When we first built SendView, one of the most requested features was identifying which email marketing platform sent each email. Since then we've created rules for over 300 Email Service Providers (ESPs) to pinpoint which tool was behind the marketing emails you receive in your inbox. With so many providers to choose from, shopping for one yourself can feel like a daunting task that leaves you with all sorts of questions.
- Which email marketing services are other brands using?
- How many of them are using each service?
- Which email marketing tools are the most popular?
- Who are the up and coming ESPs?
- Which are the best free email tools?
- Are there email service providers for businesses like mine?
When you combine datasets from SendView and ESP Finder, we're looking at millions of emails sent by tens of thousands of different brands. When we combine this data with external datasets around the number of users that some platforms publish, this means that we can rank ESPs by popularity fairly reliably. So whether you're looking for a new email marketing platform or just curious about how they stack up, here's where things stand based on our data set in 2024.
What are the best email marketing services for marketers in 2025?
What’s unique about email marketing companies is that many are tailored to very specific industries or verticals. They do this because the email needs of an independent publisher are very, very different than that of a B2B software company, even though both heavily rely on email marketing. As a result, the tools, features, and functionality of each marketing platform are often built specifically for the unique email needs of the exact users they’re hoping to serve. Some platforms excel at email segmentation, enabling users to target specific audiences with personalized campaigns based on behavioral data, customer preferences, or geolocation. For example:
- Klaviyo is built specifically for retail businesses
- ConvertKit is built specifically for creators
- Loops is built specifically for SaaS companies
- Pardot is built specifically for B2B sales
In other words, there are many services that would be considered best email marketing platforms because each company is the best for a specific type of user. While some ESPs still rely on traditional segmentation methods, others are adopting more advanced, automated approaches to audience targeting. For the email platforms listed below, we’ve added a little bit of context to better understand the strengths (automations, deliverability, etc.), user types (b2b, retail, etc.), and pricing for each one.
What are the best free email marketing services?
When trying to nail down the best free ESPs it’s important to think about what your goals and constraints are. For example, if you plan to send a lot of emails to a small list, a free tier that doesn’t limit your email volume is probably best. On the flip side, if you send few emails to a large list, a free tier that doesn’t limit your contacts is probably the way to go. Many users also choose free ESPs to help acquire new customers through targeted email outreach. Let’s look at a few good choices based on those two criteria.
Which ESPs have free tiers with email limits?
- Sender has one of the highest limits at 15,000 emails / month
- ConstantContact limits free users to send 100 emails before they need to pay.
- Brevo allows free users to send 300 emails a day.
Which ESPs have free tiers with subscriber limits?
- Sender also has one of the highest limits at 2,500 subscribers
- MailChimp's free tier allows up to 2,000 subscribers.
- Klaviyo offers a free tier with up to 250 subscribers.
- Omnisend allows up to 250 subscribers on their free tier.
- ConvertKit's limit is 300 subscribers for free plans.
- MailerLite's limit is 1,000 subscribers on their free tier.
- GetResponse has a free tier that includes 500 subscribers.
Which ESPs have free tiers with both email and subscriber limits?
- EmailOctopus allows you to store up to 2,500 contacts and send up to 10,000 emails per month on their free plan.
Is there such thing as a free email marketing service?
There really is no such thing as a truly free ESP. Instead, there are paid ESPs that offer free tiers for a limited amount their service. The good news is that email is such a good way to generate sales and revenue that once you get a few hundred subscribers it should be easy to generate enough cash to afford a paid plan. Understanding the monetary value of each subscriber can help you determine when it's the right time to upgrade from a free plan. So instead of shopping for an ESP solely because of their free tier, look for an ESP that has all the features you need at a price you feel comfortable with and offers a free plan to get you started.
Latest Email Marketing Services Rankings
As more emails are analyzed by SendView users, the rankings below will change. Keep in mind that we don't include platforms that are primarily for delivering emails (SendGrid, Sparkpost, etc.) in our rankings since many ESPs are built on those platforms but don't always identify themselves within their code so they appear to be send solely by SendGrid, etc.
