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Best email marketing platforms for ecommerce brands

Choosing the best ecommerce email marketing software comes down to more than picking a familiar name. This guide compares six popular platforms: Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Brevo, Constant Contact, MailerLite, and HubSpot.

We compared them on what actually matters for online stores: automation depth, SMS capability, ecommerce integrations, and price. Whether you're running a Shopify store or something else entirely, the right choice depends on how much automation you need and how many contacts you're managing.

How we evaluated these platforms

Finding the best email marketing software for online stores means looking past price alone. Here's what we weighed:

  • Ecommerce integrations: How well each platform connects to storefronts like Shopify and WooCommerce, and how reliable that connection actually is.
  • Automation triggers: Whether a platform can trigger emails or texts off real store events, like an abandoned cart or a completed purchase.
  • Pricing at a common contact tier: What each platform actually costs at a comparable list size, not just the advertised starting price.
  • Deliverability: How consistently a platform gets email into the inbox rather than the spam folder.
  • Support: What kind of help is available, and how good that help actually is.

Mailchimp: best for ecommerce brands that want email, SMS & broader marketing tools in one platform

Mailchimp bundles email, SMS, and other ecommerce marketing tools into one platform, so a store can launch its first abandoned-cart flow on day one and grow into predictive segments, multi-step journeys, and revenue attribution as order volume climbs, without adding separate systems along the way.

It's also part of the broader Intuit ecosystem, so stores already using QuickBooks for accounting get some natural overlap in how customer and sales data connect. That combination of range and ecosystem fit makes it one of the best email marketing software tools for online stores, from a first Shopify launch to a scaling multichannel brand.

Best for

  • Ecommerce brands at any stage that want email, SMS & broader marketing tools in one platform that scales with order volume.

Pricing

  • Essentials from $13/mo (500 contacts); Standard from $20/mo; Premium from $350/mo
  • SMS is priced separately as an add-on, not bundled into the base price

Key features

  • Multichannel in one platform: Email and SMS live in the same platform, alongside websites and broader marketing tools.
  • AI-built automation: AI-built email and automation flows include abandoned cart and welcome automations.
  • Ecommerce integrations: Mailchimp connects directly with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other ecommerce platforms.
  • Automation performance: Automation flows are associated with up to 9x more revenue1 and up to 8 to 8.5x more orders2, with abandoned cart automation specifically linked to up to 1.7x more attributed revenue3.
  • Combined channel lift: Using SMS and email together can drive up to 2x higher click rates4 than email alone.
  • SMS ROI: SMS campaigns show ROI of up to 22x5, or up to 20x within the first three months6.
  • Delivery rate: Mailchimp's email marketing has an average delivery rate of 99%.
  • Predictive segmentation: Standard & up add AI-powered predictive segments, so stores can target customers by likelihood to purchase again rather than past orders alone.
  • Room to grow: Essentials covers core store email & automations, Standard adds multi-step journeys, predictive segments & send-time optimization, and Premium adds advanced segmentation, phone support & unlimited seats for larger ecommerce teams.

Limitations

  • Some automation gated: Multi-step automation starts on Standard ($20/mo) and isn't available on Essentials.
  • SMS costs extra: SMS costs stack on top of the base plan price rather than being bundled in.

Klaviyo: best for Shopify-first brands that want segmentation built on ecommerce data

Klaviyo built its reputation on deep ecommerce segmentation, and its tight Shopify partnership makes it one of the more capable email marketing software tools for Shopify stores on this list.

The Klaviyo Data Platform is the backbone for customer data, and predictive analytics plus AI-generated segments let stores target based on likely future behavior, not just past purchases. Predictive analytics & AI-generated segments sit alongside AI agent support in Customer Hub, with pricing that climbs as active profiles grow.

Best for

  • Shopify-first brands that want segmentation built on ecommerce data

Pricing

  • Free up to 250 active profiles; Email plan from $20/mo (500 profiles); Email + SMS from $35/mo
  • Bills on active profiles, so cost scales with list size regardless of send volume

Key features

  • Deep segmentation: Predictive analytics and AI-generated segments and content let stores target based on likely future behavior, not just past purchases.
  • Wide integration library: More than 350 integrations, with unified customer profiles that carry full historical data.
  • Agentic AI support: AI agent support inside Customer Hub is considered the most agentic option among the platforms compared here.

Limitations

  • Active-profile billing: Costs can climb as a list grows even without sending more messages, since billing tracks active profiles rather than send volume.

Brevo: best for budget-conscious teams that want email + SMS on one platform

Brevo stands out for ecommerce brands that want email and SMS on one platform. Paid plans are priced by monthly email volume, and the free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts, so a large but rarely emailed list doesn't need trimming to fit. On paid plans, contact storage depends on the email volume you buy.

