Best Email Marketing Software (2026): 15 Tools We Tested for Every Business
We tested every major email marketing platform — on deliverability, automation, pricing and how easy they are to actually run. Here are the 15 best for creators, ecommerce, small businesses and startups, ranked, with real pricing and who each one is for.
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The 30-second recommendation
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Brevo
MailerLite
Klaviyo
Kit
Beehiiv
ActiveCampaign
HubSpot
Flodesk
LoopsFind your email marketing tool in 30 seconds
Step 1 of 3Tell us your business and what matters most, and we'll match you with 1–2 tools from this list.
Tools mentioned
How we chose these tools
Every tool here was used on real work, not just demoed. These are the criteria we weighted, in order.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) bundles email, SMS, automation and a light CRM at a price that undercuts almost everyone. Its free plan gives unlimited contacts with a daily send cap, and paid plans bill by emails sent rather than contacts stored — a big saving if you have a large list you email occasionally.
For most small and mid-sized businesses, Brevo delivers the best mix of features, deliverability and price — and the send-based pricing avoids the contact-count trap that inflates rivals' bills.
MailerLite pairs a clean, genuinely easy editor with one of the most generous free plans in email — 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 sends a month, including automation and landing pages. It's the tool we recommend most to beginners and small businesses who want good results without complexity.
Nothing else is this easy to pick up while still including automation, landing pages and a website builder on the free plan. It punches far above its price.
Klaviyo is the default for serious online stores. Deep Shopify/WooCommerce integration, behavioral triggers (browse abandonment, post-purchase, win-back), predictive analytics and revenue-per-email reporting make it the tool that most directly ties email to sales. It's powerful — and priced accordingly as your list grows.
For ecommerce, no other tool converts data into revenue as effectively. The automations and segmentation are built specifically around how online stores make money.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is designed around creators — writers, YouTubers, course sellers. Tag-based subscribers, simple visual automations, sign-up forms, and a built-in commerce and recommendation network (Creator Network, Sponsor Network) make it as much a growth and monetization tool as an email sender. The free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers.
For creators who sell digital products and want simple, reliable automation plus growth tools, Kit is purpose-built in a way general senders aren't.
ActiveCampaign is the pick when automation is the point. Its visual automation builder is the deepest here — branching logic, conditional content, lead scoring and a genuine CRM — so you can build sophisticated lifecycle journeys most tools can't. There's no free plan, but a 14-day trial lets you test it.
If your email strategy hinges on complex, behavior-driven automations and sales+marketing alignment, ActiveCampaign gives you the most control of anything in this list.
Mailchimp is the best-known name in email for a reason: polished templates, a broad feature set, a big integration marketplace and AI helpers. It's a capable all-rounder, though its contact-based pricing climbs quickly and the free plan has tightened over the years, so weigh it against cheaper rivals as you scale.
It remains a solid, familiar choice with excellent templates and integrations — just price the tier you'll grow into, because it's pricier than Brevo or MailerLite at scale.
Built by ex-Morning Brew operators, Beehiiv is engineered for newsletters that want to grow and monetize — referral programs, a recommendation network, an ad network and clean analytics built in. The free plan supports up to 2,500 subscribers with most core features.
If your product is the newsletter itself, Beehiiv's growth and monetization tooling is best-in-class — the platform serious newsletter operators are moving to.
Omnisend is the value alternative to Klaviyo for online stores: pre-built ecommerce automations (cart abandonment, welcome, post-purchase), email and SMS in one, and a free plan aimed at small shops. Setup is quicker and cheaper than Klaviyo, with most of the automations that matter.
For small and mid-sized stores that want Klaviyo-style automations without Klaviyo's bill, Omnisend hits the sweet spot of features and price.
HubSpot's email lives inside its wider CRM and marketing platform, so campaigns, forms, landing pages and contact records all share one database — closed-loop reporting from email to closed deal. It's the pick when you want marketing and sales unified, though Marketing Hub costs climb with your contact count.
If you want email as part of an all-in-one marketing-and-sales system rather than a standalone sender, HubSpot is the most complete option — see our full review.
GetResponse packs email, automation, landing pages, sign-up funnels and — unusually — built-in webinars into one platform. That breadth makes it a strong all-in-one for course creators and small businesses running the whole funnel in one place.
The built-in webinars and conversion funnels set it apart — a genuine all-in-one for people selling courses or running events without stitching tools together.
Flodesk's pitch is design plus predictable pricing: gorgeous, magazine-style templates and one flat monthly fee no matter how big your list gets. For creators and small businesses who care about aesthetics and hate contact-based pricing, it's a breath of fresh air.
It produces the best-looking emails with the least effort, and the flat, unlimited-subscriber price is uniquely predictable as you grow.
A long-running, beginner-friendly platform popular with local businesses, nonprofits and event organizers. Its event management, surveys and phone support make it approachable for non-technical teams, even if its automation and value trail the newer tools.
For non-technical small businesses and nonprofits that value hand-holding — real phone support and simple event tools — Constant Contact is reassuringly straightforward.
Substack lets anyone publish a newsletter for free and turn on paid subscriptions in a click — it takes 10% of subscription revenue instead of a monthly fee. Its built-in network, recommendations and app help writers get discovered, making it ideal for independent writers monetizing an audience.
For writers who want the simplest path from 'start a newsletter' to 'get paid for it,' Substack removes every barrier — no monthly cost, discovery built in.
