Shopify Email vs. Klaviyo: Which is better in 2025? (Comparison)

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Comparing Shopify Email vs. Klaviyo pits basic email marketing capabilities against more advanced ones. Klaviyo is the clear winner for outright functionality, but Shopify Email could have all the features you need for free.

Shopify Email works well if you’re a new business or have a small contact list, as it has a generous free 10,000/month email send limit and handles campaigns, automations, and reporting in your Shopify Dashboard.

Klaviyo takes email marketing outside your Shopify dashboard with more advanced segmentation and targeting tools for complex workflows. It suits larger businesses and those wanting to combine email and SMS channels.

Which is best for you? Join us below to find out.

Shopify Email vs. Klaviyo: Pros and cons

Comparing Shopify Email and Klaviyo reveals a simple pattern — you get what you pay for. Klaviyo provides powerful advanced features while costing significantly more, while Shopify Email delivers basic features for free.

Here are the main pros and cons:

	Shopify Email	Klaviyo
Pros	Free for the first 10,000 emails/month	Advanced segmentation capabilities
	Built directly into Shopify admin	Advanced automation workflows
	Simple, user-friendly interface	Multi-channel email and SMS
	AI-powered subject lines and content	Paid plans have 24/7 email and 24/5 chat support
	Small learning curve	Sync Shopify data-tags, catalog, and coupons
	Covers campaigns and abandonment automations	Includes forms and push notifications
		Over 350 pre-built integrations
Cons	Limited segmentation filters	Expensive (the Email plan starts at $20/month after 250 contacts)
	Limited transactional and behavioral triggers for automations	SMS requires a more expensive Email + SMS plan
	Uninspiring templates	Large learning curve
	Analytics tracks only basic metrics
	No integrations outside of Shopify
Best for	New stores and small businesses with basic email marketing needs	Growing businesses needing advanced marketing capabilities

Features overview

Shopify Email has a feature set for ease of use with one-click automations, a simple template builder, and basic segmentation. Klaviyo offers more features for advanced marketing, giving you granular control over marketing communications.

Shopify Email

Your store dashboard includes Shopify Email, which includes built-in templates that showcase your branding, products, and pricing details. A simple drag-and-drop editor helps customize pre-built templates for various purposes.

AI-powered features handle subject line generation and send time optimization. You can create campaigns, segment customers, and track results without leaving your Shopify admin. Shopify keeps your product data, customer lists, and analytics synchronized.

The triggers and rules for automated messages are less extensive than Klaviyo’s offering but cover the most common ecommerce scenarios, including welcome emails, win-back campaigns, and promotional flows that connect to your store data.

Shopify’s analytics dashboard provides click-through rates, open rates, products added to cart, average order value, and purchase metrics to help you track performance.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo creates complex automation flows that combine email, SMS, and mobile push notifications into cohesive customer journeys. Its email templates are much better than those of Shopify Email, and the drag-and-drop builder offers more customization features.

Its more extensive email segmentation filters can group customers based on behavior, predictions, and data from over 350 integrated apps. For instance, if you have a TikTok account, you can create a list in Klaviyo and pull in your TikTok Audiences.

The automations in Klaviyo surpass those in Shopify Email, letting you trigger personalized messages for cart and browse abandonment, anniversaries, price drops, back-in-stock requests, low inventory alerts, and more.

In-depth analytics, including revenue tracking, predictive insights, and competitive benchmarks, help you refine your marketing approach.

Comparison verdict

Advanced features and multi-channel capabilities distinguish Klaviyo, while Shopify Email delivers everything most new stores need in one place. Your business should consider Klaviyo when ready to invest in sophisticated marketing automation.

Ease of use

You’ll master Shopify Email long before Klaviyo, but that’s not to say Klaviyo is a difficult email marketing tool — it’s very well thought out and makes complex features simple to understand.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email is significantly easier to use than Klaviyo because it’s part of your Shopify dashboard, and you just can’t beat that familiarity.

The Marketing dashboard in your Shopify account lists installed marketing app activities and recommends new ones. Select Apps in the sidebar and Email when the dropdown box triggers to navigate to Shopify Email.

The dashboard looks like this:

You can select Create automation or Create campaign from here and use pre-built templates to quickly create email marketing workflows.

