11 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses (2025)
Email marketing platforms make sending your newsletters and email campaigns a breeze. But how do you know which one to go for and what features you’ll need? To help you decide, we’ve rounded up some of the best emailing services for small businesses.
In this article, we’ll study the best email marketing platforms on the market, including price and feature comparisons. We’ll also cover the must-have features, plus the factors to consider when choosing an email marketing tool.
Disclaimer: This article covers the the best email marketing services including our own platform, Brevo. We strive to be objective. Our suggestions are based on our own research and experience. We do not earn commissions from any links in this article.
The information in this article was last updated on July 15, 2025.
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The 11 best email marketing platforms
Brevo — Best for growing small businesses
HubSpot — Best for enterprise
Mailchimp — Best for simple emailing
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Best for content creators
Klaviyo — Best for ecommerce automation
AWeber — Best for bloggers
ActiveCampaign — Best for premade automation workflows
GetResponse — Best for running webinars
Constant Contact — Best for nonprofits
Campaign Monitor — Best for email template selection
MailerLite — Best customer support
Comparing the best free & paid email marketing services
This is a simple price and rating comparison of the top email marketing services reviewed in this article to give you an overview of what to expect from each one.
A closer look at the best email marketing platforms for 2025
Read on for an in-depth review of the best email marketing software, prices, and features to help you choose the right platform for your business.
1. Brevo: The best email marketing platform for growing small businesses
Brevo’s platform includes a range of marketing and sales solutions. It’s easy to upgrade and add on tools as needed, making it a good choice for growing businesses.
As an email marketing service, Brevo offers powerful features, such as:
Drag & Drop email editor to create campaigns from scratch. Upload your brand assets (logo, colors, etc.) and reuse them for all emails with one click. You also get access to stock images and editing options directly in the email builder.
A selection of fully responsive and customizable email templates. Quickly build campaigns for your most important touchpoints, from welcome emails to abandoned cart messages.
Audience segmentation. Easily segment your contact lists and send targeted campaigns.
Personalization of email content. Tailor your content for all customers.
A/B testing. Learn what resonates with your audience and optimize future campaigns.
Send Time Optimization. Deliver emails at the best time for each subscriber.
Detailed email metrics. Track how recipients engage with your campaigns, from open rates to click heatmaps.
AI assistance: We’ve added new AI features to create marketing content directly from the Brevo platform. Our AI assistant helps you generate subject lines, marketing content, and more.
Marketing automation: You can use Brevo’s marketing automation tools to scale your email marketing with features such as:
Autoresponders (e.g. welcome emails)
Ready automation templates available
Website tracker that triggers workflows based on user behavior
If/then scenarios
Lead scoring
Automated contact management
Omnichannel automations possible (email + SMS + WhatsApp + push)
Transactional emails: If you need to send transactional emails triggered by an activity like account confirmations, order updates, or abandoned carts, you can manage these with Brevo alongside your marketing campaigns.
SMTP relay: Brevo works as a bulk email service, depending on your goals and needs. It’s just as easy to create branded transactional emails and set them up to be sent at the right time with great deliverability.
Multichannel marketing: Multiple channels such as SMS marketing, WhatsApp, live chat, and push notifications are all accessible within Brevo’s interface.
Tracking: Thanks to the Brevo Tracker, you can trigger emails based on how users interact with your website. There are also ready-to-use plugins for integrations with ecommerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce.
Metrics: Brevo not only measures core email KPIs like open rates and click rates, but Business Plans give you detailed heat maps of where people clicked in an email when they engaged with the campaign and from what geography. This allows you to fine-tune campaigns for optimal results.
Pros
Ease of use: Brevo’s tools are basic and accessible, making it suitable for users looking for a no-fuss solution.
Affordability: Brevo is more affordable compared to some of the other solutions on this list, making it a good choice for all budgets.
Multichannel: With SMS marketing, WhatsApp campaigns, and chat, Brevo lets you go beyond email and run your marketing strategy across channels.
Cons
Less advanced features: Brevo is a basic, all-in-one marketing and CRM suite. However, it may not be suited for those looking for an industry-specific, enterprise-grade solution (e.g. Klaviyo for large ecommerce stores).
Limited templates: Brevo’s email template gallery may appear more basic or limited compared to some competitors, such as ActiveCampaign.
“Really efficient support”
“Really efficient support. They answer pretty quickly to every situation and try to find the best possible solution to every problem.”
