Email Marketing Software Comparison: Cutting Through the Noise

Every email marketing platform claims to be the best. None of them are lying-they're just not telling you the whole truth either. The "best" platform depends entirely on your list size, sending volume, budget, and whether you actually need fancy automation or just want to send newsletters without getting ripped off.

I've dug through the pricing pages, tested the interfaces, and read the fine print so you don't have to. Here's what you need to know about the major players in email marketing software.

Quick Comparison: The Bottom Line

If you're in a hurry, here's the summary:

Now let's break down each platform in detail.

What to Look For in Email Marketing Software

Before diving into specific platforms, you need to understand the key factors that actually matter when choosing email marketing software. Don't get distracted by flashy features you'll never use.

Ease of Use

The platform you select shouldn't require a computer science degree to operate. Look for drag-and-drop functionality, pre-made template designs, and various layouts that help structure your campaigns without starting from scratch every time.

If you spend three hours figuring out how to send a simple newsletter, something's wrong. The best platforms have intuitive interfaces where you can create and send your first campaign in under 20 minutes.

Automation Features

Automated workflows eliminate manual tasks and keep your audience engaged when you're not actively working. Essential automation features include:

Not every business needs complex automation. If you're just sending a monthly newsletter, basic automation might be overkill. But if you're nurturing leads or running an online store, automation becomes essential.

Audience Segmentation

Success comes from delivering the right emails to the right people at the right time. You should be able to group subscribers based on similarities, interests, purchase history, engagement levels, and custom fields.

Basic segmentation lets you filter by location or sign-up date. Advanced segmentation lets you create dynamic lists that update automatically based on subscriber behavior-like "everyone who clicked the pricing link but didn't buy."

Email Deliverability

The tool you select should deliver your emails directly into the inbox, not the spam folder. Not all email marketing services have the same deliverability rate-some consistently hit 98%+ inbox placement while others struggle to reach 85%.

Deliverability depends on the platform's sender reputation, infrastructure, authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and relationships with major ISPs like Gmail and Yahoo.

Customer Support

At some point, you'll find yourself stuck or unable to find the solution you need. Quality support is crucial to overcoming technical problems, whether through email, live chat, or phone.

Check what support channels are available on your pricing tier. Many platforms offer 24/7 chat support on higher plans but only email support (with 24-48 hour response times) on lower tiers.

Affordability and Scalability

Just because a platform is cheap now doesn't mean it stays that way. Look at pricing across multiple contact tiers-500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000 subscribers-to understand how costs will increase as you grow.

Some platforms charge based on contacts stored. Others charge by emails sent. Understanding the pricing model matters because one might be much cheaper depending on your sending patterns.

Mailchimp: The 800-Pound Gorilla

Mailchimp is what most people think of when they hear "email marketing." It's been around forever, it integrates with everything, and it's probably the platform your competitor uses.

Mailchimp Pricing

Mailchimp offers four plans: Free, Essentials, Standard, and Premium. The paid plans start at $13/month for 500 contacts and go up from there. Standard starts at $20/month, and Premium begins at a steep $350/month for 10,000 contacts.

The free plan allows up to 250 contacts (recently reduced from 500) but limits you to just 1,000 emails per month with a daily cap of 500 sends. That's not a typo-250 contacts, 1,000 sends. If you email your list four times a month, you're maxed out.

Essentials pricing scales quickly: $13/month for 500 contacts jumps to $45/month for 2,500 contacts. Monthly send limits are 10x your contact count on Essentials (so 5,000 sends for 500 contacts), 12x on Standard, and 15x on Premium.

Premium is designed for enterprise users with unlimited contacts, but it starts at $350/month for 10,000 contacts and climbs to over $1,300/month for larger lists.

What Mailchimp Gets Right

What Sucks About Mailchimp

Mailchimp has increased prices significantly over the years. The platform eliminated grandfathered pricing plans, forcing longtime users onto more expensive tiers. The free plan has been progressively gutted-automations were removed, contact limits dropped from 2,000 to 500 to 250, and advanced features disappeared.

The pricing scales aggressively with contact count. At 2,500 contacts, expect to pay around $45/month on Essentials or $60/month on Standard. At 10,000 contacts, Standard costs approximately $100/month while Premium jumps to $350/month.

Mailchimp now charges for unsubscribed and non-engaged contacts, which can significantly inflate your costs. You might have 5,000 total contacts but only 2,000 active subscribers-yet you're paying for all 5,000.

Customer support has been criticized heavily since Intuit's acquisition. The free plan offers support only for the first 30 days. After that, you're on your own unless you upgrade to a paid plan.

