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Best Email Marketing Software in 2026: 12 Tools Compared by Company Size and Requirements

Updated October 24, 2026 · 12 tools · Facts checked against vendor pages · How we review

Small senders get the most from MailerLite and Kit, since both start free and keep the interface simple. Online stores should look at Omnisend, which ships ecommerce flows plus SMS, while companies that already run HubSpot CRM can keep campaigns in the same system. GetResponse suits teams that also want landing pages and lead scoring.

This page helps buyers who are choosing email marketing software and want a short list before they contact anyone. Tools are sorted by company size and by what they handle best, such as ecommerce flows, creator newsletters or agency work. Turn the requirement lists below into a request on SaaSBid, state your list size and sending volume, and let vendors respond with offers that match your setup.

Top picks by situation

  • A solo newsletter writer with a large list

    Kit (ConvertKit)

    Up to 10,000 subscribers stay on the free plan, and the automation builder reacts to purchases, link clicks and form submits.

    From: $0 (Free, up to 10,000 subscribers)

  • A five-person team on a small budget

    MailerLite

    Free until 250 subscribers, with A/B tests on every plan; Comfort costs $12 monthly and gives a three-person team 3 seats.

    From: $0 (Free, up to 250 subscribers)

  • A Shopify store that wants email and SMS

    Omnisend

    Cart, welcome and post-purchase automations work with Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce, and the Pro plan carries SMS credits for text campaigns.

    From: $0 (Free)

  • A small agency sending for several clients

    Campaign Monitor

    Unlimited users come with every plan, and multi-brand management, SOC 2 and custom DPAs are listed for Enterprise.

    From: Lite, priced by contact tier (amount not published in USD

  • A team already running HubSpot CRM

    HubSpot Marketing Hub

    A free tier covers 2 users, and new customers can pick the Frankfurt data center, with SAML SSO available on Enterprise.

    From: $0 (Free, up to 2 users)

  • A 15-person company that wants landing pages too

    GetResponse

    Behavior-triggered workflows, lead scoring and landing pages live in one product, and the self-serve plans allow 3 to 5 team seats.

    From: EUR 16/month (Starter, 1,000 contacts, monthly) or EUR 13.12/month…

Email Marketing Software comparison table

Email Marketing Software compared
ToolBest forStarting priceFree planFree trialG2 rating
ActiveCampaign Small and mid-size teams that want automation plus a light CRM $15/month (Starter, 1,000 contacts, billed annually) No Yes 4.4 (14,709 reviews)
Brevo Free (price of paid plans not confirmed by the vendor) Yes Not stated 4.5 (2,675 reviews)
Omnisend Ecommerce stores on Shopify, WooCommerce or BigCommerce $0 (Free) Yes Not stated 4.6 (0 reviews)
Campaign Monitor Small marketing teams and business owners who run their own email Lite, priced by contact tier (amount not published in USD No Yes 4.1 (717 reviews)
Klaviyo Ecommerce brands that want email and SMS driven by store data (vendor positioning) $0 (Free, 250 active profiles, 500 emails/month) Yes Not stated 4.6 (1,298 reviews)
MailerLite Small teams and solo senders on a budget (free up to 250 subscribers, paid from $12/month) $0 (Free, up to 250 subscribers) Yes Yes 4.6 (1,111 reviews)
GetResponse Small teams that want email plus automation and landing pages in one plan EUR 16/month (Starter, 1,000 contacts, monthly) or EUR 13.12/month… Yes Yes 4.3 (1,138 reviews)
Constant Contact Small businesses that want a single vendor for email, SMS and basic campaigns (vendor positioning, not confirmed by the vendor here) $12/month (Email Lite, 500 contacts, monthly billing) Not stated Not stated 4.1 (7,413 reviews)
HubSpot Marketing Hub Teams already on HubSpot CRM that want marketing, forms and reporting in one system $0 (Free, up to 2 users) Yes Not stated 4.4 (15,957 reviews)
Kit (ConvertKit) Solo creators, newsletter writers, course sellers (vendor targets 'serious creators') $0 (Free, up to 10,000 subscribers) Yes Not stated 4.4 (235 reviews)
Mailchimp Small lists that start free and grow into paid tiers Free Yes Yes 4.3 (12,866 reviews)
Drip From $39/month (up to 2,500 contacts), per Drip blog Not stated Not stated 4.4 (473 reviews)

What is email marketing software?

