Email Marketing Software
Email platforms are priced on subscriber count, so the cheapest tool at 500 contacts is rarely the cheapest at 10,000. Decide on the automation depth you need first, then compare the price at the list size you expect in 12 months, not today.
What actually matters when choosing
- →Price at your expected list size in 12 months, not the entry price
- →Automation builder depth: simple autoresponders vs branching workflows
- →Deliverability tooling and sending reputation practices
- →Ecommerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce) if you sell products
Compare email tools side by side
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | From | Ease | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | beginners, small newsletters on a budget | Yes | $12/mo | 5/5 | ★★★★★ |
| HubSpot | teams wanting one CRM plus email suite, small businesses starting free | Yes | $20/mo | 4/5 | ★★★★★ |
| Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | newsletter creators, course and digital product sellers | Yes | $33/mo | 5/5 | ★★★★★ |
| Klaviyo | Shopify stores, abandoned-cart and post-purchase flows | Yes | $20/mo | 3/5 | ★★★★★ |
| ActiveCampaign | behavior-based email automation, ecommerce lifecycle emails | No | — | 3/5 | ★★★★★ |
| Systeme.io | beginners, solo creators selling courses | Yes | $17/mo | 4/5 | ★★★★★ |
| Brevo | transactional plus marketing email in one, large contact lists with modest sending | Yes | $9/mo | 4/5 | ★★★★★ |
| GetResponse | creators selling courses, webinar-driven funnels | No | $19/mo | 4/5 | ★★★★★ |
| GoHighLevel | marketing agencies, white-label SaaS resellers | No | $97/mo | 2/5 | ★★★★★ |
| ClickFunnels | info-product launches, webinar funnels | No | $97/mo | 3/5 | ★★★★★ |
All email marketing software we have reviewed
MailerLite
A budget-friendly email marketing tool that pairs a clean editor with sites, landing pages and simple automations, with every paid plan getting the full feature set.
★★★★★
4.4/5
beginnerssmall newsletters on a budgetsolopreneurs needing a site plus email
HubSpot
An all-in-one CRM suite that bundles sales, marketing, service and content tools on top of a free contact database, with per-seat paid hubs layered on.
★★★★★
4.3/5
teams wanting one CRM plus email suitesmall businesses starting freeagencies standardizing clients on one platform
Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
An email platform designed around individual creators, with a generous free tier and built-in ways to sell digital products and paid newsletters.
★★★★★
4.3/5
newsletter creatorscourse and digital product sellersbloggers starting free
Klaviyo
An ecommerce-focused marketing platform that ties email, SMS and customer data to store activity, priced by active profiles and billed monthly.
★★★★★
4.3/5
Shopify storesabandoned-cart and post-purchase flowsSMS marketing for DTC brands
ActiveCampaign
A marketing automation platform whose core strength is deep, multi-step email and cross-channel workflows, sold in tiers by contact count.
★★★★★
4.2/5
behavior-based email automationecommerce lifecycle emailssegmentation-heavy lists
Systeme.io
A budget all-in-one funnel, email, course, and affiliate-management platform with an unusually generous free tier.
★★★★★
4.2/5
beginnerssolo creators selling coursesbudget funnel building
Brevo
A multi-channel marketing and transactional messaging platform priced by email volume instead of contact count, with a permanent free tier.
★★★★★
4.0/5
transactional plus marketing email in onelarge contact lists with modest sendingSMS and WhatsApp campaigns
GetResponse
An email marketing platform that stretches into landing pages, automation, webinars and course hosting, priced by list size.
★★★★★
4.0/5
creators selling courseswebinar-driven funnelssmall ecommerce lists
GoHighLevel
A white-label marketing and CRM platform aimed at agencies, bundling funnels, SMS/email automation, calendars and reputation tools that can be resold to client sub-accounts.
★★★★★
4.0/5
marketing agencieswhite-label SaaS resellerslocal-business lead follow-up
ClickFunnels
A premium sales-funnel builder with courses, email, and CRM features, priced for marketers who monetize aggressively.
★★★★★
3.6/5
info-product launcheswebinar funnelsagencies running client funnels
Guides
- Best Email Marketing for Beginners in 2026: 5 picks you can set up in an afternoonFive beginner email tools ranked on a free tier that survives real use, a welcome series you will actually build and the price in 12 months.
- Best Email Marketing for Ecommerce in 2026: 5 picks by store size and flow depthFive ecommerce email platforms ranked on store-event flows, Shopify integration depth and the price at the list size you expect in 12 months.
Comparisons
- Klaviyo vs ActiveCampaign (2026): store-first email or automation-first email?Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign for lifecycle email: profile versus contact pricing at 1,500 contacts, flow depth, SMS and CRM add-ons, and who should use neither.
- MailerLite vs Kit (2026): cheapest email tool or the one built for creators?MailerLite or Kit (formerly ConvertKit): free-tier logic, cost at 1,000 subscribers, automation depth, selling digital products, and when to outgrow both.
- Systeme.io vs ClickFunnels (2026): is the funnel builder worth five times the price?Systeme.io or ClickFunnels for funnels, email and courses: cost at 10K and 75K contacts, agency workspaces, template depth, and when the cheap one is enough.
Disclosure: we are building affiliate relationships with some of the companies listed. Links on this page currently go straight to the vendor. How we make money.