Bottom line: Mailchimp is fine. It's not exciting, but it works. Just budget for those price increases as your list grows, and don't expect stellar support unless you're on Premium.

Brevo: The Budget Champion

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) takes a different approach to pricing: they charge based on emails sent, not contacts stored. This can save you serious money if you have a big list but don't email them constantly.

Brevo Pricing

The free plan offers 300 emails per day (9,000/month) with unlimited contacts-way more generous than Mailchimp's free tier. That's enough to email a list of 300 people daily or 9,000 people once a month.

Paid plans start at $9/month (Starter) for 5,000 monthly emails and 500 contacts. Standard begins at $18/month for 5,000 emails and includes landing pages, unlimited automation, and advanced reporting. The Professional plan starts at higher volumes (150,000+ emails/month) with WhatsApp messaging included.

There's no contact limit penalty here-on most plans, you can have many subscribers without paying extra. The Professional plan introduced contact caps, but they're generous compared to competitors.

Brevo also offers pay-as-you-go credits that never expire. Buy credits in bulk (starting around 100 emails) and use them whenever needed. This works great for businesses with irregular sending patterns.

What Brevo Gets Right

What Sucks About Brevo

The Starter plan displays Brevo branding on your emails. Removing it costs an extra $9-12/month, which effectively doubles the price of the entry-level plan.

Some advanced features like A/B testing, heat maps, and detailed analytics require the Standard or Professional plans. The Starter plan has limited automation capacity (2,000 contacts in automations) which can be restrictive.

Customer support has been criticized as slow, especially on lower-tier plans. Many users report waiting 24-48 hours for email responses. Live chat is available but not 24/7.

The customization options for email templates feel more limited than competitors. The drag-and-drop editor works fine but lacks the polish and flexibility of platforms like ActiveCampaign or even Mailchimp.

Check out our full Brevo pricing breakdown and Brevo review for more details.

AWeber: The Reliable Workhorse

AWeber has been in the email game since 1998. It's not flashy, but it's reliable and straightforward.

AWeber Pricing

AWeber offers Free, Lite, Plus, and Unlimited plans. The free plan covers up to 500 subscribers and 3,000 emails/month-enough to get started but limiting for growing businesses.

The Lite plan starts at $12.50/month (billed annually) or $15/month monthly for 500 subscribers. It includes email automation, landing pages, and sign-up forms but restricts you to 1 email list, 1 custom segment, 3 automations, and 3 landing pages.

Plus runs $20/month annually or $30/month monthly for 500 subscribers. This removes the restrictions-you get unlimited automations, landing pages, lists, segments, and users. Monthly send limits are 12x your subscriber count.

An Unlimited plan exists at $899/month for businesses with massive lists (unlimited subscribers). Prices increase as your subscriber count grows-the Plus plan for 25,000 subscribers runs about $145/month.

What AWeber Gets Right

What Sucks About AWeber

The Lite plan restrictions are pretty limiting. Only 1 list, 3 automations, and 3 landing pages won't cut it for most businesses. You'll likely need to upgrade to Plus quickly, which doubles the monthly cost.

The automation features aren't as sophisticated as ActiveCampaign or even Brevo. You can build basic sequences and autoresponders, but complex conditional logic and advanced triggers are limited.

Template designs can feel dated compared to newer platforms. AWeber has been updating their template library, but many designs still look like they're from the early 2010s.

Some users have complained about recent changes including restricted sending capabilities and price increases. Long-time customers report being forced off grandfathered plans onto more expensive pricing tiers.

The platform lacks some modern features that competitors offer, like advanced behavioral segmentation, predictive sending, or sophisticated lead scoring.

Read our AWeber pricing guide for the complete cost breakdown.

Kit (Formerly ConvertKit): Built for Creators

Kit specifically targets bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, and "creators." If that's you, it might be worth the premium price. If you're running a traditional business, probably not.

Kit Pricing

Kit offers three plans: Newsletter (free), Creator, and Creator Pro. The free plan is genuinely generous-up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited emails, forms, and landing pages. The catch? Only a single automation sequence.

The Creator plan starts at $39/month for 1,000 subscribers (increased from $29 in recent price hikes). It jumps to $59/month for 3,000 subscribers and $89/month for 5,000 contacts. At 10,000 subscribers, you're paying $139/month.

Creator Pro adds advanced reporting, subscriber scoring, newsletter referral system, and Facebook custom audiences. It starts at $79/month for 1,000 subscribers and scales up from there.

