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10 best email marketing software of 2024

Reading Time: 14 minutes

Email marketing software remains a necessity in today’s digital marketing. It offers businesses an affordable and effective way to nurture leads and drive conversions. 

With an average return on investment of $36 for every $1 spent, email marketing continues to outperform many other marketing channels. However, the key to success lies in choosing the right tool that aligns with your specific needs and goals.

To help you navigate the crowded landscape of email marketing software, we’ve conducted extensive testing on the top 10 tools available today, exploring each platform’s strengths and unique features.

Let’s dive in.

Skip the list and get the best email marketing software for ecommerce!

Methodology: How we chose the best email marketing platforms

To provide an objective overview of the best email marketing software, we analyzed testimonials and ratings from popular peer-to-peer review platforms like G2 and Capterra. 

We focused on tools with high ratings (4.2 and above), free plans, and strong customer support reviews. Our evaluation considered features, channels and integrations, reputation, price, customer support, and limitations.

Additionally, we evaluated each platform’s ease of use to offer first-hand insights and ensure they meet various business needs. This comprehensive approach enabled us to provide an objective overview to help you decide the best email marketing software for your business.

Best email marketing software: Comparison

Email marketing softwareBest forFree planCheapest planRating from users
OmnisendEcommerce stores of all sizes$16/month for 500 contacts and 6,000 emailsG2: 4.6
Capterra: 4.7
MoosendNew ecommerce stores$9/month for 500 contacts and unlimited emailsG2: 4.7
Capterra: 4.6
DripExtensive automations$39/month for unlimited emails and 2,500 contactsG2: 4.4
Capterra: 4.4
HubSpotSaaS businesses$20/month/seat for 1,000 marketing contactsG2: 4.4
Capterra: 4.5
MailchimpSolopreneurs and startups$13/month for 5,000 emails and 500 contactsG2: 4.3
Capterra: 4.5
MailerLiteSmall ecommerce businesses$10/month for 500 subscribers and unlimited monthly emailsG2: 4.7
Capterra: 4.7
ActiveCampaignEmail marketing with built-in CRM integration$15/month for 1,000 marketing contactsG2: 4.5
Capterra: 4.6
AWeberExtensive library of email templates$15/month for 3 users, 5,000 emails, and 500 contactsG2: 4.2
Capterra: 4.4
GetResponseB2B businesses$19/month for 1,000 contacts and unlimited monthly emailsG2: 4.3
Capterra: 4.2
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)Businesses on a budget$9/month for 5,000 emails and no daily sending limitG2: 4.4
Capterra: 4.5

Let’s explore the top email marketing software available today. We’ll highlight each platform’s unique features, benefits, and drawbacks to help you make an informed decision.

1. Omnisend

Best email marketing software for ecommerce stores of all sizes.

G2 rating: 4.6

Capterra rating: 4.7

Best email marketing software: Omnisend homepage
Image via Omnisend

Omnisend proves that a quality marketing tool doesn’t have to break the bank.

Omnisend is an email and SMS marketing software designed specifically for ecommerce stores to build customer loyalty and generate more sales. With one-click integration with Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and more, you can seamlessly sync your data and start designing campaigns.

Omnisend is a powerful platform with a suite of features designed to enhance your email marketing’s return on investment — even on the free plan. If you need to send more than 500 emails each month, Omnisend offers affordable paid plans starting at just $16 per month.

Get access to a large library of modern templates, automatically incorporating your store’s branding for quick and easy email customization.

Omnisend’s capabilities extend beyond email, covering the entire on-site marketing funnel. It includes tools for collecting subscribers via popups and landing pages, and automated workflows like abandoned cart triggers or welcome messages to increase sales in less time.

Key features

  • Email template library with 250+ templates for newsletters
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop builder for easy email template design and editing
  • Integrations with major ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento as well as with Zapier for custom integrations via API
  • Reports for campaign performance and automation results, featuring click-map reports, open rates, click-through rates, and sales data
  • Automatic integration of your store’s branding on your email and popup templates
  • Customizable and TCPA and GDPR-compliant forms for capturing visitor contact details, along with popups and landing pages
  • Flexible segmentation for better customer targeting and personalized communication
  • AI-assisted customer lifecycle segmentation for increased customer lifetime value

Why choose Omnisend?

Omnisend simplifies the process for ecommerce brands to attract and retain customers with high-converting email, popup, workflow, and segmentation templates. Plus, it’s consistently 40% cheaper than other leading ESPs, offering merchants a much higher ROI.