Read the full review
Exceeding Expectations: A Five-Star Experience with Brevo
“I recently had the pleasure of using Brevo’s services, and I must say, my experience was nothing short of exceptional, meriting a full five stars. From the outset, the team at Brevo demonstrated unparalleled professionalism and dedication to customer satisfaction. Their attention to detail and commitment to providing tailored solutions truly set them apart in their field.
What impressed me the most was the seamless integration of their services into my existing workflow, which significantly improved my operational efficiency without any hitches. The support team deserves a special mention for their prompt responses and the comprehensive support they provided throughout the process, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free experience.
Moreover, the quality of the product exceeded my expectations. It’s evident that Brevo invests heavily in research and development to stay ahead of industry trends and offer the most innovative solutions to their clients. This forward-thinking approach is something I greatly appreciate.
In conclusion, my experience with Brevo was outstanding. Their blend of cutting-edge solutions, customer-focused service, and expert support makes them a top-notch service provider in their industry. I would highly recommend Brevo to anyone looking for superior services that deliver tangible results.”
Read the full review
“Several Sales and Marketing Tools in One System”
“We stumbled upon Brevo by accident as we were using a system just for sending marketing emails. We discovered quickly that Brevo offered multiple different digital sales and marketing tools to enhance both our manual branded client engagement tasks, but also offered automation tools to aid our day to day sales efforts.
Brevo has allowed us to move away from three other, separate systems and we now use Brevo for all our outbound sales and marketing endeavours. This has saved us a lot of time and money and has increased our output.
The system is easy to use and the support is excellent and prompt.”
Read the full review
Pricing for Brevo’s email marketing platform
Brevo is a good option for businesses looking for email marketing solutions that scale with them. However, we may not be the best tool for everyone (which is why you might want to consider a Brevo alternative).
That’s why we encourage you to sign up for a free account and see for yourself how Brevo can grow your business. Our Free plan lets you send up to 300 emails a day for free up to 9,000 emails/month.
Paid plans start at $9 for 5,000 emails per month. When picking a paid plan, pricing will depend on the number of emails you want to send each month. Packages include email support, while chat and phone support are available with the Business plan.
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Brevo’s Free plan includes access to all core features, 300 emails/day, 40+ email templates, and customizable signup forms.
2. HubSpot — Best email marketing software for enterprise
HubSpot is a popular CRM that offers comprehensive marketing and sales features. It’s a good choice for companies looking for sophisticated solutions. Clients typically use HubSpot for things like contact management, lead generation, and collaborating across teams.
Marketing features: HubSpot’s email marketing features are spread between their Marketing Hub and Sales Hub (CRM). The Marketing Hub focuses on tools for growing traffic and finding prospects such as emails, landing pages, social media ads, live chat, video, SEO, and content.
Sales tools: The Sales Hub adds email tracking and scheduling, meeting scheduling, CRM, predictive lead scoring, sales automation, email sequences, and reporting. Their Service Hub offers ticketing and support features. Overall, HubSpot covers all digital marketing areas and caters to sales-oriented businesses like SaaS.
Pros
Integrated CRM and marketing tools: HubSpot offers a unified platform that combines CRM capabilities with email marketing, automation, and sales tools. The streamlined data flow makes it easier to coordinate your marketing and sales efforts.
Advanced personalization and segmentation: HubSpot robust features such as contact and company tracking are hard to beat. This allows you to create hyper-personalized campaigns that boost conversions.
Comprehensive support: HubSpot offers 24/7 support plus numerous free resources (e.g. user guides and a comprehensive knowledge base), which have been recognized as some of the best in the SaaS space.
Cons
High cost: HubSpot’s advanced features come with a hefty price tag, which can be prohibitive for small to medium-sized businesses.
Complexity: HubSpot’s powerful and extensive tools come with a steeper learn curve than some competitors. This makes it hard to navigate for basic users.
Limited email sending at lower tiers: The free plan is capped at up to 2,000 emails per month. This, combined with the onboarding free, means that pricing goes up significantly when you’re just starting out.
Price
The free plan allows you to send up to 2,000 emails per month and store up to 1,000,000 non-marketing contacts. The Starter Marketing plan costs $40 per month for 2,000 contacts. If that seems steep, check out other HubSpot alternatives.
