WhatsAppHow we review: Ratings are editorial scores based on vendor documentation, published pricing and recurring themes in public user reviews. No vendor paid for placement and we earn no affiliate commission. Prices change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
The best email marketing software for most small businesses in 2026 is MailerLite for value, Mailchimp for a familiar all-rounder, Klaviyo for online stores and Brevo if you want email, SMS and WhatsApp priced by sends rather than contacts. The right pick depends on list size, how much automation you need and which systems the tool must talk to.
Below we review 15 tools, from free starter plans to automation-heavy platforms. If you need multi-step journeys, lead scoring and sales handoffs rather than newsletters, also read our guide to marketing automation platforms.
Quick picks: the best email marketing software at a glance
Here is every tool on our list, who it suits and the entry price from published pricing.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price* |
|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | All-round first choice for growing lists | Free (250 contacts); paid from $13/mo |
| Constant Contact | Events, nonprofits, local businesses | From $12/mo; free trial |
| Brevo | Email, SMS and WhatsApp on send-volume pricing | Free; paid from $9/mo |
| MailerLite | Ease of use and value | Free; paid from $12/mo |
| Klaviyo | Data-driven eCommerce flows | Free; paid from $20/mo |
| Kit | Creators and newsletters | Free; Creator from $33/mo |
| ActiveCampaign | Advanced automation and lead scoring | From $15/mo (annual); free trial |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub | Email tied to a free CRM | Free tools; from $20/mo per seat |
| Omnisend | Shopify and WooCommerce email plus SMS | Free; paid from $16/mo |
| GetResponse | Email plus landing pages, webinars, funnels | From $19/mo ($15.58 annual) |
| AWeber | Simple autoresponders for solopreneurs | From $12.49/mo (annual) |
| Sender | Tight budgets | Free; paid from $10/mo |
| EmailOctopus | Simple, low-cost newsletters | Free; paid from $10/mo |
| Zoho Campaigns | Zoho CRM users | Free plan available |
| Flodesk | Design-led emails, flat-rate pricing | From $25/mo flat |
*Prices checked October 2026 on vendor sites and recent reviews; they change often, so confirm on the vendor’s pricing page.
How we chose and rated these tools
We scored each email platform on five weighted criteria: features and fit (30%), ease of use (20%), pricing and value (20%), integrations and API (15%), and support and reliability (15%). Ratings are editorial scores based on vendor documentation, published pricing and common themes in public user reviews on sites such as G2 and Capterra. They are not paid placements and not lab benchmarks. Prices were checked in October 2026 and change often, so confirm on each vendor’s pricing page before you buy.
For email tools specifically, we paid extra attention to how pricing scales as a list grows, the depth of automation on entry plans, and the quality of native integrations with stores and CRMs.
The 15 best email marketing software tools in 2026
1. Mailchimp — best for first-time senders and growing lists
Mailchimp, owned by Intuit, is the name most people know. It combines a drag-and-drop editor, audience segmentation, a visual journey builder and landing pages, and it connects to a very large catalog of apps. It is an easy default when you are not sure what you need yet.
Key features
- Drag-and-drop email builder with templates
- Customer Journey Builder for automations
- Segments, tags and A/B testing
- Landing pages and signup forms
- Large integrations directory
Pricing: Free plan for up to 250 contacts; paid plans from $13/month, rising with contact count. Visit Mailchimp
Pros
- Familiar, polished interface
- Huge integration ecosystem
- Good reporting on paid tiers
Cons
- Costs climb quickly as lists grow
- Free plan is now quite limited
What users say: Reviewers often praise the editor and the breadth of integrations. A common complaint is that pricing rises steeply with list size and that useful features sit on higher tiers.
2. Constant Contact — best for events, nonprofits and local businesses that want phone support
Constant Contact has long served small organizations that value hands-on help. Beyond email it covers event registration, social posting and list-growth tools, which suits community groups, associations and local service businesses.
