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14 Best Email Marketing Platforms in 2024 (Software Review)

May 6, 2024 - By Camilla Mackeviciute

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Achieving success with email marketing is crucial for growing business in 2024. It involves sending out offers, newsletters, and other client-facing communication to build long-term relationships with prospects and turn them into customers. 

But how to pick the right email marketing service in a crowded market? In this blog, we’ll share the best email marketing services and compare them based on price, features, automation capabilities, and user experience.

What to Look for in Email Marketing Tools

There are many tools to manage customer communication and enhance sales cycles via emails in the market, each with unique features and capabilities. But which email newsletter service is the best? 

If you’ve been searching for the best email marketing tool, here are seven factors you must keep in mind while evaluating any solution: 

  • Convenience. Your email marketing tool should make your life easy. You shouldn’t be stuck with a clunky UI or a steep learning curve. Plus, it should have features for automating recurring tasks like scheduling emails. 
  • Drag-and-drop Editor. The email marketing tool should have a powerful drag-and-drop editor that lets you design emails quickly without coding. It should also have readymade layouts and templates. 
  • Automation Features. Your email marketing solution should automate tasks like scheduling campaigns, triggering emails based on activity, and lead nurturing. It should, basically, have a powerful automation builder. 
  • Signup Forms. You should be able to create signup forms to start attracting new subscribers. Using another tool just for forms isn’t the best use of your time, as time will be wasted on integrating/migrating data. 
  • Deliverability. Your email marketing tool should be able to take your emails to your subscriber’s inbox. Always test different platforms for deliverability rates before picking one. 
  • Support. Email marketing platforms should offer dedicated support via multiple mediums — chat, email, and even phone calls. Because your marketing will depend on it, and every moment wasted trying to tackle a technical hiccup can lead to a wasted opportunity. 
  • Security & Reliability. Most email marketing services have a robust security policy and should offer top-notch protection against hackers and data breaches. In the day and age of GDPR and stringent data policies, your email marketing service should protect you from unwanted penalties. 

Quick Breakdown: Best Email Marketing Services

Before we deep dive into different email platforms for business, let’s quickly compare all the email marketing service packages side by side. Here’s a table that will give you a quick snapshot of major email marketing tools and their pricing plans.

CostMonthly EmailsSubscriber LimitFree PlanBest Feature
SenderStarts at $1530,0002,500YesNo-code automation builder & advanced segmentation
KlaviyoStarts at $35 per month5,000 500YesA/B testing
HubSpotStarts at $18 5,0001,000No (free trial only)Free CRM & funnel builder
Constant ContactStarts at $125,000500No (free trial only)CRM dashboard
ActiveCampaign$29 per month10,0001,000 No (free trial only) Lead scoring capabilities
SendXStarts at $9.99Unlimited1,000No (free trial only) Vast email template gallery
BrevoStarts at $2520,000UnlimitedYesWhatsapp/SMS marketing features
RetainfulStarts at $9 10,0001,000YesCustomer referrals
GetResponseStarts at $16Unlimited  1,000No (free trial only) Conversion funnel builder & CRM
EmailOctopusStarts at $910,000500YesConditional automation
DripStarts at $39Unlimited2,500 NoCustomer journey builder
MailchimpStarts at $135,000500 YesLanding page builder
MailmodoStarts at $3920,0002,500No (free trial only) AMP emails
ConvertKitStarts at $9Unlimited300 YesLead magnet automation

14 Best Email Marketing Platforms in 2024

Checking every email marketing platform and analyzing every small feature wastes time. Additionally, for over 90% of cases, an in-depth roundup isn’t helpful as most businesses need essential features and pick the most popular email marketing platforms. 

So, we decided to pick the top email marketing platforms to help you save time, including:

Let’s look at these top email marketing services one by one:

1. Sender – Top Email Campaign Platform

Best for:

  • Small and medium-sized businesses;
  • Ecommerce;
  • B2B businesses.
sender_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.6 | G2 4.4 | Shopify 4.3

Sender is an email and SMS marketing platform for ecommerce businesses that want to nurture leads, build long-term relationships, and grow revenue. With user-friendly email campaign tools like a visual automation builder, behavioral segmentation, and an email builder, Sender simplifies email and SMS marketing.