3. Mailchimp — Best email marketing tool for simple emailing
Mailchimp is one of the most popular, but also one of the most expensive, email services. Newbies usually start with it because of the simple user interface and then move away to more cost-effective Mailchimp alternatives.
The drag-and-drop email builder and professional templates help you create beautiful campaigns in minutes. And you can grow your audience by adding popup signup forms to your website or creating unlimited landing pages using premade templates.
Digging deeper, Mailchimp offers advanced email marketing tools like A/B testing, prebuilt and custom list segmentation options, and send time optimization. You can also personalize email content, including product recommendations using an ecommerce plugin.
For email automation, choose from pre-built workflows such as re-engagement emails or craft your own customer journeys.
If you want to take your marketing strategy multichannel, the platform also offers social media scheduling and ads.
For paid plans, the price increases based on the number of subscribers in your contact lists. The free plan doesn’t include customer support but there is an extensive knowledge base to help you out.
Pros
User-friendly interface: Mailchimp’s platform is designed for ease of use. This accessibility allows users with varying levels of technical expertise to create and manage email campaigns efficiently.
Extensive integrations: Mailchimp supports over 500 integrations. That way, businesses can seamlessly connect their existing tools and streamline marketing efforts.
Reporting and analytics: Mailchimp offers detailed reporting features, including insights into client interactions, geographic data, social media engagement, and integration with Google Analytics.
Cons
Pricing structure: Mailchimp’s pricing can escalate quickly, especially for businesses with large contact lists.
Les design flexibility: While Mailchimp offers customizable templates, some users have found the design options restrictive, limiting creativity in email design.
Limited customer support: Mailchimp’s customer service is primarily available via email or chat. Phone support is also only available in English on the Premium plan. Users have also reported that response times can be slow.
Price
Mailchimp offers a free plan that includes 1,000 emails per month and 500 contacts. For higher limits and more features, prices start at $13 for 500 contacts.
If you’re undecided, discover Mailchimp alternatives or take a look at Brevo’s ready integration with Mailchimp.
4. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Best email marketing platform for content creators
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is an emailing platform targeting online creatives like bloggers and YouTubers. Email marketing features include the ability to segment your list and personalize campaigns using tags, as well as A/B testing for subject lines.
You can grow your audience with customizable landing page templates and signup forms designed to increase conversions. And if you’re using downloadable content as an incentive, it’s easy to automatically send materials after someone fills out your form.
Kit’s automation software provides a visual way to set up email drip campaigns powered by subscriber behavior. The workflow editor shows you what your sequences look like in action and makes it easy to alter the path subscribers take. And if you need help getting started, there are automation templates for use cases like webinars and product launches.
All plans let you send unlimited emails and come with live chat and email support. For paid plans, pricing is based on how many subscribers you have.
Pros
Subscriber management with tagging: Kit provides advanced subscriber management through tagging and segmentation. This makes it easy to send personalized content based on subscriber behavior and preferences.
Visual automation builder: Kit offers a user-friendly automation builder that simplifies the process of creating complex email sequences. This allows users to design automated workflows with ease.
Built for content creators: Designed specifically for content creators, Kit includes features like customizable sign-up forms and landing pages, catering to the unique needs of these users.
Cons
Limited design options: Kit’s email templates and design customization options are relatively limited compared to competitors.
Basic reporting and analytics: Kit’s reporting capabilities are less comprehensive, lacking detailed insights such as bounce rates. This can keep users from fully optimizing their campaigns.
Higher pricing tiers: While Kit offers a free plan, its paid plans can become costly as subscriber numbers increase (especially when compared to more feature-rich alternatives).
Price
The free plan lets you have up to 10,000 subscribers (but with limited automation features). After that, prices start at $15 per month for 300 contacts and more advanced features.
Discover Kit (formerly ConvertKit) alternatives.
5. Klaviyo — Best email marketing tool for ecommerce automation
Klaviyo mainly caters to online shops. It provides SMS and advanced email functionality for marketers looking to increase revenue. Their editor is easy to use and there are ready-made responsive templates available. You can personalize emails with product recommendations and dynamic blocks.
Klaviyo tracks website interactions and events that you can use for emails, automations and segmentation. All customer data goes into individual profiles, a CRM, where you can dive deeper into understanding buyers.
Klaviyo also offers advanced reporting capabilities. In addition to a metrics dashboard, it provides customized benchmarks for your business.
