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The Best Email Marketing Software

Six platforms compared on deliverability, automation, ease of use and value — with a clear pick for most senders.

Last updated Jul 2, 2026

Email is still the highest-ROI channel most businesses own, but the right platform depends on whether you need deep automation, the best free tier, or the simplest newsletter editor. We compared the six tools creators and marketers shortlist most often and scored each on what actually moves results, so you can pick by fit rather than brand recognition.

  1. 1

    ActiveCampaign

    Our pick

    The deepest automation builder of any mainstream email tool, with a light CRM attached.

    8.5
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Best-in-class visual automation with conditional logic, split paths and goals
    • + Strong, consistently well-rated deliverability
    • + Built-in CRM and sales automation on higher tiers

    Cons

    • − Steeper learning curve than beginner-focused tools
    • − Pricing scales quickly with contacts and higher feature tiers
    • − Reporting and UI can feel dense for simple newsletter needs
    From $15.00 /month
    Visit ActiveCampaign
  2. 2

    MailerLite

    Best value

    The best value in email marketing, with a clean editor and a genuinely usable free tier.

    8.3
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Generous free plan up to 1,000 subscribers
    • + Clean, fast drag-and-drop editor that is easy for beginners
    • + Excellent price-to-feature ratio on paid tiers

    Cons

    • − Automation and segmentation are shallower than premium tools
    • − Manual account-approval process can delay new senders
    • − Reporting is more basic than enterprise-grade competitors
    From $0.00 /month
    Visit MailerLite
  3. 3

    Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

    Best for beginners

    The creator-first choice, purpose-built for newsletters, digital products and audience growth.

    8.1
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Purpose-built workflows for newsletters and digital creators
    • + Tag-based subscriber model keeps a single list clean
    • + Built-in commerce and the Creator Network for organic list growth

    Cons

    • − Design options favor plain-text over heavily branded HTML emails
    • − Less suited to complex e-commerce or large sales teams
    • − Advanced automations and reporting sit behind higher tiers
    From $0.00 /month
    Visit Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
  4. 4

    Brevo

    Volume-based pricing plus email, SMS and chat in one multichannel platform.

    7.5
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Pricing by email volume is cheap for large, low-frequency lists
    • + Bundles email, SMS, chat and a lightweight CRM
    • + Solid automation and transactional email support

    Cons

    • − Editor and template quality trails dedicated newsletter tools
    • − Free plan caps sending at 300 emails per day
    • − Deliverability is good but less consistently top-rated than the leaders
    From $0.00 /month
    Visit Brevo
  5. 5

    Mailchimp

    The best-known name in email, now a broad marketing suite under Intuit.

    7.1
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Polished, beginner-friendly interface and large template library
    • + Enormous integration and app ecosystem
    • + Broad all-in-one marketing features beyond email

    Cons

    • − Pricing scales aggressively as your contact list grows
    • − Historically counts inactive and unsubscribed contacts toward billing
    • − Automation depth trails specialists like ActiveCampaign
    From $13.00 /month
    Visit Mailchimp
  6. 6

    GetResponse

    An all-in-one marketing suite with built-in webinars and conversion funnels.

    7.0
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Genuine all-in-one suite with landing pages and conversion funnels
    • + Native webinar hosting is rare among email tools
    • + Reasonable entry pricing with a free tier

    Cons

    • − No individual module is category-leading
    • − Feature breadth adds complexity for simple newsletter use
    • − Automation is capable but not as deep as specialist tools
    From $19.00 /month
    Visit GetResponse

Side-by-side

The Best Email Marketing Software — score by criterion for each product.
Product Deliverability & Sending Reputation Automation & Segmentation Ease of Use & Editor Value for Money Overall
ActiveCampaign 9.0 10.0 7.0 7.0 8.5
MailerLite 8.0 7.0 9.0 10.0 8.3
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) 8.0 8.0 9.0 7.0 8.1
Brevo 7.0 8.0 7.0 9.0 7.5
Mailchimp 7.0 7.0 8.0 6.0 7.1
GetResponse 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0
How we scored this

We score every tool on four weighted criteria: Deliverability & Sending Reputation (weight 3), Automation & Segmentation (weight 2), Ease of Use & Editor (weight 2) and Value for Money (weight 1.5), because a great editor means little if your emails land in spam. Rankings reflect our editorial assessment against these criteria and are independent of any affiliate payout — sponsored placements, where they appear, are always labelled and never presented as an earned rank.