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Email marketing tools all send email. What separates them is how they price it — by contacts, by emails sent, or by seat — and how much automation you get before the price jumps.
Pricing note. Every price below was checked against the vendor’s own pricing page in August 2026. Nearly every figure previously published here was out of date, and two vendors no longer display rates without a contact-count selector. Confirm before budgeting.
| Tool | Automation | Entry price (checked Aug 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Zendesk Sell | Email templates and sequencing | Sell Team $19 per user/month |
| Brevo | Visual workflow builder, behaviour tracking | Free forever (300 emails/day); paid rates not displayed |
| Drip | Pre-built templates, behaviour tracking | $39/month for up to 2,500 contacts |
| ActiveCampaign | Visual automation builder, conditional logic | Priced by contact count; not displayed upfront |
| HubSpot | Visual automation builder, conditional logic | Free for 2 users; Starter $20 per seat/month |
| MailerLite | Visual automation builder, conditional logic | Free to 250 subscribers; Comfort from $12/month |
| GetResponse | Visual workflow builder, conditional logic | Starter $15.58/month billed annually |
| Omnisend | Automation templates, conditional branching | Free to 250 contacts; Standard $11.20/month |
| Constant Contact | Pre-built templates, autoresponders | Lite $10.20/month at 500 contacts, annual prepay |
| Mailchimp | Automated sequences, triggered emails | Free to 250 contacts; Essentials $13/month |
One thing to flag before the detail: Zendesk Sell is a sales CRM, not an email marketing platform. It sends sequences from a sales pipeline. If you are shopping for campaign email, the other nine are the list; Sell is kept below because it appears on plenty of comparison pages and readers deserve to know what it actually is.
Why Automation and Analytics Matter
Email marketing automation removes the repetitive sends: welcome sequences, abandoned cart reminders, renewal nudges. Analytics tell you whether any of it worked.
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Open rates | Share of emails opened. Less reliable than it used to be, thanks to privacy features that pre-load images. |
| Click-through rates | Share of emails that produced a click. More trustworthy than opens. |
| Conversion rates | Share that produced a sale or the action you wanted. |
| Bounce rates | Share that never arrived. Rising bounces mean list hygiene problems. |
1. Zendesk Sell
A sales CRM with email sequencing attached — pipeline management, deal tracking and templated outreach. It is not a campaign tool and will not run a newsletter.
Automation Capabilities
Email templates, outreach sequencing, task automation and lead capture, all driven from the deal record rather than a subscriber list.
Analytics Features
Pipeline visibility, activity reporting and forecasting.
Integration Options
Zendesk’s support products, plus an app marketplace and API.
Pricing Structure
Per user per month:
| Plan | Price (per user/month) |
|---|---|
| Sell Team | $19 |
| Sell Growth | $55 |
| Sell Professional | $115 |
| Sell Enterprise | $169 |
The $19 entry figure previously quoted here was correct. Note that per-user pricing behaves very differently from the per-contact pricing everywhere else on this page: Sell costs the same whether your list is 500 or 50,000.
2. Brevo
Brevo prices on emails sent rather than contacts stored, which makes it unusually cheap for large, infrequently mailed lists.
Automation Capabilities
Visual workflow builder, behaviour-triggered sequences, SMS alongside email, A/B testing on the higher tiers.
Analytics Features
Campaign reports, click heat maps and engagement scoring to separate active from dormant contacts.
Integration Options
Shopify, WooCommerce and the usual store platforms, plus CRM and forms tools.
Pricing Structure
| Plan | What you get |
|---|---|
| Free | Free forever, up to 300 emails a day, no card required |
| Starter | From 5,000 emails per month |
| Standard | Adds SMS, marketing automation and A/B testing |
| Professional | From 150,000 emails per month, multi-channel |
| Enterprise | Custom, aimed at 1M+ contacts |
Brevo did not display prices for Starter, Standard or Professional when we checked in August 2026 — the tiers show volumes but the dollar figures did not render. The “$25” and “$65” previously published here could not be confirmed and have been removed. The daily cap on the free plan is the number that matters: 300 emails a day suits a small list, not a launch.
3. Drip
Built for e-commerce, with behaviour-driven automation as the main event.
Automation Capabilities
Pre-built e-commerce workflows, behaviour tracking, onsite campaigns and up to 50 workflows on the base plan.
Analytics Features
Campaign reports, lead scoring and lifetime value tracking.
Integration Options
Shopify, WooCommerce and other store platforms, plus an open API.
