Are you tired of watching your email campaigns disappear into spam folders? Or perhaps you're manually sending emails to hundreds of contacts, knowing there's a better way but unsure where to start?
Recent data shows that 87% of B2B marketers use email marketing software as their primary distribution channel, yet most struggle to choose the right platform.
The stakes are high: pick the wrong tool, and you'll either overpay for features you don't need or outgrow your platform within months.
What's changed in 2025: AI now writes subject lines that actually convert. Automation workflows predict customer behaviour before they act. And pricing models have become so complex that free email marketing tools plan might cost you more in hidden fees than paid tiers elsewhere.
We've tested 10 leading platforms, analysed their updates, and mapped them against real use cases.
Before looking at the best email marketing tools, we should understand why email tools are still relevant and how their expectations have evolved.
What separates mediocre email marketing platforms from genuinely useful ones?
It starts with three non-negotiables of email marketing: automation depth, segmentation precision, and deliverability rates.
Automation isn't just about scheduling emails anymore. Modern email automation tools should trigger messages based on real-time behaviour, such as abandoned carts, page visits, and purchase history.
If your platform can't build multi-step journeys with conditional logic, you're leaving money on the table. According to Campaign Monitor's 2025 Benchmark Report[1], automated emails generate 320% more revenue than broadcast campaigns.
Segmentation determines whether your emails feel personal or spammy. The best platforms let you slice audiences by dozens of attributes: purchase frequency, engagement score, location, and device type.
Mailchimp's 2025 data[2] reveals that segmented campaigns see 14.31% higher open rates and 100.95% higher click rates than non-segmented sends.
Deliverability is where most free plans quietly fail. Your emails might technically send, but if they're landing in spam folders, does it matter?
Look for platforms that enforce SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication. Tools like Brevo and MailerLite maintain sender reputation monitoring, helping you stay off blocklists.
Then there's AI. Smart subject line testing, send-time optimisation, and content recommendations are now non-negotiables.
GetResponse's AI engine reportedly improves open rates by 23% on average through predictive send scheduling.
Let's be honest: free plans are discovery tools, not long-term solutions. They're brilliant for validating an idea, testing deliverability, or learning the interface. But they're deliberately constrained to nudge you towards paid tiers.
Take Omnisend's free offering: 250 contacts and 500 emails per month. That's enough for a launch waitlist or a small cohort test. The moment you gain traction, you'll upgrade.
Start free to prove product-market fit, then budget for growth. Plan for it rather than scrambling when you hit limits during a crucial campaign.
Email marketing tool | Best for | Free plan? | Key features |
---|---|---|---|
MailerLite | Most small teams & newsletters | Yes | Drag-and-drop editor, automation workflows, landing pages, timezone delivery, and ecommerce integrations |
Klaviyo | E-commerce automation | Yes | Deep Shopify integration, revenue tracking, predictive analytics, abandoned cart flows, SMS campaigns |
Kit | Creators & digital products | Yes | Visual automations, landing pages, commerce tools, referral system, recommendations network |
HubSpot | CRM + email bundle | Yes | Smart CRM integration, AI subject lines, forms & landing pages, attribution reporting, automation (paid) |
Brevo | Budget with daily cap | Yes | 300 emails/day, visual automations, SMS & WhatsApp, transactional API, basic CRM, landing pages |
Best overall for most small teams: MailerLite or Mailchimp
MailerLite edges ahead for simplicity and value. The interface feels intuitive - new users typically launch their first campaign within 15 minutes.
Mailchimp wins on ecosystem depth. With 300+ integrations and decades of template refinement, it's the complete package of email marketing tools.
Best for e-commerce automation: Klaviyo or Omnisend
Klaviyo is the heavyweight champion for Shopify and BigCommerce stores. It builds revenue-attributed customer journeys.
Omnisend offers 80% of Klaviyo's power at half the price. It's purpose-built for e-commerce with prebuilt flows (welcome series, cart abandonment, product recommendations) and a cleaner UI.
Best for creators & newsletters: Kit (Formerly ConvertKit)
Kit was built by creators, for creators. Its visual automation builder makes complex sequences intuitive.
Best CRM + email bundle: HubSpot
HubSpot solves a fundamental problem: disconnected tools. When your email platform doesn't talk to your CRM, personalisation becomes guesswork.
Best budget option with daily cap: Brevo
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) made a clever bet: unlimited contacts, limited sends. Their free plan allows 300 emails daily (roughly 9,000 monthly) with no contact restrictions.
Let’s take a look at the reviews of the best email marketing tools available in the market and how they help businesses.
Mailchimp remains the household name in email marketing software for good reason. Its ecosystem spans 300+ integrations, thousands of templates, and a mature feature set covering campaigns, automations, and basic CRM.
The platform shines in versatility, whether you're running a local bakery or a SaaS company, Mailchimp probably has a template and integration for your use case.
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Brevo turned the pricing strategy on its head by offering unlimited contacts but capping daily sends. Their free plan includes 300 emails per day (approximately 9,000 monthly) with Brevo branding. For bulk email marketing software needs spread over time, this structure is genius.