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MailChimp is one of the most well-known ESPs that works great for both large senders and small businesses. In fact, MailChimp built their business by serving small businesses and are still a top choice by businesses with smaller teams.
When was Mailchimp founded? 2001 Does Mailchimp have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Mailchimp's free plan? 250 contacts, 500 emails/month What is Mailchimp's cheapest plan? $13.00 Mailchimp Website |
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Originally positioned as a simple, stripped down, affordable ESP (as the name suggests), this platform is now on par with the biggest and best ESPs in terms of both funtionality and an interface that makes it easy to use. The company now has a huge list of users and a large, distributed team that continues to find a sweet spot between price and functionality.
When was MailerLite founded? 2010 Does MailerLite have a free plan? Yes What do I get on MailerLite's free plan? 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month What is MailerLite's cheapest plan? $10.00 MailerLite Website |
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Known more specifically as Salesforce Marketing Cloud, this ESP began as ExactTarget before being acquired by Salesforce in 2013. Similar to Salesforce as a whole, this email platform is primarily aimed at larger or enterprise clients.
When was Salesforce Marketing Cloud founded? 2000 Does Salesforce Marketing Cloud have a free plan? No What is Salesforce Marketing Cloud's cheapest plan? $1,500.00 Salesforce Marketing Cloud Website |
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One of the true originals in the space, Constant Contact has long been the go-to email marketing platform for brands to quickly, affordable, and easily get started with email. User friendly tools, interfaces, and pricing have long made Constant Contact a top choice of many busineses, but especiallly smaller operations and teams.
When was Constant Contact founded? 1995 Does Constant Contact have a free plan? No What is Constant Contact's cheapest plan? $12.00 Constant Contact Website |
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Founded by well-known maker, Nathan Barry, ConvertKit is fully bootstrapped and extremely popular as the ESP built specifically for creators. The feature set, founders, and brand have aligned neatly under this mission and the result is one of the best ESPs on the market.
When was Kit founded? 2013 Does Kit have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Kit's free plan? 10,000 subscribers What is Kit's cheapest plan? $39.00 Kit Website |
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Now known as Brevo, this platform comes with a generous free plan and thoughtful omnichannel features for sales, marketing, and even support. Their user friendly affordable tools are also incredibly strong when placed side-by-side with larger, more expensive platforms which is a big reason why more than a half million users trust their emails with this ESP.
When was Brevo founded? 2012 Does Brevo have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Brevo's free plan? 100,000 contacts, 300 emails/day What is Brevo's cheapest plan? $9.00 Brevo Website |
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GetResponse is another one of the original ESPs that really made email accessible in the last 90s. Today, their marketing platform includes not only a suite of powerful email tools, but some unique features like a website builder and ecommerce funtionality that makes their solution on idea place to start and grow an online business.
When was GetResponse founded? 1998 Does GetResponse have a free plan? Yes What do I get on GetResponse's free plan? 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month What is GetResponse's cheapest plan? $19.00 GetResponse Website |
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Pronounced clay-vee-yo, Klaviyo has become the go-to email marketing platform for online retailers. With a broad network of agency partners, a feature set designed specifically for retail, and a tech stack built on the innovative SendGrid platform, their growth and popularity are skyrocketing.
When was Klaviyo founded? 2012 Does Klaviyo have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Klaviyo's free plan? 250 profiles, 500 emails/month What is Klaviyo's cheapest plan? $20.00 Klaviyo Website |
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Another email marketing platform with a heavy focus on automation is ActiveCampaign. Although they come in at a much more budget-friendly pricepoint, this email company doesn't lack in features and is consistently ranked as a top ESP by it's users in terms of both power and functionality but also easy of use.
When was ActiveCampaign founded? 2003 Does ActiveCampaign have a free plan? No What is ActiveCampaign's cheapest plan? $15.00 ActiveCampaign Website |
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AWeber is one of the OGs of email marketing having been around since words like autoresponder was the fancy things we were all
hungry to take advantage of. Led by a great team and now boasting a solid feature set that is trusted by major YouTubers and small businesses alike,
it is hard to go wrong with AWeber.
