Email marketing remains one of the most powerful and cost-effective digital marketing channels, consistently delivering an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent. Whether you’re running a small business, scaling an ecommerce store, or managing outreach for a SaaS company, the success of your campaigns often hinges on the platform you choose.

With dozens of tools available — each offering a different mix of features, pricing, automation, and deliverability — finding the right fit can be overwhelming.

That’s why we’ve curated this definitive list of the 17+ best email marketing platforms for 2025. We evaluated each tool based on functionality, affordability, ease of use, automation capabilities, and performance — so you can confidently select the software that aligns with your marketing goals.

Quick Comparison Table

Detailed Reviews

1. Mailercloud – Best for Feature-Rich, Affordable Email Marketing

Why it stands out:
Mailercloud combines advanced email automation, real-time analytics, AMP email support, and an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, making it ideal for startups and growing businesses.

• Free Plan: Yes, includes web forms and automation
• Pricing: Starts at $10/month; $70/month for 20K contacts, $161/month for 50K contacts
• Best Features:
  • AMP & interactive emails
  • Advanced automation steps
  • Contact segmentation
  • Webform integration
  • Real-time analytics

Pros
✅ Easy-to-use interface
✅ Advanced email flows for ecommerce and SaaS
✅ Good deliverability and support

Cons
❌ Limited third-party integrations (still growing)

Who should use it:
Startups, ecommerce stores, and SaaS businesses looking for a scalable, budget-friendly platform.

2. Constant Contact – For Nonprofits and Event Marketers

Constant Contact focuses on helping small businesses and nonprofits with easy campaign creation, event tools, and survey features.

• Free Plan: No
• Pricing: Starts at $12/month
• Key Features:
  • Drag-and-drop editor
  • Event registration
  • Social media integration

Pros
✅ Great support
✅ Simple for beginners

Cons
❌ Limited automation
❌ Gets pricey as lists grow

Ideal for: Nonprofits, small businesses, and event managers.

3. Brevo – Best for CRM + Automation

Formerly Sendinblue, Brevo offers CRM features along with marketing automation.

• Free Plan: Yes, 300 emails/day
• Pricing: Starts at $9/month
• Features:
  • CRM
  • Transactional emails
  • Automation workflows

Pros
✅ Great automation tools
✅ CRM integration

Cons
❌ Daily sending limits on free plan
❌ Limited template variety

Ideal for: B2B marketers and businesses using CRM-powered workflows.

4. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) – Best for automation on a budget

Brevo offers a comprehensive email marketing platform ideal for growing businesses. While the free plan has a daily sending cap, it includes automation and CRM tools typically found in paid plans.

Free Plan Includes:

• Up to 100,000 contacts
• 9,000 emails/month (300 emails/day limit)
• Basic marketing automation
• CRM and contact segmentation

Paid Plan Starts At: $9/month for 5,000 emails

Pros:

• Generous contact limits even on free plan
• Automation and transactional emails included
• CRM and segmentation support

Cons:

• No access to advanced reporting in free plan
• Daily sending limits can be restrictive
• Brevo branding in all emails

Who Should Use It:
Marketers who need basic automation and a scalable platform to grow without immediately committing to a paid plan.

5. Beehiiv – Best for creators and newsletter publishers

Beehiiv is designed for newsletter creators, bloggers, and media brands. It merges email, website publishing, and monetization in one platform.

Free Plan Includes:

• 2,500 subscribers
• Unlimited emails
• Website builder with custom domain support
• Up to 3 newsletters

Paid Plan Starts At: $42/month

Pros:

• Ideal for writers and content creators
• Powerful tagging and segmentation
• Recommendation engine to grow audience

Cons:

• No email automation in free plan
• Branding can’t be removed
• Paid plans start at a higher tier

Who Should Use It:
Content creators and newsletter writers who want an all-in-one publishing and email platform with growth tools.

6. EmailOctopus – Budget-friendly with AWS flexibility

EmailOctopus is a simple, affordable tool built on Amazon SES, making it appealing to cost-conscious marketers with some technical know-how.

Free Plan Includes:

• 2,500 subscribers
• 10,000 emails/month
• Basic templates and reports

Paid Plan Starts At: $8/month for 500 subscribers

Pros:

• Excellent affordability
• Easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder
• Supports affiliate and crypto marketers

Cons:

• Limited features compared to rivals
• Support only available for 30 days on free plan

Who Should Use It:
Budget-conscious marketers, especially those using Amazon SES or needing to send simple newsletters and autoresponders.

7. Zoho Campaigns – Great for businesses already using Zoho

Part of the Zoho suite, this tool integrates well with Zoho CRM and other products, offering a basic but capable free plan.

Free Plan Includes:

• 2,000 contacts
• 6,000 emails/month
• Basic templates and reports
• Up to 5 users

Paid Plan Starts At: $5/month

Pros:

• Strong CRM integration
• Multiple users supported
• Clean interface with good usability

Cons:

• No automation on free plan
• Limited scheduling features
• No A/B testing

Who Should Use It:
Small businesses and startups already using Zoho products looking for a simple email marketing solution.

8. MailerLite – Clean and user-friendly email builder

MailerLite balances simplicity and power, offering landing pages, automation, and email campaigns in a sleek interface.

Free Plan Includes:

• 500 subscribers
• 12,000 emails/month
• 1 automation step
• Landing pages and forms

Paid Plan Starts At: $10/month

Pros:

• Clean UI, perfect for beginners
• Free landing pages and automation
• Mobile-friendly emails

Cons:

• No access to templates in free plan
• Approval process can be strict
• Account suspensions reported

Who Should Use It:
Small businesses looking for an intuitive and affordable email marketing tool with essential automation.

