The 13 Best Email Marketing Software Options For Businesses

Screenshot of Drip webpage, captured 8/9/2022

Drip Pricing

Drip pricing plans scale by the number of subscribers you have on your email list. Plans start at $39/month for up to 2,500 email contacts. You can expect to pay $49/month for up to 3,000 contacts, with slight pricing increases all the way up to $1,999/month for up to 180,000 contacts. If your list is greater than that, you’ll need to contact Drip for a custom price quote.

All Drip plans include unlimited email sends.

Drip Features

Drip’s features are pretty well-rounded:

• eCommerce integrations
• Forms and popups
• Prebuilt email templates
• Point-and-click visual editor
• HTML builder
• Automations include welcome series, abandoned carts, and post-purchase campaigns
• Customer segmentation with real-time updates

When Drip Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

With eCommerce integrations that allow you to connect your Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce store, Drip offers the tools and automations you need to attract and keep customers engaged in your online store. If your store is built on a different platform, you can use Drip’s API to integrate your eCommerce operation. Drip will help you discover how, when, and why people visit your store — and help you craft email messages that will turn them into loyal repeat customers.

Screenshot of Mailchimp webpage, captured 8/9/2022

Mailchimp Pricing

Mailchimp distinguishes itself by offering a generous free plan. It’s also feature-rich and frequently updated, so we think the value is great. Mailchimp’s pricing on its paid plans 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. There are three plans available, starting at $39-$299/month, although you’ll likely end up paying more depending on your list size. The free plan allows up to 2,000 contacts and sets a monthly cap on emails sent at 10,000, with a daily limit of 2,000. The top-tier plan includes a custom cap on contacts and allows 15x your plan’s contact limit.

Mailchimp Features

Mailchimp’s features are a mix of the familiar and the experimental, with many behind a paywall. Notable features include the following, some of which may be available only on paid plans:

• Forms and landing pages
• Marketing CRM
• Custom branding
• A/B testing
• Behavioral targeting
• Send time optimization
• Dynamic content

When Mailchimp Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

Mailchimp delivers generous email marketing features and is easy to learn to use. It’s got great features at a reasonable price, and its security, anti-spam, and privacy policies are at the top of the industry. With hundreds of available integrations, including Google Analytics, CRM options, and eCommerce add-ons that let you connect your online store, Mailchimp delivers almost everything you could need, at a price you probably can afford.

Screenshot of HubSpot webpage, captured 8/9/2022

HubSpot Pricing

Hubspot pricing is somewhat complicated. For starters, there are three paid plans in addition to a limited free plan that allows up to 2,000 sends/month with HubSpot branding. The paid plans start at $45/month for 1,000 contacts and go up to $320/month for 10,000 contacts.

If you want to add more contacts, you’ll be charged extra. How much depends on your plan.

For example, additional contacts can be added in increments of 1,000 for an additional $45 on the Starter plan or 1,000 for $100/month on the Entrepreneur plan. You can also choose to add HubSpot’s Starter CRM Suite if you want additional marketing, sales, content management, operations, and customer service tools. This suite is available starting at $45/month and includes multi-language and currency capabilities.

HubSpot Features

HubSpot delivers all the features you’ll need for email marketing, although not all features are available on every plan. Here are some of the best you’ll find with HubSpot:

• Email and form automations
• SEO recommendations and optimizations
• Multi-language content creation
• Email health insights
• Custom user permissions
• Blog
• Omnichannel marketing

When HubSpot Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

HubSpot email marketing software has a lot of strengths. One that stands out is its support for international business. That’s apparent even on the HubSpot pricing page, where you can choose to pay in US dollars or seven international currencies. Even the limited free HubSpot plan includes some support for multiple languages. If you’re doing business internationally and want an email marketing platform that’s ready to take your product messages around the world, HubSpot may be the best choice for you.