One of the original email tools, AWeber remains a dependable, no-drama option for small businesses and solopreneurs. It covers the essentials — templates, autoresponders, landing pages and a free plan for up to 500 subscribers — with famously solid deliverability and support.
It's not flashy, but AWeber is reliable, affordable and well-supported — a safe, simple choice for a small business that just wants email that works.
Loops is a fresh, developer-friendly email tool aimed at SaaS: clean API, transactional + marketing email in one, and lifecycle campaigns triggered by product events. The design-forward editor and modern DX have made it a favorite of startups replacing clunky legacy senders.
For SaaS teams who want both product (transactional) and marketing email from one modern, API-first tool, Loops is the standout newcomer.
Side-by-side comparison
The most-shortlisted platforms, side by side on the features that decide it. Ratings and prices reflect our July 2026 assessment.
| Feature |  Brevo |  MailerLite |  Klaviyo |  Kit |  ActiveCampaign |  Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Value / SMB | Beginners | Ecommerce | Creators | Automation | All-rounder |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes (250) | Yes (10k) | No | Yes (500) |
| Automation | Good | Good | Excellent | Simple | Best-in-class | Fair |
| AI features | Yes | Yes | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes |
| Landing pages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SMS | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Add-on |
| CRM | Light | No | No | No | Yes | Light |
| Pricing model | By sends | By contacts | By contacts | By subs | By contacts | By contacts |
| Entry price | ~$9/mo | ~$10/mo | ~$20/mo | ~$25/mo | ~$15/mo | ~$13/mo |
| Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.7/5 | 4.6/5 | 4.6/5 | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
Pricing compared
Approximate pricing as of July 2026 — always verify with each provider. Watch the billing model: contact-based tools get pricey as your list grows, while send-based (Brevo) or flat pricing (Flodesk) can be far cheaper for large lists you email occasionally.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry paid | Scales to | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Brevo | Yes — unlimited contacts | ~$9/mo | Bills by emails sent | Daily send cap on free |
 MailerLite | Yes — 1k subs | ~$10/mo | By contacts | Basic reporting |
 Klaviyo | Yes — 250 contacts | ~$20/mo | Climbs with contacts | Pricey at scale |
 Kit | Yes — 10k subs | ~$25/mo | By subscribers | Plain templates |
 ActiveCampaign | No (14-day trial) | ~$15/mo | By contacts | No free plan |
 Mailchimp | Yes — 500 contacts | ~$13/mo | Climbs with contacts | Expensive at scale |
 Beehiiv | Yes — 2.5k subs | ~$39/mo | By subscribers | Higher entry price |
 Omnisend | Yes — 250 contacts | ~$16/mo | By contacts | Lighter than Klaviyo |
 HubSpot | Yes — CRM free | ~$15/seat/mo | Marketing bills by contacts | Pro jump is steep |
 GetResponse | Yes — limited | ~$19/mo | By contacts | Dated in places |
 Flodesk | No (trial) | Flat ~$38/mo | Unlimited subscribers | Basic automation |
 Constant Contact | No (trial) | ~$12/mo | By contacts | Weaker automation |
 Substack | Yes — fully free | 10% of paid revenue | Rev-share | Little automation |
 AWeber | Yes — 500 subs | ~$15/mo | By subscribers | Dated interface |
 Loops | Yes | ~$49/mo | By contacts | Newer, SaaS-focused |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best email marketing software in 2026?
For most businesses, Brevo offers the best value (email + SMS + CRM with send-based pricing), and MailerLite is the easiest to start with a generous free plan. Klaviyo is best for ecommerce, Kit for creators, ActiveCampaign for advanced automation, and Beehiiv for newsletters.
What is the best free email marketing tool?
MailerLite and Brevo have the strongest free plans for small businesses — both include automation. Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers for creators, Beehiiv up to 2,500 for newsletters, and Substack is fully free (it takes 10% of paid subscriptions instead).
What's the best email marketing software for ecommerce?
Klaviyo is the leader — deep store integrations, behavioral automations and revenue reporting. Omnisend is the best-value alternative with email + SMS and pre-built ecommerce flows for smaller stores.
What's the best email tool for creators and newsletters?
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is built for creators with simple automation and commerce, and is free up to 10k subscribers. Beehiiv is the best newsletter-growth platform, and Substack is the simplest way to start a paid newsletter.
Should I pay by contacts or by emails sent?
It depends on your pattern. If you have a large list you email occasionally, send-based pricing (Brevo) or flat pricing (Flodesk) is far cheaper. If you email a smaller list frequently, contact-based pricing is fine. Contact-based tools like Mailchimp and Klaviyo get expensive as your list grows.
How important is deliverability?
It's the whole game — you pay the same whether your email hits the inbox or spam. Authenticate your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), warm up sending gradually, and keep your list clean. All the tools here have solid deliverability if you follow those basics.
How much should email marketing software cost?
Entry paid plans run roughly $9–$25/month for a small list, scaling with contacts or send volume. Free tiers cover you when you're starting out. Price the plan at your list size in a year, and factor in the billing model — it matters more than the headline price.
Can I switch email platforms later?
Yes — exporting contacts is easy, but rebuilding automations, segments and templates (and preserving deliverability reputation) takes work. Choose a platform you won't outgrow in a year, and migrate at a quiet period rather than mid-campaign.