Sender gives you everything you need to create, run, and optimize email campaigns from the start till the end. With its email design builder and free email templates, you can craft emails in minutes — and the best part? You can do it all for free as it doesn’t put any restrictions on free plan users. 

There’s more. Sender has one of the best response times in the industry, as you can be sure of getting human customer support whenever you’re stuck. So, you’ll waste less time understanding ‘things’ and spend more time on increasing revenue. 

If you run a store on Shopify, it’s your best bet for Shopify email marketing. Its Shopify integration saves you time while setting up abandoned cart recovery messages and upsell/cross-selling campaigns.

Automate workflows based on visitor behavior, enjoy high deliverability and run SMS & email campaigns simultaneously to increase your store revenue.

With its email design builder and free email templates, you can craft emails in minutes — and the best part? You can do it all for free!

Sender_drag-and-drop_builder_Green

Sender’s Top Features

Sender’s omnichannel platform integrates various advanced marketing features, from an email list management system to marketing automation. You’d surely love the following features:

  • Drag-and-drop editor for creating email campaigns; 
  • Premade & customizable templates; 
  • Advanced subscribers segmentation & analytics; 
  • Email campaigns; 
  • Text messaging;
  • Marketing automation; 
  • Lead capturing tools.

Sender Pros & Cons

Sender is a worthy email marketing service provider with many benefits (and few downsides). Let’s look at them quickly.

ProsCons
Affordable pricing plan with a generous free tier No landing page builder (in progress)
Robust automated campaign builder with a drag-and-drop interfaceSender logo with a free plan
Amazing deliverability and great support

Sender Pricing

Thinking about the cost of using Sender for email marketing? Here’s a quick peek at how Sender’s pricing can fit your budget:

  • Free plan with unrestricted access for up to 2,500 subscribers;  
  • The premium plan starts at $15 per month; 
  • Unrestricted access to all the features, including automation for free users.

2. Brevo – Best Email Marketing Platform for Ecommerce

Best for:

  • Freelancers;
  • Entrepreneurs;
  • Startups.
brevo_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.5 | G2 4.5 | Shopify 2.6 

Brevo (formerly SendInBlue) is more than an email marketing software. It’s an omnichannel platform that offers the power to weave engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, social media accounts, and chat. The platform also has a robust CRM to help you take charge of your lead pipeline.

Brevo emailing service’s simplicity, affordability, and omnichannel approach suit anyone, beginning with targeted email marketing. It has standard automation features you’d expect from your email marketing suite, but don’t expect it to run the show on autopilot all the time.

sendinblue_dashboard

Brevo’s Top Features

Brevo is one of the simplest email marketing solutions. Yet, being powerful, it gives you everything bundled in a single package, including: 

  • Intuitive drag-and-drop builder; 
  • Advanced CRM; 
  • Support for SMS campaigns & transactional emails; 
  • Dynamic personalization for targeted campaigns; 
  • Advanced segmentation; 
  • Smart A/B testing features.

Brevo Pros & Cons 

Brevo offers advanced email marketing services but needs to catch up in some essential areas.

Pros Cons
Advanced automation workflows, including prebuilt ecommerce automationBoring and repetitive templates
Human-friendly email editor with drag-and-drop interfaceComplex list management features
Lead scoring and personalization featuresQuite simple email previews

Brevo Pricing 

Brevo remains one of the most pocket-friendly email marketing providers.

  • Starts at $25 per month for up to 20,000 emails per month and unlimited contacts; 
  • The free plan is also available, with a limit of 300 emails sent daily.

