows Brevo's rates have fluctuated over the years. Recent tests from February 2025 show around 89.1% deliverability, which is decent but not industry-leading. For context, top performers like MailerLite consistently hit higher marks.

Looking at historical data:

The variability is worth considering. If your business lives or dies by email, this inconsistency could impact revenue.

Deliverability by Email Provider

Brevo's performance varies significantly by recipient email provider:

According to one deliverability report, 77.63% of Brevo emails landed in primary inboxes, 18.62% went to spam folders, and 4.20% were lost entirely.

To their credit, Brevo provides solid deliverability tools:

Brevo also enforces quality standards: high bounce rates (above 2%), unsubscribe rates (above 1%), or complaint rates (above 0.2%) can lead to account suspension. While frustrating for some users, these policies protect sender reputation for all customers on shared IPs.

Limited Templates

With around 47 templates, Brevo's selection is modest compared to competitors. Mailchimp offers hundreds; Constant Contact provides extensive options. Users wanting heavy customization or unique designs often find Brevo's options limiting.

Templates are organized by purpose (newsletters, sales, events, transactional), which helps, but variety within each category is thin. If visual uniqueness matters for your brand, you'll likely need to build custom templates or import HTML from external designers.

The trade-off is simplicity - fewer templates mean less decision paralysis. For businesses prioritizing function over form, the existing templates are clean and professional enough.

Advanced Features Behind Paywalls

The free plan is generous for getting started, but key features require upgrades:

This tiered approach is standard for SaaS, but the automation contact limit (2,000) on free/Starter plans is particularly restrictive for growing businesses.

300 Email Daily Limit on Free

The free plan caps you at 300 emails per day. That's roughly 9,000 emails per month if you max it out daily. Sounds okay until you realize sending to a 5,000 person list would take over two weeks, spreading out a time-sensitive campaign.

You can't schedule future campaigns if you've hit the daily limit. You must wait for the quota to reset. For anything beyond testing or very small audiences, you'll need to upgrade to Starter ($9/month) for the monthly cap of 5,000 emails with no daily restrictions.

User Management Limitations

The free and Starter plans are single-user only. If you need team collaboration, you're looking at:

For agencies or teams, this quickly becomes a cost consideration. Compare this to tools like MailerLite where the Advanced plan includes unlimited user seats.

Customer Support Quality

Support availability depends on your plan:

User reviews on customer support are mixed. Some praise the helpful responses and detailed documentation. Others complain about slow email response times and lack of phone support on lower tiers. Reddit threads show frustration with account suspensions without clear explanations.

Brevo maintains extensive documentation and help articles, which helps self-service troubleshooting. The community forum is active but not as robust as platforms like HubSpot.

Brevo Email Marketing Benchmarks

According to Brevo's own data analyzing over 44 billion emails, average performance metrics are:

These benchmarks vary significantly by industry:

Deliverability also varies by region, with Europe generally showing higher inbox placement rates due to GDPR compliance requirements. North America sees decent rates, with Canada outperforming the US slightly.

Brevo Integrations

Brevo integrates with major platforms including:

The API is well-documented with SDKs in multiple languages, making custom integrations feasible for developers. Webhooks provide real-time event notifications for automation workflows outside Brevo.

That said, the integration marketplace is smaller than competitors like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign. Some niche tools require Zapier as a bridge, adding another monthly cost.

Who Should Use Brevo?

Brevo is a good fit if you:

Look elsewhere if you:

Ideal Use Cases

Ecommerce stores: Brevo works well for online shops needing abandoned cart emails, product recommendation sequences, and transactional order notifications. The built-in CRM tracks customer value and purchase history.

B2B companies: Small B2B firms benefit from the free CRM, deal pipelines, and lead scoring on Professional plans. Marketing and sales data live in one platform.

Content creators and bloggers: Newsletter publishers with large subscriber lists but moderate sending frequency save significantly versus contact-based pricing models.

Agencies (with limitations): Small agencies can use sub-accounts on Enterprise plans to manage multiple clients, but the lack of white-label options limits reselling opportunities.

Non-profits: Budget-conscious non-profits get multi-channel capabilities and automation without expensive monthly commitments.

Brevo vs. The Competition

Brevo vs. Mailchimp

Brevo wins on price for larger lists since it doesn't charge per contact. A 10,000-contact list costs $138/month on Mailchimp's Standard plan; with Brevo, you pay based on emails sent, potentially saving hundreds monthly if you don't email frequently.

Mailchimp has more templates (hundreds vs. 47), better brand recognition, and a larger integration marketplace. The interface is slightly more polished. But Mailchimp gets expensive fast as you scale, and advanced automation requires Premium plans starting at $350/month.