Key features
- Template-driven email editor
- Event management and registration
- Social media posting
- Basic automation and segmentation
- Live phone and chat support
Pricing: From $12/month with a free trial; price depends on contacts and plan. Visit Constant Contact
Pros
- Accessible support for non-technical users
- Event features built in
- Simple to learn
Cons
- Automation is less advanced than specialist tools
- No free plan
What users say: Users commonly mention helpful support and ease of use. Complaints tend to focus on dated-feeling templates and cost relative to newer rivals.
3. Brevo — best for combining email, SMS and WhatsApp with send-volume pricing
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) prices mainly by emails sent rather than contacts stored, which helps businesses with large lists they email occasionally. It also includes transactional email, SMS, WhatsApp campaigns and a lightweight CRM.
Key features
- Marketing and transactional email (SMTP and API)
- SMS and WhatsApp campaigns
- Automation workflows
- Built-in sales CRM
- Landing pages and forms
Pricing: Free plan with a daily sending cap; paid plans from $9/month. Visit Brevo
Pros
- Pricing that does not punish large lists
- Multichannel messaging in one place
- Developer-friendly API
Cons
- Brevo branding on lower plans
- Advanced features gated to higher tiers
What users say: Reviewers often highlight value and the transactional email option. Common complaints mention deliverability variation on shared IPs and support response times on lower plans.
4. MailerLite — best for ease of use and strong value for small lists
MailerLite focuses on doing the essentials well at a fair price. The editor is clean, automations are visual, and it adds landing pages, websites and simple digital-product selling.
Key features
- Drag-and-drop and rich-text editors
- Visual automation builder
- Landing pages and simple websites
- Pop-ups and embedded forms
- Selling digital products and subscriptions
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans from $12/month. Visit MailerLite
Pros
- Very approachable interface
- Generous feature set for the price
- Good free plan for starters
Cons
- Strict account approval process
- Fewer advanced ecommerce features than Klaviyo
What users say: Users commonly praise the simplicity and value. A recurring complaint is the strict approval and compliance review when opening or growing an account.
5. Klaviyo — best for eCommerce stores needing data-driven email and SMS flows
Klaviyo is built around store data. It pulls orders, browsing and product events into customer profiles, so you can trigger flows like abandoned cart, browse abandonment and win-back, and segment on purchase behavior.
Key features
- Deep Shopify and WooCommerce integrations
- Prebuilt ecommerce flows
- Predictive analytics such as expected next order
- Email and SMS in one platform
- Revenue attribution reporting
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans from $20/month, scaling with active profiles. Visit Klaviyo
Pros
- Best-in-class ecommerce segmentation
- Strong revenue reporting
- Large template and flow library
Cons
- Gets expensive as profiles grow
- Steeper learning curve than simple tools
What users say: Reviewers frequently credit Klaviyo with measurable revenue from flows. Common complaints are price increases at scale and a busy interface for beginners.
6. Kit — best for creators and newsletters selling digital products
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is designed for creators. It uses tags instead of separate lists, offers visual automations and lets you sell digital products and paid newsletters. Its Creator Network helps newsletters recommend each other.
Key features
- Tag-based subscriber management
- Visual automations
- Paid newsletters and digital products
- Creator Network recommendations
- Landing pages and forms
Pricing: Free plan available; Creator plan from $33/month. Visit Kit
Pros
- Built for audience-first businesses
- Clean subscriber model
- Monetization features included
Cons
- Pricier than general tools at similar list sizes
- Email designs are deliberately simple
What users say: Creators often praise the tagging model and growth features. A common complaint is cost compared with MailerLite or Brevo for the same list.
7. ActiveCampaign — best for advanced automation and lead scoring for small teams
ActiveCampaign is a favorite when email needs real logic: conditional branches, goals, site and event tracking, and contact and lead scoring. It can also hand qualified leads to sales through its CRM features.
