12+ Best Email Marketing Platforms: Proven by Experts

Email marketing is a powerful way to help you connect directly with your audience, boosting brand awareness, nurturing leads, and closing deals. But to make the most of it, you need a reliable email marketing platform. We’re here to help you.

We've done the hard work for you and found the 12 best email marketing platforms, all proven by experts. All of these tools will help you easily create and optimize your email campaigns.

What Is an Email Marketing Platform?

Email marketing platforms are useful tools help you make, send, and improve your email campaigns.

These platforms usually have many features like email templates, automation tools, contact list organization, A/B testing, and analytics.

Depending on the platform you choose, you might also get access to advanced and specialized features in addition to the essential ones.

Benefits of Email Marketing Platforms

While you can send emails directly through your email provider (like Gmail or Yahoo), using an email marketing platform is much more effective. Here’s why:

1. Efficiency

Creating an email marketing campaign can take a lot of time and effort. Designing and sending relevant emails to all your subscribers at the right time requires a lot of brainstorming.

An email service provider (ESP) simplifies this process by helping you design, write, and automate your emails. You can use pre-made templates to create professional-looking emails in minutes.

Even if you want to have a more advanced look on your email, these platforms will let you use HTML code to customize. 

They also help you keep your contact list organized, send the right message to the right people, and let you focus on other important tasks.

2. Audience Segmentation

Audience segmentation means splitting your email list into smaller groups based on interests, behavior, or demographics. It would help you send more matching and useful emails to different groups, making them more interested.

An email marketing platform makes this super easy. It can automatically organize your contacts into segments based on the information you provide.

Example: If you own an online clothing store, you can create segments for customers who buy men's and women's clothing. This way, you can send men's clothing deals to one group and women's clothing deals to the other, ensuring everyone gets offers that interest them.

3. Automation

Automation means setting up your emails to be sent automatically depending on specific triggers or schedules. It would save you time and effort because you don’t have to manually send each email.

An email marketing platform helps you automate your email campaigns. For instance, you can set up an email for a welcome purpose to be sent automatically when someone subscribes to your list or a reminder email if someone leaves items in their online shopping cart. Some other could also automated like:

• Order Confirmation email sent
• Checkout Reminder email sent
• Confirmation for a signup email sent
• Reminder email scheduled, etc.

With automation, your emails reach the right people at the right time, without you having to lift a finger. It makes your marketing more efficient and effective.

4. Tracking & Analytics

Tracking and analytics help you see how well your email campaigns are doing. An email marketing platform provides detailed reports on crucial metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes.

This info helps you see what’s working and what needs improvement. Take an example: if you witness lots of people opening your emails but not clicking on any links, you might need to make your content more engaging.

Understanding how your emails are performing helps you make better choices and improve your future campaigns, making it easier to reach your goals.

5. Scalability

Scalability means that your email marketing can grow with your business. An email marketing platform can handle a small list of subscribers just as easily as a large one.

As your business grows, you’ll get more subscribers, and sending emails to all of them manually would be a huge task. A platform can manage this for you, making sending emails to thousands or even up to millions of customers easy without extra effort.

These platforms also offer more features as you grow, helping you keep up with your increasing needs. This way, your email marketing stays effective no matter how big your business gets.

Those are the top 5 reasons why you should utilize an email marketing platform. Now, let’s learn more about each of them in detail.

Top 12 Email Marketing Platforms Reviewed

Take a look at our short categorized table that we have tailored to differentiate each platform more easily:

1. Mailchimp

Starting Price: Free; $13 per month (for 500 contacts)

Key features: 

• Email features: Beginner-friendly email builder, segmentation, automation
• Additional: Websites, landing pages, social ads, postcards

Mailchimp is one of the most popular marketing platforms, especially for its top-notch email marketing service. It’s famous for offering a forever free plan for users with less than 2,000 subscribers.

Mailchimp has an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor and email templates for various business needs, whether you're a publisher, e-commerce store, coach, or service provider. The platform’s modern design makes everything from creating emails to analyzing results a breeze.

In addition to email marketing, Mailchimp provides various tools to help you grow and market your business online. It includes a free website builder, online stores, scheduling, domains, social media ads, and postcard mailing service, all within one platform.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: New businesses and digital creators want to try email marketing strategies with its generous free features.