Pricing Structure
Drip’s $39 entry price was right, and the model is simpler than most: $39 a month covers 1 to 2,500 contacts with unlimited email sends, including dynamic segments, onsite campaigns, unlimited sub-accounts, free migration and onboarding.
Above that, Drip states that “your cost is based on the number of active people in your account and the volume of emails you send during the month”. The flat “$49” second tier previously listed here does not exist as a fixed plan — the price scales continuously. There is a 14-day trial, no card required.
4. ActiveCampaign
The strongest automation builder in this group, with branching logic most competitors do not match.
Automation Capabilities
Visual automation builder, conditional logic, split paths, site tracking and CRM features on higher tiers.
Analytics Features
Campaign reports, engagement scoring and attribution reporting.
Integration Options
A large integration library covering stores, CRMs and forms.
Pricing Structure
Two things have changed since this article was written. The plan names are now Starter, Plus, Pro and Enterprise — there is no Lite plan, and the tiers previously listed here at $15, $70, $187 and $499 do not correspond to current plans.
ActiveCampaign now shows “Starts at –/mo” until you select a contact count and currency, and plans are billed annually. Because the rate depends entirely on list size, quoting a single figure would mislead most readers. Price your own contact count on ActiveCampaign’s site. Separate WhatsApp plans and email-plus-WhatsApp bundles are also sold.
5. HubSpot
Email as part of a CRM, which is the reason to buy it and the reason it costs what it does.
Automation Capabilities
Visual workflow builder, conditional logic, lifecycle-stage personalisation and predictive send times.
Analytics Features
Campaign reports, engagement scoring and attribution tied to CRM records.
Integration Options
Large app marketplace, plus native connections to the rest of HubSpot.
Pricing Structure
The old $50 / $800 / $2,400 tiers were wrong at both ends, and they omitted the onboarding fees, which are the largest hidden cost in this entire article.
| Plan | Price | Included | One-time onboarding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 2 users | None |
| Starter | $20 per seat/month (promotional rate from $7) | 1,000 marketing contacts | None |
| Professional | From $800/month | 3 core seats, 2,000 marketing contacts | $3,000, required |
| Enterprise | From $3,600/month | 5 core seats, 10,000 marketing contacts | $7,000, required |
Extra contacts and extra seats are billed on top.
6. MailerLite
The cheapest capable option here for a small list, with a clean interface and a genuinely usable free tier — though a smaller one than this article used to claim.
Automation Capabilities
Visual automation builder with conditional logic, plus landing pages and forms.
Analytics Features
Campaign reports, click maps and subscriber engagement tracking.
Integration Options
Stores, CRMs and payment tools, plus an API.
Pricing Structure
The free tier was overstated here by a factor of four on subscribers and nearly five on sends. Corrected:
| Plan | Price | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | Up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month |
| Comfort | From $12/month billed monthly | 3 user seats; monthly sends capped at 10x your subscriber tier |
| Power | From $25/month billed monthly | Unlimited sends, unlimited seats |
| Enterprise | Quoted | 200K+ subscribers |
Annual billing saves 10% on Comfort and Power, and prices rise with each subscriber tier.
7. GetResponse
Email plus webinars and landing pages, which is its distinguishing feature.
Automation Capabilities
Visual workflow builder with conditional logic, autoresponders and webinar funnels.
Analytics Features
Open, click and conversion tracking, plus engagement segmentation.
Integration Options
Stores, CRMs, ads platforms and analytics tools.
Pricing Structure
At the smallest contact tier:
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $15.58/month | $19/month |
| Marketer | $48.38/month | $59/month |
| Creator | $56.58/month | $69/month |
| Enterprise | Quoted | Quoted |
Prices rise with contact count. The old $15 / $49 / $99 tiers no longer match GetResponse’s plan names or rates. There is a free trial; we could not confirm a permanent free plan on the page we checked, so do not assume one.
8. Omnisend
Built for e-commerce, with SMS and push alongside email.
Automation Capabilities
Pre-built e-commerce automation templates with conditional branching — cart abandonment, browse abandonment, post-purchase.
Analytics Features
Sales attribution by campaign and automation.
Integration Options
Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and other store platforms.
Pricing Structure
Two corrections: the free plan does not include unlimited contacts, and Standard is not $16.
| Plan | Price (billed monthly) | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 250 contacts, 500 emails a month |
| Standard | $11.20/month | 500 contacts, 6,000 emails a month |
| Pro | $41.30/month | 2,500 contacts, unlimited emails |
| Custom | Quoted | Large lists or volumes |
Omnisend was running a 30% three-month promotion when we checked. Prices scale with contact count, so treat these as the floor.