When was AWeber founded? 1998 Does AWeber have a free plan? Yes What do I get on AWeber's free plan? 500 subscribers, 3,000 emails/month What is AWeber's cheapest plan? $15.00 AWeber Website |
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CampaignMonitor brings many advanced automation and targeting features to a email marketing platform that is more affordable for the average businesses. With plans starting at just $9/mo, this platform is ideal for brands who are just ramping up email and wanted both powerful features but an ESP that can grow with them without a large up-front commitment.
When was Campaign Monitor founded? 2004 Does Campaign Monitor have a free plan? No What is Campaign Monitor's cheapest plan? $13.00 Campaign Monitor Website |
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When it comes to sales, Hubspot has long been known as a go-to email CRM for companies of all sizes. This is partly due to the fact that they offer free tools, an easy-to-use interface, and pricing that works for companies as small as your corner store and as large as Trello or Soundcloud.
When was HubSpot Marketing Hub founded? 2006 Does HubSpot Marketing Hub have a free plan? Yes What do I get on HubSpot Marketing Hub's free plan? 2,000 emails/month What is HubSpot Marketing Hub's cheapest plan? $20.00 HubSpot Marketing Hub Website |
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Many ESPs talk about both email and SMS, but Omnisend really leans into this combination with their platform, making it easy to build programs that use both channels to target potential buyers as needed. With low pricing and a free tier, they have been able to gain solid traction among marketers looking for an email platform that is more than just email.
When was Omnisend founded? 2014 Does Omnisend have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Omnisend's free plan? 250 contacts, 500 emails/month What is Omnisend's cheapest plan? $16.00 Omnisend Website |
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SendPulse is a clever blend of email marketing, lead capture / nuruture, live chat, and CRM that gives the more B2B-leaning marketers
among us a solid, one-stop-shop sort of solution to their email marketing needs. They also have some slick new AI functionality that is worth a look.
When was SendPulse founded? 2015 Does SendPulse have a free plan? Yes What do I get on SendPulse's free plan? 500 subscribers, 15,000 emails/month What is SendPulse's cheapest plan? $9.00 SendPulse Website |
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Sender gives you just about everything a basic marketing team needs in an email platform with a price tag that may give you the good kind
of sticker shock. It may not be the cheapest around, but given their feature set there is a ton of value to be had.
When was Sender founded? 2012 Does Sender have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Sender's free plan? 2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails/month What is Sender's cheapest plan? $10.00 Sender Website |
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A great platform with a quality feature set, Benckmark brings a in easy-to-use interface, simple approach to email creation, and affordable
price tag to marketers looking for something that is not too big, not too small, but just right.
When was Benchmark Email founded? 2004 Does Benchmark Email have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Benchmark Email's free plan? 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month What is Benchmark Email's cheapest plan? $13.00 Benchmark Email Website |
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Technically part of the Constant Contact family now, Moosend gives small and growing businesses a lot of
email marketing umph without the price tag of some of the bigger platforms. Along with newsletters and automation,
it includes landing pages, signup forms, and detailed reporting that is on par with much more expensive options.
When was Moosend founded? 2011 Does Moosend have a free plan? No What is Moosend's cheapest plan? $9.00 Moosend Website |
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An AI-focused platform built for smaller businesses, they have worked really hard to streamline the email creation process promising
in their marketing materials that you can send an email in less than 5 minutes. A big promise, but the platform has great momentum that seems to back it up.
When was Zoho Campaigns founded? 2009 Does Zoho Campaigns have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Zoho Campaigns's free plan? 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails/month What is Zoho Campaigns's cheapest plan? $4.00 Zoho Campaigns Website |
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When AWS launched the ability to send emails through their SES service, this gave ESPs a new place to build their sending infrastructure. But Email Octopus recognized an opportunity and simply created an interface for users to send emails through their own AWS accounts. The result was low prices and quick adoption that allowed them to build brand recognition, traffic, and users and eventually offer a more traditional service (one that does not require your own AWS account) as well.