This could be why it’s a top-rated email marketing system, boasting 5,200+ five-star reviews on Shopify and a 4.1 rating on EmailTooltester.

Skip the list and get the best email marketing software for ecommerce!

Pros and cons

Pros

✅ Award-winning 24/7 support

✅ Full-featured ecommerce email marketing

✅ High level of customization and easy-to-use interface

✅ Excellent deliverability

✅ Extensive integrations

Cons

❌ Free plan is limited to 500 emails/month

❌ Features are tailored to ecommerce

Pricing

The free plan allows you to send up to 500 emails per month and access most of the advanced features available to paid plan users.

What’s more, Omnisend provides round-the-clock email and live chat support — even on the free plan.

  • Standard: $16/month
  • Pro: $59/month

Try Omnisend for free.

2. Moosend

Best email marketing software for new ecommerce stores.

G2 rating: 4.7

Capterra rating: 4.6

Moosend - Best email software for ecommerce stores
Image via Moosend

Moosend is a newer email marketing software that many consider cheap and effective. It’s a good platform for new ecommerce stores becoming familiar with email marketing and offers tools for improving performance, such as the ecommerce AI.

When testing Moosend, we found the user interface to be clean and intuitive. The campaign editor makes it simple to design professional emails, even for those without technical skills.

The template library offers a good variety, and customizing these templates is straightforward. We particularly appreciated the real-time reporting, which provides instant insights into campaign performance.

Key features

  • Campaign editor for creating professional-looking emails
  • Forms and popups for building your email list
  • Real-time reporting, analytics, and customer insights
  • Email personalization features for better customer targeting
  • Ecommerce AI tool that provides suggestions to improve email marketing performance

Pros and cons

Pros

✅ Very affordable pricing

✅ Easily customizable templates

Cons

❌ Small number of integrations

❌ Not great for established or advanced marketers

Why choose Moosend?

Moosend offers one of the most affordable entries into email marketing. Consider this platform if you’re a new ecommerce business.

Pricing

Although it doesn’t offer a free plan, Moosend offers a 30-day free trial to allow users to test its features. For 500 subscribers, pricing is as follows:

  • Pro: $9/month
  • Moosend+: Custom pricing
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing

3. Drip

Best email marketing software for extensive automations.

G2 rating: 4.4

Capterra rating: 4.4

Drip - best email marketing software for extensive automations
Image via Drip

Drip is well-known for having great automation workflows that can be combined with segmentation. This integration allows you to better target your customers and send them relevant messages at the right time.

Drip offers 16 workflow templates that encompass the entire customer journey. They’re easy to customize, and with list targeting and segmentation, you can create more personalized experiences for various customer groups.

The email builder is user-friendly, although it could benefit from enhanced drag-and-drop functionality.

Key features

  • Simple yet powerful customer journey automation workflows
  • Email builder for creating on-brand emails
  • A/B testing to identify effective strategies
  • Audience and list segmentation

Pros and cons

Pros

✅ Easy to set up and use automated workflows

✅ Very good customer support

Cons

❌ Lacks some drag-and-drop features for designing templates

❌ Limited ecommerce integrations

Why choose Drip?

Drip offers a range of ready-made templates to help you improve your email marketing automation.

Pricing

No free plan is available. Drip’s pricing is based exclusively on the size of your subscriber list and send volume.

There’s no cheaper option for businesses with small subscriber lists. Pricing starts at $39/month for up to 2,500 contacts and scales from there.

4. HubSpot

Best email marketing software for SaaS businesses.

G2 rating: 4.4

Capterra rating: 4.5

Best email marketing software: HubSpot
Image via HubSpot

HubSpot is all-encompassing, equipped with a multitude of features to support your marketing, sales, affiliates, and creative teams. For that reason, we find that it’s best suited for larger companies, especially SaaS businesses.

HubSpot impresses with strong deliverability, native integrations, and a host of popular marketing and sales tools. The platform offers intuitive A/B testing for content and template designs, along with powerful segmentation and personalization features that enable highly targeted campaigns.

However, the sheer number of features may be overwhelming for small-to-medium businesses.