2. Klaviyo

Starting Price: Free; $20 per month (for up to 500 contacts)

Key features: 

• Email features: Email builder, SMS messages, CSP
• Additional: Social media integration, rest API

Klaviyo is a comprehensive platform designed for email marketers focused on driving sales. It's easy to use, especially when you're creating more complex email campaigns. The platform also offers attractive email forms that you can track using Google Analytics.

For marketers interested in SMS marketing, Klaviyo supports this feature as well. You can set up automations to send both automated emails and SMS messages to contacts in your marketing funnels.

Unlike most email platforms, Klaviyo also works as a customer data platform (CDP). Its integrated CDP allows you to gather customer data from various sources, providing a better view of your customers for more effective marketing efforts.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: Experienced email marketer might utilize its rich feature set more than newcomers.

3. Omnisend

Starting Price: Free for 250 subscribers; $16 per month (for up to 500 contacts)

Key features: 

• Email features: Popup, embedded, flyout, ecommerce and email reporting
• Additional: Landing pages.

Omnisend is designed for online stores, especially smaller and medium-sized businesses. It works well with popular ecommerce and payment platforms like Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Stripe.

It includes a simple tool for creating emails and forms using drag-and-drop, automated workflows to save time, ways to organize your audience into groups, and a dashboard to track your online sales.

Omnisend stands out because it lets you connect with your audience through various channels, such as email, SMS, push notifications, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. 

For instance, if your audience prefers other channels over email, Omnisend helps create custom strategies to engage them better. This method boosts engagement by sending personalized messages through the best channels at the correct times.

Omnisend also offers ready-to-use templates for capturing emails, creating campaigns, and setting up automation, making it easy to start effective marketing campaigns quickly.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: Omnisend is perfect for ecommerce businesses to create custom workflows.

4. Brevo

Starting Price: Free, $25 per month (unlimited contacts)

Key features: 

• Email features: Email marketing, SMS, segmentation, analytics
• Additional: Landing page builder, workflow editor, custom forms

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) offers various plans suitable for any business size. A key feature is the ability to have unlimited contacts on all plans. The free plan allows up to 300 emails per day, which is quite generous. 

Brevo's email template builder has over 40 easy-to-customize templates. Its unique "Brand Library" feature stores all your brand’s design elements, like logos, colors, fonts, and URLs, in one place, making the design process quick and easy. You can set it up manually or have the tool automatically fetch assets from your website.

Brevo's simple automation helps you send welcome emails, re-engage inactive subscribers, and create follow-up sequences, especially for ecommerce tasks like abandoned carts. It also lets you add WhatsApp and SMS messages to your email campaigns to reach your audience on different platforms.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: Businesses with large contact lists will benefit greatly from Brevo’s plans, as they offer unlimited contacts without extra charges.

5. Constant Contact

Starting Price: $12/month (around 500 contacts)

Key features: 

• Email features: Email marketing,  surveys
• Additional: AI-generated content, social media marketing, ad management, landing pages.

Constant Contact is a flexible email marketing tool that lets you do more than just send emails. You can create event invites, post on social media, sell products through landing pages, and run ad campaigns.

Some of its best features are the automation builder and the reporting dashboard. It integrates with over 5,000 other tools, so you can easily gather data from emails, social media, SMS, and your website to make better email campaigns.

You can use this data to set up automated email workflows with a simple and user-friendly builder, though it doesn’t have as many advanced options as some other platforms. It's great for basic automations.

The reporting dashboard shows important statistics like open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribe rates, and conversion rates. If you link your online store, you can also see how much money your emails are making, giving you useful insights with no hassle.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: Ideal for managing contacts and beginners who are new to email marketing tools with its dedicated support.

6. HubSpot

Starting Price: Free; $18 per month (for up to 1,000 contacts)

Key features: 

• Email features: Email marketing automation, blogging, ads live chat
• Additional: Landing pages, and payments.

HubSpot offers a complete email marketing solution with a free plan that includes up to 2,000 emails per month, 10 active lists, and reporting. You can start using the email editor right after signing up, and there's a user guide for beginners. HubSpot's AI features make creating campaigns even easier.