Also read: 10 Best Brevo (Sendinblue) Alternatives & Competitors for 2024


3. Hubspot – Email Marketing Service for Large Businesses

Best for:

  • Small and medium businesses;
  • Startups;
  • Agencies.
HubSpot_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.5 | G2 4.4 | Shopify NA

HubSpot is an email marketing service powerhouse that takes care of your subscribers and potential customers across the entire customer lifecycle. The email marketing app comes with a free CRM solution, making it ideal for large scale businesses who want to keep an eye on customer relationships.

HubSpot has all the standard email marketing features like drag and drop builder, journey flows, and marketing automation. Apart from basic features, HubSpot has several advanced features like high-end segmentation, customer lifecycle synchronization across sales & marketing, 

The email marketing solution is best for large companies looking to keep absolute deal transparency across different stages of the buyer’s journey.

hubspot_dashboard

Hubspot’s Top Features

HubSpot has several advanced marketing automation, email marketing, inbound lead gen, and lead nurturing features, including:

  • Drag-and-drop email builder; 
  • Complex personalization sequences and marketing automation features; 
  • Free CRM solution to sync customer journey across sales and marketing; 
  • A/B testing features. 

Hubspot Pros & Cons

HubSpot has become a household name thanks to its extensive array of features. However, effectively managing all of them is a different story.

ProsCons
Great list management and segmentation featuresQuite expensive pricing plans
Landing page and marketing automation builderFeature restrictions on lower plans
Free CRM Steep learning curve

HubSpot Pricing

The pricing is what often stops smaller businesses from moving to HubSpot:

  • Starts at $18 per month for up to 1000 subscribers;
  • Free limited-period trial available with feature restrictions. 

4. Constant Contact – Advanced A/B Testing and Reporting

Best for:

  • Small businesses;
  • Ecommerce businesses;
  • Nonprofits.
constant_contact_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.3 | G2 4.0 | Shopify 3.0

Constant Contact has been in the market for 25 years and has been the first choice for many marketers and businesses. The platform brings all the campaign data on a single dashboard. 

Constant Contact offers a wide variety of features intended to streamline your email marketing operations.

The platform features several useful email marketing capabilities, robust ecommerce & website builder, advanced A/B testing and reporting, as well as social media marketing features. Overall, Constant Contact is a great solution for small businesses and non-profits.

constant_contact_dashboard

Constant Contact’s Top Features

Constant Contact has all the important email marketing features you need, plus some advanced features useful for experienced folks, like: 

  • Vast template library; 
  • Marketing automation tools
  • Advanced A/B testing and reporting; 
  • Support for omnichannel campaigns across email, SMS & social media; 
  • Ecommerce & event marketing features; 

Constant Contact Pros & Cons

Constant Contact features show that the company has been in the business for a quarter of a century. However, it is slower in adopting some useful novelties.

Pros Cons
Advanced A/B testing Expensive
Unique ecommerce marketing featuresQuestionable email deliverability 
Social media management and marketing Basic email editor and limited template library

Constant Contact Pricing

Constant Contact’s pricing won’t break the bank, but there’s a catch:

  • Starts at $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers for email marketing; 
  • A free 60-day trial plan is available.

5. ActiveCampaign – Best for Automated Email Marketing

Best for:

  • Small and medium businesses;
  • Marketing agencies;
  • Content creators and bloggers.
ActiveCampaign_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.6 | G2 4.5 | Shopify 4.4

ActiveCampaign is an all-in-one platform with essential email automation tools, customer behavior tracking features, and robust integration capabilities. It’s designed for businesses of all sizes, making it easier to craft personalized email marketing campaigns that drive engagement and conversions. 

What sets ActiveCampaign apart is its smart automation features, which respond to customer behavior and learn from it to launch targeted and effective campaigns. Moreover, ActiveCampaign provides an extensive suite of features beyond email marketing.

Its CRM system is well integrated into the platform, providing users with a single interface to manage all interactions and monitor customer lifetime value. With advanced machine learning capabilities, businesses can generate unique insights into customer behavior and use them to optimize their email marketing strategy.

activecampaign_dashboard

ActiveCampaign’s Top Features

ActiveCampaign has great features that simplify email marketing for you. Some of the most useful features include:

  • Advanced automation builder to set up complex triggers based on customer behavior;
  • Dedicated CRM to manage customer interactions all in one place;
  • A/B testing to test variations of your emails to identify what works best;
  • Multi-channel marketing to reach your customers through email, SMS, and other mediums. 