When was EmailOctopus founded? 2014 Does EmailOctopus have a free plan? Yes What do I get on EmailOctopus's free plan? 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/month What is EmailOctopus's cheapest plan? $9.00 EmailOctopus Website |
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Beehiiv is a rapidly growing newsletter platform that serves as a strong competitor to platforms like Substack, Kit, Ghost, etc.
Founded by a former Morning Brew employee, the platform moves really quickly, has shipped a powerful suite of products in short order, and,
despite raising prices a bit, has a lot of momentum.
When was beehiiv founded? 2021 Does beehiiv have a free plan? Yes What do I get on beehiiv's free plan? 2,500 subscribers What is beehiiv's cheapest plan? $49.00 beehiiv Website |
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The transactional sibling of MailerLite, I have included them because it is technically a separate brand and platform (at
least from our perspective). They also enabled stuff beyond email (like SMS and WhatsApp) but their bread and butter is a solid, easy-to-send
transactional email.
When was MailerSend founded? 2020 Does MailerSend have a free plan? Yes What do I get on MailerSend's free plan? 500 emails/month What is MailerSend's cheapest plan? $7.00 MailerSend Website |
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Every ESP tries to have one, clear differentiator, and Flodesk's is design. They do combine a lot of feature into their
platform to replace a bunch of other systems, but their design is the brand promise and something they claim leads to their emails
getting seen well more than the industry average.
When was Flodesk founded? 2019 Does Flodesk have a free plan? No What is Flodesk's cheapest plan? $38.00 Flodesk Website |
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Mailjet is one of the growing number of platforms that allow folks to send both marketing emails (like promotions) and transactional messages (like order confirmations and password resets) all from one platform.
Their angle is letting marketing and engineering work more closely together and feature a robust API that makes it easy to connect to other systems.
When was Mailjet founded? 2010 Does Mailjet have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Mailjet's free plan? 1,000 contacts, 6,000 emails/month What is Mailjet's cheapest plan? $9.00 Mailjet Website |
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While some ESPs started with traditional large-scale email marketing and eventually added more automated, behavior-triggered emails, Drip was the opposite. As the name implies, small, event-triggered automations were the core and then the more traditional email tools were added later. The approach worked and Drip quickly became a key player in the email industry.
When was Drip founded? 2013 Does Drip have a free plan? No What is Drip's cheapest plan? $39.00 Drip Website |
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Yes, ElasticEmail is an ESP, but I love how they have built out a less traditiona but very helpful suite of tools beyond that including live chat,
help desk, and team chat features without losing sight of the simple email platform that (as least as I understand it) was their original solutions.
When was Elastic Email founded? 2010 Does Elastic Email have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Elastic Email's free plan? 1,000 contacts, 3,000 emails/month What is Elastic Email's cheapest plan? $29.00 Elastic Email Website |
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With a focus on both B2B and automation, Marketo is a platform that isn't quite as affordable as other platforms but makes up for it with advanced features, personalization, and even AI-driven tools. Marketo is also a great choice for brands who use many channels besides email marketing. In 2018, Marketo was acquired by Adobe.
When was Adobe (Marketo) founded? 2006 Does Adobe (Marketo) have a free plan? No What is Adobe (Marketo)'s cheapest plan? $895.00 Adobe (Marketo) Website |
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Braze lives at the intersection of engagement and omnichannel marketing. Their focus on both capturing customer engagement and enabling real-time messaging around that as well as getting these messages delivered across multiple channels has given the company a long list of clients that use them for email marketing as well as broader marketing campaigns.
When was Braze founded? 2011 Does Braze have a free plan? No What is Braze's cheapest plan? $1,000.00 Braze Website |
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This tool really has grown in both breadth and depth over the years. Your original impression may have been a self-service platform, but they have thoughtfully moved up market with both tools and high quality support. If you want a great ESP with some great omnichannel features - including in-app messaging - Customer.io is a fantastic choice.