Brevo includes SMS, WhatsApp, and CRM on all plans; Mailchimp charges extra for SMS and doesn't offer WhatsApp or native CRM beyond contact management.

Choose Brevo if: You have a large list, send occasionally, need multi-channel messaging, want built-in CRM.

Choose Mailchimp if: You prioritize brand reputation, need extensive templates, require advanced ecommerce features, prefer a more established ecosystem.

Brevo vs. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign has superior automation with more sophisticated conditional content, dynamic emails, and predictive sending. Deliverability is consistently strong. The CRM is more robust with advanced sales automation.

But ActiveCampaign costs significantly more. Plans start at $29/month for 1,000 contacts and climb to $149+/month for Professional features. At 10,000 contacts, you're paying $219/month for Plus plan features.

Brevo is the budget option for small businesses that don't need enterprise-level automation sophistication. If you're just starting with automation and can work within the 2,000 contact limit on cheaper plans, Brevo provides incredible value.

Choose Brevo if: Budget is tight, you need basic-to-intermediate automation, multi-channel is priority over email perfection.

Choose ActiveCampaign if: Automation complexity is critical, deliverability can't be compromised, you need advanced CRM and sales automation, budget allows for premium tools.

Brevo vs. MailerLite

MailerLite is better for forms, landing pages (unlimited on all paid plans), and has stronger, more consistent deliverability. The interface is cleaner and more intuitive. Template selection is better.

Brevo wins on multi-channel capabilities - SMS, WhatsApp, live chat - and CRM features. MailerLite's CRM is basic contact management; Brevo offers actual deal pipelines and sales tracking.

Pricing is similar at lower volumes but diverges as lists grow. MailerLite charges per subscriber; Brevo charges per email sent. If you have 10,000 subscribers but only send 20,000 emails monthly, Brevo is cheaper. If you send multiple emails weekly, MailerLite may cost less.

Choose Brevo if: You need CRM and deal tracking, multi-channel campaigns matter, you have large lists with moderate sending.

Choose MailerLite if: You prioritize email deliverability and simplicity, need unlimited landing pages, prefer straightforward pricing per contact, don't need CRM.

Brevo vs. GetResponse

GetResponse offers webinar hosting built-in (unique advantage), more advanced landing page builders with conversion funnels, and stronger marketing automation on mid-tier plans.

However, GetResponse uses contact-based pricing that gets expensive. A 10,000-contact list costs $85/month on their Marketing Automation plan. Brevo's usage-based model can be significantly cheaper for the same list size.

GetResponse doesn't include native SMS, WhatsApp, or live chat - these require third-party integrations. Brevo bundles everything into one platform.

Choose Brevo if: Multi-channel is essential, you want all-in-one simplicity, pricing predictability based on sending matters.

Choose GetResponse if: You run webinars regularly, need advanced sales funnels and conversion tracking, want sophisticated ecommerce automation.

Brevo vs. HubSpot

HubSpot is a completely different beast - a full marketing, sales, and service platform with industry-leading capabilities. The free CRM is excellent, and Marketing Hub offers sophisticated features.

But HubSpot gets expensive extremely fast. Marketing Hub starts at $20/month for basic features, but useful automation requires Professional at $890/month. For anything serious, you're looking at thousands monthly.

Brevo is the scrappy alternative for small businesses that can't justify HubSpot's cost. You sacrifice sophistication, reporting depth, and the extensive ecosystem, but you keep functionality at a fraction of the price.

Choose Brevo if: Budget is under $100/month, you're a small business or startup, basic automation and CRM suffice.

Choose HubSpot if: You're enterprise-level or well-funded, need sophisticated attribution and reporting, require extensive customization and integrations, budget allows for premium.

How to Get Started with Brevo

Step 1: Sign Up for Free

Start with Brevo's free plan - no credit card required. You get 300 emails daily, unlimited contacts up to 100,000, and access to core features including automation for 2,000 contacts. This lets you test the platform thoroughly before committing money.

Step 2: Import Your Contacts

Upload existing contacts via CSV, copy-paste, or integrate with your current platform. Brevo supports bulk imports and provides detailed guides for migrating from Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and other providers.

Set up double opt-in if GDPR compliance matters (recommended for EU audiences). Configure custom fields to store additional contact data beyond email addresses.

Step 3: Authenticate Your Domain

This is critical for deliverability. Follow Brevo's step-by-step guides to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records in your DNS settings. This proves you own the sending domain and dramatically improves inbox placement.

Most hosting providers make DNS changes straightforward. Brevo provides specific instructions for GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, and other common hosts.

Step 4: Create Your First Campaign

Use the drag-and-drop editor to build an email. Start simple - text and images, clear call-to-action. Test different templates to find what works for your brand.

