The 8 Best Email Marketing Software Options For Businesses

Get Started with Mailchimp

Mailchimp is great for small businesses that want to work with a trusted brand and don’t have a lot of money to shell out for email marketing software right away.

Pros

Easy to use
Generous features
Cross-platform support

Cons

Spotty customer service reported
No support after 30 days on the free plan

Mailchimp distinguishes itself for having a generous free plan. It’s also feature-rich and frequently updated, so we think the value is great. The only major downside is uneven and hard-to-reach customer service, depending partly on which plan you choose.

Mailchimp Pricing:

Mailchimp’s prices are based on a combination of caps on the number of subscribers and emails. The more you want of both, the more you’ll have to pay.

The free plan grants you up to 2,000 subscribers and includes:

1 Audience
Signup forms
Marketing CRM
Landing pages
Social posting
Facebook ads
Postcards
Creative assistant
Websites and domains
Content studio
Basic email templates
Marketing calendar
250+ integrations
Surveys
Mobile app

Paid plans start at $9.99/mo for the Essentials Plan and go up. For the Essentials plan, you get up to three audiences and behavioral targeting.

Mailchimp Features

Mailchimp’s features are a mix of the familiar and the experimental, with many behind a paywall. Features include:

Drag and drop editor
Multi-user accounts
Analytics and reports
Automation
Custom forms
Email analytics
Geolocation
Delivery by time zone
Abandoned cart email
A/B testing

Best Small Business Email Marketing Service

Although Mailchimp has a reputation for being easy for first-time users, there’s actually a lot of product under the hood, although some of it lurks behind paywalls.

Mailchimp has an exhaustive segmentation system, which allows you to breakdown and categorize your contact list according to a wide range of rules and labels.

Customer support for Mailchimp is responsive, but if you prefer speaking to someone on the phone, you’re out of luck. To control costs, Mailchimp doesn’t offer phone support.

When To Use Mailchimp

We like Mailchimp’s plan for those wanting to coast via the freebie plan at first, as well as serious marketers with industrious goals. You’ll find quite a lot of bang for your buck with Mailchimp overall.

2. Benchmark: Best Free Plan

Benchmark Email

Get Started with Benchmark Email

We think Benchmark offers one of the most noteworthy platforms in its class. Combining quality customer service and a strong feature suite, Benchmark offers one of the best email marketing software options out there.

Pros

Excellent customer service
Easy-to-use platform
Advanced features

Cons

Mistakes may be unforgiving in the email editor
Limited signup form options

Benchmark Pricing

Benchmark’s free plan doesn’t require a credit card and you’ll get unlimited contacts with 250 emails to send a month. While you won’t have access to A/B testing or advanced automation with the free version, here is a sampling of what you will get:

Responsive templates
Basic drip campaigns
Open-by-hour reporting
List management and segmentation
List hygiene
Google Analytics tracking
RSS email campaign
Signup forms
Reputation health scoring
Unlimited video storage
Surveys and polls

The PRO plan starts at $13.00/mo and it inches up depending on the number of contacts you have. You’ll have unlimited emails to send each month, which is a fantastic deal.

For more on Benchmark’s pricing, features, and reviews, check out our Benchmark Review post.

Benchmark Features

Benchmark’s no slouch when it comes to email marketing software features. Each plan is generous and offers excellent value.

Hundreds of email templates
Video emails
Surveys
Dedicated email server
Email delivery management
Photo editing
Autoresponders
Sign-up forms
Inbox checker
RSS-to-email
Segmentation
A/B testing

Most of Benchmark’s features are available to all users, even the free ones, which make it one of the best email marketing software platforms to cut your teeth on. Users that have run afoul of spam filters in the past may appreciate Benchmark’s dedicated email server, which comes with high-volume plans and is available to lower-volume users as a $30 add-on.

Benchmark offers its users a lot of support resources. Customer service is generally responsive, with minimal waiting times.

When To Use Benchmark

Benchmark is a great choice for businesses that aren’t sure what they need out of their email marketing software platform. but also want some room to grow. The free plan removes most of the risk, making Benchmark a solid platform to get your feet wet plus plenty of room to grow.

3. Drip: Best Automation Tools For eCommerce

Drip Ecommerce CRM

Drip is best for businesses that want powerful automation tools for eCommerce. Drip is a modern, streamlined email marketing software that provides a powerful set of automation tools.

Pros

Robust CRM platform reporting
90+ integrations
Feature-rich for eCommerce

Cons

It may be overkill for retail business
Only chat support available

Drip Pricing

Drip is a little bit different than other email services in that you have access to all features at every price level. All plans scale by the number of subscribers you have on your email list.

Drip plans begin at $49/mo, which gives you up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited emails.

Drip Features

Drip’s features are pretty straightforward but well-rounded:

Email builder
Customer data and insights
Personalized campaigns
Optimization
Multi-channel marketing
Customer behavior tracking
Automation
Segmentation
Email delivery management
Abandoned cart email
Split testing

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Businesses

We think there is a modest learning curve with Drip. However, you should have a solid grip on the software after a week or two of use. Some features, such as the email editor, are a little unpolished but still serviceable.

