Email marketing is key in today’s digital world. It’s a powerful way to send personalized messages and grow your business. Whether you’re sending out promotions, newsletters, campaign or special offers, the right email marketing platforms matters a lot.
I’ve looked at over 60 email marketing apps with free plans. I’ve tested them to find the best for businesses of all sizes. Now, I’m ready to share my top picks for 2024.
Key Takeaways of Top Email Marketing Platforms
- The seven best free email marketing platforms are MailerLite, Brevo, Mailchimp, Sender, Loops, Benchmark, and EmailOctopus.
- These platforms offer a range of features, from generous subscriber and email send limits to advanced automation and segmentation capabilities.
- Choosing the right email marketing tool depends on your business size, budget, and specific needs, such as eCommerce integration or comprehensive marketing automation.
- Extensive testing and research were conducted to evaluate core features, scalability, and overall value for money.
- This article provides practical insights to help you select the optimal email marketing platform for your organization.
Introduction to Email Marketing Platforms
Success in email marketing is not just about having a list. You need strong email marketing platforms for creating great campaigns, sending them out automatically, and tracking results. This section will guide you through the main features of top email marketing software. It helps you pick the right one for your business.
Email marketing platforms have many tools to make your campaigns better. They include:
- Easy-to-use email campaign tools
- Auto-scheduling and sending emails
- Tools for segmenting and personalizing emails
- Reports and analytics to see how well your campaigns do
- Connections with CRM, e-commerce, and other business tools
Top email marketing software like HubSpot, Mailchimp, and Brevo have plans for every business size. For instance, Brevo’s free plan lets you send 300 emails a day and offers 40+ email templates. Their paid plans start at $9 for 5,000 emails a month.
HubSpot’s free plan lets you send up to 2,000 emails a month and store 1,000,000 non-marketing contacts. Their Starter Marketing plan is $40 a month for 2,000 contacts.
Knowing what each email marketing platform offers and costs helps you choose the best one. This choice can make your email campaigns more effective and increase your return on investment. Email marketing can bring in $40 for every $1 spent, making it a valuable tool for any business.
Evaluating the Best Email Marketing Platforms
Choosing the right email marketing platform is key for your business. You need to look at ease of use, features, analytics, automation, integration, and cost. This helps find the platform that fits your business goals.
Our team has checked out the top email marketing platforms. Here are some top picks:
- HubSpot Marketing Hub, with a 4.5 rating, is known for its wide range of marketing tools and easy integration.
- Klaviyo, rated 4.0, is famous for its detailed reports and lots of templates, especially for e-commerce.
- Campaigner, with a 4.5 rating, offers flexible templates and strong automation, perfect for bigger businesses.
- Mailchimp, also rated 4.5, is praised for its all-in-one marketing solution, ease of use, and CRM and website-building features.
- Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), rated 4.0, has grown into a full marketing hub with CRM, SMS, WhatsApp, and advanced automation.
We looked at 13 email marketing platforms and 26 key factors. The Forbes Advisor Small Business team did a detailed fact-checking to ensure the info is correct and reliable.
| Platform | Rating | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Marketing Hub | 4.5 | Comprehensive martech platform, seamless integration |
| Klaviyo | 4.0 | Robust reporting tools, extensive e-commerce features |
| Campaigner | 4.5 | Versatile templates, powerful automation |
| Mailchimp | 4.5 | Full marketing hub, user-friendly, CRM and website integration |
| Brevo (Sendinblue) | 4.0 | Comprehensive marketing hub, CRM, SMS, and WhatsApp support |
By carefully looking at these criteria, businesses can choose the best email marketing platform for their needs.
HubSpot Marketing Hub: Top Pick for Comprehensive Solution
I’ve looked at many email marketing tools, but HubSpot Marketing Hub is a standout. It’s not just for email marketing. It has HubSpot CRM integration, social media tools, and strong HubSpot marketing automation features.
Key Features and Benefits
HubSpot Marketing Hub shines with its HubSpot CRM integration. It connects your customer data for better ad campaigns and more leads. It also makes it easy to turn website visitors into leads with customizable popup forms.
The analytics and reporting tools in HubSpot Marketing Hub give you deep insights into your HubSpot email marketing campaigns. Plus, it uses a dedicated IP address to ensure your emails get to the right inboxes.
HubSpot Marketing Hub’s automation is impressive. It automates email campaigns, lead scoring, and more. This saves time and boosts efficiency. It also offers behavioral targeting to improve your marketing outreach.
In summary, HubSpot Marketing Hub is a top choice for businesses. It combines email, CRM, and marketing automation in one place. This makes it perfect for managing all your digital marketing needs.
Klaviyo: Best for Robust Reporting and Analytics
If you’re into email marketing and want to boost sales, Klaviyo is a great pick. It’s packed with tools for retail, wellness, and restaurants. It also has lots of e-commerce features and supports many integrations to make your campaigns better.
Klaviyo stands out because of its amazing reporting and analytics. It gives you detailed insights into how your emails are doing. You get data on your audience and how you compare to others in your industry. Plus, its AI tools keep tweaking your campaigns to get more people engaged and buying.