Key features

  • Easy-to-use email editor and well-designed templates to adapt to your brand
  • Native integration with HubSpot’s free CRM to enhance sales outreach and customer communications
  • A/B testing for different content and template designs
  • Robust landing page editor for quickly creating campaign-specific pages
  • Powerful segmentation and personalization to extend customer LTV

Pros and cons

Pros

✅ Ability to collect data on more of your marketing efforts

✅ Easy lead generation

Cons

❌ Can be overwhelming for small or medium businesses

❌ Gets expensive quickly

Why choose HubSpot?

If you have a SaaS business, HubSpot can help you streamline customer management. Plus, you can integrate extra customer support features such as live chat and chatbots.

Pricing

There’s a free plan to generate email leads for up to five users. The paid plans are as follows:

  • Marketing Hub Starter: $20/month/seat for up to 1,000 contacts
  • Starter Customer Platform: $20/month/seat for up to 1,000 contacts
  • Marketing Hub Professional: $890/month for 3 seats and up to 2,000 contacts
  • Marketing Hub Enterprise: $3,600/month for 5 seats and up to 10,000 contacts

5. Mailchimp

Best email marketing software for solopreneurs and startups.

G2 rating: 4.3

Capterra rating: 4.5

Best email marketing software: Mailchimp homepage
Image via Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing platforms for good reason. It’s user-friendly and effectively supports communication for businesses of all types.

Due to its focus on budding businesses and entrepreneurs, this email marketing software doesn’t offer as many advanced features as other tools on this list. As a result, many brands often look for Mailchimp alternatives as they grow.

Key features

  • Content optimizer with suggestions for more engaging emails
  • Great reporting features for tracking email campaign efficiency
  • Advanced automation for sending triggered emails
  • Segmentation tools to better target customers

Pros and cons

Pros

✅ A generous free plan

✅ Easy-to-use interface for building campaigns

Cons

❌ Gets expensive for larger contact lists

❌ Not for established or advanced marketing

Why choose Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is one of the easiest email marketing platforms for startup businesses. It helps beginners grasp the essentials of email marketing and effective practices.

However, once you’re established, you might find the need for a more robust email marketing software.

Pricing

A free plan is available. For up to 500 contacts, the pricing is as follows:

  • Essentials: $13/month
  • Standard: $20/month
  • Premium: $350/month

Discover how the equestrian apparel brand Kerrits seamlessly combines its Shopify store data with Omnisend’s user-friendly platform after switching from Mailchimp. This move resulted in revenue of $6.50 per email and an impressive 23% of sales generated through automated messaging.

Learn more in the Kerrits case study.

6. MailerLite

Best email marketing software for small ecommerce businesses.

G2 rating: 4.7 

Capterra rating: 4.7

Best email marketing software: MailerLite
Image via MailerLite

MailerLite has earned a reputation over the years as one of the best email marketing platforms for small businesses. Its intuitive interface gives small ecommerce businesses more time to focus on other areas.

It’s one of the free email marketing platforms with essential features that are useful even for established brands, although it may lack more advanced features for larger teams.

We enjoyed features such as the website builder and surveys, which can help small businesses innovate and stay competitive.

Key features

  • Website builder to help you create landing pages without the need for separate apps
  • Pre-built workflows to automate your marketing campaigns
  • Email verifier to clean and optimize your subscriber list for better deliverability
  • Drag-and-drop interface for quickly and easily designing emails
  • Wide selection of email templates

Pros and cons

Pros

✅ Easy and simple to use

✅ A good number of email templates

Cons

❌ Not many integrations

❌ Can take a while to set up an account

Why choose MailerLite?

MailerLite isn’t just easy to use — it’s simple enough for small teams or solopreneurs to effectively manage essential email marketing with no problems.

Pricing

A free plan is available. Here is the pricing for up to 500 contacts:

  • Growing Business: $10/month
  • Advanced: $20/month
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing

7. ActiveCampaign

Best email marketing software for email marketing with built-in CRM integration.

G2 rating: 4.5

Capterra rating: 4.6

Best email marketing software: ActiveCampaign
Image via ActiveCampaign

Like HubSpot, ActiveCampaign boasts a built-in CRM, including sales automation. The Sales Suite includes contact lead scoring and SMS prospect nurturing.

For brands needing these features, ActiveCampaign serves as a powerful workhorse that could eliminate the need for subscriptions to other sales tools. However, it’s best suited for larger businesses that have more comprehensive processes and bigger budgets.

This tool also offers special pricing options tailored for non-profit entities.