ActiveCampaign Pros & Cons

ActiveCampaign remains among the popular email marketing services for good reasons. However, some features still need addressing.

ProsCons
Powerful automation capabilitiesSteep learning curve
Robust CRM and customer behavior trackingSlightly more expensive compared to other solutions
Amazing integration capabilitiesRestrictive opt-in forms

ActiveCampaign Pricing 

While ActiveCampaign is close to being the best email marketing tool, it’s important to note that it comes with a specific pricing structure that may only suit some budgets.

  • Starts at $29 per month for up to 1000 subscribers; 
  • A 14-day free trial is available. 

6. SendX – Intuitive and Affordable Email Marketing Tool

Best for:

  • Small businesses and startups;
  • Non-profits;
  • Marketing agencies.
SendX_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.6 | G2 4.6 | Shopify NA

With one of the simplest UIs in the industry, SendX provides unlimited email sends with every plan, powerful automation capabilities, best of breed email deliverability. 3000+ companies worldwide trust SendX for their email marketing. 

There are nearly 50 original email templates on SendX, that can be used for various use cases like the holiday season, newsletter, product launch, promotions, ecommerce, or online courses. They also feature one of the biggest email template collections from across the web with over 1500+ templates.

With SendX, you can make your marketing go into auto-pilot mode. Segment the customers on the basis of demography, subscriber behavior and more than 25+ other parameters. You can increase revenue with transactional emails and reach the target customers at the appropriate time through scheduling.

sendx_dashboard

SendX’s Top Features

  • Drag-and-drop design builder;
  • Automated workflows;
  • Extensive template gallery;
  • A/B testing;
  • Customer support.

SendX Pros & Cons

SendX boasts user-friendly features, making it suitable for small businesses. However, its limitations might pose challenges for users seeking more advanced functionalities in email marketing.

ProsCons
User-friendly UINo free plan
Affordable plansLimited automation
List segmentation featuresBasic reporting

SendX Pricing

SendX offers competitive pricing plans, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious users:

  • No free plan, but there is a 14-day free trial (no credit card required, instant setup);
  • Pricing is based on the number of subscribers, starting from 1,000 the monthly pricing starts at $9.99 per month ($89.88 per year, if billed annually). Emails sent per month are unlimited.

7. Klaviyo – Top Marketing Automation for Email Marketing

Best for:

  • Ecommerce stores 
  • Freelancers & agencies
  • Small businesses
klaviyo_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.6 | G2 4.6 | Shopify 4.1

Klaviyo is used by many small business owners, ecommerce stores, and bloggers for marketing automation. It focuses on helping you build and execute an omnichannel strategy for email and SMS. 

Connect with your customers and observe their interactions using the in-built analytics tool. Then, use behavioral segmentation and workflow builder to set up nurture and follow-up campaigns for automating your marketing strategy. You also get features like landing page builder and form builder to get going right away. 

Klaviyo_dashboard_automation

Klaviyo’s Top Features

Klaviyo is a powerful email marketing service with all the standard features you seek as a business owner. Here are the major ones: 

  • Advanced segmentation;
  • Automation workflows;
  • Integration with popular ecommerce platforms;
  • Detailed analytics and reporting;
  • Advanced A/B testing;
  • Customer profiles;
  • Forms and popup builder.

Klaviyo Pros & Cons

Despite everything mentioned above, Klaviyo lacks on some fronts. Let’s quickly check its pros and cons. 