Key features
- Advanced automation builder with goals and branches
- Contact and lead scoring
- Site and event tracking
- Split testing inside automations
- Hundreds of integrations
Pricing: From $15/month billed annually, with a free trial. Visit ActiveCampaign
Pros
- Among the deepest automation at SMB prices
- Strong segmentation
- Good library of automation recipes
Cons
- Learning curve for new users
- Price rises with contacts and tiers
What users say: Reviewers often call the automation builder the best in its class. Common complaints mention complexity and price jumps between plans.
8. HubSpot Marketing Hub — best for growing teams wanting email tied to a free CRM
HubSpot puts email on top of its free CRM, so every send, open and click lands on the contact record your sales team uses. It is a strong fit when marketing and sales need one database. Our list of HubSpot integrations covers how to connect it to the rest of your stack.
Key features
- Email tied to the HubSpot CRM
- Forms, landing pages and lists
- Workflows on paid tiers
- Reporting across marketing and sales
- Large app marketplace
Pricing: Free tools available; paid plans from $20/month per seat. Higher tiers are significantly more expensive. Visit HubSpot Marketing Hub
Pros
- One shared CRM for sales and marketing
- Easy to start on free tools
- Strong ecosystem
Cons
- Advanced automation sits on pricier tiers
- Costs grow with marketing contacts
What users say: Users praise the all-in-one CRM approach. The most common complaint is the price jump from Starter to Professional.
9. Omnisend — best for Shopify and WooCommerce stores wanting email plus SMS
Omnisend targets online stores with a simpler learning curve than Klaviyo. Prebuilt automations, a product picker in the editor and SMS make it a practical choice for small and mid-size shops.
Key features
- Prebuilt ecommerce automations
- Product picker and discount codes in emails
- SMS and web push
- Pop-ups and signup forms
- Shopify and WooCommerce integrations
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans from $16/month. Visit Omnisend
Pros
- Easy ecommerce setup
- Email and SMS in one workflow
- Good value for small stores
Cons
- Less suited to non-ecommerce businesses
- Fewer advanced analytics than Klaviyo
What users say: Store owners often mention quick setup and responsive support. Common complaints are fewer integrations outside ecommerce and limits on template flexibility.
10. GetResponse — best for email plus landing pages, webinars and funnels in one
GetResponse bundles email with landing pages, conversion funnels and, on higher plans, webinars. It suits marketers who want lead capture and nurture without stitching several tools together.
Key features
- Email campaigns and autoresponders
- Landing page builder
- Conversion funnels
- Webinars on higher plans
- AI-assisted email creation
Pricing: From $19/month, or $15.58/month billed annually. Visit GetResponse
Pros
- Broad toolset in one subscription
- Solid autoresponders
- Funnel templates
Cons
- Webinars and advanced automation need higher plans
- Interface can feel crowded
What users say: Reviewers often like having funnels and landing pages included. Complaints tend to cover editor quirks and feature gating.
11. AWeber — best for simple autoresponders and templates for solopreneurs
AWeber is one of the longest-running email services and remains straightforward: autoresponders, templates, landing pages and sign-up forms, with support that small business owners appreciate.
Key features
- Autoresponder sequences
- Template library
- Landing pages
- Sign-up forms
- Basic tagging and segmentation
Pricing: From $12.49/month billed annually. Visit AWeber
Pros
- Simple and dependable
- Helpful support
- Good for basic newsletters
Cons
- Automation is basic compared with ActiveCampaign
- Pricing tied to subscriber count
What users say: Users commonly mention reliability and support. Common complaints focus on a less modern feel and limited automation depth.
12. Sender — best for the lowest cost on a tight budget
Sender offers email, SMS, forms and automation at low prices, with a free plan that is generous for small lists. It covers the core needs without many extras.
Key features
- Drag-and-drop editor
- Email and SMS automation
- Pop-ups and forms
- Segmentation
- Ecommerce integrations
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans from $10/month. Visit Sender
Pros
- Very low cost
- Easy to use
- Includes SMS
Cons
- Smaller integration ecosystem
- Fewer advanced reports
What users say: Reviewers often highlight value and ease of use. Complaints center on fewer integrations and occasional editor limitations.