Klaviyo’s free plan includes up to 250 email contacts and 50 SMS contacts, 500 emails sent, and 150 SMS sent.
Pros
Ecommerce integrations: Klaviyo is known for their integrations with major ecommerce platforms (e.g. Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento). This connectivity allows businesses to harness customer data for personalized email campaigns.
Advanced segmentation and automation: Klaviyo provides sophisticated segmentation features. That way, users can create highly specific audience groups based on behavior, purchase history, and engagement.
Predictive analytics: Klaviyo uses AI to offer predictive analytics, providing insights into metrics like customer lifetime value, churn risk, and expected next order date.
Cons
Higher pricing: Klaviyo’s pricing structure can be steep, particularly for businesses with large contact lists.
Limited marketing channels: While Klaviyo excels in email and SMS marketing, it lacks support for other channels such as social media posting and website building. Such features are offered by competitors like Mailchimp.
Steep learning curve: Klaviyo’s extensive features can present a learning curve for new users, making it less accessible to those without prior experience in email marketing.
Price
The free plan includes 500 emails per month for 250 contacts. Paid plan prices start at $20 per month for 500 contacts.
Not sure? Discover more Klaviyo alternatives.
6. AWeber — Best email marketing software for bloggers
AWeber’s email marketing platform has some handy tools for beginners. On top of a drag-and-drop editor and extensive library of email templates, the platform offers an AI-powered design assistant. This tool uses your website and social media accounts to automatically build on-brand templates for your business’ email newsletters.
AWeber makes it simple to connect with individual customers at scale using tags that you can add manually or automatically. For example, you can tag subscribers based on signup information or when they open an email or click a link.
Email automation features let you run your campaigns on autopilot, including drip campaigns for welcoming subscribers or launching a new product. To save you time, the campaign marketplace offers pre-made workflows with email templates for each campaign stage.
All you have to do is customize them to your brand and target audience.
Elsewhere, there’s a drag-and-drop landing page builder that comes with ready-to-use templates and a gallery of stock images to quickly create attractive pages. All templates include signup forms and you can automatically tag subscribers from each form to better manage your lists.
AWeber’s pricing is based on your subscriber count and all plans include chat, email, and phone support.
Pros
Extensive template library: AWeber offers over 700 email templates, providing users with a wide variety of designs to create professional-looking emails.
Affordable pricing: AWeber provides a free plan for up to 500 subscribers and affordable pricing tiers, making it accessible for small businesses and startups.
User-friendly interface: AWeber’s intuitive design makes it easy for users to navigate its features, making it accessible for beginners.
Cons
Limited automation: Compared to platforms like ActiveCampaign, AWeber’s automation capabilities are more basic, which may not be enough for businesses seeking complex automation workflows.
Fewer integrations: While AWeber supports basic integrations, its ecosystem is not as extensive as some competitors.
Basic reporting: AWeber’s reporting and analytics are less comprehensive compared to platforms like Mailchimp, which offer more in-depth insights into campaign performance.
Price
The free plan includes 3,000 emails for up to 500 subscribers. After that, prices start at $14.99 per month for the pro version.
7. ActiveCampaign — Best email marketing tool for premade automation workflows
ActiveCampaign’s email marketing platform is just one feature of its overall marketing capabilities.
The software makes it easy to personalize your emails using contact data. You can also split test up to five different email versions to work out what content performs best. Plus, there’s also a built-in spam tester to check if emails are likely to go to junk.
For more targeted messages, segment your audience using insights like contacts’ email activity. There’s even website tracking features for collecting data on contacts’ page visits and other onsite actions.
To get you started, there is an extensive selection of premade automation workflows. You can also create custom automations from scratch using a range of triggers, including website activity thanks to ActiveCampaign’s tracking features.
Upgrading from the Lite to Plus plan gets you more advanced automation features. For example, you can score contacts based on their engagement, split test different workflows, and get a visual overview of all your automations and how they link together.
With the Plus package you’ll also get features for different marketing channels, including SMS and landing pages.
The 14-day free trial option lets you test the platform with a limited number of contacts and email sends. All plans include live chat and email support.
Pros
Advanced marketing automation: ActiveCampaign excels in providing sophisticated automation features. That way, businesses can build complex workflows that can enhance customer engagement.
Integrated CRM: ActiveCampaign includes a built-in CRM, which allows for you to better coordinate between marketing and sales teams.