All of Shopify Email’s features are easily accessible via the search bar, and additional apps, such as Shopify Forms, are recommended as you explore.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo’s dashboard is very easy to navigate using the sidebar and multiple actionable sections for picking up where you left off, viewing your performance dashboard, creating flows, and sending campaigns:

Every feature has a guided setup process that makes things simple. For instance, heading to Campaigns > Create campaign loads quick options:

The same setup process applies to flows and other tools, creating a consistent experience that simplifies complex tasks.

However, because Klaviyo has so many different triggers, filters, flows, and segment options, it does take considerable time to understand all its capabilities.

Comparison verdict

Shopify Email wins for ease of use with its familiar dashboard and straightforward features. While Klaviyo offers guided setups, its extensive capabilities require more time to master fully.

Email builders and customization

Klaviyo and Shopify Email have template libraries for newsletters, promotions, announcements, and shoppable emails. You can also build from scratch.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email’s template library can’t match Klaviyo for numbers or design variety. However, its templates do look professional without customization, and if you want to customize them, the drag-and-drop editor makes it easy:

With the + Add section button, you can add sections to your templates, including Text, Button, Image, Video, Product, Discount, and Express checkout. The Product item syncs to your catalog, and the Express checkout creates shoppable emails.

Shopify Email and Klaviyo let you preview desktop and mobile designs and send test emails within their email builders. Shopify Email has a Review stage that catches errors, such as default content, before approval.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo’s email builder also uses a drag-and-drop interface, but it’s a more intuitive and polished tool. For instance, Klaviyo has a sidebar with available sections, while in Shopify Email, you have to click the + Add section to load them.

Here’s Klaviyo:

Now, here’s Shopify:

See how the sections are always available in Klaviyo? It’s a more straightforward way to build emails. Also, the Styles toggle is part of the same sidebar in Klaviyo, giving you all the tools in one place.

Klaviyo’s template library is another bonus point, offering far more variety and better-looking designs with animated buttons and professional layouts. Shopify Email’s templates are basic in comparison (although possibly no less effective for driving revenue).

Comparison verdict

Klaviyo’s email builder offers a more polished design experience with a superior template library and intuitive interface. Shopify Email’s simpler builder and templates still do the job for basic email marketing.

Automation and workflows

Shopify Email and Klaviyo handle behavioral and transactional automations and scheduling to help you build a complete email marketing strategy. Klaviyo offers greater control and a better workflow builder but isn’t as easy to master.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email has over 15 automation templates that you can quickly configure, such as “welcome new customers with a discount series,” “thank customers after they purchase,” and “upsell customers after their first purchase.”

It’s crucial to note that to use automations, you need the Shopify Flow app, which is free to install. You can then access all pre-built automations in the dashboard:

Selecting one of these automations takes you to the visual Automations editor, where you can change its display, timing, and trigger rules, plus assign an email template:

The automation builder is easy to use, with + triggers to add new modules. It lacks the customizable variables Klaviyo offers but covers the basics perfectly well, with pre-built templates that take only a few minutes to configure.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo calls its automations Flows with a more extensive library of pre-built templates covering nurturing, reminders, and marketing goals such as preventing lost sales:

These marketing goal automations cover every stage of your customer journey. You can also search for a Flow or build one from scratch.

Klaviyo’s Flow builder has a clear layout with a sidebar that recommends triggers and filters based on popularity and your metrics:

Building automations in Klaviyo is intuitive and provides a sense of complete coverage as it gives you every conceivable targeting approach.

Comparison verdict

Klaviyo offers more advanced automation capabilities with detailed targeting options, while Shopify Email’s automation templates cover essential needs through a simpler, faster setup process. Klaviyo’s learning curve is steeper, but you get greater functionality in return.

Audience segmentation and targeting

Klaviyo has superior segmentation and targeting features to Shopify Email, such as segmenting on channel consent, customer lifetime value (CLV), and form results. Shopify Email does cover segmentation basics, too, such as customers who made multiple purchases.

Shopify Email

You can build custom customer segments in Shopify by combining filter names, operators, and values in the editor on the Customers or Segments page.

Shopify’s segmentation connects seamlessly with Shopify Email since both are native features. You can target customers from your dashboard based on purchase history, marketing preferences, locations, and custom tags.

When creating a campaign, select any existing segment or build a new one using Shopify’s customer data.

Creating segments in Shopify automatically updates them as customers meet your criteria. For example, a segment of “subscribed customers who spent over $100” will grow as new customers hit that threshold.

Since Shopify Email uses this same segmentation system, your campaigns always reach the right audience without manual updates.