13. EmailOctopus — best for simple, low-cost newsletters
EmailOctopus keeps things lean: a clean editor, forms, landing pages and basic automation at a low price. It suits newsletters and small teams that send regularly but do not need complex journeys.
Key features
- Simple email editor and templates
- Forms and landing pages
- Basic automations
- List segmentation
- Integrations via Zapier and API
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans from $10/month. Visit EmailOctopus
Pros
- Affordable at larger list sizes
- Uncluttered interface
- Good free tier
Cons
- Limited advanced automation
- Fewer templates than big platforms
What users say: Users commonly praise price and simplicity. Typical complaints mention the limited feature depth for growing marketing teams.
14. Zoho Campaigns — best for businesses already using Zoho CRM and other Zoho apps
Zoho Campaigns makes most sense inside the Zoho ecosystem, where contacts sync with Zoho CRM and campaign results feed back to sales. It covers campaigns, workflows and testing at a modest price.
Key features
- Native sync with Zoho CRM
- Workflow automation
- A/B testing
- Sign-up forms
- Campaign reporting
Pricing: Free plan available; paid tiers vary by contacts or emails sent. Visit Zoho Campaigns
Pros
- Tight Zoho integration
- Affordable
- Solid core features
Cons
- Interface less polished than leaders
- Less compelling outside Zoho
What users say: Reviewers often value the CRM sync and price. Common complaints mention a learning curve and a dated editor.
15. Flodesk — best for design-focused emails for creators with flat-rate pricing
Flodesk is known for attractive templates and a flat monthly price that does not rise with subscriber count. It appeals to creators, coaches and small brands that care most about how emails look.
Key features
- Design-led templates
- Flat-rate pricing
- Visual workflows
- Forms and landing pages
- Checkout for selling products
Pricing: From $25/month flat rate. Visit Flodesk
Pros
- Beautiful templates
- Predictable cost as the list grows
- Very easy to use
Cons
- Shallower segmentation and automation
- No free plan
What users say: Users commonly love the designs and pricing model. Complaints focus on limited reporting and automation for more advanced needs.
How to choose email marketing software
Work through this checklist before committing to a platform:
- Model the price at your list size in two years, not today. Contact-based pricing can double as you grow; send-based or flat-rate pricing may suit large, infrequently emailed lists.
- Match automation depth to real needs. Welcome series and abandoned carts are standard. Branching journeys and lead scoring point to ActiveCampaign or HubSpot.
- Check native integrations with your store, CRM, forms and payment tools. For stores, compare the dedicated Shopify email apps as well.
- Review deliverability tools: domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), dedicated IP options and list hygiene features.
- Test the editor on a free plan or trial with a real campaign.
- Confirm compliance support for consent, double opt-in and unsubscribe handling.
When off-the-shelf email software is not enough
Most small businesses can run on any tool above. Problems start when email has to share data with systems it was not designed for: a custom ERP, a booking platform, a legacy CRM or a product database. Then lists drift out of sync and segments become guesswork.
That is where email and CRM integration pays off, keeping contacts, purchases and engagement in one record. If your journeys need logic the platform cannot express, we design marketing automation workflows around your sales process, and we build custom integrations via API when no native connector exists. To weigh the trade-offs, read our guide on build vs buy for marketing tools, or get a quote for your setup.
Final verdict
For most small businesses, MailerLite offers the best balance of ease and value, while Mailchimp remains a safe all-rounder. Online stores should start with Klaviyo or Omnisend. Teams that need serious automation should look at ActiveCampaign, and those who want email and sales in one database should choose HubSpot.
On a tight budget, Brevo, Sender and EmailOctopus cover the basics well. Creators will feel at home in Kit or Flodesk. Whatever you choose, trial it with a real campaign and model costs at your future list size.
