5 Best Email Marketing Software in 2026 (Tested & Compared)

Email marketing remains the highest-ROI marketing channel in 2026. Choosing the right platform can mean the difference between emails that convert and emails that land in spam.

We tested 5 leading email marketing platforms for real campaigns. Here's what we found.

Our Top 5 Picks

| Rank | Tool | Rating | Best For | Free Plan | |------|------|--------|----------|-----------| | 1 | ConvertKit | 4.7/5 | Creators & newsletters | 1,000 subs | | 2 | Mailchimp | 4.4/5 | Small businesses | 500 contacts | | 3 | ActiveCampaign | 4.6/5 | Advanced automation | No free plan | | 4 | Brevo | 4.3/5 | Budget-conscious teams | 300 emails/day | | 5 | Klaviyo | 4.5/5 | E-commerce | 250 contacts |

1. ConvertKit — Best for Creators

ConvertKit was built specifically for creators — bloggers, YouTubers, course creators, and newsletter operators. Its tag-based subscriber management means you never pay for the same subscriber twice (unlike list-based platforms like Mailchimp).

Standout features:

• Visual automation builder with "if/then" logic
• Built-in commerce (sell digital products without Shopify)
• Landing pages and forms
• Creator Network for cross-promotion

Pricing: Free for 1,000 subscribers / $15/mo (Creator) / $29/mo (Creator Pro)

2. Mailchimp — Best for Small Businesses

Mailchimp is the most recognized email marketing platform, and for good reason. Its drag-and-drop email builder is the easiest to use, and the template library covers every industry.

Standout features:

• 100+ email templates
• A/B testing
• Customer journey builder
• Content optimizer with AI

Pricing: Free for 500 contacts / $13/mo (Essentials) / $20/mo (Standard)

Watch out: Pricing scales aggressively with list size. At 10,000 contacts, the Standard plan jumps to ~$100/month.

3. ActiveCampaign — Best for Advanced Automation

ActiveCampaign has the most powerful automation engine of any email platform. If you need complex, multi-step workflows with conditional logic, lead scoring, and CRM integration — this is your tool.

Standout features:

• 850+ automation recipes
• Built-in CRM
• Predictive sending (AI picks optimal send times)
• Site tracking and event-based triggers

Pricing: No free plan. Starts at $29/mo for 1,000 contacts.

4. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — Best Budget Option

Brevo stands out with its unique pricing model: pay by email volume, not subscriber count. This makes it the most affordable option for teams with large but infrequently contacted lists.

Standout features:

• Unlimited contacts on all plans
• SMS marketing built-in
• WhatsApp campaigns
• Transactional email API

Pricing: Free (300 emails/day) / $25/mo (20,000 emails/mo) / $65/mo (Marketing Automation)

5. Klaviyo — Best for E-Commerce

Klaviyo is the de facto email platform for e-commerce businesses, particularly Shopify stores. Its deep integration with e-commerce platforms enables abandoned cart flows, product recommendation emails, and revenue attribution.

Standout features:

• Deep Shopify/WooCommerce integration
• Predictive analytics and CLV scoring
• SMS marketing
• Revenue-per-email attribution

Pricing: Free for 250 contacts / $20/mo for 500 contacts (scales with list size)

Decision Framework

| If you... | Choose... | |-----------|-----------| | Create content or run newsletters | ConvertKit | | Run a small business and want simplicity | Mailchimp | | Need complex automations and CRM | ActiveCampaign | | Have a large list on a tight budget | Brevo | | Run an e-commerce store | Klaviyo |

The right email marketing tool depends on your business model, list size, and automation needs. Most platforms offer free tiers — test before you commit.