Screenshot of SendInBlue webpage

SendInBlue Pricing

SendInBlue offers a total of four plans, including a fully free plan. SendInBlue’s paid plans run between $25-$599/month. While the free plan limits users to a max of 300 emails per day, all other plans allow unlimited daily sends. You can expect your monthly cost to go up as your business grows. As an example, the mid-tier Premium plan starts at $65/month for 20,000 emails. That monthly price rises to $79 at 40,000 emails, $94 for 60,000, and $124 for 100,000. This plan maxes out at 1 million emails for $599. That’s competitively priced, especially since you’ll be allowed unlimited contacts.

SendInBlue’s fourth plan is an enterprise-level plan with custom pricing that depends on your needs.

SendInBlue Features

SendinBlue’s feature list is generous even on the free plan, although some features are limited to paying customers. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find:

• Email template library
• SMS marketing
• Email and SMS personalization
• Advanced segmentation
• Custom signup forms
• Sales CRM
• Automations

When SendinBlue Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

SendInBlue is a good entry point into 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. We like that SendInBlue allows unlimited sends each month. And although you will pay a little more as your contact list grows, SendInBlue’s prices are highly competitive.

Screenshot of Benchmark Email webpage, captured 2/17/2021

Benchmark Pricing

Sign up for Benchmark’s free plan, and you won’t need a credit card. You’ll get unlimited contacts with 3,500 emails to send a month. While you won’t have access to A/B testing or advanced automation with the free version, you will get a nice array of advanced features, including list segmentation and open-by-hour reporting.

In addition to the forever free plan, Benchmark offers a Pro plan, starting at $13/month, and an Enterprise plan with custom pricing. Each plan comes with unlimited sends, but relatively low contact limits that you’ll have to pay to increase. The Pro plan, for example, starts at 600 contacts and goes up in small increments: $25/month for 1,000 contacts and $30/month for $2,500 all the way up to $424/month for 100,000 contacts. The Enterprise plan is similar in its approach to contact list size.

Benchmark Features

Benchmark offers ample features, even on the free plan, although you’ll definitely be able to access more advanced features on the paid plans. Here’s a sampling of features available on all plans, even the free plan:

• Drag and drop email builder
• List management
• Basic segmentation
• Signup forms
• Basic drip campaigns
• Polls and surveys
• Live engagement reports and open-by-hour reports
• Unlimited video storage

When Benchmark Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

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. It’s a great choice for businesses that have relatively small contact lists that also want some room to grow. The free plan removes most of the risk, making Benchmark a solid and budget-friendly platform for now and for later.

Screenshot of Campaign Monitor webpage, captured 8/16/2020

Campaign Monitor Pricing

Campaign Monitor pricing covers four plans, including a limited free plan that allows only five contacts. The paid plans run from $9/month for up to 2,500 monthly emails up to $149/month for unlimited monthly emails. Nonprofit organizations are eligible for a 15% discount on these prices.

Campaign Monitor Features

All Campaign Monitor subscription levels are loaded with the features you’ll need to run effective email marketing campaigns. Naturally, you gain a few more advanced features as you go up in price. Still, even the least expensive Basic plan comes with more advanced features than you’ll find with other email marketing software. That includes API access and real-time reporting.

Here’s a small sampling of the features you’ll find at every Campaign Monitor plan level:

• Unlimited users, roles, and permissions
• Drag-and-drop builder
• Customizable template library and custom coded, branded templates
• Segmentation tools
• Free image gallery
• A/B testing
• Dynamic content

When Campaign Monitor Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

Campaign Monitor plans are loaded with useful features, even the entry-level Basic plan. That makes Campaign Monitor worth looking at, for every type of business. However, when you factor in a 15% nonprofit discount on the already reasonable subscription costs, Constant Contact starts to look like an irresistible bargain.

Constant Contact Pricing

Constant Contact’s pricing is based on the number of subscribers you have. It begins at $9.99/month for up to 500 contacts. All packages have a monthly send limit of 24x your total contacts, with an overage fee of $0.002 per email. If your list size is over 50,000 contacts, you’ll be automatically upgraded to the Plus plan, which starts at $45/month for 0-500 contacts and goes up to $410/month for 45,001-50,000 contacts. Lists over 50,000 contacts require custom pricing.

