Last updated: October 2026 | Pricing checked on October 9, 2026 | 10 min read
Every Shopify store needs an email tool, but the right one depends on what you sell and how big your list is. A store doing $5 million a year needs predictive analytics and SMS. A new store with 800 customers mostly needs good-looking newsletters and a welcome email, at a price that doesn’t eat its margin.
We compared eight email marketing apps for Shopify on four things: how deeply they connect to Shopify (customer sync, abandoned carts, product blocks), automation, price at 1,000 to 10,000 contacts, and free plans. All prices come from each vendor’s pricing page on October 9, 2026.
Quick picks: Klaviyo has the deepest Shopify data. Omnisend has the best value for ecommerce automation. Shopify Email is the simplest built-in option. Mailercloud is the lowest-cost pick for stores that mainly send newsletters and promotions: free for 1,000 contacts and $10/month for 5,000. We’re upfront below about where each one fits.
Quick Answer: The best email marketing for Shopify depends on your store: Klaviyo for deep Shopify data and predictive segments, Omnisend for the best-value ecommerce automation, and Shopify Email for the simplest built-in option (10,000 emails a month free). For stores that mainly send newsletters and promotions, Mailercloud is the lowest-cost pick: free for 1,000 contacts and $10/month for 5,000, with Shopify customers synced via Zapier.
Table of Contents
What a Shopify Store Needs From Email
- Customer sync: new customers and subscribers flow from Shopify into your email list.
- Core ecommerce flows: welcome series, abandoned cart, browse abandonment, post-purchase and win-back.
- Product content: product blocks and recommendations pulled from your catalogue.
- Revenue reporting: which emails actually drove sales.
- Cost that scales sensibly: many tools get expensive fast as your customer list grows.
Sidenote: Abandoned cart and post-purchase emails usually drive the most revenue per email. If your tool can’t trigger them from Shopify events, you’ll be leaving the easiest sales on the table. Our guide to ecommerce marketing automation explains each flow.
Shopify Email Apps at a Glance
| App | Best For | Free Plan | Paid From | Shopify Connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MailercloudOur Pick | Budget newsletters & promos | 1,000 contacts | $10/mo (5K) | Zapier sync |
| Klaviyo | Deep Shopify data | 250 profiles | $20/mo | Native, deep |
| Omnisend | Value ecommerce automation | 250 contacts | $11.20/mo | Native, deep |
| Shopify Email | Built-in simplicity | 10K emails/mo | $1 per 1,000 | Built in |
| Mailchimp | Wider integrations | 250 contacts | $13/mo | Shopify app |
| MailerLite | Design for small stores | 250 subs | $19/mo (1K) | Native app |
| Privy | Popups & list growth | No | $30/mo | Native app |
| Sender | Big free plan | 2,500 subs | $9/mo (annual) | Native app |
1. Mailercloud — Best Budget Pick for Newsletters and Promotions
Mailercloud is the lowest-cost option on this list for Shopify stores whose email is mostly newsletters, launches and promotions. It’s free for 1,000 contacts and 12,000 emails a month, and Premium costs $10/month for 5,000 contacts with unlimited sends. Klaviyo and Omnisend cost several times that at the same size.
Mailercloud connects to Shopify through Zapier, which adds new Shopify customers to your Mailercloud lists automatically. From there you can use the drag-and-drop builder, segmentation, automation for welcome and win-back series, A/B testing and AI subject lines on Premium, and Inbox Tracker to check placement.
Be clear about the trade-off. Mailercloud isn’t a dedicated ecommerce platform. There are no native abandoned cart triggers, product recommendation blocks or Shopify revenue reports. If those flows are central to your store, choose Klaviyo or Omnisend. If you mainly need a cheap, reliable newsletter tool, Mailercloud saves you the most.
Key features
- Free plan: 1,000 contacts, 12,000 emails a month
- Premium: unlimited sends from $10/month (5,000 contacts)
- Shopify customer sync via Zapier
- Drag-and-drop builder and template gallery
- Segmentation and automation (welcome, win-back)
- Inbox Tracker and built-in email verifier
✅Mailercloud Pros:
- Free for 1,000 contacts; $10/month for 5,000 with unlimited sends
- New Shopify customers synced to your lists via Zapier
- Drag-and-drop builder and template gallery for promotions
- Segmentation plus welcome and win-back automation
- Inbox Tracker and built-in email verifier
- 30% off on annual billing
❌Mailercloud Cons:
- No native abandoned cart or browse abandonment triggers
- No product recommendation blocks or Shopify revenue reports
- Shopify sync relies on Zapier
💰Pricing: Free for 1,000 contacts; Premium from $10/month for 5,000 contacts (30% off annually).