Email marketing software is the system a company uses to collect subscribers, write campaigns and send them at scale. A marketer imports a list or adds sign-up forms to a website, groups people into segments, designs a message in an editor and schedules it. After sending, the tool reports opens, clicks and sales. Automation adds triggered emails such as a welcome series or a reminder for an abandoned cart. Shop owners, newsletter writers, agencies and in-house marketing teams all rely on email marketing software, and each group weighs automation, list size and store connections differently.

Core capabilities

  • List and subscriber management

    Stores contacts with their consent status, sign-up source and tags, and removes bounced or unsubscribed addresses.

  • Campaign editor and templates

    Lets non-designers build responsive emails from ready blocks and saved layouts.

  • Automation workflows

    Fires emails off events like a new sign-up, a purchase or a click, so follow-up runs without anyone pressing send.

  • Segmentation

    Splits a list by behavior, purchase history or attributes so each group gets a relevant message.

  • Deliverability controls

    Covers sender authentication and sending reputation, with extras such as a dedicated IP, so campaigns avoid spam folders.

  • Analytics and testing

    Reports opens, clicks and revenue per campaign and supports A/B tests of subject lines or send times.

The 12 best email marketing software, reviewed

1

ActiveCampaign

$15/month (Starter, 1,000 contacts, billed annually)

ActiveCampaign puts automation first and adds a light CRM, in four tiers from Starter to Enterprise. Small and mid-size teams are the target audience. Included users rise from 1 on Starter to 5 on Enterprise, and SSO is reserved for the top tier.

  • 1-10: workable
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: strong fit
  • 500+: workable

Best for

  • Small and mid-size teams that want automation plus a light CRM
  • Teams that can add SMS or WhatsApp as paid add-ons

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams that need SSO without the Enterprise plan
  • Buyers who need plan prices before talking to the vendor: amounts are not shown on the public pricing page

Key features

Pricing model and real cost
Contact tier; users and sends rise with plan

Full ActiveCampaign profileRequest an offer

2

Brevo

Free (price of paid plans not confirmed by the vendor)

Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, combines email, SMS and CRM in one platform. It is sold in five tiers, from a free plan up to Enterprise. Detailed feature and limit information is thin, so confirm automation caps and send volumes with the vendor before committing.

  • 1-10: workable
  • 11-50: no data
  • 51-500: no data
  • 500+: no data

Full Brevo profileRequest an offer

3

Omnisend

$0 (Free)

Omnisend is built for online stores and connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Wix. Segments can use purchase history, and SMS credits start at $0.007 each. A free plan exists, but there is no annual discount, only a 30 percent cut for paying three months upfront.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: no data
  • 500+: poor fit

Best for

  • Ecommerce stores on Shopify, WooCommerce or BigCommerce
  • Stores wanting email plus SMS credits on Pro

Look elsewhere if

  • B2B teams needing lead scoring and CRM sync (vendor positions on ecommerce)
  • Buyers who need SSO: not mentioned

Key features

Automation workflows
Welcome, abandoned cart and post-purchase flows
Segmentation and personalization
By behavior, purchase history, engagement; AI-built segments
Ecommerce and CRM integrations
Shopify, Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix, Ecwid, WordPress
Pricing model and real cost
Contacts; SMS credits extra
Target company size
Ecommerce brands, agencies

Full Omnisend profileRequest an offer

4

Campaign Monitor

Lite, priced by contact tier (amount not published in USD

Campaign Monitor, now branded as part of Marigold, gives small marketing teams and agencies a journey designer and template builder. Contact tier sets the price and users are unlimited. Lite limits sending to 2,500 emails monthly, and the free option is just a 30-day trial.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: workable

