Best Email Marketing Software
Short answer
The best email marketing software are ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo. ConvertKit is our top pick at 8.8/10. If budget is tight, ConvertKit has the best free plan.
Our top picks
ConvertKit
8.8/10
Tops our email marketing software rankings at 8.8/10 — best for Creators with complex email automations.
- ✓Excellent visual automation builder
- ✓Best integrations ecosystem for creators
Brevo
8.2/10
The strongest capability-per-dollar in the category — value score 9/10.
- ✓Most generous free plan in email marketing — unlimited contacts
- ✓Email + SMS + WhatsApp + CRM in one platform
Klaviyo
8.7/10
The best email marketing software option you can start on for $0 and upgrade when you grow.
- ✓Unmatched Shopify integration — pulls real-time store data
- ✓Powerful segmentation using purchase behavior and predictive analytics
All 8 email marketing software, ranked
ConvertKit
Top pickEmail marketing built for creators
ConvertKit (now rebranding to Kit) is the most creator-focused email marketing platform. It excels at automations, segmentation, and selling digital products directly from email. The visual automation builder is powerful and beginner-friendly. ConvertKit has the deepest integration ecosystem for creators — connecting to Teachable, Gumroad, Shopify, and dozens of other creator tools.
Strengths
- ✓Excellent visual automation builder
- ✓Best integrations ecosystem for creators
- ✓Sell digital products and subscriptions natively
Watch-outs
- ✗More expensive than beehiiv at scale
- ✗Landing page builder is basic
- ✗No built-in community features
ActiveCampaign
Marketing automation and CRM for growing businesses
ActiveCampaign is the most powerful email marketing automation platform in its price range. Deep segmentation, conditional logic, site tracking, and a full CRM. The go-to for agencies running marketing campaigns for clients and for businesses with complex customer journeys.
Strengths
- ✓Best-in-class email automation at mid-market price
- ✓Powerful conditional logic and segmentation
- ✓Built-in CRM with pipeline
Watch-outs
- ✗Steep learning curve
- ✗UI is complex
- ✗No free plan
Klaviyo
Email and SMS marketing built for e-commerce growth
Klaviyo is the e-commerce email and SMS marketing platform — the deepest Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce integration available. It pulls purchase history, browsing behavior, and cart abandonment data directly from your store to power precise segmentation and automated flows. Abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase sequences, and predictive analytics are its core strengths. Less relevant for pure creator or service businesses with no product catalog.
Strengths
- ✓Unmatched Shopify integration — pulls real-time store data
- ✓Powerful segmentation using purchase behavior and predictive analytics
- ✓Email + SMS in one platform with unified customer profiles
Watch-outs
- ✗Pricing scales steeply with contact list size
- ✗Overkill for non-e-commerce businesses
- ✗Steeper learning curve than Mailchimp
Omnisend
Email and SMS automation built for e-commerce
Omnisend is an email and SMS marketing platform purpose-built for e-commerce brands, competing directly with Klaviyo. It offers pre-built automation workflows for abandoned cart, welcome series, browse abandonment, and post-purchase sequences — with deep Shopify and WooCommerce integration. The free plan is generous at 500 emails per month with no contact limit, and includes SMS credits. Omnisend is generally considered easier to use than Klaviyo with competitive pricing at lower list sizes.
Strengths
- ✓Generous free plan — 500 emails and SMS credits with unlimited contacts
- ✓Easier to use than Klaviyo while offering similar e-commerce automation
- ✓Pre-built automation workflows for all major e-commerce scenarios
Watch-outs
- ✗Less advanced segmentation than Klaviyo at scale
- ✗Predictive analytics and A/B testing more limited than Klaviyo
- ✗Not suitable for non-e-commerce businesses
Brevo
Email, SMS, and CRM — generous free tier, European-grade privacy
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a full-featured marketing platform covering email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and a lightweight CRM. Its free plan is exceptionally generous: unlimited contacts with up to 300 emails per day — more than enough for a growing list. Brevo is a European company with strong GDPR compliance built in, making it the go-to choice for EU businesses or any team prioritizing data privacy.
Strengths
- ✓Most generous free plan in email marketing — unlimited contacts
- ✓Email + SMS + WhatsApp + CRM in one platform
- ✓Strong transactional email capabilities
Watch-outs
- ✗Daily send limit on free plan (300/day) limits large campaigns
- ✗UI less polished than Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign
- ✗Creator-specific features lag behind beehiiv or ConvertKit
Flodesk
Beautiful emails, flat-rate pricing
Flodesk is an email marketing tool focused entirely on design and simplicity. It offers the best-looking email templates in the industry and charges a flat monthly rate regardless of subscriber count — making it extremely attractive for growing lists.
Strengths
- ✓Flat rate — price never increases with list size
- ✓Best-designed email templates available
- ✓Very easy to use
Watch-outs
- ✗Weak automation compared to ConvertKit/ActiveCampaign
- ✗Limited integrations
- ✗No free plan
Mailchimp
The world's most popular email marketing platform
Mailchimp is the most widely used email marketing tool globally, known for its ease of use and large integration ecosystem. Best for businesses that want a familiar, beginner-friendly option — though competitors now outperform it on value and creator-specific features.
Strengths
- ✓Integrates with virtually everything
- ✓Beginner-friendly drag-and-drop editor
- ✓Large knowledge base and community
Watch-outs
- ✗Expensive compared to alternatives at scale
- ✗Free tier very limited (500 contacts)
- ✗Creator features lag behind beehiiv/ConvertKit
Constant Contact
Email marketing made easy for small businesses
Constant Contact is one of the original email marketing platforms, built for small business owners who want ease of use over advanced features. It covers email campaigns, event marketing, surveys, and basic social media posting. Its onboarding, phone support, and educational resources are notably stronger than competitors — important for non-technical users. Compared to ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign, it lacks advanced automation. Compared to beehiiv, it lacks creator-specific tools. Its audience is primarily brick-and-mortar and service businesses.
Strengths
- ✓Real phone support — rare in email marketing
- ✓Easiest onboarding in the category for non-technical users
- ✓Event registration and management built in
Watch-outs
- ✗No free plan after trial
- ✗Automation and segmentation far behind ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit
- ✗Expensive relative to what you get compared to newer tools
Email Marketing Software compared
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Ease | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ConvertKit | 8.8/10 | — | Yes | 8/10 | 7.5/10 |
| ActiveCampaign | 8.8/10 | $15/mo | No | 7/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Klaviyo | 8.7/10 | — | Yes | 7.5/10 | 8/10 |
| Omnisend | 8.3/10 | — | Yes | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Brevo | 8.2/10 | — | Yes | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Flodesk | 7.8/10 | $38/mo | No | 9.5/10 | 9/10 |
| Mailchimp | 7.5/10 | — | Yes | 8.5/10 | 6.5/10 |
| Constant Contact | 7.2/10 | — | No | 8.5/10 | 6.5/10 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best email marketing software?
ConvertKit is our top-rated pick, scoring 8.8/10. Tops our email marketing software rankings at 8.8/10 — best for Creators with complex email automations.
What is the best free email marketing software option?
ConvertKit offers the best free plan among the email marketing software we reviewed — a genuine way to start at $0 before upgrading.
How much does email marketing software cost?
Paid plans in this category start around $15/month (ActiveCampaign). Pricing scales with usage, team size, and feature tier — see each review for the full breakdown.