How we wrote these reviews: We tested several tools and compared their features side-by-side, and considered the reviews and ratings on established review sites like G2 and Capterra. This enabled us to identify the best email and SMS marketing software to enhance your marketing efforts.
Most people think that email and SMS marketing are two separate marketing tactics that require separate tools. The reality, however, is that there are email and SMS marketing software solutions that can seamlessly integrate both and help you achieve great results.
First, by running a multichannel campaign, you can simultaneously engage potential customers on two channels, improving conversions. According to our research, campaigns that involve both email and SMS were 429% more likely to end in a conversion.
But which tools should you consider and how can you make the right choice?
Keep reading to find the answers.
Learn key stats and tips
SMS is easier to use and more cost-effective than ever. Discover the real impact behind SMS marketing and why you should incorporate this valuable channel.
How to choose the best email and SMS marketing software
Given the number of options available in the market, it becomes difficult to choose the best SMS and email marketing software solution.
While some may seem to offer more features, they may be a lot more expensive. Some tools will also have deceptive or variable pricing which may seem affordable at first glance but are actually quite expensive.
You need to be careful not to make a hasty decision by simply glancing through the features offered. Here’s a useful guide on which factors to consider and how to effectively compare the various options to make an informed decision.
Features
Choose software solutions that offer all essential features, along with advanced features.
Here’s a list of some must-have features:
Drag-and-drop, intuitive email builder
Customizable email and SMS templates
Dynamic segmentation and personalization
Split testing, analytics, and reporting capabilities
Seamless integration of email and SMS marketing campaigns
Smart list-building features, including landing pages, forms, pop-ups, etc.
While most software solutions offer essential features, the above-mentioned features are what set one tool apart from others. That’s why you should look for these in addition to the essential features when selecting an email and SMS marketing platform.
Ease of use
Another important criterion for selection is ease of use. Even if a platform offers tons of advanced features, it would be practically useless if you are not able to utilize them properly.
Read user reviews to see what people are saying about a tool’s user interface. A software solution with a clunky and buggy interface will consume a lot of time and is generally not worth it.
Opt for software with a drag-and-drop email builder, customizable templates, pre-built workflows, etc. These features help save time and deliver better results.
Omnichannel marketing
Look for tools that go beyond email marketing and offer add-on features like SMS marketing and marketing automation.
The best email and SMS marketing services combine both channels to create an omnichannel integrated campaign. This allows you to connect with your leads and engage them using different channels, improving the likelihood of conversions.
Price, of course, is an important factor to consider when selecting an email and SMS marketing software solution.
When comparing prices, however, do pay attention to variable pricing and SMS credits. Tools that offer free SMS credits, like Omnisend, are preferable. Tools that charge per SMS and don’t offer any free credits can get expensive quickly.
Some software solutions offer SMS as an add-on service, which will cost more.
Also, check the number of contacts and emails a plan is offering per month to make a like-for-like comparison. If the number of contacts and monthly emails included in a plan are too low, you will end up paying more than you estimated.
The best way to avoid this problem is to estimate an approximate number for your business and use that to check and compare the prices of various tools.
Use our email pricing calculator below to quickly compare price rates and features with other top platforms. Input your desired number of contacts, choose up to two other email marketing providers from the list, and see how Omnisend stacks up against them.
Quick email provider pricing comparison
Quickly and easily compare the top email marketing providers so you can find the best platform for your ecommerce store needs.
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Klaviyo
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You can compare Omnisend and 2 more providers at once.
Keeping all the previous factors in mind, you need to make a final choice depending on your specific requirements. Every business has unique needs and may not require all the features that a premium tool offers.
Make a list of requirements and choose a platform that offers those features at the most affordable rates for your text and email marketing campaign.
If you have an ecommerce brand, for example, Omnisend and Klaviyo are two of the best email and SMS marketing software for you. Both offer specialized ecommerce features and omnichannel marketing capabilities. Klaviyo, however, is the more expensive of the two.
Similarly, if you need an all-in-one email marketing, CRM, sales, and marketing automation tool, then you may consider ActiveCampaign.
If you need international messaging for your SMS campaigns, Omnisend and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) are the best options for you.