Key features

  • Easy-to-use automation workflows with a simple drag-and-drop interface
  • Triggers to notify sales teams, create new tasks, and automate lead nurturing
  • Segmentation options that allow you to personalize your messages
  • Lead scoring to assess how contacts interact with your business and the potential for conversions
  • Integration with SMS, Facebook Custom Audiences, and on-site messaging to augment your email marketing

Pros and cons

Pros

✅ Strong automation features

✅ Friendly and responsive customer support

Cons

❌ Lite plan is limited (and requires Lite+ upcharge)

❌ Gets expensive quickly (with big price jumps due to contact size)

Why choose ActiveCampaign?

If you use CRM and email marketing software separately, ActiveCampaign offers the best of both these features in one tool.

Pricing

No free plan is available, but it does provide a 14-day free trial. For 1,000 contacts, paid plans are as follows:

  • Starter: $15/month
  • Plus: $49/month
  • Pro: $79/month
  • Enterprise: $145/month

8. AWeber

Best email marketing software for an extensive library of email templates.

G2 rating: 4.2

Capterra rating: 4.4

AWeber homepage
Image via AWeber

AWeber is one of the top email marketing platforms for creating professional and on-brand emails. Its email editor integrates well with the popular graphic design tool Canva.

AWeber also has an extensive library of email templates to help you get started more quickly. Beyond that, it has excellent deliverability, ensuring that your emails reliably reach your customers’ inboxes.

Key features

  • Drag-and-drop email editor with 600+ pre-built email templates
  • Landing page editor for easily creating campaign-specific pages
  • Email segmentation to target specific customer groups
  • Automated email campaigns to win back abandoned carts or welcome subscribers
  • Web push notifications for more ways to reach your shoppers

Pros and cons

Pros

✅ Large library of email templates

✅ Web push notifications

Cons

❌ Free plan has limited features

❌ Segmentation options are limited until the higher plans

Why choose AWeber?

AWeber has wide-ranging features. If you genuinely value extensive options for email templates, this might be the email marketing system for you.

Pricing

A free plan is available. Meanwhile, here are the prices for paid plans with 500 subscribers:

  • Lite: $15/month
  • Plus: $30/month
  • Unlimited: $899/month

9. GetResponse

Best email marketing software for startups and SMBs.

G2 rating: 4.3

Capterra rating: 4.2

Best email marketing software: GetResponse
Image via GetResponse

GetResponse has a lot to offer, especially with its inbound marketing features. These features, combined with affordable pricing plans, make it best suited for startups and small businesses.

The impressive visual automation builder allows you to easily create custom automated workflows. Its pre-built email templates and product recommendations also make it a great overall email marketing software.

Key features

  • Email and SMS marketing to reach customers in more ways
  • Smart product recommendations to encourage upsells and cross-sells
  • Behavioral targeting for more personalized messaging
  • Wide-range of useful ecommerce integrations
  • Website and landing page builders to acquire and engage visitors

Pros and cons

Pros

✅ Excellent, affordable marketing automation

✅ Live chat and webinar capabilities

Cons

❌ Imperfect drag-and-drop for landing pages and forms

❌ Limited customer support

Why choose GetResponse?

GetResponse offers a comprehensive email and SMS marketing suite, but it would best suit startups and small businesses focused on inbound marketing.

Pricing

GetResponse provides a free trial for 30 days. For up to 1,000 contacts, here are the paid plan pricing:

  • Email Marketing: $19/month
  • Marketing Automation: $59/month
  • Ecommerce Marketing: $119/month
  • GetResponse MAX: Custom pricing

10. Brevo

Best email marketing software for businesses on a budget.

G2 rating: 4.5

Capterra rating: 4.5

Brevo homepage
Image via Brevo

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is one of the email marketing automation tools that can integrate email and SMS marketing to boost your conversions. Its most impressive feature might be its affordability, as it offers 20,000 emails for just $25 per month.

However, we found a catch. It costs an extra $12 per month to remove the Brevo logo and use certain features, such as A/B testing and heat maps. Nevertheless, for small businesses on a tight budget, even the basic plan can get the job done.

Key features

  • Integrated email and SMS marketing to reach more customers
  • Easy-to-customize email templates
  • User-friendly drag-and-drop editor that requires no technical knowledge
  • 60+ advanced integrations
  • Insightful reporting and subscriber analytics

Pros and cons

Pros

✅ Easy-to-use email marketing

✅ A good variety of email templates

Cons

❌ Limited email layout options

❌ Limited customer support

Why choose Brevo?