Every customer who matches your segment criteria feeds through, though only those who have subscribed to marketing will receive your emails.

Klaviyo

You can create custom segments in Klaviyo by navigating to Audience > Lists & segments, clicking Create New, and using the segment builder to add conditions that define your audience.

Klaviyo’s segmentation tools help you target specific customer groups based on their actions and behaviors. The Lists & Segments dashboard lists all current segments and lists:

Selecting Create New lets you build segments using purchase history, email engagement, website behavior, or predicted lifetime value.

You can combine multiple conditions with AND/OR logic to reach precise audiences, such as customers who bought specific products but haven’t engaged recently. Your segments sync in real-time, automatically adding new customers who match your criteria.

There’s also an AI-powered segment builder that can generate targeting rules from natural language descriptions, helping you quickly create complex customer groups.

Comparison verdict

Klaviyo and Shopify Email let you create segments in a few steps. However, Klaviyo’s segment builder is more intuitive and condition-rich thanks to AND/OR logic.

Analytics and reporting

Shopify combines your store analytics with email metrics, providing an ecommerce-focused dashboard with real-time data. Klaviyo offers more features, such as the ability to drill down by metric type and assign filters.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email analytics metrics include emails sent, open rates, click rates, sessions generated, delivery rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints.

The Orders section uses the last non-direct click attribution to track total orders, total sales, and average order value directly linked to your email campaign.

Its email conversion funnel breaks down recipient interactions, including email opens, unique store visitors, items added to the cart, and final purchases.

UTM tracking enables integration with third-party analytics like Google Analytics, allowing you to customize tracking parameters and compare cross-platform conversion data.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo’s reporting capabilities offer comprehensive insights into your marketing performance across email and SMS. Its Analytics overview provides snapshot insights, but its Metrics tab is the most useful feature for drilling down into data:

The analytics dashboard provides detailed visualizations of key metrics, such as campaign performance, flow effectiveness, email deliverability, and conversion rates.

You can track revenue attribution and engagement trends, benchmark performance against similar businesses, and monitor individual campaign and flow analytics, including recipient behavior, opens, clicks, and conversions.

With customizable date ranges and the ability to compare different marketing channels, Klaviyo allows you to make data-driven decisions and optimize your marketing strategies effectively.

Comparison verdict

Both platforms track essential metrics like opens, clicks, and revenue, but Klaviyo provides deeper analytics with cross-channel insights, benchmarking, and predictive data. Shopify Email’s reporting covers the basics while integrating naturally with your store’s data.

Integration with ecommerce platforms

Shopify Email lives within your Shopify ecosystem, while Klaviyo connects your marketing data across hundreds of platforms and social channels.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email is a native Shopify feature enabled by the Shopify Email app, so it doesn’t integrate with other ecommerce platforms.

You can import contact lists and data from social media to create new lists, but the Shopify Email app doesn’t handle them.

The Shopify platform, however, does integrate with other apps, which can complement your email marketing strategy. For instance, you can sync Shopify Email with AliDrop for dropshipping and Printify for print-on-demand.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo has over 350 integrations and support for Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Wix, OpenCart, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, and many more platforms.

The crucial difference is that it integrates Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, Canva, Shogun, ShipBob, Reviews.io, and many more apps to share data. You can make these apps part of your email workflows to connect all your marketing efforts.

Comparison verdict

While Shopify Email works exclusively with Shopify stores, Klaviyo connects with over 350 platforms and apps to create a unified marketing ecosystem.

Customer support and resources

Shopify Email

Shopify provides 24/7 chat and email support across all its paid plans, although there isn’t dedicated support for Shopify Email.

The Advanced plan provides enhanced 24/7 chat support, and the expensive Shopify Plus plan provides priority phone or live chat support.

Shopify’s Help Center is available to all customers. The Marketing and Promotions category covers setup guides. An AI assistant in the help center points you in the right direction for guides, tutorials, and tips.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo’s support structure varies by plan level. Free trial users get 60 days of email support plus access to the Klaviyo Community forum, Help Center, and Academy courses.

Paid plans unlock ongoing email and chat support from Klaviyo’s product experts. Enterprise customers receive additional access to a growth team.

For implementation help, Klaviyo maintains a network of certified agency partners who can assist with onboarding and strategy development.

Comparison verdict

Both platforms offer comprehensive documentation through their help centers. While Shopify provides 24/7 support for all store features, Klaviyo delivers specialized email marketing support with tiered access based on your plan level.