Constant Contact Features

The basic Core plan includes a solid feature set, with some advanced features added at the Plus level. Here’s a quick look at just a few of the features you’ll find on both plans:

• Live phone and chat support
• Text message signup
• Drag-and-drop email editor
• Hundreds of templates
• Subject line A/B testing
• Automated welcome email
• Social post reach, impressions, and engagement

When Constant Contact Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

Constant Contact offers a very large feature set for the eCommerce business. Despite this complexity, Constant Contact keeps its learning curve very low. And live support, including phone and chat, is available on all plans, so users can get help easily when they need it. Even better, Constant Contact offers a free 60-day free trial, making it an ideal choice for inexperienced users who want to start with email marketing.

Screenshot of Moosend webpage, captured 8/16/2022

Moosend Pricing

Moosend pricing depends on the size of your contact list. Most users will fall under the Pro plan, which allows for up to 50,000 contacts. There’s also an Enterprise plan, with custom pricing. The Pro plan starts at $9/month for up to 500 subscribers, with the price rising gradually until about the 10,000 subscriber limit, when it jumps into the triple digits. The Pro plan maxes out at 50,000 subscribers, with a price tag of $315/month. You can get approximately 30% off if you pay annually. All paid plans allow unlimited emails.

Moosend Features

Most Moosend features are available on both the Pro and Enterprise plan, making this an affordable email marketing system for small businesses that can’t afford to pay premium prices to unlock advanced features. Here’s a small sampling of what you’ll find with Moosend:

• Signup and subscription forms
• Landing pages
• Basic and custom-coded templates
• Prebuilt automation templates and automation workflow designer
• Open and clicks, plus bounce, unsubscribe and complaint tracking
• Custom events
• Email heatmap analytics

When Moosend Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

If you’re looking to build big-business email marketing campaigns on a small business budget, Moosend can help you meet your goals. It’s typical for email marketing software to increase the price tag as your contact list grows. But it’s less common for the lowest-level plans to include nearly all the top-tier features that come with a higher price tag than you’re willing to pay. Moosend delivers the tools you’ll need, with generous limits and a reasonable price tag that works for small businesses.

Screenshot of ActiveCampaign webpage, captured 8/16/2022

ActiveCampaign Pricing

ActiveCampaign pricing scales with the size of your contact list, and you’ll be charged more as your list grows. Higher tiers of service give you access to more features and support. You can pay annually or monthly, with a significant discount for paying for a year upfront. Choose between three plans, with pricing starting at $9-$149/month for up to 500 contacts, or choose the custom Enterprise plan. When your list reaches 100,000 contacts, you can expect to pay $549 on the Lite plan or switch to custom pricing on any of the other service tiers. All plans include unlimited sends.

ActiveCampaign Features

It’s not surprising that the entry-level Lite plan is the lightest on features. However, it’s important to note that it delivers more than entry-level functionality. Although you’ll need a higher-priced plan to unlock some advanced features, all plans include these functions:

• Marketing automations
• Drag and drop email designer
• Free templates
• Autoresponders
• GEO tracking
• API and webhooks
• Accelerated onboarding training

When ActiveCampaign Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

ActiveCampaign probably shouldn’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 aimed at those willing to put the time into exploiting its tools. If you’ve felt frustrated by other email software marketing platforms and want to go deep into dynamic content and automation, ActiveCampaign may be for you. This software is best suited for advanced users with a dedicated marketing team and budget who want to run finely-honed email marketing campaigns.

Screenshot of MailerLite webpage, captured 8/16/2022

MailerLite Pricing

MailerLite pricing comes in four tiers, starting with a completely free plan that allows up to 1,000 contacts and up to 12,000 monthly emails. Two paid plans cost between $9-$19/month and allow unlimited sends, though you may find list limits. There’s also an Enterprise plan with custom pricing. Discounts are available if you pay annually rather than month to month.

