Best Email Marketing Software (1970)
We evaluated 9 of the most-used email platforms and ranked them by Biz Match Match fit score — a 0–100 measure of deliverability, automation depth, integrations, and total cost. No sponsored placements.
At-a-glance ranking
| # | Tool | Category | Fit score | Starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Klaviyo | Ecommerce email + SMS | 94 | Free to 250 contacts · Paid from $20/mo |
| 2 | Beehiiv | Newsletter platform | 90 | Free to 2,500 subscribers · Paid from $39/mo |
| 3 | ActiveCampaign | Marketing automation | 89 | $15/mo |
| 4 | Customer.io | Product-led email + messaging | 88 | $100/mo |
| 5 | ConvertKit (Kit) | Creator email | 87 | Free to 10,000 subs · Paid from $15/mo |
| 6 | Brevo (Sendinblue) | SMB email + SMS | 84 | Free to 300/day · Paid from $9/mo |
| 7 | Mailerlite | SMB email | 83 | Free to 1,000 subs · Paid from $10/mo |
| 8 | Mailchimp | SMB all-in-one email | 82 | Free to 500 contacts · Paid from $13/mo |
| 9 | Marketo Engage | Enterprise B2B marketing automation | 82 | Custom (typically $1,500+/mo) |
Detailed reviews
Ecommerce email + SMS
Best for: Shopify and DTC brands that treat email as a revenue channel
Why it stands out: The ecommerce email leader — deep Shopify integration and attributed revenue reporting
Pros
- Best-in-class ecommerce data
- Powerful segmentation
- Native SMS
Cons
- Pricey at high list sizes
- Overkill outside ecommerce
Pricing starts at Free to 250 contacts · Paid from $20/mo.
Newsletter platform
Best for: Creators and publishers monetizing a newsletter
Why it stands out: The modern Substack alternative — built for growth loops, referrals, and ad monetization
Pros
- Built-in growth tools
- Ad network monetization
- Great free tier
Cons
- Not built for transactional email
- Fewer traditional automations
Pricing starts at Free to 2,500 subscribers · Paid from $39/mo.
Marketing automation
Best for: SMB and mid-market wanting real automation and light CRM
Why it stands out: The automation depth SMBs actually need — visual workflow builder with conditional logic
Pros
- Strong automation
- Built-in CRM
- Great deliverability
Cons
- Steeper learning curve
- UI has a lot going on
Pricing starts at $15/mo.
Product-led email + messaging
Best for: SaaS and product-led teams sending behavior-triggered messages
Why it stands out: Event-driven messaging — the standard for SaaS lifecycle emails and in-app messages
Pros
- Event-based triggers
- Multi-channel (email, push, SMS, in-app)
- Developer-friendly
Cons
- Requires event data plumbing
- Not for marketing-only teams
Pricing starts at $100/mo.
Creator email
Best for: Creators, coaches, and course sellers with an audience-first funnel
Why it stands out: The creator-first email tool — tagging and sequences designed around audiences, not campaigns
Pros
- Creator-friendly UX
- Great automations
- Landing pages included
Cons
- Simple design tools
- Less suited to ecommerce
Pricing starts at Free to 10,000 subs · Paid from $15/mo.
SMB email + SMS
Best for: SMBs that want a fair price and pay per email, not per contact
Why it stands out: Send-based pricing — great value when you have big lists you email occasionally
Pros
- Pay-per-send pricing
- Includes SMS + WhatsApp
- Solid free tier
Cons
- Automation less polished than ActiveCampaign
- Templates feel dated
Pricing starts at Free to 300/day · Paid from $9/mo.
SMB email
Best for: Bloggers and small businesses that want clean UX at a low price
Why it stands out: The affordable, no-nonsense pick — clean design tools and a very fair free tier
Pros
- Very affordable
- Clean UI
- Good automations for the price
Cons
- Fewer integrations
- Support tier-gated
Pricing starts at Free to 1,000 subs · Paid from $10/mo.
SMB all-in-one email
Best for: Small businesses that want an easy, familiar sender
Why it stands out: The default SMB pick — easy templates, huge integration library, forgiving learning curve
Pros
- Very easy to use
- Big integration library
- Free tier
Cons
- Automation weaker than peers
- Pricing jumps quickly
Pricing starts at Free to 500 contacts · Paid from $13/mo.
Enterprise B2B marketing automation
Best for: Enterprise B2B marketing teams running account-based campaigns
Why it stands out: The enterprise B2B standard — deep automation with strong Adobe/Salesforce integration
Pros
- Enterprise-grade automation
- Strong ABM tooling
- Salesforce-native
Cons
- Complex to admin
- Expensive
Pricing starts at Custom (typically $1,500+/mo).
How to choose
Frequently asked questions
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