Website and event tracking: ActiveCampaign allows for detailed tracking of user behavior on websites and within apps. This lets you trigger highly personalized automations
Cons
Limited spam testing: Users have reported that ActiveCampaign’s spam testing can be relatively basic. This may make it difficult to optimize campaigns and improve deliverability.
Higher pricing: ActiveCampaign’s pricing is relatively higher compared to some competitors, which might be a consideration for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
Steep learning curve: Due to its extensive features and customization options, new users may find ActiveCampaign challenging to navigate at first.
Price
Prices start at $39 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers
Discover ActiveCampaign alternatives.
8. GetResponse — Best email marketing tool for running webinars
GetResponse provides small businesses with a suite of marketing tools, including a fully-equipped email marketing platform and webinar builder.
The platform has a library of professionally designed email templates with a drag-and-drop editor that makes it easy to transform your emails into beautifully branded messages.
Collect data on customer behavior and interests, then use powerful segmentation tools to personalize your email campaigns. Or automatically tag and score contacts with marketing automation to trigger targeted emails.
Other automation capabilities include time-based drip campaigns, with the option to view your email sequence on a calendar to see exactly when subscribers will receive messages.
The software also allows you to send transactional emails alongside your marketing campaigns, while ecommerce plugins let you promote products in emails and on landing pages.
Aside from email marketing services, you can create and manage Facebook ads using the built-in tool and free templates. The platform even offers tools for running your own webinars. The conversion tunnel feature helps you bring everything together with pre-made automated sales funnels designed for different industries and purposes.
GetResponse offers a free plan for sending unlimited emails to 500 contacts per month. All plans come with live chat and email support.
Pros
Advanced automations: GetResponse offers robust automation features, including if/when/then logic. This is useful for creating detailed customer journeys.
Integrated webinar hosting: Unlike many competitors, GetResponse includes webinar hosting. This makes it a versatile tool for businesses that rely on webinars for lead generation.
Website building: GetResponse lets you create and host entire websites with built-in SEO tools and SSL certificates.
Cons
Steeper learning curve: GetResponse’s advanced features can make it harder for beginners to navigate.
Higher pricing: While GetResponse offers a feature-rich platform, its pricing is generally higher than some competitors.
Limited email personalization: Alternatives like Brevo outperform GetResponse in email personalization features, such as conditional content and dynamic segmentation.
Price
The free plan includes unlimited email sends to 500 contacts. Paid plan pricing starts at $19 per month for 1,000 subscribers.
9. Constant Contact — Best email marketing tool for nonprofits
Constant Contact is a full marketing service that offers much more than just email. Its emailing service comes with a wide choice of free email templates. There is also a tool to automatically build your own branded templates based on your website or Facebook page.
Other email marketing features include A/B testing for subject lines and automated resends to subscribers who don’t open a campaign. The Email Plus package gets you additional functionality like multi-step automated email series and tools for surveys and online donations.
Advanced segmentation lets you automatically manage contacts based on email link clicks. Or you can create custom segments using criteria like subscriber engagement or purchase activity via the Shopify or WooCommerce plugins.
On top of email marketing tools, with Constant Contact you can create landing pages or even build an entire website or online store from scratch. You can also manage social media activity from the platform, including post scheduling, responding to messages and comments, and running ads.
Constant Contact allows users to accept donations, making it a good option for nonprofits.
Pros
Mobile application: Constant Contact offers a mobile app that provides convenient access to email campaign management. This lets you monitor performance as well as create and schedule campaigns while on the go.
Social media management: Constant Contact provides tools for creating and scheduling posts across popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
User-friendly interface: The platform offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for beginners and small businesses alike.
Cons
Outdated email templates: While Constant Contact offers a variety of email templates, some users find that many of the designs look dated compared to some options provided by competitors.
Limited automation: Constant Contact’s automation features are less advanced compared to some competitors, particularly in its entry-level plan.
Technical issues and bugs: Users have reported bugs and glitching, particularly when trying to create new campaigns or perform complex tasks.
Price
While there is no free plan, paid plans include nearly unlimited emails and email and chat support. Prices start at $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers and increase the more contacts you have.
To help you choose, look at Constant Contact alternatives first.
10. Campaign Monitor — Best email marketing tool for email template selection
Campaign Monitor email marketing platform offers a range of easy-to-use features to help beginners build an engaged audience.