Basically, define your requirements first and then look for email and SMS marketing software that meet those specifications, within your budget.
Customer support
Lastly, make sure that you compare the customer support options offered by each tool before you make a choice.
After all, you will need immediate support if anything goes wrong with your email and SMS campaigns. And a slow and non-responsive support team can cause you to lose leads and result in monetary losses as well.
Some tools offer only email and chat support, while others like Omnisend offer 24/7 phone, chat, and email support. It also assigns a dedicated customer success manager for high-value clients.
To assess the quality of service and level of customer support, check for user reviews and ratings on trusted review sites like TrustRadius and Get App.
Omnisend, for example, has a 4.7/5 rating on Get App.
Now that you have a clear idea of how to make a choice, check out our top 5 picks for the best email and SMS marketing software.
Best email and SMS marketing software
Choosing the right software to scale your marketing efforts is as crucial for small businesses as it is for large enterprises.
The best email and SMS marketing software solutions offer a range of features for streamlining your campaigns and tracking your marketing messages with precision, but they aren’t all equal.
Here are the top email and SMS marketing solutions to consider for your business.
Email and SMS marketing software
Best for
Free plan
Cheapest plan
User ratings
Omnisend
Ecommerce automation
✅
$16/month for 500 contacts
G2: 4.6 Capterra: 4.7
ActiveCampaign
Comprehensive email marketing with CRM integration
❌
$39/month for 1,000 marketing contacts
G2: 4.5 Capterra: 4.6
Brevo
Small businesses on a budget
✅
$25/month for 20,000 emails and unlimited contacts
Omnisend is one of the best email and SMS marketing software for a simple reason — it offers a great set of features at a competitive price. Even though it offers advanced features, it has an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that even beginners can use.
It can also help you run high-converting SMS campaigns with pre-built automated SMS sequences, high-throughput toll-free numbers, international messages, and more.
Omnisend can easily integrate your email and SMS marketing campaigns and provide in-depth analytics and reporting options.
Want to know the best part?
It offers a free plan that gives you access to all important features, so you can truly test it out and see if it meets your needs. And you get 24/7 email & live chat support, where their team will answer your questions and solve your problems quickly and efficiently.
Overall, if you want the best set of features at an affordable price, Omnisend is one of the best email and SMS marketing software for you.
Pros
International messaging
Email and SMS automation
Pre-built email and SMS workflows
Various list-building forms to collect contact details
Free plan with access to advanced features
TCPA compliant
Award-winning 24/7 customer support
Awesome ecommerce features
Seamless integration with various ecommerce platforms
Cons
SMS marketing is not available separately
The full set of tools can be best utilized by ecommerce brands
Pricing
Free: Up to 250 contacts and 500 emails per month
Standard: Starts from $16/month
Pro: Starts from $59/month (comes with free SMS credits equal to your monthly plan price)
G2 rating: 4.6
Capterra rating: 4.7
Start using Omnisend for email and SMS marketing and drive great results.
ActiveCampaign is a popular choice among the best email and SMS marketing software, offering great features for both.
Just like any good email and text marketing software solution, ActiveCampaign offers customizable email templates, an easy-to-use email builder, and email automation.
What makes it stand out is the fact that it also offers sales and CRM features with its email marketing plans.
Some of its advanced features include predictive sending, split automations, attribution reporting, and customized reports.
When it comes to text marketing, it offers features like appointment reminders, SMS messages to event attendees, confirmation or coupon code delivery, flash sale notifications, etc.
Please note that SMS is available as an add-on with Plus and above plans and is not available with the Lite plan.
Now, let’s check out its pros, cons, and pricing to assess what makes it a good email and text marketing platform.
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use email and SMS marketing software with decent features, then Brevo is a great option for you.
Unlike ActiveCampaign, Brevo offers SMS marketing features with all plans, including the free plan.
You will get features like customizable email templates, a drag-and-drop editor, marketing automation, send-time optimization, email segmentation, A/B testing, and more. It also offers basic reporting and analytics.
SMS and WhatsApp campaigns are available with a pay-as-you-go pricing model and you can get prepaid credits for sending text messages. You do get 1000 free WhatsApp messages every month, but no free SMS credits like Omnisend.