Important: Kit raised prices significantly in late 2024. Some users report paying 3-4x more than before. The platform eliminated lower pricing tiers, pushing many creators onto more expensive plans.

What Kit Gets Right

What Sucks About Kit

The price increase in late 2024 fundamentally changed Kit's value proposition. At $39/month for 1,000 subscribers, it's now one of the more expensive options in the market.

Limited email templates-Kit deliberately keeps designs simple and text-focused, which works for some creators but frustrates others who want visually rich emails.

No A/B testing on the Creator plan. You need Creator Pro to split-test subject lines or content, which is frustrating given the high base price.

The free plan caps automation at just one sequence, which is extremely limiting. You can't even set up a basic welcome series plus a separate promotional sequence without upgrading.

The pricing increases significantly with list growth. At 50,000 subscribers, you're paying $389/month for Creator or $587/month for Creator Pro-substantially more than many competitors.

ActiveCampaign: The Automation Powerhouse

ActiveCampaign is what you get when email marketing and CRM have a baby. It's powerful, complex, and not cheap-but if automation is your priority, this is the platform.

ActiveCampaign Pricing

ActiveCampaign offers Starter, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans. There's no free plan-just a 14-day trial with 100 contacts and access to Pro features.

Starter runs $15-19/month for 1,000 contacts but lacks many key features. The Plus plan costs $49/month for 1,000 contacts and adds CRM, landing pages, and Facebook custom audiences. Pro is $79/month and includes predictive sending, attribution, and split automation.

At 5,000 contacts, pricing jumps significantly: Starter is around $79/month, Plus is $139/month, and Pro is $239/month. Enterprise requires custom pricing and starts around $349/month.

ActiveCampaign offers 20% off for annual billing and an additional 20% discount for non-profits (total 40% savings for qualified organizations).

What ActiveCampaign Gets Right

What Sucks About ActiveCampaign

No free plan-just a 14-day trial. This makes it hard to fully evaluate the platform before committing financially.

There's a learning curve. Beginners will need time to understand the full feature set. The interface can feel overwhelming initially, especially compared to simpler tools like AWeber or Brevo.

The Starter plan doesn't include direct eCommerce functionality, landing pages, or some automation features you'd expect. Most businesses will need at least the Plus plan to access the features that make ActiveCampaign powerful.

Email sending is capped at 10-15x your contact count per month depending on plan. While this is generous, high-volume senders might hit limits.

Live chat support isn't 24/7, and there's no phone support unless you're on Enterprise. Support quality varies-some users report excellent experiences while others complain about slow response times.

The platform underwent major restructuring in 2024 that eliminated grandfathered plans and raised rates significantly. Long-time customers saw bills increase 30-50% overnight.

Understanding Pricing Models: Contacts vs. Sends

Email marketing platforms use two primary pricing models, and understanding the difference can save you thousands of dollars annually.

Contact-Based Pricing

Most platforms (Mailchimp, AWeber, Kit, ActiveCampaign) charge based on how many contacts you store in your account. You pay a monthly fee for a certain contact tier-500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, etc.

Contact-based pricing works well if you:

The downside: You pay for every contact, even if they never open your emails. Inactive subscribers, unsubscribed contacts (on some platforms), and cold leads all inflate your bill.

Send-Based Pricing

Brevo uses send-based pricing-you pay for the number of emails you actually send, not how many contacts you store. You can have 50,000 contacts but only pay for 10,000 emails if you send monthly.

Send-based pricing works well if you:

The downside: If you email frequently, costs can add up quickly. Sending to 10,000 contacts weekly (40,000 emails/month) gets expensive fast.

Which Model Saves Money?

Do the math for your specific situation:

Example 1: You have 5,000 contacts and email them twice monthly (10,000 sends/month).

Example 2: You have 5,000 contacts and email them weekly (20,000 sends/month).

Example 3: You have 5,000 contacts and email them daily with segmented campaigns (150,000 sends/month).

Deliverability: What Actually Matters

You can have the best email copy in the world, but it doesn't matter if your messages land in spam. Deliverability-the percentage of emails that reach the inbox-varies significantly across platforms.

Deliverability Rankings

Based on independent testing and user reports:

Deliverability depends on multiple factors beyond the platform: your sender reputation, list quality, authentication setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), content quality, and engagement rates.

Improving Your Deliverability

Regardless of which platform you choose, follow these practices:

Some platforms offer dedicated IP addresses for an additional fee. This gives you complete control over your sender reputation but requires consistent sending volume to maintain IP warmth.