ProsCons
Detailed segmentation optionsSteep learning curve
Readymade automations for ecommerceCan get expensive for large email lists
A/B testing featureLengthy setup process 

Klaviyo Pricing

Klaviyo has a free plan that offers a starting point with a monthly email send limit of 500, 150 free monthly SMS/MMS credits (plus applicable carrier fees), and email support for the initial 60 days. Its paid plans are as follows: 

  • Email-only plan that starts at $35 per month for up to 500 contacts and 5,000 monthly emails; 
  • Email+SMS plan starts at $60 per month for up to 5,000 monthly email credits + 1,250 SMS/MMS credits. 

8. GetResponse – Best for Email Campaigning Tools  

Best for:

  • Ecommerce businesses;
  • Digital marketers and agencies;
  • Online educators and course creators.
getresponse_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.2 | G2 4.2 | Shopify 1.9 

GetResponse is a multifunctional email marketing platform that offers email marketing, website builder, and webinar creation features on a single platform. It is useful for small businesses looking to solve different marketing problems (e.g., cart abandonment campaigns) from a single platform instead of getting multiple subscriptions.

It offers an easy way to make and send promotional, educational, and personalized email campaigns. You can create beautiful newsletters, autoresponders, and automated sequences. You can also set up live and on-demand webinars, create cart abandonment campaigns, and use marketing automation for lead gen, inbound marketing, lead nurturing, and more. 

getresponse_dashboard

GetResponse’s Top Features

GetResponse comes with all the essential email marketing features, including an autoresponder, drag-and-drop email builder, and more features such as: 

  • Easy-to-use email builder; 
  • Email marketing automation;  
  • Drag and drop builder for forms and landing pages; 
  • Advanced email list segmentation; 
  • Reporting and analytics.

GetResponse Pros & Cons

While offering features for effective email marketing remains GetResponse’s primary aim, it leaves behind less prominent but still needed elements.

ProsCons
Prompt support and intuitive documentationSimple and outdated email template designs
Detailed analytics dashboard Pricing plans can get costly as you scale operations
List segmentation and categorization featuresOutdated UI 

GetResponse Pricing

GetResponse has a budget-friendly pricing for those who don’t need much:

  • Starts at $16 per month for up to 1000 subscribers (only email marketing features);
  • The free 30-days plan is also available for up to 500 subscribers (limited use). 

Also read: 12 Free Email Template Builders (HTML + Drag and Drop Editor)


9. ConvertKit – Best Email Advertising Service for Startups

Best for:

  • Bloggers and content creators;
  • Online course instructors;
  • Small businesses and startups.
convertkit_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.7 | G2 4.4 | Shopify NA

ConvertKit is a multifunctional email marketing service for realtors, artists, creators, and businesses who believe in the power of community building. It’s a full-service platform with website building, email marketing, and deep monetization features.

Unlike many other marketing platforms, ConvertKit is focused not on building an audience to send email campaigns but on fostering a long-term fan base that interacts with your business frequently. 

ConvertKit allows you to create email designs or customize already available templates to suit your brand and message. It also has additional features, such as lead magnet tools, that let you build your opt-in list from your website.

convertkit_dashboard

ConvertKit’s Top Features

ConvertKit’s feature list has an interesting mix of creator-friendly features to build and grow your email list and sell your digital or ecommerce products. This includes: 

  • Huge template library; 
  • Audience segmentation and nurturing; 
  • Auto-responder campaigns; 
  • WYSIWYG email editor; 
  • Sales funnels and marketing automation. 

ConvertKit Pros & Cons

ConvertKit excels at facilitating community-building through email marketing, but it may be limiting when handling other diverse tasks.

Pros Cons
Landing page builder and email builder with a large template libraryBasic segmentation & reporting features with the standard plan
Lead magnet automation builderLimited user seats
Audience nurturing automation Costly compared to other tools on this list. 

ConvertKit Pricing

ConvertKit is one of the more expensive email marketing services on the list:

  • Starts at $9 per month for up to 300 subscribers, paid annually;
  • Free plan available for up to 1,000 subscribers. 