9. Omnisend – Ecommerce-focused with powerful automations

Omnisend is built for online stores, providing ecommerce automation, product pickers, and gamified email features.

Free Plan Includes:

• 250 contacts
• 500 emails/month
• Full access to automation workflows
• Web tracking, landing pages

Paid Plan Starts At: $16/month

Pros:

• Ecommerce-focused features like abandoned cart and product picker
• Full automation in free plan
• SMS and push included

Cons:

• Very limited sending allowance
• Best suited for small stores

Who Should Use It:
Ecommerce stores looking to test automation without high costs upfront.

10. SendPulse – Multichannel platform with push & SMS

SendPulse goes beyond email with web push, Viber, and SMS integrations. It’s great for multichannel strategies.

Free Plan Includes:

• 500 subscribers
• 15,000 emails/month
• CRM, push notifications
• Website builder and forms

Paid Plan Starts At: $8/month

Pros:

• Strong multichannel capabilities
• Generous email allowance
• Good segmentation and analytics

Cons:

• Email editor can be buggy
• No workflow automation

Who Should Use It:
Businesses needing multichannel messaging (email + push/SMS) with generous free sending limits.

11. GetResponse – Website + email combo

GetResponse offers a full marketing stack with landing pages, forms, and now, a free plan suitable for startups.

Free Plan Includes:

• 500 subscribers
• 2,500 emails/month
• Website builder
• Signup forms and popups

Paid Plan Starts At: $19/month

Pros:

• Website builder with SEO tools
• 500+ templates
• Good drag-and-drop editor

Cons:

• Limited automation
• Only 1 landing page
• Branding present in emails

Who Should Use It:
New businesses wanting both a website and email tool under one roof.

12. SmartrMail – Ecommerce automation made easy

SmartrMail is tailored for ecommerce brands and integrates well with platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce.

Free Plan Includes:

• 250 active subscribers
• 1,250 emails/month
• Smart segments
• Abandoned cart automation

Paid Plan Starts At: $19/month

Pros:

• Automated ecommerce workflows
• Smart customer segmentation
• Free migration from other tools

Cons:

• Requires online store to sign up
• No landing pages

Who Should Use It:
Ecommerce businesses needing smart automation and segmenting capabilities out of the box.

13. HubSpot – Best free CRM + email combo

HubSpot’s email tool ties directly into their powerful CRM, offering a great all-in-one experience for smaller teams.

Free Plan Includes:

• 2,000 emails/month
• 1 million contacts
• CRM and deal tracking
• Web forms and contact activity

Paid Plan Starts At: $20/month

Pros:

• Best free CRM integration
• Unlimited users
• Easy-to-use editor

Cons:

• Low email limits
• Limited template options
• Branding present

Who Should Use It:
Startups or teams needing strong CRM + email combo with generous contact storage.

14. AWeber – Great support and template variety

AWeber is one of the pioneers of email marketing and still stands out for its customer service and visual templates.

Free Plan Includes:

• 500 subscribers
• 3,000 emails/month
• Landing pages and templates
• Phone support

Paid Plan Starts At: $12.50/month

Pros:

• Full template library included
• Phone and email support
• Good for affiliate marketers

Cons:

• Low contact limit
• Only one list allowed
• Thin analytics

Who Should Use It:
Marketers who value phone support and access to rich design templates from the start.

15. Mailchimp – Familiar, but more limited now

Mailchimp is still widely used but has scaled back its free plan significantly in recent years.

Free Plan Includes:

• 500 subscribers
• 1,000 emails/month
• Forms and landing pages
• Basic reports

Paid Plan Starts At: $13/month

Pros:

• Well-known brand
• 800+ integrations
• Good reporting

Cons:

• No automation in free plan
• Daily sending limit
• Poor deliverability in some cases

Who Should Use It:
Marketers who prioritize brand familiarity and integrations but are okay with limited features.

16. Mailjet – Good volume, fewer features

Mailjet offers generous sending limits and unlimited contacts, but fewer advanced features on free plan.

Free Plan Includes:

• Unlimited contacts
• 6,000 emails/month (200/day)
• Basic email editor

Paid Plan Starts At: $15/month

Pros:

• Great for high-volume sending
• Easy-to-use builder
• Responsive templates

Cons:

• Automations limited to trial only
• Segmentation not available in free

Who Should Use It:
Businesses needing high email volume and simple newsletters without advanced features.

17. CleverReach – Enterprise-level compliance

CleverReach offers GDPR-compliant email marketing with enterprise-grade reporting and workflows.

Free Plan Includes:

• 250 subscribers
• 1,000 emails/month
• Web forms and analytics

Paid Plan Starts At: €15/month

Pros:

• GDPR-compliant with EU data hosting
• Easy-to-use automation builder
• Campaign calendar

Cons:

• Very limited free plan
• Non-removable branding
• Limited responsive templates

Who Should Use It:
Businesses in the EU prioritizing data protection and compliance over advanced free features.

What to Look for in an Email Marketing Platform in 2025

• Ease of Use – drag-and-drop builders, visual automations
• Deliverability – check spam score, domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• Pricing – compare cost per 1,000 contacts
• Automation – email series, segmentation, conditions
• Templates – responsive, customizable options
• Analytics – open, click, heatmaps, device breakdown
• Integrations – CRM, ecommerce, website builders
• Support – 24/7, live chat, onboarding

Final Verdict: Which Email Marketing Software Is Best?

If you’re just starting out, Mailercloud or MailerLite offers excellent value and user-friendly tools. For ecommerce, Omnisend and SmartrMail provide robust workflows. And if you’re looking for a complete CRM + email suite, Brevo or HubSpot are great picks.

FAQ