When was Customer.io founded? 2012 Does Customer.io have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Customer.io's free plan? 200 contacts (limited free tier; verify current availability) What is Customer.io's cheapest plan? $100.00 Customer.io Website |
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While it seems strange to say it, at less than a decade old Iterable is fairly new on the scene. With a focus on cross-channel marketing and a heavy emphasis on support, Iterable has grown quickly and is used by a diverse set of companies like Zillow, Doordash, and Bombas.
When was Iterable founded? 2013 Does Iterable have a free plan? No What is Iterable's cheapest plan? $1,000.00 Iterable Website |
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Encharge is a saas-focused ESP that helps marketing teams send emails based on what people do in their product, whether that’s signing up for a trial, trying a feature, or getting close to becoming a paying customer. They are a great platform with a strong integration ecosystem and a lot of great companies on board.
When was Encharge founded? 2019 Does Encharge have a free plan? No What is Encharge's cheapest plan? $79.00 Encharge Website |
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One of a few Canadian ESPs, Eloqua was one of the first email platforms that got gobbled up by large, enterprise tech platforms when they were acquired by Oracle in 2012. The brand is on the out in favor of a more generic Oracle-prefixed name, but they continue to lead in unifying customer data and allowing marketers to deliver targeted experiences and communications in real-time.
When was Oracle (Eloqua) founded? 1999 Does Oracle (Eloqua) have a free plan? No What is Oracle (Eloqua)'s cheapest plan? $2,000.00 Oracle (Eloqua) Website |
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MailPoet is an ESP thatlives right inside WordPress, so you don't have to leave the place you public content to build emails.
Their target market seems to be bloggers and WooCommerce stores that want to send updates, promotions, and follow-up emails from a simple interface right inside their CRM.
When was MailPoet founded? 2011 Does MailPoet have a free plan? Yes What do I get on MailPoet's free plan? 500 subscribers What is MailPoet's cheapest plan? $10.00 MailPoet Website |
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MailWizz is a self-hosted email marketing platform for businesses that want to run their own email campaigns without paying the usual monthly fees based on subscribers or sending volume. It gives you control over your data, your sending setup, and even the option to build your own email marketing service for paying customers.
When was MailWizz founded? 2013 Does MailWizz have a free plan? No What is MailWizz's cheapest plan? $79.00 one-time MailWizz Website |
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Another service built on Amazon's SES email platform, Sendy is one of the most affordable ways to send emails for a simple reason: you only pay for Sendy once. After that, your Amazon sending fees are the only charge which can be as low as $1/mo when sending 10,000 emails. Send is a really clever unique approach to making email affordable and accessible.
When was Sendy founded? 2012 Does Sendy have a free plan? No What is Sendy's cheapest plan? $69.00 one-time Sendy Website |
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Another transaction-heavy platform, Mailtrap helps developers test emails safely before they go out and
then send real transactional and marketing emails from the same platform.
They started as a way to catch test emails before they accidentally reached customers (hence the name) and has grown into a
full email delivery platform with a solid suite of tools.
When was Mailtrap founded? 2011 Does Mailtrap have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Mailtrap's free plan? 4,000 emails/month What is Mailtrap's cheapest plan? $15.00 Mailtrap Website |
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Postmark is focused heavily on transactional email to help apps and websites send important emails, like password resets,
order confirmations, and account notifications,
quickly and reliably. They do offer promotional email, but transactional and promotional
emails kept on separate sending infrastructure so marketing campaigns do not interfere with deliverability on the transactional side.
When was Postmark founded? 2010 Does Postmark have a free plan? No What is Postmark's cheapest plan? $15.00 Postmark Website |
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Loops is one of my favorite ESPs that has entered the market in the last decade. Built for SaaS, they bring together all the
transactional email that SaaS marketers need with a beautiful, simple interface and full suite of tools that support that market that happens after
someone signs up for a platform. They have also really embraced AI and offer an MCp for folks who want to manage their account from their favorite
AI platform.