The platform has a large choice of responsive email templates that you can customize using the drag-and-drop builder. Plus, it’s easy to add personalizations using your contact data. And with send time optimization you can deliver emails at the best time for each contact. The segmentation tool lets you go even further, creating custom segments of subscribers using multiple filters.
Within the same platform you can create and send branded transactional emails with content that is just as personalized.
For email automation, use the simple visual journey editor to drag and drop each email into a sequence, with conditions based on subscriber behavior and past interactions.
You can try out the platform free for as long as you like, though you’ll only be able to send campaigns to up to five contacts. The Basic plan is limited to 2,500 emails a month, while Unlimited — as the name suggests — has no sending limit. Pricing increases as your contact lists grow. Both plans offer email support but you’ll get priority with an Unlimited plan.
Pros
Ease of use: Campaign Monitor offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible for beginners and small businesses.
White labelling: Campaign Monitor stands out for its private label option, which makes it a good option for agencies looking to provide the solution to their clients.
Advanced analytics: Campaign Monitor offers robust analytics and reporting, providing detailed insights into email performance and subscriber behavior.
Cons
Higher pricing: Campaign Monitor can be more expensive than some alternatives, especially as your email list grows.
Lack of multi-channel marketing: Unlike Brevo, which offers SMS marketing and WhatsApp messaging, Campaign Monitor focuses primarily on email marketing.
Price
Prices start at $11 per month for up to 500 subscribers.
Discover Campaign Monitor alternatives.
11. MailerLite — Best email marketing tool for customer support
MailerLite is another email marketing service covering beginner needs. You can create any kind of email campaign with their drag-and-drop editor. You can also grow your email list with signup forms, create dedicated landing pages, and even a whole website with their website builder. Transactional emails can be sent through a third party, MailerSend.
MailerLite also offers email automation and personalization based on user behavior. Abandoned cart emails are available for Shopify and WooCommerce stores. Contact management and segmentation are also covered.
A/B testing and smart delivery by time zone features let you optimize campaign results. On top of that, MailerLite has reports and analytics for you to track your performance.
MailerLite has a free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails a month.
Pros
Affordable pricing: MailerLite offers highly competitive pricing, with a generous free plan. This makes it a highly cost-effective solution.
Strong automation: MailerLite provides robust automation, allowing users to create workflows with multiple triggers and conditions, rivaling more expensive platforms.
Multi-language support: MailerLite offers multi-language support, including Right-to-Left (RTL) languages. This makes it more accessible or diverse customer bases.
Cons
Fewer integrations: MailerLite offers fewer third-party integrations (e.g. compared to Mailchimp), which may limit its versatility.
No email templates on the free plan: Unlike competitors such as Brevo, MailerLite’s free plan does not include access to pre-designed email templates.
Fewer advanced features: MailerLite lacks some advanced capabilities such as SMTP relay (which is available via MailerSend, their partner company) and multichannel marketing tools (e.g. SMS, WhatsApp).
Price
The free plan allows you to send 12,000 emails per month to 1,000 contacts. Paid plans start at $10 per month for 500 subscribers.
Discover other MailerLite alternatives.
What to look for in a good email marketing platform
Choosing the right email marketing platform is like choosing a business partner — in both cases, you want one that’s reliable and that supports you to achieve your goals.
The best email marketing platforms will equip you with tools like intuitive email builders, email templates, and ways to personalize emails. They should offer advanced features like segmentation and automation to help you engage subscribers and strengthen customer relationships. Furthermore, they should have a strong infrastructure to make sure your emails get delivered.
Here are a few key features to look for.
Email lists. Creating email lists is a must-have. From there, you should be able to easily create campaigns to target your lists (like “newsletter subscribers”). Good email list management will help you send emails that are relevant to different audiences and get your emails in the inbox.
Signup forms. A staple for lead generation. Signup forms are placed on your website and social media to find new leads and build your email list.
Customer segmentation. Your email marketing service should also help you target specific audiences and interest groups. Use segmentation to further tailor your marketing campaigns for higher success.
Transactional emails. Payment confirmations, shipping updates, password resets — these are all non-promotional messages that are also important for your customers’ well-being and help things run smoothly.
Email automation workflows. Trigger emails at the perfect time in response to customer actions or needs. Need to onboard new subscribers? Automate welcome emails. Are customers leaving items in their carts? Automate an abandoned cart sequence. Automation workflows can get as complex as you want and keep contacts engaged without extra effort on your part.