When To Use Drip

Businesses that have outgrown free features and have the know-how to make good use of advanced tools geared to eCommerce should give Drip a try.

4. SendInBlue: Generous Features For Large Contact Lists

SendinBlue

Get Started with SendinBlue

SendinBlue is generous with features in its starter plans and has no limit on contacts, so it is great for price-conscious small businesses that still have industrious marketing goals.

Pros

Numerous features
Good customer service
Rated highly by customers

Cons

Limited integrations
Phone support not available on all plans

SendInBlue Pricing

SendInBlue offers a free plan with unlimited contacts and includes all its basic features, noted in the next section.

Your next option is the Lite Plan which starts out at $25/mo and adds no sending limit and up to 100,000 emails to send.

Listed pricing tops out at $65 for the premium plan. You can also negotiate an enterprise plan if you want a dedicated account manager and services pack. For more on pricing and features, check out our full SendinBlue Review post.

SendInBlue Features

Best Email Service Provider for Small Businesses

SendinBlue’s calling card is its accessibility, both in terms of features and pricing, which allows new marketers to quickly create and ramp up email marketing campaigns.

Here are some of the features you have waiting for you with SendinBlue:

Advanced segmentation
Custom signup forms
Sales CRM
Email campaigns
Email templates
SMS marketing
Transaction email
Email and SMS personalization
Workflow editor
Chat window
Core API features
Automation

When To Use SendinBlue

SendInBlue is a good entry point into learning email marketing, particularly for those with a lot of contacts. It is highly rated by customers and has good customer support to back it up.

5. AWeber: Best Value For Automation

AWeber

AWeber works great for small businesses in growth mode because it provides a full set of features at each tier and grants powerful automation options at a relatively low price.

Pros

Easy to use
Numerous templates
24/7 US-based customer service

Cons

Credit card required for trial
Relatively higher cost for subscriptions

AWeber Pricing

AWeber has incredibly simple pricing. You have a Free and Pro plan. The free plan covers you until you get to 500 subscribers and 3,000 emails a month, but you also don’t have access to some features like A/B testing, advanced analytics, some of the eCommerce tools, and push notifications. However, you can still use quite a number of the features, which we’ll go over below.

The Pro plan starts at $16.15/mo and increases with your list size. Take note that you’ll be billed annually, so we do recommend using the free plan as a trial before making your final commitment.

AWeber Features

AWeber’s features are quite extensive and include:

Newsletters
Email automation
RSS to email
Drag-and-drop email builder
Hundreds of email templates
HTML emails
Dynamic content
AMP emails
Hosted broadcast archive
Thousands of professional images
Email split testing
Behavioral automation
Branded click-tracking links
Unlimited landing pages
Landing page templates
Thousands of professional images
Video landing pages
Google Analytics and Facebook tracking
Custom domains
Signup forms
WordPress plugin
Signup form split test
Tagging subscribers
Send to basic segments
Save and send to custom segments
Message analytics
Webpage tracking
eCommerce solution integration
Sales tracking
Cart abandonment and purchase tagging
Unlimited users
Free migration
Integrations
24/7/live support/email/chat on all plans

Best Email Marketing Service for Small Businesses

AWeber finds a healthy balance between ease of use and functionality. Many features, such as autoresponders, are presented intuitively enough that you won’t be googling for tutorials very often. It’s a great, accessible toolset, though possibly overkill for small companies that only need to run a campaign once in a while.

If you’re looking for the platform to help you get serious with your email marketing campaigns, this is it.

When To Use

AWeber offers a fantastic platform for a small business that’s in growth mode or a business that wants to amp up this year’s success next year. With plenty of engagement tools for a low price point, you can’t go wrong with AWeber.

6. Constant Contact: Easiest To Use For eCommerce

Constant Contact

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Get Started with Constant Contact

Best for small businesses that are intimidated by the prospect of running an email marketing campaign but still want a full-featured solution.

Pros

Easy to use
Omnichannel selling tools
Robust eCommerce features

Cons

Mixed reviews
Higher cost

Constant Contact Pricing

Constant Contact’s pricing is based on the number of subscribers you have. It begins at $20/month for the Email plan and next is Email Plus starting at $45/mo. You can also take advantage of the 6-day trial before committing.

Constant Contact Features

Constant Contact’s features include:

Email marketing with unlimited sends
Customizable templates
Tracking and reporting
Automated email resend to non-openers
Online donations
eCommerce marketing
LogoMaker
List building
Welcome email
Contact list import
Contact management
Landing pages
Image library
Facebook and Instagram ads
Google ads
Social posting, inbox, and monitoring
Apps and integrations
Signup forms
Marketing calendar
List segmentation
3 users
Even management and marketing
Unlimited eCommerce product
Digital products and downloads
Accept online payments
Transactional emails
Order, inventory, and tax management
Integrated shipping management
Mobile-responsive website
Free hosting
Unlimited storage
SSL certificate
Website analytics
Blog
Connect custom domain
Chat and phone support

And that’s just on the basic plan! The Pro plan gives you additional features including:

Advanced eCommerce marketing
Customizable pop-up forms
Automated welcome series
Automated behavioral series
RSVP
Surveys
Polls
Coupons
Dynamic Content

Best Email Marketing Software for Small Businesses

Tutorials and pop-ups will guide you through your first email. When you need to reach out to customer service, you shouldn’t have much trouble getting a knowledgeable rep on the line.