10. DRIP – Best Automated Email Marketing Software

Best for:

  • Small ecommerce companies; 
  • Offline retailers;
  • Coaches and consultants.
drip_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.4 | G2 4.4 | Shopify 4.6 (currently unavailable)  

Drip is a powerful email automation software designed to solve the email marketing woes for ecommerce store owners. You can use it to set up automated newsletters and/or lead nurturing campaigns. 

With Drip, you can automate campaigns based on user actions and target your prospects with personalized emails. Its advanced segmentation options ensure you never miss an opportunity to convert by delivering the right message at the right time. 

There’s even a drag-and-drop builder and automation templates to start your journey right away. Its analytics dashboard is great, too.

However, when compared to other platforms on the list, Drip appears slightly expensive. Also, it’s design customization tools are limited, making it hard for brand-focused business to keep using it. 

drip_dashboard

Drip’s Top Features

Drip is good for ecommerce stores looking for advanced features for their email campaigns. Its top features include: 

  • Behavioral automation triggers; 
  • Advanced segmentation; 
  • Ready-to-use automation templates; 
  • A/B testing for subject lines; 
  • Integrations for all major ecommerce platforms. 

Drip Pros & Cons

Drip is good for store owners who want advanced segmentation but comes with its own shortcomings. Here are some of its pros and cons: 

ProsCons
Advanced customer segmentationLack of design customization tools
User experience and journey builder Expensive
Detailed analytics No A/B testing for email content

Drip Pricing

Drip has featured only a single plan on its website for all users. Its free and paid plans are as follows: 

  • 14-day free trial that users can use to check out the platform and test different features; 
  • Basic plan starts at $39 per month for up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited email sends. 

11. Mailchimp – Email Marketing Platform for Customer Journeys

Best for:

  • Marketing agencies; 
  • B2B startups; 
  • Coaches and influencers. 
mailchimp_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.5 | G2 4.4 | Shopify 3.3

Mailchimp is a useful email marketing solution if you’re looking to streamline your customer journey. Its automation builder helps you set up different types of campaigns based on custom triggers. 

Mailchimp offers a landing page builder as well as plenty of templates for your marketing needs. You can set up campaigns, forms, and schedule emails for nurturing your audience, like any other email marketing tool on this list. 

However, Mailchimp can get pretty costly for business owners looking for a long-term solution. It doesn’t have useful features like segmentation on basic plans, charges for different features as an add-on, and has restrictive limits (with overage charges). 

mailchimp_dashboard

Mailchimp’s Top Features

Mailchimp has all the standard features of an email marketing solution. The most notable features include: 

  • Drag-and-drop email builder; 
  • Landing page builder; 
  • Basic automation and segmentation features; 
  • Appointment scheduler; 
  • Campaign optimization. 

Mailchimp Pros & Cons

You must’ve heard mixed things about Mailchimp till now. Let’s quickly look at its pros and cons now. 

ProsCons
Intuitive landing page & email builderPredatory pricing model 
Appointment schedulerLower-tier plans come with restrictions
Vast template library Limited customer support 

Mailchimp Pricing

Mailchimp’s free plan is useful only for sending up to 1,000 emails per month to a list of up to 500 subscribers. Here are more details about its paid plans: 

  • Essential plan starts at $13/month for up to 500 subscribers and 5,000 monthly emails; 
  • Advanced plan starts at $20/month for up to 500 subscribers and 6,000 monthly emails; 
  • Premium plan starts at $350/month for up to 500 subscribers and 150,000 monthly emails.

12. Mailmodo – Best Solution for Interactive Emails

Best for:

  • Ecommerce businesses;
  • Small and medium-sized enterprises;
  • Digital marketers.
mailmodo

Ratings: Capterra 4.5 | G2 4.6 | Shopify 4.5

Mailmodo is an AMP-powered email marketing tool known for survey emails, quizzes, and interactive emails. Creating email marketing campaigns that are responsive and intuitive allows your customers to respond without clicking an external link.

Mailmodo is designed to offer an interactive email experience using AMP emails. Unlike traditional HTML emails, AMP emails allow users to interact with an email without leaving their window. For example, they can fill out a form via email, complete a survey, book a meeting, etc. 