Best for

  • Small marketing teams and business owners who run their own email
  • Agencies managing email for several clients (multi-team/multi-brand on Enterprise)

Look elsewhere if

  • Buyers who need SSO below Enterprise (not published on the pricing page)
  • Teams that want fully transparent per-tier prices in USD (the vendor pricing page shows prices in EUR and does not show amounts for every tier)

Key features

Automation workflows
Visual journey designer for timed email sends
Segmentation and personalization
Segmentation page and Segment Mapper tool
Deliverability
Deliverability section exists on site, details not confirmed by the vendor
Email editor and templates
Email Template Builder with free templates
Ecommerce and CRM integrations
Integrations section on site, specifics not confirmed by the vendor
Pricing model and real cost
Per contact tier; unlimited users on all plans; sends capped on Lite (2,500/month)
Target company size
Small marketing teams, owner-run businesses, agencies

Full Campaign Monitor profileRequest an offer

5

Klaviyo

$0 (Free, 250 active profiles, 500 emails/month)

Klaviyo is aimed at online brands and charges for active profiles, meaning people who may receive marketing email, not every stored contact. Free covers 250 profiles and 500 emails monthly. Trust pages list SOC, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS, useful during security review.

  • 1-10: workable
  • 11-50: no data
  • 51-500: no data
  • 500+: no data

Best for

  • Ecommerce brands that want email and SMS driven by store data (vendor positioning)

Look elsewhere if

  • Buyers who need a published price list: only the Free tier and a $5 Composer line are public on the vendor pricing page

Key features

Pricing model and real cost
Active profiles (contacts who can receive marketing email) plus monthly email volume

Full Klaviyo profileRequest an offer

6

MailerLite

$0 (Free, up to 250 subscribers)

MailerLite is a low-cost tool with a drag-and-drop builder and more than 70 content blocks. Seats and automations are plan-gated: the Free plan gets 2 seats and 3 active automations, Comfort gets 3 seats and 50, and Power is unlimited. It also supports paid newsletters through Stripe.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: poor fit

Best for

  • Small teams and solo senders on a budget (free up to 250 subscribers, paid from $12/month)
  • Newsletter and digital product or paid-subscription sellers via Stripe

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams that need SAML SSO: no SSO is mentioned on the pricing page
  • Organisations needing a dedicated IP below the Enterprise tier

Key features

Automation workflows
Visual builder; 3 active automations on Free, 50 on Comfort, unlimited on Power
Segmentation and personalization
Segmentation plus dynamic content blocks and Smart Sending timing
Deliverability
No explicit deliverability claims on the features page; dedicated IP and deliverability support are Enterprise add-ons
Email editor and templates
Drag-and-drop builder with 70+ content blocks; HTML editors on Free
Ecommerce and CRM integrations
Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe; digital products and paid newsletters
Analytics and A/B testing
A/B testing on all plans including Free (send time, sender name, subject); ecommerce revenue reports
Pricing model and real cost
Tiered by active subscribers; plan sets feature and seat limits
Target company size
Small teams, free plan to Enterprise at 200K+ subscribers

Full MailerLite profileRequest an offer

7

GetResponse

EUR 16/month (Starter, 1,000 contacts, monthly) or EUR 13.12/month…

GetResponse prices by contact count and combines a workflow builder with lead scoring, tags and landing pages. Starter allows 3 seats and the other self-serve plans 5, so larger teams need Enterprise, where SSO and a dedicated IP also sit. A DPA is available through support.

  • 1-10: workable
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: strong fit
  • 500+: workable

Best for

  • Small teams that want email plus automation and landing pages in one plan
  • Nonprofits (50% off monthly plans per pricing page)

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams needing SSO below Enterprise (Starter, Marketer, Creator list no SSO)
  • Buyers who need a built-in CRM (none described on the automation page)

Key features

Automation workflows
Workflow builder from templates or scratch, behavior triggers, conditions and filters
Segmentation and personalization
Action-based segments, unlimited tags
Deliverability
Dedicated IP is Enterprise/MAX only; member of Certified Sender Alliance, TRUSTe, Signal Spam
Ecommerce and CRM integrations
Store and CRM data sync via integrations
Pricing model and real cost
By contact tier, 3 to 5 team seats on self-serve plans
Target company size
Small to mid-size; Enterprise tier for larger orgs

Full GetResponse profileRequest an offer

8

Constant Contact

$12/month (Email Lite, 500 contacts, monthly billing)

Constant Contact positions itself as a single vendor for email, SMS and basic campaigns aimed at small businesses. Entry pricing starts at $12 per month for 500 contacts and rises with list size. Plan limits are not confirmed, so check the live pricing page before comparing.

