In today’s digital world, businesses have countless ways to reach their audiences, but email marketing continues to prove its value year after year. This channel is excellent for communicating with customers directly.
Beyond communication, email marketing drives measurable results. With tools for automation, personalization, and analytics, marketers can craft campaigns that not only deliver updates but also build long-term customer loyalty. According to multiple industry reports, email remains one of the highest ROI marketing channels, generating returns that far outweigh the costs. This makes it essential for startups, small businesses, and enterprises alike who are looking to maximize their marketing budget and connect with customers in a meaningful way.
As more platforms emerge with advanced features, businesses face the challenge of choosing the right tool. Below, we take a closer look at ten of the best email marketing platforms available today, starting with SendPulse — a solution that stands out for its multi-channel capabilities and powerful automation.
SendPulse
SendPulse is more than just an email marketing service; it’s a tool that connects businesses with their customers using multiple channels. Beyond email, marketers can leverage SMS, web push notifications, chatbots for popular messengers like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger, as well as a built-in CRM and landing page builder. This breadth of tools allows businesses to create truly omnichannel experiences, ensuring their messages reach customers in the right place at the right time.
When it comes to email marketing, SendPulse offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, a library of responsive templates, and advanced segmentation to tailor content for different audiences. Its automation features stand out, letting businesses set up drip campaigns, event-triggered emails, and complex workflows without technical skills. A built-in email verifier improves deliverability, while real-time analytics provide insights into open rates, clicks, and conversions. Combined with flexible pricing, SendPulse provides one of the most cost-effective and feature-rich solutions for businesses of all sizes.
SendPulse’s free plan supports up to 500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month, making it one of the most generous free offerings in the market. For growing businesses, the cheapest paid plan begins at just $8 per month and covers 500 subscribers, with higher tiers scaling affordably. This combination of multi-channel reach and accessible pricing positions SendPulse as a standout choice for businesses looking to maximize their marketing power without overspending.
Yotpo Email
Yotpo Email is part of Yotpo’s broader e-commerce marketing suite, best known for its integrations with online stores. Designed primarily for e-commerce brands, it combines email campaigns with features like user-generated content, reviews, and loyalty programs. This makes it particularly effective for businesses that want to leverage social proof and customer engagement directly in their marketing.
Its email tool includes automation for abandoned carts, post-purchase follow-ups, and personalized product recommendations. While Yotpo excels in connecting email to the shopping experience, its scope is narrower than platforms like SendPulse, as it is focused mainly on e-commerce rather than multi-industry applications.
Yotpo Email provides a free trial to help businesses get started, though its full feature set is only accessible on paid plans. Pricing is typically customized based on business size and subscriber volume, with entry packages generally starting around $20 per month. This makes Yotpo an investment geared toward e-commerce businesses that want tightly integrated solutions beyond traditional email marketing.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp has long been one of the most well-known tools in email marketing. It offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, pre-designed templates, and a wide range of segmentation tools, making it appealing to beginners. Its strong brand reputation and extensive learning resources make it a popular choice for small businesses and solopreneurs.
Beyond email, Mailchimp includes landing page builders, basic automation, and e-commerce integrations. However, as contact lists grow, its pricing can become steep compared to alternatives. It remains a reliable option for businesses seeking simplicity and solid support, but its value is less compelling for advanced marketers.
Mailchimp’s free plan covers up to 500 contacts with 1,000 monthly email sends. The Essentials plan, starting at $13 per month, expands this to 500 contacts with 5,000 monthly sends and removes Mailchimp branding from campaigns. For small businesses, this offers a low barrier to entry, though scaling quickly raises costs.
GetResponse
GetResponse positions itself as a full marketing automation suite, combining email campaigns with webinars, landing pages, and e-commerce integrations. Its webinar tool is particularly noteworthy, allowing businesses to host events directly within the platform, which adds a unique dimension compared to most competitors.
The email tool provides powerful automation, dynamic segmentation, and advanced analytics. GetResponse also emphasizes conversion funnels, guiding businesses from lead capture to sales. It is especially attractive for companies looking to combine email with webinars and sales funnel management in one place.
While GetResponse doesn’t offer a permanent free tier, it does provide a 30-day free trial to test its full range of features. Paid plans start at about $16 per month for 1,000 subscribers, with unlimited email sends included. This pricing model makes it suitable for businesses ready to invest in an integrated marketing platform from the outset.
EmailOctopus
EmailOctopus appeals to startups and cost-conscious businesses with its simplicity and affordability. It integrates with Amazon SES to deliver large volumes of emails at a lower cost, making it especially suitable for companies with big subscriber lists on tight budgets.