The all-in-one approach bundles email with SMS, WhatsApp, transactional sends, basic CRM, and landing pages (paid).
Visual automation workflows rival tools costing 3x more. SMTP and transactional email capabilities make Brevo popular with developers. Templates are clean, and deliverability rates consistently perform above industry average.
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MailerLite built its reputation on simplicity and affordability.
What's included at every level impresses: drag-and-drop editor, automation workflows, landing pages, basic websites, surveys, quizzes, and timezone delivery. E-commerce integrations connect to Shopify, WooCommerce, and others.
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Kit (formerly ConvertKit) was purpose-built for creators, authors, and digital entrepreneurs. The visual automation builder focuses on subscriber behaviour and content consumption.
Landing pages, sequences, and a recommendations network help grow your audience organically.
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ActiveCampaign earned its reputation through automation depth that rivals marketing automation platforms costing 5x more.
For businesses running complex lifecycle marketing, such as onboarding sequences, lead nurturing, and sales handoffs, ActiveCampaign delivers unmatched power.
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Klaviyo is the email automation gold standard for e-commerce. Tight integrations with Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and others pull in product catalogues, purchase history, and browsing behaviour.
For DTC brands serious about email-driven revenue, Klaviyo's ROI typically justifies the investment within months.
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Omnisend competes directly with Klaviyo while maintaining simpler workflows and friendlier pricing.
The platform is omnichannel from the ground up: email, SMS, push notifications, and retargeting ads work together. Omnisend prioritises speed and usability.
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GetResponse bundles more than email - you're getting landing pages, sales funnels, webinars, and basic CRM. The "free forever" tier supports up to 500 contacts with limited newsletter sends.
AI features generate email copy and landing page content from prompts. For small businesses wanting an all-in-one marketing suite without stitching together multiple tools, GetResponse delivers solid value.
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Campaign Monitor focuses on design quality and deliverability rather than feature quantity. High-quality templates render consistently across email clients.
Branded templates help agencies and design-conscious businesses maintain visual standards. Campaign Monitor excels when email design quality matters.
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HubSpot's email marketing sits inside its Smart CRM ecosystem. The free plan typically includes around 1,000 marketing contacts and up to 2,000 monthly emails with HubSpot branding.
Integration is the superpower here. Every email interaction updates contact records automatically. CRM-powered personalisation pulls in deal stages, lifecycle phases, and sales interactions.
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With the hundreds of options in the marketing, picking from the best email marketing tools can be difficult. Consider these factors for your business before making the final decision.
All the automation you have set up means nothing if emails land in spam. Deliverability separates amateur email tools from professional platforms.
You should know the importance of authentication: Look for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration help. These protocols prove your emails come from legitimate sources.
Custom domain capability matters for branding and reputation. Sending from your own domain (@yourcompany.com) rather than @mail.platformname.com significantly improves deliverability.
Reputation monitoring helps you stay off blocklists. The best platforms provide visibility into your sender score and alert you to problems before they compound.
Email automation tools pricing looks simple until you read the fine print.
Contact counting varies wildly. Some platforms (ActiveCampaign, Kit) count even inactive subscribers against your limit. Others (Brevo) focus only on contacts emailed recently.
Model your actual sending patterns - are you emailing 20% of your list weekly or 100% monthly?
Transactional emails, SMS credits, extra users, and priority support often cost extra. If you're still testing product-market fit, monthly flexibility matters more than annual discounts. Once you're confident, annual plans make financial sense.
Switching email marketing software is painful. Data exports, automation rebuilds, and list reputation transfers take weeks.
Contact export should be frictionless. Every platform lets you export email addresses, but can you also extract tags, custom fields, and segmentation data? CSV exports are standard; API access helps if you're technically savvy.
Some platforms use proprietary drag-and-drop formats that don't export cleanly. If you've invested hundreds of hours in template design, ensure you can extract reusable HTML.
Document your key automations before migrating so you're not rediscovering logic six months later. Otherwise, your first big campaign might hit spam folders despite perfect technical setup.
Choosing the right email marketing tools is about matching your business model, sending patterns, and growth trajectory to software designed for how you actually work.
The best email marketing software fits your workflow, scales with your growth, and stays out of your way so you can focus on selling.
Need help connecting your email marketing to real-time performance analytics? intellsys.ai - an AI copilot, provides unified dashboards tracking email campaigns alongside every other growth metric that matters.
Reach out to GrowthJockey to diagnose which platform fits your venture-building roadmap.
Q1. What is the best email marketing tool?
MailerLite for small teams, Klaviyo for ecommerce, Kit for creators, and HubSpot for CRM integration - choice depends on your specific use case and budget.
Q2. Which email marketing tool is free?
Brevo (unlimited contacts, 300 daily sends), Mailchimp (500 contacts, 1,000 monthly sends), MailerLite (500 subscribers), Kit Newsletter plan (large allowance), and GetResponse Free (500 contacts) all offer genuinely useful free tiers.
Q3. Which email platform is best for small business?
MailerLite balances affordability with capabilities for most small businesses, while HubSpot makes sense if you need integrated CRM, and Brevo works for budget-conscious senders with steady patterns.