  • 1-10: no data
  • 11-50: workable
  • 51-500: no data
  • 500+: no data

Best for

  • Small businesses that want a single vendor for email, SMS and basic campaigns (vendor positioning, not confirmed by the vendor here)

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams that need verified published pricing before a demo: plan prices are not confirmed here

Key features

Target company size
Small business (not confirmed by the vendor)

Full Constant Contact profileRequest an offer

9

HubSpot Marketing Hub

$0 (Free, up to 2 users)

HubSpot Marketing Hub is a CRM-native suite with a free tier for 2 users, per-seat Starter plans and higher Professional and Enterprise tiers. The Professional tier carries a one-time $3,000 onboarding fee and Enterprise $7,000. The marketplace lists over 2,000 integrations.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: strong fit

Best for

  • Teams already on HubSpot CRM that want marketing, forms and reporting in one system
  • Small teams starting on Free (2 users) and growing into Starter

Look elsewhere if

  • Budget-limited teams needing automation depth: Professional starts at $800 or $890/month plus a $3,000 onboarding fee
  • Teams needing SAML SSO below Enterprise

Key features

Automation workflows
Automation on Free (email campaigns); Campaign Agent plans campaigns from a goal
Analytics and A/B testing
A/B tests listed under Enterprise on the marketing page
Pricing model and real cost
Seat plus marketing-contact tiers; onboarding fee on Professional and Enterprise
Target company size
Small business (Starter) to enterprise

Full HubSpot Marketing Hub profileRequest an offer

10

Kit (ConvertKit)

$0 (Free, up to 10,000 subscribers)

Kit, formerly ConvertKit, serves creators and small publishers with tags, segments and a visual automation builder. Its free plan accepts up to 10,000 subscribers, which is unusually high. No SSO or admin controls are listed, and Kit takes a 23.5 percent fee on Paid Recommendations earnings.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: workable
  • 51-500: poor fit
  • 500+: poor fit

Best for

  • Solo creators, newsletter writers, course sellers (vendor targets 'serious creators')
  • Creators who want a 10,000-subscriber free plan

Look elsewhere if

  • Companies needing SSO or admin controls: none mentioned on pricing or security pages
  • Teams that need A/B testing beyond 2 subject lines on Free; features page does not mention A/B tests

Key features

Automation workflows
Visual automation builder reacting to purchases, link clicks, form submits
Segmentation and personalization
Tags and interest/behavior segments
Deliverability
Claims inbox focus, no metrics published
Email editor and templates
Email designer, few clicks (no detail)
Ecommerce and CRM integrations
Digital products and subscriptions sold in-platform; Kit App Store
Analytics and A/B testing
Free plan has 2 A/B subject lines; features page does not mention A/B
Pricing model and real cost
Subscribers; paid plans start at 1,000 subscribers
Target company size
Individual creators and small publishers

Full Kit (ConvertKit) profileRequest an offer

11

Intuit owns Mailchimp, which begins with a free 250-contact tier before moving to contact-based plans priced from $13 per month. Flow depth depends on the plan: Free has none, Essentials allows 4 steps, and Standard or Premium reach 200 flow points. Premium alone includes SSO.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: workable

Best for

  • Small lists that start free and grow into paid tiers

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams that need SSO below the Premium price point

Key features

Automation workflows
Free: none; Essentials: up to 4 steps per flow; Standard and Premium: up to 200 flow points
Pricing model and real cost
Contact-tier pricing

Full Mailchimp profileRequest an offer

12

Drip

From $39/month (up to 2,500 contacts), per Drip blog

Merchants who want email tied closely to their store look at Drip, which pairs campaigns with automation. A vendor blog cites 2,500 contacts at $39 monthly as the starting point. Little else is documented, so get contact limits, store connections and contract length in writing before shortlisting it.