The platform offers an easy-to-use email editor, automation workflows, and subscriber segmentation. However, its feature set is lighter compared to more advanced platforms, focusing on straightforward email campaigns rather than complex multi-channel marketing. Still, its affordability makes it a strong contender for small businesses.
EmailOctopus’ free plan supports up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month, though it includes platform branding. Paid plans begin at $9 per month, covering 500 subscribers with 10,000 email sends. For small businesses wanting flexibility at low cost, this makes EmailOctopus an appealing option.
Sender
Sender is known for its affordability and ease of use, offering a generous free plan that supports thousands of emails per month. Its email editor and automation tools allow users to create campaigns quickly without technical knowledge.
While Sender provides useful segmentation and analytics, it lacks the breadth of channels seen in platforms like SendPulse. It is best suited for small businesses and entrepreneurs who want an effective, budget-friendly way to reach their audience through email without investing in additional marketing features.
The free plan includes up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month, which is substantial for new businesses. Paid plans start at $7 per month for 1,000 contacts and allow sending 12,000 monthly emails, making Sender one of the most affordable solutions for small businesses scaling their email marketing.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo is a comprehensive digital marketing platform that combines email, SMS, and chat tools. Known for its pay-per-email pricing model, it allows businesses to control costs more flexibly than subscription-based competitors.
Its email marketing tool includes a clean drag-and-drop editor, automation workflows, and A/B testing. Brevo also offers CRM functionality and transactional email capabilities, making it popular among businesses seeking an integrated platform. However, its free plan has daily sending limits, which can be restrictive for some marketers.
The free plan allows unlimited contacts but restricts usage to 300 emails per day. Paid plans start at $8 per month (500 contacts), offering 5,000 monthly emails with no daily cap. This tiered pricing makes Brevo attractive for businesses that want flexibility in managing both costs and scalability.
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is a powerful platform that places heavy emphasis on automation and CRM integration. It enables businesses to build complex customer journeys with conditional logic, ensuring personalized communication at scale.
In addition to email, ActiveCampaign supports SMS marketing and deep CRM features. Its strength lies in helping companies manage customer relationships alongside campaigns. While the learning curve can be steeper, it is a top choice for businesses that prioritize advanced automation and customer data management.
ActiveCampaign does not offer a permanent free plan, but users can test the platform with a 14-day free trial. The cheapest paid plan starts at $15 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, with unlimited email sends included. While slightly more expensive than some alternatives, the advanced automation features justify the investment for businesses needing sophistication.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit was built with creators in mind, particularly bloggers, writers, and independent content producers. Its platform focuses on helping individuals grow audiences and monetize their content through email.
It offers customizable opt-in forms, automation workflows, and tagging-based segmentation. ConvertKit also supports digital product sales and subscription models, making it unique among email marketing tools. While it lacks some of the advanced multi-channel features of larger platforms, its simplicity and creator-focused tools make it highly appealing to freelancers and online educators.
The free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited email sends, though advanced features like automation and funnels require upgrading. Paid plans start at $33 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers and unlimited emails, making it one of the most accessible platforms for creators just starting to monetize their audience.
HubSpot Email
HubSpot Email is part of the broader HubSpot CRM and inbound marketing ecosystem. It integrates seamlessly with HubSpot’s sales, service, and marketing hubs, providing a unified platform for customer engagement.
The email marketing tool comes with advanced personalization, automation, and A/B testing. Since it is tied directly into HubSpot’s CRM, businesses can create highly targeted campaigns based on detailed customer data. While HubSpot can be more expensive than standalone email services, it offers unmatched depth for organizations that want a single system to manage their entire marketing and sales pipeline.
HubSpot Email’s free plan supports up to 1,000 subscribers with 2,000 emails per month. Paid plans begin around $20 per month, providing 1,000 subscribers and 5,000 monthly sends. This pricing reflects HubSpot’s positioning as a premium solution integrated with a full CRM ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
Email marketing continues to be one of the most effective ways for businesses to engage customers, nurture leads, and drive sales. With so many platforms available, the choice comes down to specific business needs — from affordability to advanced automation or multi-channel communication.
SendPulse stands out as a versatile solution thanks to its combination of email, SMS, push notifications, chatbots, and CRM, all within a single platform. It provides everything a modern marketer needs to orchestrate campaigns across channels while remaining accessible and cost-effective. For businesses seeking a reliable, scalable, and innovative marketing partner, SendPulse deserves to be at the top of the list.
Now that you’ve found your email tool and are ready to take your campaigns beyond email, it’s worth exploring other channels that can boost engagement. One powerful option is WhatsApp — a direct and personal way to connect with your audience. Check out this guide on WhatsApp marketing to learn how it can complement your email strategy and help you build stronger customer relationships.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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