Pricing: Free for 1,000 contacts; Premium from $10/month for 5,000 contacts, 30% off annually.
Best for: Small Shopify stores that mainly send newsletters and promotions on a tight budget.
Try Mailercloud free — newsletters and promotions for your Shopify customers, free for 1,000 contacts.
2. Klaviyo — Best Shopify Data and Segmentation
Klaviyo is the most popular email platform among larger Shopify stores. It syncs orders, products, browsing and customer data in real time, and uses it for very precise segments, predictive analytics (like expected next order date) and product recommendations. It also does SMS.
The free plan covers up to 250 profiles and includes $5 of mobile messages a month. Paid Email plans start at $20/month, and price climbs quickly as your profile count grows.
✅Klaviyo Pros:
- Deepest Shopify data sync and segmentation
- Predictive analytics and product recommendations
- Prebuilt ecommerce flows and strong revenue reporting
- Email and SMS in one platform
❌Klaviyo Cons:
- Expensive as your list grows
- Free plan limited to 250 profiles
- Steeper learning curve
💰Pricing: Free (250 profiles); Email from $20/month; Email + SMS from $35/month.
Best for: Growing stores with large catalogues and data-driven teams. See Klaviyo vs Mailchimp and Klaviyo alternatives.
3. Omnisend — Best Value Ecommerce Automation
Omnisend is built for ecommerce and is quicker to set up than Klaviyo. Prebuilt workflows for welcome, abandoned cart, browse abandonment and post-purchase are ready in minutes. It combines email, SMS and push notifications in the same flows.
The free plan covers 250 contacts. Standard starts at $11.20/month and Pro at $41.30/month, which adds more SMS credits and advanced reporting.
✅Omnisend Pros:
- Prebuilt ecommerce workflows that are quick to launch
- Email, SMS and push in one flow
- Cheaper than Klaviyo at most sizes
❌Omnisend Cons:
- Free plan limited to 250 contacts
- Fewer advanced analytics than Klaviyo
💰Pricing: Free (250 contacts); Standard from $11.20/month; Pro from $41.30/month.
Best for: Small and mid-size stores that want ecommerce automation without Klaviyo’s price. Compare in Omnisend vs Klaviyo.
4. Shopify Email — Best Built-In Option
Shopify Email is built into your Shopify admin. Templates pull in your products and brand automatically, and you can set up basic automations such as abandoned checkout and welcome emails without installing anything.
You can send up to 10,000 emails a month free, then pay $1 per 1,000 emails. That’s very cheap for small stores.
✅Shopify Email Pros:
- Built into Shopify, nothing to install
- 10,000 emails a month free, then $1 per 1,000
- Product blocks and brand styling built in
❌Shopify Email Cons:
- Basic segmentation and reporting
- Fewer automation options than dedicated tools
- Only works with Shopify
💰Pricing: Free for 10,000 emails/month; then $1 per 1,000 emails.
Best for: New stores that want the simplest possible setup. If you also sell in person, our guide to retail email marketing covers Shopify POS.
5. Mailchimp — Best for Integrations Beyond Shopify
Mailchimp has a Shopify app that syncs customers, orders and products, and supports abandoned cart emails. It’s most worth considering if your other tools (booking, POS, CRM) already rely on Mailchimp. Standard includes Customer Journeys automation.
On monthly billing, Essentials starts at $13/month and Standard at $20/month for 500 contacts, rising to $75 and $100 at 5,000. The free plan covers 250 contacts. See our Mailchimp alternatives for cheaper options.
✅Mailchimp Pros:
- 300+ integrations for the rest of your stack
- Strong automation on Standard
- Familiar, well-documented platform
❌Mailchimp Cons:
- Ecommerce data is less detailed than Klaviyo’s
- Expensive at 5,000+ contacts
💰Pricing: Free (250 contacts); Essentials from $13/month; Standard from $20/month.
Best for: Stores whose other tools are already built around Mailchimp.
6. MailerLite — Best Design for Small Stores
MailerLite has a clean editor, good templates, landing pages and popups, and a Shopify integration for syncing customers and running abandoned cart emails. It’s a good middle ground between simple newsletters and full ecommerce platforms. We compare it head to head in MailerLite vs Mailchimp.
On monthly billing, Comfort costs $19 at 1,000 subscribers, $49 at 5,000 and $89 at 10,000. The free plan covers 250 subscribers.
✅MailerLite Pros:
- Clean editor and good-looking templates
- Popups and landing pages included
- Shopify integration with abandoned cart emails
❌MailerLite Cons:
- Free plan limited to 250 subscribers
- Fewer ecommerce analytics than Klaviyo or Omnisend
💰Pricing: Free (250 subscribers); Comfort $19 at 1,000, $49 at 5,000, $89 at 10,000.