Key features include bulk SMS, international messaging, SMS personalization, and automation.
While Brevo does offer integrated email and SMS campaigns, the pricing for the latter can vary depending on the number of messages and country. So, it’s not the most cost-friendly option for SMS marketing.
Pros
Advanced segmentation
Customizable sign-up forms
Email and SMS personalization
International messaging to over 200 countries
Deliverability optimization
Easy-to-use email builder
Cons
Phone and chat support is only available with higher-tier plans
Advanced reporting and features are not available with free and Starter plans
Pricing can skyrocket for both SMS and email as the volume increases
GetResponse is a great tool for sending various types of emails from transactional emails to newsletters. It not only offers customizable templates but an AI-powered email generator that you can use to create engaging emails in no time.
It also offers an extensive library of design resources like stock photos and GIFs that you can use in your emails. It is one of the best email and SMS marketing software when it comes to design aspects.
It boasts high deliverability rates and perfectly-timed emails, and offers dynamic content for email personalization.
It also offers SMS marketing with features, such as automated workflows, bulk messaging, personalization, etc.
Pros
AI-powered email generator and subject line tester
99% email deliverability rates
Send-time optimization
Email personalization and dynamic segmentation
Landing page, website, and sign-up form builder
In-depth email analytics and reporting
Offers a free trial, no credit card required
Trigger-based SMS marketing using GetResponse MAX
Advanced email automation workflows
Cons
SMS is available only with the highest-tier plan and is expensive
Free and starting level plans have limited features
Users complain about poor service and refund policy
Klaviyo is one of the email and SMS marketing software solutions that are great for ecommerce brands, like Omnisend. It is, however, more expensive.
It offers great email list building, segmentation, and automation features, along with essentials like templates and an easy-to-use email builder. It also ensures high deliverability and offers email personalization to get better results.
When it comes to SMS marketing, it offers all important features, such as automation, personalization, dynamic segmentation, smart sending rules, and more.
It also allows two-way texting in some countries and has built-in contact cards so your recipients immediately recognize your brand.
Overall, Klaviyo offers the most robust SMS marketing features, good enough for running enterprise-level integrated email and SMS marketing campaigns. If you have a large ecommerce business and a big marketing budget, then Klaviyo is the perfect solution for you.
But it’s not the most cost-effective option for small and mid-sized businesses owing to the expensive pricing. Also, small businesses may not need all the advanced features and tools that it offers.
Pros
60+ pre-built automation workflows/templates
80+ customizable email templates
Integration with major ecommerce platforms
300+ integrations with various tools
Free SMS/MMS credits with all paid plans
Smart list-building features for both email and SMS
Advanced SMS marketing features and integration with email
Cons
The pricing can soar rapidly with the number of contacts and monthly emails sent
The interface is not the most user-friendly and takes some time to get used to
SMS marketing features are not available separately
Could offer phone support and dedicated account managers for paid plans
SMS marketing is available only for a limited number of countries
Pricing
Free: 500 emails per month and 150 free monthly SMS/MMS credits
Email: Starting from $20/month (500 contacts, 5000 emails, and 150 free SMS credits)
Email and SMS: Starting from $35/month (500 contacts, 5000 emails, and 1250 SMS credits)
G2 rating: 4.6
Capterra rating: 4.7
Ready to make the right choice?
Hopefully, you now have a clear idea of how to choose the right email and SMS marketing software solution, compare various options, and look for the right set of features.
Don’t just look at features and prices in isolation, but make a smart comparison by considering monthly limits and variable pricing.
Also, see if a company is offering SMS as an add-on or if it’s included in their plans. Companies that offer free SMS credits are the best and most affordable options.
Omnisend is one of the best email and SMS marketing software solutions that seamlessly combine the two channels into an integrated campaign. Apart from all the important email marketing features, it offers free SMS credits, international messaging, and SMS automation options.
Try Omnisend for free and use it to run high-converting omnichannel marketing campaigns.
Take your email and SMS marketing to the next level with Omnisend.
Richard is a Content Marketing Manager at Omnisend. An avid writer, he's said to have been born holding a pencil. Fascinated by all things handmade, if he's not reading or writing he can often be found practicing leathercraft.
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