Brevo Reviews: The No-BS Guide to This Email Marketing Platform

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) has been around since 2012 and now serves over 500,000 active users. It's positioned itself as the budget-friendly alternative to Mailchimp, and honestly? For most small businesses, it delivers on that promise.

But it's not perfect. After digging through user reviews, testing the platform, and analyzing the pricing structure, here's what you actually need to know before signing up.

Quick Verdict: Is Brevo Worth It?

Yes, for most small to medium businesses on a budget. Brevo's biggest advantage is its pricing model—you pay based on emails sent, not contacts stored. This means you can have unlimited contacts without watching your bill skyrocket every time someone subscribes.

The free plan is genuinely useful (not just a demo), and paid plans start at just $9/month for 5,000 emails. If you're coming from Mailchimp, expect to save around 72% according to independent comparisons.

However, if you need advanced marketing automation or landing pages on a budget, you'll need to upgrade to the Business plan at $18/month minimum.

Brevo Pricing Breakdown

Here's what you'll actually pay:

Free Plan - $0/month

The free plan is solid for testing or very small lists. The daily limit is the catch—if you have a list of 500 and want to send a newsletter, you'll need to spread it over two days.

Starter Plan - $9-$69/month

The Starter plan removes the daily cap but keeps most limitations. If you want to remove Brevo's logo from your emails, budget an extra $12/month.

Business (Standard) Plan - $18-$669/month

This is where Brevo starts making sense for serious marketers. The unlimited automation and A/B testing justify the price jump for growing businesses.

Professional Plan - Starting at $499/month

Designed for high-volume senders. Most small businesses won't need this.

Want a detailed breakdown of all the pricing tiers? Check out our complete Brevo pricing guide.

What Users Actually Love About Brevo

The Drag-and-Drop Editor

Brevo's email builder is genuinely beginner-friendly. Users consistently praise how easy it is to create campaigns, even without design experience. Templates are organized by purpose (welcome emails, newsletters, promotions), and customization is intuitive. One reviewer noted they could create their first email campaign in about 8 minutes.

Value for Money

On Trustpilot, Brevo has over 6,700 reviews with users frequently highlighting the pricing as "reasonable" and the transition from other platforms as "easy." Multiple reviews mention switching from more expensive platforms and finding Brevo to be a fraction of the cost.

Multi-Channel Marketing

Unlike many competitors, Brevo includes SMS, WhatsApp messaging, live chat, and transactional emails all in one platform. If you're running a small ecommerce store, having email, SMS, and chat in one dashboard is genuinely convenient.

Unlimited Contacts

This is Brevo's killer feature. Most email platforms charge you more as your list grows. Brevo charges based on emails sent. You can store 100,000 contacts on the free plan and only pay when you actually email them.

Customer Support

Users describe support as "fast, efficient, and helpful" with quick issue resolution. Even free plan users get access to email support, which isn't common in this space.

What Sucks About Brevo

The 300 Email Daily Limit (Free Plan)

This is annoying. If you have a list of 1,000 people and want to send a newsletter, you're spreading it over 4 days. For time-sensitive content, this is a deal-breaker. Upgrade or look elsewhere.

Limited Templates

Some users report the template selection feels limited compared to competitors. If you need highly customized, brand-specific designs, you might find the options constraining.

Automation Complexity

While Brevo handles basic and linear workflows well, marketers who rely heavily on complex automation sequences report limitations. If you need advanced automation, ActiveCampaign is probably a better choice.

Landing Page Limitations

Landing pages aren't available on Starter. On Business, you get exactly one. Want more? That's an extra fee. Competitors like MailerLite give you 10 landing pages for free. If landing pages are central to your strategy, consider Leadpages or similar dedicated tools.

Account Suspensions

Some users report getting accounts suspended for high unsubscribe rates, even with opted-in lists. Brevo is strict about spam complaints, which is good for deliverability but can frustrate legitimate marketers in sensitive niches.

Hidden Costs Add Up

The base prices look great, but extras pile on:

Brevo Deliverability: Does Your Email Actually Arrive?

Deliverability is the metric that matters most—if your emails hit spam folders, nothing else matters.

Brevo currently scores around 81/100 on deliverability tests, which represents "good performance" according to independent testing. It's not the absolute best, but it's solid for the price point. GDPR compliance is built-in, and the platform supports proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).

Who Should Use Brevo?

Brevo is great for:

Brevo isn't great for:

Brevo vs. The Competition

If you're evaluating email marketing tools, here's how Brevo stacks up:

vs. Mailchimp: Brevo is significantly cheaper, especially as your list grows. Mailchimp charges per contact; Brevo charges per email sent. For large lists with moderate send frequency, Brevo wins on price.

vs. AWeber: AWeber is comparable on price but charges based on subscribers. Brevo's unlimited contacts model is better if you have a large list you don't email frequently.

vs. ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign has superior automation but costs more. If automation is your priority, pay extra for ActiveCampaign. If budget is your priority, Brevo works.

Looking for the best email marketing software for small business? Check out our complete comparison guide.

The Bottom Line

Brevo delivers solid email marketing at a price that undercuts most competitors. The unlimited contacts model is genuinely valuable for growing businesses, and the free plan is functional enough to actually use (not just test).

The catches are real though: limited landing pages, basic templates, and that annoying 300/day cap on free accounts. If you can live with those limitations or afford the $18/month Business plan, Brevo is worth considering.

Start with the free plan—no credit card required—and see if it fits your workflow before committing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brevo really free?

Yes, Brevo offers a genuinely free plan with 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts (up to 100K storage), automation, and web tracking. No credit card required. The catch is Brevo branding on all emails and the daily sending limit.

Can I remove Brevo branding?

Not on the free plan. On the Starter plan, you can remove branding for an additional $12/month. Business plan and above include branding removal at no extra cost.

What's the cheapest way to get started with Brevo?

The free plan works for lists under 300 contacts who don't mind spreading sends over multiple days. The Starter plan at $9/month for 5,000 emails/month is the cheapest paid option, but you'll likely want to add the $12/month branding removal.

Does Brevo integrate with WordPress?

Yes, Brevo has a dedicated WordPress plugin that works with WooCommerce for transactional emails and marketing campaigns. Integration is straightforward.

Is Brevo good for ecommerce?

For small ecommerce stores, yes. Brevo integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce, and having email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one platform covers most channels small stores need. Larger operations might outgrow it.