The free plan allows quick segmentation with 1,000 static and 10 active lists. As your business grows, you can add more tools for CRM, marketing automation, customer service, and sales.

While the free plan is generous, costs can increase with advanced features, starting at $18 per month for the full Marketing Hub. HubSpot also works with Zapier for easy automation, like updating contacts and copying new leads.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: Great for businesses that want a powerful, all-in-one tool for email marketing and CRM, but it can get pricey as your needs grow.

7. MailerLite

Starting Price: Free; $9/month (up to 1,000 contacts)

Key features: 

• Email features: Email, website and Paid newsletter subscriptions
• Additional: landing page builders, e-commerce integrations

MailerLite is a top choice for small businesses and solopreneurs due to its affordability and user-friendliness. It offers pre-made blocks for email design, making it easy to create professional emails. You can enhance engagement with interactive elements like quizzes and surveys.

MailerLite supports various business needs, including automations for B2B prospects, e-commerce integration, digital downloads, and paid newsletters. It also has a website and blog builder to manage your online presence.

The free plan accommodates up to 1,000 subscribers with unlimited emails. Although templates are not included in the free version, you can still design emails with a drag-and-drop editor.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: Bloggers and digital creators who have small audiences and want to monetize their content directly, offering features tailored to their needs.

8. GetResponse

Starting Price: Free; $13.30/month (up to 1,000 contacts)

Key features: 

• Email features: Email, SMS marketing, segmentation
• Additional: Website and landing page builders

GetResponse is an email marketing tool designed for businesses of all sizes. It lets you create email newsletters, websites, landing pages, webinars, and even send SMS and social media ads.

The free version is available for up to 500 contacts, but it doesn't have all the features you might need for serious business use. It's more like a trial version to test out the platform. For bigger goals, you'll likely need to upgrade to a paid plan fairly quickly.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: GetResponse is a user-friendly choice for businesses seeking access to advanced marketing tools without complexity.

9. ActiveCampaign

Starting Price: $29 per month (for one user)

Key features: 

• Email features: Email, A/B Testing, segmentation
• Additional: SMS, landing pages

ActiveCampaign is known for its powerful tools that automate email marketing, making it ideal for businesses looking to grow using automated processes, especially in online sales.

It offers more than 200 ready-made email sequences, which are easy to customize and categorized by industry to help you find the right fit.

Once connected to your online store, ActiveCampaign collects customer data like purchase behavior and website interactions. This allows you to create customer groups and send targeted emails.

Their email automation builder is user-friendly, starting with triggers, like when a customer fills out a form. You can then tag users, like "New users," to organize data and segmenting. You can also schedule emails and use logic to decide which emails to send next.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: ActiveCampaign is ideal if you're willing to invest in automation and predictive analytics for your marketing strategies.

10. Campaign Monitor

Starting Price: Free; $11 per month (for 500 contacts)

Key features: 

• Email features: personalization email builder, segmentation, automation
• Additional: Lots of supporting blogs, guides, ect.

Campaign Monitor prides itself on offering easy-to-use email marketing tools that are powerful and personalized. Its drag-and-drop editor is straightforward, and the analytics help you improve your email strategy and target specific groups of customers.

Personalization is a key focus for Campaign Monitor. It uses data to customize content and organize email lists effectively, which boosts engagement. The platform also provides a visual tool for automating marketing tasks, allowing you to create unique customer journeys at scale.

Campaign Monitor supports users with plenty of resources to help them become better at email marketing.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: Businesses looking to create highly personalized email campaigns and willing to pay a high price. 

11. Drip

Starting Price: $39/month (2500 contacts)

Key features: 

• Email features: Email and SMS marketing
• Additional: Pre-built series for e-commerce behaviors and Facebook Custom Audiences integration

Drip provides email and SMS marketing tailored for e-commerce businesses. It offers ready-to-use automated series like reminders for abandoned carts and campaigns for post-purchases and discounts.

Integrated with major platforms such as WooCommerce and Shopify, Drip allows you to target your marketing based on customer behavior on your website.

Although there's no free version, you can start with a 14-day trial. Drip's pricing is straightforward—pay a flat monthly fee based on your contact list size for full access to email and SMS features.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: Small e-commerce businesses. While it may lack some features larger brands prefer, its focus on e-commerce ensures it provides essential integrations and features necessary for online stores.