  • 1-10: no data
  • 11-50: no data
  • 51-500: no data
  • 500+: no data

Full Drip profileRequest an offer

How to choose email marketing software

Automation workflows

This covers how easily a team can build triggered emails such as welcome series, cart reminders and post-purchase follow-ups. Strong tools offer a visual builder, many trigger types and generous limits on active automations. Weak tools allow only short linear flows or lock automation behind the pricier tiers.

Segmentation and personalization

Segmentation means grouping subscribers by behavior, purchases or profile data so each message fits its audience. Strong tools build live segments from clicks and orders and use them inside automations. Weak tools offer only static tags or basic list splits.

Deliverability

Deliverability is the question of whether a campaign lands in the inbox or the spam folder. Sender authentication, list hygiene, reputation and options like a dedicated IP all play a part. Good vendors document these controls and offer help, whereas weaker ones say little or sell guidance only on enterprise contracts.

Email editor and templates

The editor decides how quickly a non-designer can produce a good-looking, mobile-ready email. Strong editors offer drag-and-drop blocks, saved layouts and an HTML option for experts. Weak ones restrict layout changes or lack reusable content.

Ecommerce and CRM integrations

This measures how well the tool connects to stores and CRMs so purchase data flows into segments and flows. Strong tools offer native links to major platforms and sync products, orders and revenue. Weak ones depend on manual exports or generic connectors.

Analytics and A/B testing

Analytics shows which campaigns earn opens, clicks and revenue, and testing shows why. Strong tools report revenue per email and test subject lines, sender names and send times. Weak tools stop at open and click counts or limit tests to a single variable.

Pricing model and real cost

This criterion covers how the product is billed, such as by contacts, active profiles or seats, and what rises as the list grows. Strong models state what each tier includes and how overages work. Weak models hide prices, charge for add-ons like SMS separately or move accounts to higher tiers automatically.

Target company size

This shows which audience a vendor designed for, from solo creators to large enterprises. Smaller tools stay simple and cheap, while larger ones add seats, SSO and dedicated support. A mismatch means paying for unused features or outgrowing the platform.

The SaaSBid view

Which email marketing tool fits your company size

Fit of each tool by company size
Tool1-10 people11-50 people51-500 people500+ people
ActiveCampaignWorkableStrong fitStrong fitWorkable
BrevoWorkableNo dataNo dataNo data
OmnisendStrong fitStrong fitNo dataPoor fit
Campaign MonitorStrong fitStrong fitWorkableWorkable
KlaviyoWorkableNo dataNo dataNo data
MailerLiteStrong fitStrong fitWorkablePoor fit
GetResponseWorkableStrong fitStrong fitWorkable
Constant ContactNo dataWorkableNo dataNo data
HubSpot Marketing HubStrong fitStrong fitWorkableStrong fit
Kit (ConvertKit)Strong fitWorkablePoor fitPoor fit
MailchimpStrong fitStrong fitWorkableWorkable
DripNo dataNo dataNo dataNo data

Strong fitWorkablePoor fitNo data from the vendor

Ratings reflect each vendor's stated audience, free plan limits, seat caps per plan and whether SSO or dedicated infrastructure exists at the top tier. Where a vendor says nothing about a company size, the cell stays empty.

  • 1-10 people

    A free plan and an easy editor matter more than depth. Kit (free to 10,000 subscribers), MailerLite and Omnisend all start at no cost, and Mailchimp has a 250-contact free tier. Shop owners should lean toward Omnisend, and newsletter writers toward Kit.

  • 11-50 people

    Several people now touch campaigns, so seat limits and automation caps begin to bite. MailerLite, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign and HubSpot Marketing Hub all list small-team positioning. Campaign Monitor allows unlimited users on every plan, which helps agencies.