MailerLite Features

As you go up in MailerLite subscription levels, you’ll gain access to more advanced features. Still, even the free plan includes enough to allow for serious email marketing. Here’s a sampling of what’s included in every MailerLite plan:

• Drag-and-drop email editor
• Email automation builder
• A/B split testing
• Signup forms and pop-ups
• Unlimited embedded forms
• Image library
• eCommerce integrations

When MailerLite Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

If you’re looking for a cost-effective email marketing platform for a small contact list, MailerLite delivers. The free plan is generous and, with up to 1,000 contacts and 12,000 emails, many freelancers and sole proprietors may find more than they need. MailerLite’s Growing Business Plan, with a free 30-day trial, gives you a few more options starting as low as $108/year if billed annually.

Screenshot of Omnisend webpage, captured 6/17/2022

Omnisend Pricing

Omnisend offers a completely free plan, with limitations that include 500 emails/month, in addition to two paid plans. The paid plans start at $16/month for 500 contacts and goes up to $650/month for 50,000 contacts. Each plan comes with limits on the number of contacts and messages you can send.

Omnisend Features

Though it includes limits on contacts per campaign and total monthly sends, Omnisend’s free plan is surprisingly robust. Of course, when you sign up for a paid plan, your limits go up and you unlock increasingly advanced features. Let’s take a look at what all Omnisend plans include:

• SMS/MMS and web push notifications
• Email and SMS automations
• Prebuilt eCommerce workflows including welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase, and other automations
• Automation splits and A/B split testing
• Segmentation and customer lifecycle stages
• Popups and signup boxes
• Campaign reporting and clickmaps

When Omnisend Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

Omnisend’s calling card is email marketing. But it’s actually all about omnichannel marketing. That includes integrations with three top eCommerce platforms — Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce — and integrations via Omnisend API that allow you to use all your store data to segment customers, automate your marketing efforts, upsell, and more. Step-by-step instructions are available on the Omnisend website for both front-end and back-end integrations.

iContact Pricing

iContact pricing depends on your list size. You can choose among three plans, billed monthly, quarterly, or annually. iContact offers discounts to nonprofits and a free trial period with no credit card required. Aside from the free plan, base pricing runs from $15-$30 for up to 1,500 contacts. Monthly costs top out at $350/month for the Standard plan with 50,000 contacts and $700/month for the Pro plan with 50,000 contacts. iContact offers a high-volume plan with custom pricing for users with larger lists.

iContact Features

iContact’s feature list is fairly basic, which no doubt at least partly explains why this platform is so easy to use. You won’t find all features on all plans. Here’s a sampling of what you can expect:

• Drag and drop email editor
• Stock image library
• A/B split testing
• Automation editor
• Welcome series automation and targeted automation followups
• Custom API

When iContact Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

iContact is a good choice for small businesses or nonprofits with simple needs and not a lot of marketing experience. iContact offers an easy-to-use platform, with solid customer support if you need it. You’ll like iContact for its solid suite of basic features at a reasonable price, with a low learning curve.

Screenshot of Klaviyo webpage, captured 8/17/2022

Klaviyo Pricing

Klaviyo pricing begins at $0, with a completely free plan that allows up to 250 contacts, up to 500 monthly email sends, and 150 free SMS/MMS credits. For those with larger lists or bigger email marketing goals, Klaviyo offers two paid plans, starting at $20-$35/month for up to 500 contacts. The prices on these two plans go up in increments of 500, maxing out at $1,970-$1,955/month for up to 150,000 contacts.

Klaviyo Features

The availability of Kaviyo features is tied to your plan level. Here’s a sampling of what you can expect with Klaviyo:

• Behavior-based automations
• eCommerce automations
• Dynamic content
• Hundreds of prebuilt templates
• Rich segmentation
• Ready-made and customizable reports
• Integrated SMS

When Klaviyo Is The Best Email Marketing Software Choice

If you’re looking to put your email marketing program on autopilot, you won’t find many platforms that can compete with Klaviyo’s automations for both email and SMS. You’ll find dozens of flows built-in and customizable, and you can use a mix of emails and text. These include welcome series based on acquisition source, abandoned carts, win-back and cross-sell to inactive contacts, happy birthday messages with discounts, order and shipping updates, and webhooks for big spenders. Although Klaviyo comes at a higher cost than many other email marketing programs, this platform delivers value that matches its price tag to those that can afford to use it.