Pricing Comparison Table

PlatformFree PlanStarting Paid1,000 Contacts5,000 Contacts10,000 Contacts
Mailchimp250 contacts, 1K emails/mo$13/mo~$26/mo~$70/mo~$100/mo
Brevo300 emails/day, unlimited contacts$9/mo (5K emails)$9/mo*$9-35/mo*$9-35/mo*
AWeber500 contacts, 3K emails/mo$12.50-15/mo~$30/mo~$45/mo~$70/mo
Kit10K contacts, limited automation$39/mo$39/mo$89/mo$139/mo
ActiveCampaignNone (14-day trial)$15-19/mo$19-49/mo$79-139/mo$139-189/mo

*Brevo charges by emails sent, not contacts. Prices depend on sending volume. Based on 5,000-20,000 emails/month.

Feature Comparison: What You Actually Get

Pricing tells only part of the story. Let's compare what features you actually get at similar price points.

Email Editor Quality

Automation Sophistication

CRM and Sales Features

Landing Pages

A/B Testing

Integration Ecosystems

Your email marketing platform doesn't exist in isolation-it needs to connect with your other tools.

Native Integrations

All platforms connect to Zapier, which unlocks thousands of additional integrations. However, native integrations typically offer deeper functionality and better reliability than Zapier connections.

Critical Integrations to Check

Before committing to a platform, verify it connects with your essential tools:

Advanced Features: Who Needs Them?

Marketing platforms love promoting advanced features. But do you actually need them?

Predictive Sending

AI analyzes when each subscriber typically opens emails and sends at their optimal time. ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp offer this on higher plans.

Worth it if: You have a large, engaged list across multiple time zones. Can improve open rates 10-20%.

Skip it if: Your list is under 5,000 or primarily in one time zone.

Lead Scoring

Assigns points to contacts based on behaviors (email opens, link clicks, page visits, purchases). ActiveCampaign and Kit (Pro) offer robust lead scoring.

Worth it if: You have a long sales cycle and need to prioritize hot leads for your sales team.

Skip it if: You're doing simple e-commerce or have a short sales cycle where everyone gets the same treatment.

Dynamic Content

Shows different email content to different subscribers based on their data or behavior. ActiveCampaign (Plus+) and Mailchimp (Standard+) offer this.

Worth it if: You have distinct customer segments with very different needs (B2B vs. B2C, different product lines).

Skip it if: You can effectively segment your list and send separate campaigns to different groups.

SMS Marketing

Send text messages in addition to emails. Mailchimp, Brevo, and ActiveCampaign offer SMS as add-ons or included features.

Worth it if: Your audience is highly mobile-focused or you need time-sensitive communications (appointments, shipping updates).

Skip it if: Email alone achieves your goals or you don't have explicit SMS consent from subscribers.

Customer Support: When You Need Help

Email marketing platforms vary dramatically in support quality and availability.

Support Channels by Platform

Mailchimp:

Brevo:

AWeber:

Kit:

ActiveCampaign:

Knowledge Bases and Self-Service

All platforms offer extensive documentation, but quality varies:

Migration: Switching Platforms

Worried about switching platforms? It's easier than you think.

Free Migration Services

What Gets Migrated

Most migrations include:

What typically doesn't migrate:

DIY Migration

If you're migrating manually:

  1. Export your contacts as CSV from your current platform
  2. Clean the data-remove duplicates, invalid emails, and unnecessary fields
  3. Import to your new platform (most offer CSV import)
  4. Set up double opt-in confirmation to re-verify subscribers (recommended)
  5. Rebuild automations from scratch in the new platform
  6. Recreate templates and forms

Budget 1-2 weeks for a complete migration if you're doing it yourself, longer if you have complex automations.

Industry-Specific Recommendations

Different industries have different email marketing needs.

E-commerce

Best choice: ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo

You need abandoned cart recovery, product recommendations, purchase behavior tracking, and deep integration with your store. ActiveCampaign's automation and e-commerce features justify the higher cost.

Mailchimp works for smaller stores but gets expensive quickly and lacks sophisticated automation.

Content Creators and Bloggers

Best choice: Kit or Brevo

Kit is purpose-built for creators with features like creator network, easy digital product sales, and referral programs. The high price is worth it if you monetize your newsletter.

Brevo offers a cheaper alternative if you just need reliable newsletter delivery without fancy features.

B2B and Lead Nurturing

Best choice: ActiveCampaign

Long sales cycles require sophisticated automation, lead scoring, CRM integration, and attribution reporting. ActiveCampaign delivers all of this better than any competitor.

HubSpot is an alternative if you want an all-in-one platform, but it's significantly more expensive.