Preview on multiple devices before sending. Brevo shows desktop, mobile, and tablet views to catch formatting issues.

Step 5: Set Up Basic Automation

Create a welcome sequence for new subscribers. This is the easiest automation to implement and provides immediate value:

Monitor automation performance in the analytics dashboard. Adjust wait times and content based on open and click rates.

Step 6: Track and Optimize

Use Brevo's reporting to monitor:

Test subject lines, send times, and content formats. Standard plan and above include A/B testing features to compare performance scientifically.

Brevo Security and Compliance

GDPR Compliance

Brevo is GDPR-compliant, important for businesses targeting EU audiences. Features include:

Security Features

For Enterprise customers, additional security options include SAML SSO integration, IP whitelisting, and dedicated support for compliance requirements.

Real User Experiences

What Users Love

Reddit and review site feedback highlights:

Common Complaints

Many complaints center around account suspensions triggered by Brevo's quality enforcement. While frustrating, these policies protect shared IP reputations. The lack of transparency around suspensions is a legitimate gripe.

Brevo for Specific Industries

Ecommerce

Brevo works well for online stores with integrations for Shopify, WooCommerce, and other platforms. Abandoned cart automations, product recommendations based on purchase history, and transactional emails for orders provide value.

The Professional plan adds advanced ecommerce features like revenue attribution, product performance tracking, and customer lifetime value calculations. For mid-sized shops, this competes with Klaviyo at a lower price point, though with less sophistication.

SaaS and Software

SaaS companies benefit from transactional email capabilities, user onboarding automations, and behavior-triggered campaigns. The API is robust for technical implementations.

Lead scoring on Professional plans helps identify hot prospects based on product page visits, documentation engagement, and email interactions. CRM integration tracks trials through to paid conversions.

Agencies

Agencies face challenges with Brevo. Enterprise plans offer sub-accounts for managing multiple clients, but lack white-label capabilities for reselling. The user seat limitations on lower plans make team collaboration expensive.

For smaller agencies managing just a few clients on their own accounts, Brevo's affordability is attractive. But agencies scaling to dozens of clients find limitations compared to platforms like specialized agency solutions.

Non-Profits

Budget-conscious non-profits get excellent value. The free plan supports substantial subscriber lists, and automation helps with donor engagement sequences. SMS capabilities are useful for event reminders and urgent appeals.

Brevo doesn't offer non-profit discounts like some competitors, but the base pricing is already so low it's less critical.

Mobile App Experience

Brevo offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, though functionality is limited compared to desktop. The apps allow:

You can't build campaigns or automations from mobile - these require desktop access. The app serves as a monitoring and quick-response tool rather than a full-featured mobile experience.

Learning Resources and Support

Brevo maintains extensive learning materials:

The community forum exists but isn't as active as some competitors. Most users rely on help articles and email support for problem-solving.

Recent Updates and Roadmap

Brevo continues evolving with recent additions including:

The company signals continued investment in AI-powered features, multi-channel capabilities, and ecommerce tools. The rebrand to Brevo reflected this evolution beyond "just email."

Final Verdict: Is Brevo Worth It?

Brevo delivers solid value for small businesses on a budget. The unlimited contacts model is genuinely appealing, the automation is capable for the price, and having email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat, and CRM in one platform simplifies your stack significantly.

But it's not perfect. Deliverability inconsistency, limited templates, and features locked behind higher tiers are real drawbacks. The 2,000-contact automation limit on cheaper plans hits faster than expected for growing businesses. If email is your primary revenue driver, the deliverability fluctuations alone might justify paying more for a platform like ActiveCampaign or investing in dedicated tools like Smartlead for outbound.

For most small businesses just getting started with email marketing or looking to consolidate tools without breaking the bank, Brevo is a smart choice. Start with the free plan to test it thoroughly, then upgrade to Starter ($9/month) or Standard ($18/month) when you hit the limits.

The sweet spot is businesses with 5,000-50,000 contacts sending 2-4 campaigns monthly. You'll save hundreds compared to contact-based pricing models while getting automation, CRM, and multi-channel capabilities that justify the investment.

Just be realistic about the limitations. If you need enterprise-grade deliverability, extensive templates, unlimited automation, and white-glove support, budget for ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, or similar premium platforms. If you're scrappy, growing, and cost-conscious, Brevo punches well above its weight class.

Looking for more options? Check out our roundup of the best email marketing software or dive into email marketing for small business strategies. If you're exploring CRM options beyond Brevo's built-in offering, see our guide to CRM for small business or check out the best CRM software picks.

For businesses focused on cold email outreach rather than newsletter marketing, consider specialized tools like Instantly or Lemlist that optimize for deliverability in sales contexts.