If you’re eager to get started with an email marketing platform but have a limited budget, Brevo offers a good suite of features for a reasonable price.

Pricing

A free plan is available where you can send 300 emails per day. For 500 contacts and 5,000 emails per month, paid plans are as follows:

  • Starter: $9/month
  • Business: $18/month
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing

How to choose the best email marketing software

There are quite a few email service providers (ESPs) and CRMs available. This can make it rather difficult to determine which of these is the best fit for your business.

To help you decide, we analyzed the following factors in email marketing software:

  • Price: We considered various business sizes and needs, favoring email software that offer free-forever plans, free trials, or good bang for your buck
  • Ease of use: It’s 2024, and you shouldn’t need technical skills to use email marketing software. We favored email software that both novice and experienced marketers can use with little to no difficulty
  • Deliverability: It’s important that your emails land in your customers’ inboxes, so we gave higher priority to software with excellent email deliverability
  • Integrations: You should be able to connect your tech stack with your email software, so the number and breadth of integrations is key
  • Customer support: You should receive timely help when you need it, so we assessed customer support based on ratings given on review platforms

Use our email pricing calculator below to quickly compare costs 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

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    Best email marketing software: Summary

    Choosing the right email marketing software can significantly impact your business’s success in reaching and engaging your audience. 

    Each tool on our list offers unique features to cater to varying business needs, from ecommerce-focused solutions to all-in-one marketing platforms. 

    Consider your specific requirements, budget, and growth plans when making your decision. Remember, the best tool is the one that aligns with your goals and helps you effectively connect with your subscribers. 

    Once again, here are the best tools for email marketing based on reviews from trusted platforms:

    • Omnisend: Great for ecommerce businesses focused on increasing sales
    • Mailchimp: An easy-to-use tool if you’re just starting out
    • Drip: An extensive library of automation workflows
    • HubSpot: Best for SaaS businesses
    • MailerLite: Simplified email marketing for small ecommerce stores
    • ActiveCampaign: Best for both email marketing and CRM
    • Moosend: An affordable email marketing tool for new ecommerce stores
    • AWeber: Offers lots of ready-made email templates
    • GetResponse: Email marketing that works best for startups and SMBs
    • Brevo: An affordable option for budget-conscious businesses
    Join the free forever plan of the top-rated email marketing software for ecommerce

    FAQ

    For more info, review the FAQ below for answers to common questions about email marketing:

    1. What is email marketing software?

    Email marketing software is a tool that helps businesses manage and automate email campaigns. It allows you to build email lists, segment your audience, design professional newsletters, and track results.

    2. How do you choose an email service provider?

    Choosing an email service provider depends on your needs. Consider factors like list size, budget, desired features, and ease of use. Popular email service provider options include: 

    • Omnisend
    • Moosend
    • Drip
    • HubSpot
    • Mailchimp
    • MailerLite
    • ActiveCampaign
    • AWeber
    • GetResponse
    • Brevo

    For a more detailed look at how to choose a provider, download our free guide.

    3. Is email marketing software the same as CRM?

    Email marketing is different from CRM. CRM software is all about managing customer relationships through contact management and lead scoring for sales teams.

    On the other hand, email marketing software focuses on communication through email. It helps you to build subscriber lists, design and send email campaigns, and track performance.

    4. Which are the best tools for email marketing automation?

    Choosing the best email marketing automation tool depends on your specific needs and budget. Some factors to consider include the size of your contact list, the level of automation you require, industry, and budget. 

    Some of the email marketing software with strong automation capabilities include:

    • Omnisend
    • Drip
    • MailerLite
    • Moosend

    5. Which email marketing tools are free?

    Several free email marketing tools are available to jumpstart your campaigns. Some of the popular ones include:

    • Omnisend
    • HubSpot
    • Mailchimp
    • MailerLite
    • AWeber
    • Brevo

    6. Which email marketing software uses AI?

    The best email marketing software programs that use AI are Mailchimp, Omnisend, and Brevo. They offer AI-assisted features like personalized content recommendations, predictive analytics to optimize campaign performance, and automated customer segmentation for targeted messaging.

    7. How to get started with email marketing software?

    Getting started with email marketing is easier than you think. Here are some resources to help you:

    Bernard Meyer
    Article by

    Bernard is the Sr. Director of Communications & Creative at Omnisend, with a passion for good research, helping ecommerce businesses with their marketing automation needs, and beating absolutely everyone in Mario Kart 64.