Best for

  • Budget-conscious teams that want email + SMS in one plan

Pricing

  • Free plan: 300 emails/day, up to 100,000 stored contacts; Starter from $9/mo (5,000 emails/mo)
  • Paid plans priced by monthly email volume, with contact storage tied to that volume; SMS credits sold separately

Key features

  • Multichannel options: Email & SMS are available on the platform, with WhatsApp campaigns on higher tiers.
  • Generous contact storage: The free plan holds up to 100,000 contacts, and paid tiers are priced by email volume, with contact storage tied to the volume you buy.

Limitations

  • Automation gated: Unlimited marketing automation, including cart & post-purchase flows, starts on Standard ($18/mo). Free & Starter cap active automations at 2,000 unique contacts.

Constant Contact: best for straightforward, guided email + SMS setup

Constant Contact keeps things simple, with a guided setup built for teams that want clear steps rather than a blank slate. It pairs email with social marketing and landing pages on every plan, with SMS available as an add-on on Lite and Standard and included on Premium. That guided approach makes it a reasonable pick for stores setting up email marketing for the first time.

Best for

  • Straightforward, guided email + SMS setup

Pricing

  • Lite from $12/mo, Standard from $35/mo, Premium from $80/mo (all at 500 contacts, price rises steeply with list size)

Key features

  • Guided setup: A guided campaign setup walks new users through clear steps rather than a blank slate.
  • Multiple channels in one place: Social marketing and landing pages come with email on every plan, and SMS is available as an add-on or included on Premium.

Limitations

  • SMS costs extra: SMS is an add-on from $10/mo on Lite and Standard, and Premium includes 500 messages

MailerLite: best for lean teams that want simple, email-only marketing

MailerLite keeps its focus on email alone, without SMS or a built-in CRM competing for attention. That simplicity suits lean teams that want a straightforward automation builder and don't need an omnichannel setup. Its free plan covers up to 250 subscribers, which lets smaller stores start before paying anything.

Best for

  • Lean teams that want simple, email-only marketing

Pricing

  • Free up to 250 subscribers (2,500 emails/mo); Comfort from $12/mo (500 subscribers); Power from $25/mo.

Key features

  • Simple automation builder: A straightforward automation builder covers common email flows.
  • Additional tools: Landing pages are available on every plan, and the AI writing assistant starts on Comfort ($12/mo).

Limitations

  • No SMS: There's no SMS option built into the platform.
  • Limited automation depth: Automation depth doesn't match dedicated platforms like Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign.

HubSpot: best for ecommerce brands that want email tied to a full CRM

HubSpot is the platform to consider if email needs to live inside a full CRM rather than stand on its own. Contact records, deal stages, and email campaigns all live in the same system, which suits ecommerce brands already managing customer relationships beyond just marketing.

That CRM depth comes at the cost of the lower entry price and marketing-first focus that Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Brevo, and Constant Contact offer instead.

Pricing

  • Free tier available; Starter from $20/seat/mo billed monthly, with promotional annual pricing for new customers (1,000 marketing contacts)
  • Professional starts at $890/mo billed monthly ($800/mo billed annually) with 3 seats, plus a required $3,000 onboarding fee

Key features

  • CRM-tied email: Email marketing lives inside a full CRM, alongside forms and landing pages.
  • Light automation on Starter: Starter includes up to 10 automated actions, with unlimited actions on Professional.

Best for

  • Ecommerce brands that want email tied to a full CRM

Limitations

  • SMS is a paid add-on: HubSpot's native SMS requires Professional or Enterprise plus an add-on & sends only from US numbers, a real gap compared to Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Brevo & Constant Contact, where SMS is available on lower tiers.
  • Automation gated: Real automation and reporting depth is gated behind the expensive Professional tier.

How to choose the right email marketing software for your store

Here's what to weigh when picking from the top email marketing platforms for ecommerce, whether you're comparing built-in SMS marketing tools or looking at email alone:

  • Email-only vs. email + SMS: Decide whether text messaging matters enough to pay for, or if email alone covers your outreach.
  • Budget and contact-tier pricing: Check how each platform's cost changes as your list or send volume grows, not just the advertised starting price.
  • Ecommerce platform integrations: Confirm the platform connects cleanly with your store. If you're specifically looking for email marketing software for Shopify stores, check how reliable that integration actually is, not just whether it exists.
  • Automation depth needed: Match the platform's automation capability to how sophisticated your campaigns actually need to be.

Get started with Mailchimp

For ecommerce brands that want the best ecommerce email marketing software without stitching together separate tools, Mailchimp's email marketing platform brings together email, SMS, and ecommerce integrations in one place. Explore Mailchimp's plans to find the right fit, whether you're launching your first store or scaling a multichannel brand.

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