Mailmodo helps you provide a web browser experience within an email. So, if you’re looking for an interactive solution for bloggers to add interactivity to your email marketing, do give it a shot.

mailmodo_dashboard

MailModo’s Top Features

Mailmodo has many exciting features that help you design interactive email campaigns. Some great features include the following: 

  • AMP email support; 
  • No-code drag and drop editor; 
  • Advanced segmentation and filtering; 
  • Marketing automation and email workflow builder. 

MailModo Pros & Cons

The email marketing service has advantages rarely seen anywhere but drops behind in essentials.

Pros Cons
AMP email supportList management features are complex 
Email workflow builderConfusing interface
Helpful team and customer supportQuestionable deliverability (Emails land in the spam folder) 

Mailmodo Pricing

Mailmodo hands you everything you need to create a stunning email marketing campaign at a price:

  • Starts at $49 per month for up to 500 contacts;
  • 21-day free trial plan available. 

13. Retainful – Best Free Newsletter Services 

Best for:

  • Ecommerce stores;
  • Subscription-based businesses;
  • Digital product sellers.
retainful_logo

Ratings: Capterra NA | G2 5.0 | Shopify 3.9

Retainful is a useful ecommerce email marketing platform with all the necessary features without being overly complicated or confusing.

Retainful helps businesses build customized automation with a built-in, ready-to-customize customer journey builder and an easy-to-use email editor to increase customer engagement. Campaigns can be set up without any coding knowledge. The interface is easy to use and intuitive and includes resources for any questions during the process.

retainful_dashboard

Retainful’s Top Features

You can use Retainful to schedule campaigns, recover abandoned carts, follow up with customers, set up referrals, and more. It comes with many useful features designed for ecommerce stores: 

  • Email Marketing Automation;
  • Customer Journey Builder;
  • Referral programs;
  • Next order coupons.

Retainful Pros & Cons

Retainful made it to the list of the best email marketing platforms for several good reasons, but has its own cons. Let’s look at them, quickly.

Pros Cons
Customer behavior analysis and trigger-based nurturing Fixed email templates
Pre-built upsell and cross-sell automation (automatic campaigns)Limited track record (not many reviews or user feedback available publicly) 
No-code interface and email builder Linear focus on ecommerce only 

Retainful Pricing 

The service has different prices fit for businesses with any size budget:

  • Retainful has a free plan for up to 300 contacts and 500 emails per month; 
  • Paid plans start at $9 per month for up to 1,000 contacts.  

14. EmailOctopus – Email Newsletter Service Provider for Small Business

Best for:

  • Small and medium businesses;
  • Freelancers and solopreneurs;
  • Content creators, bloggers, and influencers.
email_octopus_logo

Ratings: Capterra 4.7 | G2 4.2 | Shopify NA

EmailOctopus is the best mass emailing service for small businesses, providing all the essential features to grow your mailing lists and engage your audience. The easy-to-use email editor allows you to build HTML, rich, and simple plain text emails.

The automation and segmentation tools enable users to set up time-based autoresponders and drip campaigns and deliver tailored messages to specific groups of subscribers. It also supports conditional onboarding sequences, so you can be sure of nurturing new relationships on the right foot through contextual welcome emails. 

emailoctopus_dashboard

Email Octopus’ Top Features

Email Octopus offers some amazing features and all the standard functionalities of an email marketing platform. These include: 

  • Simple to use a drag-and-drop interface to build emails and automation
  • Ability to create custom HTML emails on both Free and Pro plans.
  • Condition-based automation to create custom onboarding sequences.

Email Octopus Pros & Cons 

Email Octopus is worth exploring if you have an empty marketing calendar, but remember that mastering it may require a significant time investment.

ProsCons
Easy setup and human-friendly UILimited reporting and analytics 
Easy to integrate with Amazon SES to save costs Confusing automation builder 
Great templates and customer supportLimited integrations

Email Octopus Pricing

Out of all email marketing services reviewed in this list, Email Octopus is the most affordable, yet that comes with its other costs.

