“Best email marketing software” depends on what kind of business you run. Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Brevo, and Kit are all capable email marketing platforms, but each is genuinely built around a different primary user — this guide explains who each one fits rather than naming a single overall winner.
Browse the full lineup of email marketing platforms in our Marketing Software hub.
If You Want a General-Purpose Platform: Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a long-established, general-purpose email marketing platform with automation, templates, and light CRM features, suited to small and mid-sized businesses without a specific ecommerce or creator focus. See the full Mailchimp profile.
If You Run an Ecommerce Store: Klaviyo
Klaviyo is built specifically for ecommerce, with automated flows tied to store events like abandoned carts and purchases, plus revenue attribution reporting and deep Shopify integration. See the full Klaviyo profile.
If You Want an Affordable, Multi-Channel Option: Brevo
Brevo combines email, SMS, and WhatsApp marketing with light sales/CRM tools on a genuinely free forever entry plan, generally at a lower cost than Mailchimp or Klaviyo for comparable volumes. See the full Brevo profile.
If You’re a Creator or Newsletter Writer: Kit
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is built specifically around growing and monetizing a personal audience — newsletters, digital products, and subscriptions — rather than general business marketing. See the full Kit profile.
Quick Comparison
| Mailchimp | Klaviyo | Brevo | Kit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | General-purpose business marketing | Ecommerce stores | Budget-conscious multi-channel marketing | Creators and newsletter writers |
| Free plan | Up to 250 contacts | Up to 250 profiles | Free forever, 300 emails/day | Up to 10,000 subscribers |
| Channels | Email (SMS add-on) | Email + SMS | Email, SMS, WhatsApp | Email (SMS on paid tiers) |
| Notable strength | Broad integrations, established track record | Revenue attribution, ecommerce automation | Affordability, multi-channel reach | Creator monetization tools built in |
How to Decide
- Running a general small or mid-sized business? Start with Mailchimp.
- Running an ecommerce store, especially on Shopify? Use Klaviyo.
- Want an affordable, multi-channel option with a genuine free tier? Use Brevo.
- Growing and monetizing a personal newsletter or audience? Use Kit.
FAQ
Which email marketing software is the best overall?
There isn’t a single “best overall” platform — Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Brevo, and Kit are each built around a different primary use case. The right choice depends on whether you run a general business, an ecommerce store, need multi-channel reach on a budget, or are growing a personal audience.
Do all four have a free plan?
Yes. All four offer a free way to get started, though limits on contacts, sends, and features differ significantly between them.
Which is cheapest?
Brevo generally offers the most affordable entry point with a genuinely free forever plan and lower-cost paid tiers, though exact costs depend on your send volume and required features.
Where can I read a direct comparison?
See the dedicated Mailchimp vs Klaviyo comparison for a closer look at those two specifically.
What to Consider Before Choosing
Before picking an email marketing platform, it helps to be clear about three things: what kind of business you run (general, ecommerce, or individual creator), how large your contact list is likely to grow, and which channels beyond email you might need, such as SMS or WhatsApp. These factors matter more than any single feature checklist, since all four platforms compared here cover the marketing-email basics competently.
Pricing Philosophy Differences
Mailchimp and Klaviyo both scale pricing by contact or profile count, which is standard across the industry but means costs rise as your audience grows. Brevo instead prices primarily by email volume rather than list size, which can favor businesses with large but infrequently-emailed lists. Kit’s paid tiers scale by subscriber count but its free plan supports a notably larger list (up to 10,000 subscribers) than the others before requiring a paid upgrade.
Migration Considerations
Switching email platforms involves exporting contact lists, rebuilding automation sequences, and reconnecting any ecommerce or website integrations. All four platforms reviewed here support standard CSV contact imports and offer help-center guidance for migrating from competitors, but automation logic and segmentation rules generally need to be rebuilt manually rather than transferred automatically.
Limitations to Keep in Mind
- None of these platforms is a substitute for a full CRM if your business needs complex sales-pipeline or deal-tracking functionality beyond marketing.
- Klaviyo’s exact paid pricing requires using its own interactive estimator rather than a single published rate.
- Kit’s feature set is deliberately narrower than the others outside of email and light SMS, reflecting its creator-first focus rather than broad business marketing.
Future-Proofing Your Choice
Email marketing platforms periodically change pricing tiers, feature bundles, and even company names — Brevo was formerly known as Sendinblue, and Kit was formerly ConvertKit, both within the past few years. Before committing to a platform, it’s worth confirming current pricing and features directly on the vendor’s own site rather than relying solely on older reviews, since terms can shift faster than third-party content is updated.
Using More Than One Together
It’s also worth noting these tools aren’t always mutually exclusive. A creator selling a course might use Kit for their newsletter while running a separate Shopify store on Klaviyo for merchandise. An agency managing several small-business clients might standardize on Mailchimp for its familiarity and broad integration support, while recommending Brevo specifically to budget-constrained clients who need SMS alongside email. Matching the tool to the specific job, rather than picking one platform for every use case, tends to produce better results than forcing a single tool to cover unrelated needs.