Small Local Businesses

Best choice: AWeber or Brevo

You need something simple and reliable without a steep learning curve. AWeber's 24/7 support and straightforward interface work well for non-technical users.

Brevo saves money if you email occasionally (monthly specials, event announcements).

Non-Profits

Best choice: ActiveCampaign or Mailchimp

ActiveCampaign offers 20% off annual plans for verified non-profits, bringing costs down significantly. The powerful segmentation helps personalize donor communications.

Mailchimp has a long history with non-profits and offers discounts, though not as generous as ActiveCampaign.

Agencies Managing Multiple Clients

Best choice: ActiveCampaign or Brevo

You need white-label options, multi-account management, and powerful automation to serve diverse clients. ActiveCampaign's Agency plan supports this.

Brevo's unlimited contacts on some plans help when managing multiple small client lists.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Learn from others' mistakes when choosing email marketing software.

Mistake 1: Choosing Based on Current Needs Only

You have 500 subscribers today, so you pick the cheapest plan. Six months later, you have 5,000 subscribers and your costs have quadrupled.

Solution: Check pricing at 5x and 10x your current list size before committing.

Mistake 2: Ignoring the Learning Curve

You pick the most powerful platform because it has all the features. Then you spend six months trying to figure it out and use 10% of the functionality.

Solution: Match the platform complexity to your team's skill level. You can always upgrade later.

Mistake 3: Not Testing Deliverability

You migrate your entire list and start sending, only to discover your emails land in spam.

Solution: Use the free trial to send test campaigns to multiple email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook) and check inbox placement.

Mistake 4: Failing to Clean Your List

You migrate 10,000 contacts, including 3,000 who haven't opened an email in two years. You're paying for dead weight.

Solution: Clean your list before migration. Remove unengaged subscribers, invalid addresses, and duplicates.

Mistake 5: Overlooking Hidden Costs

The base plan looks affordable, then you add SMS credits, dedicated IP, extra users, and remove branding. Your bill doubles.

Solution: Calculate total cost including all add-ons you'll actually need, not just the base plan price.

Which One Should You Actually Pick?

Choose Brevo If:

Choose AWeber If:

Choose Mailchimp If:

Choose Kit If:

Choose ActiveCampaign If:

The Real Talk

Here's what nobody tells you: most businesses don't need advanced automation. They need to send emails that reach the inbox and look halfway decent.

If you're just starting out, use Brevo's free plan or AWeber's free tier. Send some emails. See if people open them. Build some basic automations. Upgrade when you actually need more features, not when some platform's pricing page makes you feel like you're missing out.

The "best" platform is the one you'll actually use consistently, not the one with the longest feature list.

If your business depends on sophisticated email sequences-welcome series, abandoned cart recovery, complex lead scoring-then pay for ActiveCampaign or Kit. The automation will pay for itself through increased conversions and reduced manual work.

And if you're currently on a platform that keeps raising prices? Actually do the math on switching. Migration is annoying but not that bad, and you might save hundreds per month. Document what you're currently using, find a platform that offers it for less, and make the switch during a slow period.

Final Recommendations by Budget

Under $20/month

Start with Brevo ($9-18/month). Best value for the price. If you need better support and simpler interface, go with AWeber Lite ($15/month).

$20-50/month

ActiveCampaign Starter ($19/month) or AWeber Plus ($30/month). ActiveCampaign if you need automation, AWeber if you need simplicity.

$50-100/month

ActiveCampaign Plus ($49/month at 1K contacts) gives you the full power of automation and CRM. This is the sweet spot for growing businesses.

$100+/month

ActiveCampaign Pro for sophisticated automation or Kit Creator Pro if you're a high-earning creator. At this budget, you should know exactly what features you need.

How to Make Your Final Decision

Follow this process:

  1. List your must-have features: What do you absolutely need? Basic email sending? Automation? CRM? A/B testing?
  2. Calculate costs at scale: Check pricing at 1x, 5x, and 10x your current list size
  3. Sign up for free trials: Test 2-3 platforms. Send actual campaigns to your real list (or a segment of it)
  4. Check deliverability: Where do your test emails land? Inbox or spam?
  5. Evaluate support: Contact support with a question. How fast and helpful are they?
  6. Review integrations: Does it connect with your essential tools?
  7. Make a decision: Pick one and commit for at least 3-6 months before reassessing

Don't overthink it. Every platform on this list is capable of sending good marketing emails. The differences matter more at scale than when you're starting out.

Looking for more options? Check out our guide to best email marketing software and email marketing for small business.