When was Loops founded? 2022 Does Loops have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Loops's free plan? 1,000 contacts, 4,000 emails/month What is Loops's cheapest plan? $49.00 Loops Website |
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Rapidmail is a straightforward ESP that is focused on helping small and midsize
businesses create professional newsletters without needing much in the way of technical expertise. They
seem to be known for easy-to-use design tools, great support, and data stored in Germany for navigating all those fun European laws.
When was Rapidmail founded? 2008 Does Rapidmail have a free plan? No What is Rapidmail's cheapest plan? $15.00 Rapidmail Website |
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Substack is a publishing platform with email baked right into the concept, blurring the lines between the article you may be writing
and the email folks when get when you hit publish. With a simple premise and paid options, it is a very popular platform that sends a lot of email.
When was Substack founded? 2017 Does Substack have a free plan? Yes What do I get on Substack's free plan? Unlimited subscribers; platform takes a share of paid subscriptions What is Substack's cheapest plan? $0.00 Substack Website |
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Campaigner is a really solid email marketing platform built for businesses that want a bit more control over their campaigns,
but want that power without adding a ton of complexity.
They seem to be a good fit for teams that want to up their newsletter game without moving to a full-blown marketing suite.
When was Campaigner founded? 1999 Does Campaigner have a free plan? No What is Campaigner's cheapest plan? $14.00 Campaigner Website |
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CleverReach is a nice blend of email marketing automation and integrations with ecommerce platforms,
CRMs, and other tools.
They have a solid set of features from simple newsletter creation to behavior-based campaigns and automations,
without requiring marketing teams to adopt a full, complex automation suite.
When was CleverReach founded? 2007 Does CleverReach have a free plan? Yes What do I get on CleverReach's free plan? 250 contacts, 1,000 emails/month (verify current tier) What is CleverReach's cheapest plan? $15.00 CleverReach Website |
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Unlike other ESPs on this list, Ghost is a publishing platform that happens to send emails rather than the other way around,
It is a common alternative to things like Substack and Beehiiv as well as Kit, where the use case is more around content and writing than pure email marketing.
When was Ghost founded? 2013 Does Ghost have a free plan? No What is Ghost's cheapest plan? $9.00 Ghost Website |
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SendFox is a simple, low-cost email marketing tool built for creators, bloggers, and small businesses that want to grow a newsletter without having to deal with the complexity
(or expense) of a bigger platform. Their main thing is affordable pricing (including a one-time lifetime plan) and
features that help automate turning blog and social content into email newsletters.
When was SendFox founded? 2019 Does SendFox have a free plan? No What is SendFox's cheapest plan? $49.00 one-time SendFox Website |
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Ortto is more of an all-in-one tool that combines marketing automation, a customer data platform, and analytics,
aiming to let businesses build personalized customer journeys across not just email, but also SMS, push notifications, and other channels.
Their differentiator seems to be connecting customer data, executing campaigns, and performance reporting in a single platform, so
marketers can deploy more sophisticated campaigns without having to integrate multiple tools.
When was Ortto founded? 2010 Does Ortto have a free plan? No What is Ortto's cheapest plan? $99.00 Ortto Website |
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Sendlane is an ecommerce-focused marketing platform that helps brands drive repeat sales through multiple channels including email, SMS, and automations. They position as an alternative to Klaviyo for folks that want great marketing without paying for every contact on their list.
When was Sendlane founded? 2013 Does Sendlane have a free plan? No What is Sendlane's cheapest plan? $100.00 Sendlane Website |
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Retail is a place where a huge amount of email innovation has occured and this marketing platform is absolutely
among that group on both coutns. Their goal is to help you unlock previously untapped retail data to create opportunities
for driving revenue and repeat purchases, all on the one-to-one scale that builds on the strength of email marketing.
When was Bluecore founded? 2020 Does Bluecore have a free plan? No What is Bluecore's cheapest plan? N/A Bluecore Website |
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