9. Constant Contact
Long-established, simple, and strong on events and list management.
Automation Capabilities
Pre-built templates, autoresponders and basic triggered sequences.
Analytics Features
Detailed campaign reports and engagement heat maps.
Integration Options
Stores, CRMs, event tools and social platforms.
Pricing Structure
At 500 contacts, on annual prepay:
| Plan | Price (per month, billed annually) |
|---|---|
| Lite | $10.20 |
| Standard | $29.75 |
| Premium | $68 |
Prices rise with your contact count. On SMS: Premium includes 500 messages a month at no extra cost, and Lite or Standard customers can add SMS from $10 a month for up to 500 messages. SMS is US-only for paid customers.
10. Mailchimp
The default choice, and the one whose free plan has shrunk most over the years.
Automation Capabilities
Automated sequences, triggered emails and journey builder on paid tiers.
Analytics Features
Campaign reports, open and click tracking, plus revenue attribution on higher plans.
Integration Options
The largest integration directory here.
Pricing Structure
At 500 contacts:
| Plan | Price per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Max 250 contacts; 500 emails a month or 250 a day; 1 seat |
| Essentials | $13 | Limited templates on the lower tiers |
| Standard | $20 | Journey builder and more automation |
| Premium | $350 | Advanced workflows, multivariate testing |
The free plan pauses sending if you exceed the contact or send limit — it does not bill you for the overage, it stops. Prices scale with list size, and Mailchimp advertises a 15% discount on annual billing at 10,000+ contacts. Email verification and data enrichment are extra.
Pros and Cons of Each Tool
| Tool | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Zendesk Sell | Flat per-user cost regardless of list size | A sales CRM, not a campaign email tool |
| Brevo | Priced on sends, not contacts; free forever tier | Paid rates not displayed; 300 emails/day cap when free |
| Drip | Unlimited sends at $39 for 2,500 contacts | No free tier; cost scales with both contacts and volume |
| ActiveCampaign | Best automation builder here | No visible price until you enter a contact count |
| HubSpot | Email attached to a real CRM; usable free tier | $3,000 to $7,000 compulsory onboarding above Starter |
| MailerLite | Cheapest capable paid tier at $12 | Free tier is only 250 subscribers |
| GetResponse | Webinars and landing pages included | No confirmed permanent free plan |
| Omnisend | E-commerce automations out of the box | Free tier is 250 contacts and 500 emails |
| Constant Contact | Cheapest annual entry at $10.20 | Automation is basic next to ActiveCampaign or Drip |
| Mailchimp | Widest integration support | Free tier now very small; Premium jumps to $350 |
Choosing the Right Email Marketing Tool
Work out which unit you are buying
This is the whole decision, and it is easy to get wrong:
- Per contact: Mailchimp, Constant Contact, MailerLite, Omnisend, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign. A growing list raises the bill even if you send nothing.
- Per email sent: Brevo. Cheap for a big list you mail rarely.
- Per contact plus volume: Drip.
- Per seat: HubSpot and Zendesk Sell. List size is free; people are not.
Estimate your list in twelve months, not today, and price all your shortlist at that number.
Then check three things
- Free tier limits. They are smaller than most articles claim: 250 contacts at Mailchimp and Omnisend, 250 subscribers at MailerLite, 2 users at HubSpot, 300 emails a day at Brevo.
- Onboarding fees. Only HubSpot charges one here, and it is $3,000 or more.
- What automation is gated. Conditional logic sits behind the second tier at most of these vendors.
Final Thoughts
For a small list that you mail often, MailerLite or Constant Contact are the cheapest real options. For e-commerce automation, Drip or Omnisend. For complex branching sequences, ActiveCampaign. For email tied to a CRM, HubSpot — with the onboarding fee in the budget from day one. For a huge list you mail occasionally, Brevo’s send-based pricing wins.
All prices in this article were checked against vendor pricing pages in August 2026 and should be confirmed before budgeting.
FAQs
Which tool is best for email marketing?
It depends on your list size and how often you send. Mailchimp for general use and integrations, Drip or Omnisend for e-commerce, MailerLite for a small list on a budget, Brevo for a large list mailed infrequently, ActiveCampaign for complex automation.
What is the best email automation tool?
For branching, behaviour-driven sequences, ActiveCampaign and Drip are the strongest here. HubSpot is the best fit if the automation needs to act on CRM data rather than just email behaviour. Constant Contact and Mailchimp’s lower tiers handle autoresponders but little more.
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