Best for: Small stores that care about design and want simple automation.
7. Privy — Best for Popups and List Growth
Privy started as a popup tool and is still best at list growth: spin-to-win wheels, exit-intent offers and free-shipping bars. It also sends email and SMS, including abandoned cart flows, from inside Shopify.
Plans start at $30/month, with 250 free SMS credits included.
✅Privy Pros:
- Excellent Shopify popups and signup offers
- Email and SMS flows built for Shopify
❌Privy Cons:
- Starts at $30/month
- Email features are simpler than Klaviyo or Omnisend
💰Pricing: From $30/month (includes 250 SMS credits).
Best for: Stores focused on growing their list fast.
8. Sender — Best Free Plan for Small Stores
Sender’s free plan covers 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, with popups and automation. It integrates with Shopify for customer sync and abandoned cart emails, and paid plans add SMS.
✅Sender Pros:
- Large free plan: 2,500 subscribers
- Popups and automation on the free plan
- Low-cost paid plans with SMS
❌Sender Cons:
- Smaller company with fewer integrations
- Less advanced ecommerce reporting
💰Pricing: Free (2,500 subscribers); Standard from $9/month billed annually.
Best for: New stores that want to stay free as long as possible.
Price Comparison for Shopify Stores
Starting prices from each vendor’s pricing page on October 9, 2026.
| App | Free plan | Paid from | Shopify connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailercloud | 1,000 contacts | $10/month (5,000 contacts) | Zapier sync |
| Klaviyo | 250 profiles | $20/month | Native, deep |
| Omnisend | 250 contacts | $11.20/month | Native, deep |
| Shopify Email | 10,000 emails/month | $1 per 1,000 emails | Built in |
| Mailchimp | 250 contacts | $13/month | Shopify app |
| MailerLite | 250 subscribers | $19/month (1,000) | Native app |
| Privy | No | $30/month | Native app |
| Sender | 2,500 subscribers | $9/month (annual) | Native app |
The Mailercloud View: Match the Tool to Your Store’s Stage
- Under 1,000 customers, mostly newsletters: Shopify Email or Mailercloud’s free plan. Spend your money on products and ads, not software. Our comparison of the cheapest email marketing services shows prices at each list size.
- 1,000–10,000 customers, sending weekly: Mailercloud ($10 at 5,000) if you mainly send campaigns; Omnisend if abandoned cart and browse flows are your priority.
- 10,000+ customers with a big catalogue: Klaviyo, for its data and predictive segments.
Whichever you choose, set up the basics. Authenticate your sending domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC as required by Google and Yahoo (see dmarc.org). Add a one-click unsubscribe (RFC 8058). Collect clear consent at checkout: email marketing to EU and UK customers needs opt-in under GDPR and the ICO’s PECR rules. For more ideas, read our guide to email marketing for ecommerce.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best email marketing app for Shopify?
Klaviyo is the best for large stores that need deep Shopify data, Omnisend is the best value for ecommerce automation, and Mailercloud is the cheapest for stores that mainly send newsletters ($10/month for 5,000 contacts). Shopify Email is the simplest built-in option.
Is Shopify Email free?
Yes, up to 10,000 emails a month. After that it costs $1 per 1,000 emails.
What is the cheapest email marketing for Shopify?
Shopify Email for small volumes, and Mailercloud for growing lists: free for 1,000 contacts and $10/month for 5,000 with unlimited sends.
Does Mailchimp work with Shopify?
Yes. Mailchimp has a Shopify app that syncs customers, orders and products. Advanced flows like Customer Journeys need the Standard plan.
Does Mailercloud integrate with Shopify?
Yes, through Zapier. New Shopify customers are added to your Mailercloud lists automatically. Mailercloud doesn’t have native abandoned cart triggers, so stores that depend on those flows should look at Klaviyo or Omnisend.
Which Shopify email app has the best free plan?
Shopify Email (10,000 emails a month), Sender (2,500 subscribers) and Mailercloud (1,000 contacts and 12,000 emails a month).
Final Verdict
There’s no single best email app for every Shopify store. Klaviyo is the most powerful, Omnisend offers the best value for ecommerce automation, and Shopify Email is the easiest place to start. If your store mainly sends newsletters, launches and promotions, Mailercloud costs the least as you grow: free for 1,000 contacts and $10/month for 5,000.
Email your Shopify customers for $10 a month — try Mailercloud free
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As a Marketing Director, I develop and implement marketing strategies, conduct market research, and manage a team of marketing professionals. With a successful track record of launching campaigns that drive revenue growth, I bring my marketing expertise to blog writing, creating engaging content that promotes the brand and its products/services.