  • 51-500 people

    Governance and CRM links grow in importance. ActiveCampaign and GetResponse both state mid-size positioning, and HubSpot Marketing Hub scales into Professional. Budget for onboarding fees, since HubSpot charges $3,000 at that tier.

  • 500+ people

    Security reviews and SSO decide the list. HubSpot Marketing Hub offers SAML SSO and a SOC 3 report on Enterprise, and Mailchimp holds SSO on Premium. GetResponse and ActiveCampaign also reserve SSO for their top plans.

Feature coverage at a glance

Documented features by tool
ToolAutomation workflowsSegmentation and personalizationDeliverabilityEmail editor and templatesEcommerce and CRM integrationsAnalytics and A/B testingShare
ActiveCampaignNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documented0%
BrevoNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documented0%
OmnisendDocumented: Welcome, abandoned cart and post-purchase flowsDocumented: By behavior, purchase history, engagement; AI-built segmentsNot documentedNot documentedDocumented: Shopify, Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix, Ecwid, WordPressNot documented50%
Campaign MonitorDocumented: Visual journey designer for timed email sendsDocumented: Segmentation page and Segment Mapper toolDocumented: Deliverability section exists on site, details not confirmed by the vendorDocumented: Email Template Builder with free templatesDocumented: Integrations section on site, specifics not confirmed by the vendorNot documented83%
KlaviyoNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documented0%
MailerLiteDocumented: Visual builder; 3 active automations on Free, 50 on Comfort, unlimited on PowerDocumented: Segmentation plus dynamic content blocks and Smart Sending timingDocumented: No explicit deliverability claims on the features page; dedicated IP and deliverability support are Enterprise add-onsDocumented: Drag-and-drop builder with 70+ content blocks; HTML editors on FreeDocumented: Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe; digital products and paid newslettersDocumented: A/B testing on all plans including Free (send time, sender name, subject); ecommerce revenue reports100%
GetResponseDocumented: Workflow builder from templates or scratch, behavior triggers, conditions and filtersDocumented: Action-based segments, unlimited tagsDocumented: Dedicated IP is Enterprise/MAX only; member of Certified Sender Alliance, TRUSTe, Signal SpamNot documentedDocumented: Store and CRM data sync via integrationsNot documented67%
Constant ContactNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documented0%
HubSpot Marketing HubDocumented: Automation on Free (email campaigns); Campaign Agent plans campaigns from a goalNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedDocumented: A/B tests listed under Enterprise on the marketing page33%
Kit (ConvertKit)Documented: Visual automation builder reacting to purchases, link clicks, form submitsDocumented: Tags and interest/behavior segmentsDocumented: Claims inbox focus, no metrics publishedDocumented: Email designer, few clicks (no detail)Documented: Digital products and subscriptions sold in-platform; Kit App StoreDocumented: Free plan has 2 A/B subject lines; features page does not mention A/B100%
MailchimpDocumented: Free: none; Essentials: up to 4 steps per flow; Standard and Premium: up to 200 flow pointsNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documented17%
DripNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documentedNot documented0%

A check means the vendor documents the capability publicly (hover for the detail). A dash means we found no public documentation, which is a question to put in your request, not proof the feature is missing.

Integration ecosystems compared

Integrations decide how much manual work stays after go-live. These are the integration counts each vendor publishes; check that your own systems are on the list before you shortlist.

  • HubSpot Marketing Hub2,000+ (HubSpot Marketplace, per vendor)
  • Omnisend305+
  • MailerLite150+

Bar length uses a square-root scale so smaller ecosystems stay readable.

Email Marketing Software requirements checklist

Use this list to write down what your team actually needs. Sorting requirements into must-have, should-have and nice-to-have is what lets vendors quote accurately instead of pitching their biggest plan.