  • $8 per month for up to 500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month;
  • Free plan is also available that supports sending 10,000 emails per month for up to 2,500 subscribers.

14. Selzy – Email Marketing Platform for Small Businesses

Best for:

  • Service-based businesses;
  • Startups;
  • Enterprises.
selzy_logo

Selzy is an email marketing platform that suits any business goal, but its main forte is helping small and medium-sized businesses boost sales with emails. It’s affordable, and all features are available even on the free plan.

Although Selzy isn’t specifically designed for sophisticated automation flows, it has all the necessary email marketing features and is especially perfect for content newsletters, info business, and automatic funnels.

selzy_dashboard

Selzy’s Top Features

Selzy offers everything you want from an email marketing solution, including:

  • 24/7 support;
  • Intuitive email builder with 100+ free templates;
  • Analytics;
  • Website subscription forms;
  • A/B testing;
  • Segmentation;
  • Email quality checker;
  • Anti-spam email check;
  • Email authentication check.

Selzy Pros & Cons

If your business sits on the bigger size, you might find Selzy a bit limited. Otherwise, it’s an excellent tool.

Pros Cons
User-friendly interface and email editorLimited template library with obsolete designs
Responsive customer supportEmail deliverability is questionable 
Strong documentation and self-help platformLimited integration options

Selzy Pricing

Selzy has thoughtful pricing that accommodates various budgets:

  • Free forever plan with up to 15,000 emails per month to up to 1,000 contacts;
  • Paid plans start at $10 per month for up to 1,000 contacts;
  • Pay As You go plan starts at $0.005 per email

Best Email Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses

Now that you’ve explored all the best email marketing software in the market, you’re better equipped to make an informed decision. Remember the following while making a pick: 

  • Choose a solution that offers a visual automation builder and supports omnichannel campaigns; 
  • Look for solutions that offer faster customer service response times, even on free plan and phone support (as you grow); 
  • Test the platform with a free tier before committing to a premium plan for any email marketing service. 

Email Marketing Service: FAQs

What is an email marketing service?

Email marketing service is a digital tool or platform that businesses use to create, send, and manage email campaigns to a list of subscribers or customers. It provides a suite of features and functionalities that make it easier to design visually appealing emails, manage email lists, automate email campaigns, track email performance, and analyze the results.

Email marketing software helps businesses build and nurture relationships with their audience through personalized and targeted email communication, making it a valuable tool for marketing.

What are the best email marketing services?

When choosing the best email marketing service, the options can be overwhelming. They all come with fantastic features, making the decision a bit tricky. But fear not because the key is to find the one that suits your needs like a glove.

However, a few email marketing services genuinely shine as the perfect balance between power and user-friendliness. One such gem is Sender; the best part is that it won’t break the bank either. With Sender, you get a robust set of features that are easy to use, making it a fantastic choice for businesses of all sizes.

What does email marketing cost?

The cost of email marketing varies depending on factors like your choice of email marketing service provider, the size of your email list, campaign frequency, required features, and subscription type.

Different providers offer various pricing plans, from free options with limited features to premium plans with advanced functionality. Costs can range from a few dollars to hundreds per month, with additional charges for features like automation or CRM integration. It’s crucial to assess your specific needs, budget, and potential ROI when selecting the right email marketing solution.

If you’re short on time and resources to search for the most cost-effective email marketing service, consider using Sender. It offers a Free Forever plan that comes with a comprehensive set of powerful features, and its pricing for scalability is quite reasonable.

How to get started with email marketing?

To kickstart your email marketing journey, start by defining your goals and selecting an appropriate email marketing platform. Build your email list organically and create valuable content that resonates with your audience.

Design visually appealing emails using templates or an editor, segment your audience, and craft engaging subject lines. Test and schedule your emails strategically, then analyze the results to optimize future campaigns.

Ensure compliance with email marketing regulations, maintain consistency in your email schedule, and continuously monitor and adjust your campaigns for success.

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