SMTP server. The best platforms for email marketing have their own SMTP servers and offer high deliverability. It means your emails land in the inbox and not in spam. This is essential for sending bulk campaigns.
Integration with your other apps. Is your website on WordPress? Do you use Shopify or WooCommerce? Are your prospects stored in a CRM like Salesforce? Plugins help you connect to third-party tools and increase the functionality of your email marketing service.
Why your business needs an email marketing service
Unsure about investing time and energy into finding an email marketing solution? Here are some reasons you can’t ignore:
Email is still one of the most effective marketing channels
In recent years, marketers have voted email marketing as the most effective digital channel. And here’s why:
It’s affordable: With email marketing you can reach a large audience at a low cost, leading to an average return on investment of $38 for every $1 spent, according to EmailMonday.
It’s personal: Email campaigns let you reach contacts directly. Plus they’ve actively chosen to hear from you and so are more likely to engage.
It’s accessible: With around 4 billion email users worldwide (Statista data), email has a greater reach than other digital channels. It’s free for end users and almost everyone has an email address.
It’s owned by you: Apart from a few rules, you decide how to use emails for marketing. No bidding like with display ads, and you’re not at the mercy of other companies like with SEO.
Email marketing platforms are essential for mass campaigns
Internet service providers (ISPs) like Gmail and Outlook aren’t made for sending newsletters and campaigns and will become near impossible after the new Gmail and Yahoo! sender requirements came into effect in February 2024.
Achieve better deliverability rates: Sending mass campaigns with a dedicated email marketing service helps you avoid the spam folder.
Get performance analytics: Email marketing platforms track metrics like open and click-through rates to measure your campaigns’ success.
Manage unsubscribes more easily: Your email marketing service will automatically update contact records when they unsubscribe so you don’t keep sending them campaigns.
Send more emails: ISPs have daily sending limits, while email marketing platforms let you choose a plan that meets your needs.
Design attractive emails: Email marketing platforms come with design tools for creating professional and responsive HTML emails that match your brand.
All the services on this list offer these essential functionalities for your email marketing campaigns. Below you’ll find details on other key features of each service along with their pricing.
How to choose the best email marketing platform for your business
Choosing the right email marketing platform is much easier when you break it down into a few key areas.
Budget: First, figure out how much you’re willing to spend. Some platforms offer free plans with basic functionality, which can be great for beginners or small lists. As you grow, you may want to invest in a paid plan that offers more customization, automation, or support.
Features: Think about the tools you actually need to meet your goals. If you’re just starting out, simple email templates and might be enough. For complex campaigns, look for automation workflows, audience segmentation, A/B testing, and advanced reporting.
Ease of use: A platform can offer comprehensive features. But if it’s hard to navigate, you probably won’t use it to its full potential. Look for platforms with intuitive drag-and-drop editors, clear dashboards, and helpful support resources.
Integrations: Your email marketing will be more effective if it connects with the other tools you use — like your CRM, ecommerce platform, or website builder. Check whether the platform offers direct integrations or supports third-party connectors.
Scalability: Choose a platform that can grow alongside your business. Even if you don’t need advanced features right now, it’s smart to pick a tool that offers upgrades, higher list limits, and additional functionality as your audience and goals expand.
Find the best email marketing platform for your business
When comparing email marketing service providers, it’s important to bear in mind your specific needs. This might be advanced automation and segmentation capabilities, a rich choice of email templates you can easily edit to fit your brand, or additional tools for multichannel campaigns.
Each solution will offer different plans and pricing structures. So it’s worth doing some digging to work out how much each platform costs for the features you need and the number of contacts you plan to send campaigns to. The best email marketing service for your business will not only help you grow in the short term but it should also remain a viable solution as your needs develop.
In sum: The best email marketing platforms
When choosing an email marketing service, you’ll want to consider the following features:
- Email list management and segmentation
- Email templates and design functionality
- Email automation and personalization
- Reporting and analytics
Some of the best email marketing platforms include:
- Brevo: Best for any size business
- Mailchimp: Best for small contact lists
- Kit: Best for content creators
- Constant Contact: Best for NGOs
Try Brevo’s email marketing platform for free
Test core email marketing features and start growing your email list with signup forms, and 40+ pre-made email templates.
Email marketing platforms FAQ
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