Must have

  • Import of our existing subscriber list with consent recordsVendors check list quality before approving a sender, and import limits differ by plan.
  • Drag-and-drop email editor with mobile-responsive templatesNon-designers need to build campaigns without developer help.
  • Automated welcome series and trigger-based follow-upsThe number of active automations is capped on cheaper plans.
  • Sender authentication with SPF, DKIM and DMARC supportAuthentication affects inbox placement and may require setup help from the vendor.
  • Sign-up forms and unsubscribe handling that meet GDPR rulesConsent features and data processing terms differ between vendors.

Should have

  • Segments built on purchase history and click behaviorBehavioral segmentation is sometimes limited to higher tiers.
  • A/B testing for subject lines and send timesSome plans only test two subject lines, others test several variables.
  • Native connection to our online store or CRMPurchase data drives revenue reports and cart flows.
  • At least five team seats with role-based accessSeat caps vary widely and can force a plan upgrade.

Nice to have

  • SMS campaigns from the same accountSMS is often sold as credits on top of the plan, which changes the quote.
  • Landing page builderIt lets a team collect sign-ups without a separate tool.
  • Dedicated sending IPHigh-volume senders may want their own reputation, but it is often an enterprise add-on.
  • EU data hostingEuropean companies may need data kept inside the region.

Turn this checklist into a request

Questions vendors will ask you

Have answers ready for these, and your first conversation with a vendor starts at pricing instead of discovery.

  1. How many subscribers do you have now, and how fast does the list grow?Most plans are priced by contacts or active profiles, so growth moves you between tiers.
  2. How many emails do you send per month, and how often?Some plans cap monthly sends in addition to contact counts.
  3. Do you run an online store, and on which platform?Store connections decide whether cart and purchase flows work out of the box.
  4. How many people will build or approve campaigns?Seat limits differ by plan, and extra seats can push you to a higher tier.
  5. Do you also need SMS, landing pages or transactional email?These are often separate add-ons or reserved for upper plans.
  6. Do you need single sign-on, a dedicated IP or EU data hosting?These controls usually sit on the top tier and change the price level.

Example request

What a strong email marketing software request looks like
We are an online shop with a team of 14 selling home goods through Shopify. Our list holds about 22,000 subscribers collected over three years, and we send two campaigns per week using a basic tool that has no automation. We need a welcome series, abandoned cart and post-purchase emails, segments based on past orders, and A/B tests on subject lines. Three colleagues will build campaigns. We want SMS later this year and prefer data hosting in the EU. We plan to switch within two months and expect a budget in the low to mid four figures per year.

Write your own request

Email Marketing Software FAQ

What is email marketing software?

It is a tool for building subscriber lists, designing campaigns and sending them in bulk. Most also automate follow-ups, split lists into segments and report opens, clicks and sales. Stores, publishers, agencies and marketing teams use it to keep in touch with customers.

What is the best email marketing software for small business?

It depends on what you sell and how you work. MailerLite suits tight budgets, Omnisend fits online stores, GetResponse adds landing pages, and Campaign Monitor works well for agencies. Match the tool to your list size and the automations you need.

What is the best free email marketing software?

Kit has the biggest free plan, covering up to 10,000 subscribers. Free tiers at MailerLite, Omnisend, Klaviyo and Mailchimp end at 250 contacts or profiles. Each one locks different features, so check automation and support limits before building on it.

What features should email marketing software have?

Look for a mobile-ready editor, automation triggers, segmentation, sender authentication and clear reports. Ecommerce teams should add store connections, and larger teams should check seat limits and SSO. Ask how each feature changes between plans.

What affects email deliverability in these tools?

Sender authentication, list quality and sending reputation matter most. Some vendors offer dedicated IPs or deliverability support, though these are often enterprise add-ons. Clean lists and consistent sending habits help on any platform.

What should I include in an email marketing software request?

State your list size, monthly send volume, store or CRM platform, needed automations and number of users. Add any SMS, SSO or data hosting needs, your timeline and a budget range. Vendors can then quote the right tier.

The bottom line

Start by deciding what kind of sender you are: store, creator, agency or in-house team. Then drop any product that misses a must-have such as automation, store connection or seat count. Two or three tools are usually left. A precise request on SaaSBid, with list size, volume and integrations, lets vendors quote the correct tier so the offers can be compared on equal terms.

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