When To Use Constant Contact

Constant Contact offers a very large feature set for the eCommerce business and keeps its learning curve very low. Because it is such a large company and appeals to inexperienced users, we think any negative reviews are outweighed by the majority having a good experience with Constant Contact. Start with the 60-day free trial and go from there.

7. iContact: Simplest Platform

iContact

Best for small businesses or nonprofits with simple needs and don’t have a lot of marketing experience.

Pros

Well-designed templates
Good customer support
Easy to use

Cons

Cost higher than competitors
Not suitable for industrious marketing goals on its own

iContact is yet another player in a crowded field. While it doesn’t particularly stand out, it does offer a solid plan for businesses with simple email marketing needs.

Unlike some competitors, you’ll have access to a simple automation series on the basic plan with a nice set of features waiting for you. Additionally, our research shows that iContact excels in its customer service, making it a fantastic choice for the beginning marketer.

iContact Pricing

iContact’s plans start at $15/month for up to 1,500 subscribers and increases as your email list grows. Other price-points include $25/mo for up to 2,500 subscribers and $45 for up to 5,000 subscribers.

Nonprofit companies do enjoy a 20% savings on these amounts!

iContact Features

iContact’s features include:

Email marketing
Drag and drop editor
Template library
HTML editor
A/B testing
Automation
Segmentation
Landing page creating
Birthday series
Smart sending
Automation editor
Targeted automation follow-ups
Welcome series
Event promotion serious
Contact record updates
Landing pages
Reports
Signup forms
Rolling non-opener segmentation
Custom API
Integrations directory
Client folders
Multiple users

iContact has a strong core program, and its sheer ease of use sets it apart from many other programs on the market. The user dashboard is quite simple, providing a quick overview of your latest email statistics, contact lists, and social sharing sites.

Reporting tools are basic, providing a condensed overview of your campaigns. For individual campaigns, key statistics (such as opens, clicks, and bounces) are presented in both numerical and pie chart formats.

iContact touts its award-winning customer service, and it seems to be well earned. You can get live support through chat, phone, and email, with prompt responses.

When To Use iContact

Try iContact if you need a solid suite of basic features at a reasonable price, with a low learning curve. iContact is also well suited for a nonprofit organization with its features and a generous discount.

8. ActiveCampaign: Geared For Serious Marketers

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is best for advanced users looking to run a finely-honed email marketing campaign with a dedicated marketing team and budget.

Pros

Numerous features
Excellent automation tools
Integrated CRM tools

Cons

Steep learning curve
Expensive for smaller businesses

ActiveCampaign probably won’t be your first email marketing software, but it may be your last. It’s a feature-rich product with a fairly high learning curve, but if you’re willing to put the time into exploiting its tools, you can design very effective and highly targeted marketing campaigns. Even its low-tier plans allow multiple users, making it well-suited for businesses large enough to have marketing departments.

ActiveCampaign Pricing

ActiveCampaign’s pricing is based on the size of your contact list and the features you want to use. Lite starts at $9/month for 500 contacts and increases with your subscriber count. It supports three users, email marketing, automation, and chat and email support.

Plus starts at $49/month for 500 contacts. supports up to 25 users and adds sales automation, custom domain and branding, data integrations, SMS marketing, and one-on-one training.

Professional starts at $129/month for 2,500 contacts. It supports up to 50 users and adds predictive sending, win probability, site messaging, and attribution.

ActiveCampaign Features

ActiveCampaign’s features, locked or unlocked depending on your plan, include:

Email marketing
SMS marketing
Dynamic content
Automation
Segmentation
Split A/B testing
Event tracking
Customer success pipelines
Account management
Customer health scoring
Advanced mobile supporting
Automations map
Conditional content
Advanced performance reporting
Custom branded forms and landing pages
Facebook custom audiences
Contact scoring
Contact and lead scoring
Predictive sending
Marketing attribution
Site messages
Website personalization
Win probability
Deal path reporting

Best Email Marketing Service for Small Businesses

One of the standout features is the ability to create “dynamic content.” You can designate portions of your emails to have fields that substitute pieces of content, depending on your contact’s preferences. You could, for example, highlight two different products in the same template; your contacts would only see the one that more closely fits their tastes.

Customer support options are tiered. Most users will have access to chat and email support, but phone support is reserved for the enterprise level.

When To Use

If you’ve felt frustrated by the limited features of other email software marketing platforms and want to get deep into dynamic content and automation, ActiveCampaign may be for you. That goes double for businesses with marketing teams.