12. AWeber

Starting Price: Free; $14.99 per month (500 subscribers, unlimited sends)

Key features: 

• Email features: 4 types of editors
• Additional: product selling, payment processing

AWeber is great for small businesses and entrepreneurs because it gives you tools like email segmentation, an email builder, and detailed analytics.

Here are the 4 types of email editors AWeber offers:

• Drag-and-drop editor: Lets you easily create attractive emails with different layouts and images.
• Rich-text editor: Helps you quickly write plain-text emails with a simple layout.
• HTML-based editor: Allows you to create email templates from scratch using HTML code.
• Smart email designer: Automatically generates custom templates based on your website's style and content, providing up to seven options tailored to your brand.

AWeber also supports selling digital products through integrations with Stripe and Shopify. This means you can create landing pages and include ecommerce features like product details and prices in your emails. It's a convenient way to gather customer information and process payments seamlessly.

Pros and Cons: 

Who should use it: Small businesses and entrepreneurs who are beginning to grow their email subscriber lists.

What Key Features do you need in an Email Marketing Platform?

Most email marketing tools offer basic features like creating email templates, A/B testing, managing email lists, simple automation, and basic analytics showing open and click rates. But a good platform offers more advanced features.

• Audience segmentation
• Personalization
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Advanced Analytics and Reporting Tools, etc.

One important advanced feature is audience segmentation and personalization. This lets you send emails that are specifically relevant to each person. The platform can change email content based on details like gender or location, easily connect with other software like advertising or payment systems, use data from different sources for personalization, and add local content like nearby store locations.

Advanced analytics and reporting tools are critical for tracking and improving campaign performance. A good email service provider should offer detailed data on how different devices and email clients engage with your emails, as well as trends over time. Having access to detailed data and easy-to-use analytics tools helps you fine-tune your email marketing strategies.

Integration with CRM is another important feature. It lets you collect data from various sources to improve your email campaigns. For example, you can use CRM data to customize emails and follow up with leads from landing pages, making your marketing more effective and targeted. 

Tips to Enhance Engagement with Email Campaigns

No matter which platform you use, the main goal is to connect your audience, build trust, and encourage them to act. Each platform offers tools for email campaigns, but success depends on how you create and send your emails. Here are some effective tips:

• Write attention-grabbing subject lines.
• Personalize your email campaigns.
• Include clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons.
• Use a landing page.
• Optimize send times to reach the most people.

1. Write attention-grabbing subject lines

Creating effective subject lines is an art in email marketing. Grab your audience's attention and encourage them to open your email. Use questions or surprising statements such as "You won't believe this new recipe!" and highlight how your product or service solves a problem.

2. Personalize your email campaigns

Personalization in email marketing means tailoring your messages to suit specific groups of users. It's about making your readers feel recognized, valued, and understood. When you offer a personalized experience, recipients are more likely to engage with your emails and make purchases.

3. Include clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons

In an email, the call to action (CTA) tells readers what action you want them to take next. It might invite them to join a product launch, redeem a discount code, or share feedback through a survey. To boost engagement, your CTAs should be straightforward, compelling, and easy to act upon.

4. Use a landing page

And, can not forget about a Landing Page for your campaign. It’s really important to let customers come to a final stage where they can shop whatever they want or get any information they need. Moreover, it’s about tracking the efficiency of the campaign through a PPC. To help you do so, we suggest you EComposer – Top Drag and Drop Landing Page Builder App on Shopify. It saves a lot of time and effort when it comes to a big campaign.

If you haven’t had a Shopify account yet, seize the opportunity to benefit from a special offer: only $1 for the first month for all plans to experience Shopify from A-Z.

5. Optimize send times to reach the most people

Last step, don’t forget to optimize a suitable time to reach the right audience due to their behaviors and demographics. Make a survey, gather data from old emails and send. It would help your email come in hand at the right moment when your customers need it.

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Final Words

Every email marketing platform addresses specific challenges, so focus on your business needs and objectives when choosing one.

Consider which features resonate with your goals and how they fit into your budget.

If you need assistance brainstorming email campaign ideas, crafting compelling subject lines, or improving your campaign results, tools like EComposer can provide valuable support.

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