- Over 350 integrations for real-time and historical data to segment audiences
- Automated emails generate 14x higher revenue per recipient than manual campaigns
- Pricing starts at $60/month based on active profiles
- 100+ customizable, mobile-optimized email templates
- 60+ built-in automated email flows, from browse/cart reminders to post-purchase follow-ups
- A/B testing capabilities to optimize content, design, and more
- Advanced segmentation for highly targeted campaigns
- Predictive analytics to understand customer behavior and lifetime value
Klaviyo is perfect for teams aiming to increase sales, improve onboarding, or keep customers coming back. Its focus on e-commerce and easy integrations make it ideal for taking your Klaviyo email marketing to the next level.
Campaigner: Best for Experienced Marketers
Campaigner is a top-notch email marketing platform for seasoned marketers. It has customizable features and a powerful workflow designer. This makes it perfect for midsize to large businesses looking to grow their email marketing.
Advantages of Campaigner
- It works well with many third-party software, making data sharing and automation easy.
- The workflow designer is full-featured, helping users create complex campaigns with ease.
- It has a high SMS marketing read rate of up to 98%, reaching audiences better.
- It has a 0% customer satisfaction rate, ensuring users are happy.
- There’s a 30-day free trial, letting businesses test it out first.
Potential Drawbacks of Campaigner
Campaigner’s complex automation might be hard for some to learn. Also, it doesn’t have a free version, which could be a problem for small businesses with limited budgets.
| Feature | Campaigner | Constant Contact | Omnisend | AWeber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing (for 5,000 contacts) | $59/month | $75/month | $44/month | $30/month |
| SMS Marketing | Included | Additional cost | Included | Additional cost |
| Workflow Automation | Powerful | Basic | Advanced | Moderate |
| Free Trial | 30 days | None | 14 days | 30 days |
Campaigner is a great pick for experienced marketers needing a customizable and scalable platform. Its strong features and integrations make it a top choice for enterprise email marketing.
Mailchimp: Best for Marketing With E-Commerce
Mailchimp has been a leader in email marketing for years. It has improved its services to meet the needs of its many users. Now, it offers CRM and website-building tools, keeping its interface easy to use.
Mailchimp’s marketing hub offers a wide range of tools. You get email templates, detailed reports, and AI suggestions. Its free plan is perfect for starting or growing your email marketing.
Mailchimp shines when it comes to e-commerce. It works well with Shopify. Users see a 21% boost in click-rates and earn over $2,100 per email campaign.
Mailchimp is great for those who want a simple, all-in-one marketing solution. It connects email and e-commerce well. With its automation, reporting, and Shopify integration, it helps e-commerce businesses succeed.
“We’re in the business of making drinks, not necessarily building lists of customers,” shared Joe Slater, Co-founder of Six Barrel Soda Co. “But Mailchimp’s integration with Shopify has made it easy for us to generate revenue from our email campaigns.”
Mailchimp is dedicated to innovation and meeting e-commerce needs. It’s a top choice for email marketing. Whether you’re small or growing, Mailchimp’s tools can help you succeed.
Best Email Marketing Platforms
Looking for the best email marketing platforms? There are many great options out there. They offer features like marketing automation, detailed reports, and analytics. These tools can help boost your engagement, conversions, and marketing success.
Mailchimp is a top choice for small businesses. It has features like email automation, analytics, and audience segmentation. Constant Contact is known for its excellent customer support. It’s great for small to medium-sized businesses.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) has a flexible pricing model. It also offers SMS campaigns. HubSpot is perfect for businesses needing a full marketing solution. It includes a free CRM.
Campaign Monitor is famous for its beautiful templates and automation. It’s ideal for businesses focusing on design. ActiveCampaign is great for medium to large businesses. It offers advanced automation and CRM integration.
| Platform | Key Features | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | Email campaign automation, detailed analytics, audience segmentation | Essentials plan starts at $13/month for 500 subscribers and 5,000 email sends |
| Constant Contact | Exceptional customer support, live chat, email, and resources | Pricing not specified |
| Brevo (Sendinblue) | Flexible pricing model, SMS campaigns | Pricing not specified |
| HubSpot | Full suite of marketing, sales, and service software, integrated CRM | Pricing not specified |
| Campaign Monitor | Beautifully designed templates, powerful automation features | Pricing not specified |
| ActiveCampaign | Advanced workflows, CRM integration, machine learning capabilities | Lite plan costs $39/month for 1,000 subscribers and 10x email sends |
These platforms are among the best in the market. Each has its own strengths. By considering your business needs, you can choose the right platform for success.
Conclusion
Email marketing is key to any digital marketing plan. The right platform can greatly improve your campaign success. Look at the top options based on ease of use, features, analytics, and cost. This helps find the best fit for your business.
Whether you need a full marketing hub or a specialized platform, this guide helps. It covers top players like HubSpot, Klaviyo, and Campaigner. MailChimp, Brevo, ActiveCampaign, Omnisend, and Zoho Campaigns also offer great features and prices.
Choosing the right email marketing platform is vital for your marketing success. By carefully looking at options, you can pick the best one for your goals. This will help you engage customers, increase sales, and attract new ones.