Advanced email marketing features

Klaviyo’s feature structure builds upward with increasingly sophisticated tools and add-ons, while Shopify Email focuses on delivering core email marketing features immediately.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email’s feature set includes everything in one package with no paid add-ons. It offers AI-generated subject lines, body copy, and send time optimization.

You can create and manage campaigns using pre-built templates for newsletters, promotions, cart recovery, browse abandonment, welcome series, and win-back emails.

Every account includes essential tools like drag-and-drop editing, segmentation through Shopify’s customer groups, automation via Shopify Flow, and detailed analytics tracking.

It integrates with Shopify Forms for list building and lets you build shoppable emails with product listings and Express Checkout buttons.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo’s advanced features let you manage sophisticated marketing across email and SMS channels. The platform’s AI tools help generate content, optimize flows, and personalize product recommendations.

Core features include predictive analytics, A/B testing, detailed segmentation, forms and popups, and deliverability scoring to improve campaign performance.

For combined email and SMS marketing, the Email + SMS plan unlocks multi-channel attribution, A/B testing across channels, and Smart Opt-in for SMS subscribers. You’ll also get advanced segmentation that works across both channels.

It includes mobile push notifications, review collection, and a customer data platform, though some features require additional fees.

Comparison verdict

While both platforms offer AI-powered features and automation, Klaviyo provides more advanced marketing capabilities, such as A/B testing and predictive analytics. It also provides forms and popups as a built-in feature.

Pricing

There’s no doubt that Shopify Email pricing is significantly cheaper than Klaviyo because it’s free for 10,000 monthly emails. Klaviyo wants at least $30/month to match that send limit.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email is free to install and use, giving you 10,000 emails/month. If you need to send more emails, pricing starts at $1 per 1,000 emails/month.

The other plugins that Shopify Email requires, such as Flow for automations and Forms for building forms, are free extensions.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo mail pricing starts at $20/month for 5,000 emails and 251-500 contacts. The cheapest plan is $30/month if you want to match Shopify Email’s 10,000 email quota.

SMS is an additional paid feature available through an Email and SMS plan. It starts at $20/month for 5,000 email sends and 150 monthly SMS/MMS credits — however, that credit is also free in the $20/month Email plan.

Additional SMS credits increase your plan price. For instance, 1,250 SMS/MMS credits bring the Email and SMS plan to $35/month for 5,000 email sends.

Comparison verdict

Shopify Email is the cheapest entry into email marketing for your Shopify store. Klaviyo can’t beat it, with its free plan supporting only 500 monthly sends.

Who should choose Shopify Email?

Given our Shopify Email review, the platform is perfect when launching or running a small store that sends under 10,000 emails/month. You can set up essential automations like welcome series, abandoned cart recovery, and promotional campaigns from your dashboard.

The platform costs nothing to start and charges a simple per-email fee once you exceed the free tier. Everything stays within your Shopify admin panel, making it ideal for straightforward email marketing without complex segmentation or SMS features.

Since email templates automatically include your branding and products, you can focus on growing your customer list and refining your email strategy without getting bogged down in technical details.

Who should choose Klaviyo?

Klaviyo makes sense when you want to expand your marketing beyond email campaigns to include SMS or when you need to synchronize data across multiple sales channels.

You can create targeted segments based on customer purchase history, website behavior, and predictive analytics. If you’re running complex promotional strategies, you’ll find tools for A/B testing different messages, tracking revenue per campaign, and comparing your performance.

Its automation workflows offer more customization than Shopify Email, and the email builder delivers a much more professional experience. While Klaviyo costs more than Shopify Email, its richer feature set is a worthwhile investment for growing stores.

Final verdict: Shopify Email vs. Klaviyo in 2025

Shopify Email or Klaviyo? Well, the choice depends on you and your goals. Shopify Email integrates directly into your Shopify dashboard, handling campaigns and automations like welcome series, cart recovery, and promotional flows. It’s free for up to 10,000 monthly emails, offering plenty of testing scope to give it a go.

Klaviyo offers deeper capabilities if you require control over multi-trigger automation workflows, behavior-based segmentation, split testing variants, and cross-channel performance analytics.

Consider whether managing email marketing through your Shopify admin meets your needs or if you need to dive deeper with advanced segmentation, complex automation workflows, and detailed performance analytics.

Shopify Email vs. Klaviyo FAQs