Email marketing is hands down our favorite way to nurture in the B2B space and our favorite way to generate $$$ in the B2C space. But often, brands end up using a platform they heard about in passing or was recommended. Sound like you? In this blog, we’ll talk about the quick and dirty breakdown of 5 of the best email platforms’ pros and cons. 

Key Features for Email Marketing

First and foremost – your business needs an email list. For business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, the focus is often on driving home the big bucks and engaging with customers. 

For business-to-business (B2B) companies, you want to leverage your email list to nurture and educate your audience over time – so when they’re ready for your service, you’re the first brand they turn to.

You want an email platform that helps you target the right audience with the right message at the right time.

Here’s a short and snappy list of must-have features: 

• Email List Segmentation: This helps target specific audiences and personalize content for higher engagement.
• Easy-to-use Email Editor: Simplify the process of creating visually appealing emails without requiring years of coding knowledge.
• Automated Email Workflows: Saves you a lot of time and allows for timely, targeted messaging.
• Responsive Email Templates: Keeps your emails looking oh-so-good and easy to read on any device.
• Email Personalization: Increases engagement and conversions by delivering relevant content tailored to each recipient with your pretty branding.
• A/B Testing and Analytics: Get data-driven decisions and optimizations to improve campaign performance with A/B testing (like subject lines, delivery times, email design, etc.) 
• Integration: Connect your email campaigns with other platforms for a cohesive, smooth strategy.

Best Email Marketing Platforms 

The Quick n’ Dirty List:

1. Mailchimp 
2. ActiveCampaign
3. Klaviyo
4. ConvertKit
5. Flodesk 

These email marketing platforms offer features that cater to the needs of B2C businesses, helping them drive sales and build customer loyalty. 

But, which one is best for YOUR brand? Take a look at the pros and cons. 

Email Marketing Platforms Pros and Cons 

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the best email marketing platforms for helping small businesses grow their customer base through various marketing channels. Mailchimp offers data-backed recommendations, award-winning support, and inspiring content to several users. 

Pros:

• User-Friendly: It’s intuitive, easy to navigate, and makes crafting emails a breeze, even for those of us who aren’t tech wizards.
• Comprehensive Analytics: Mailchimp’s analytics serve up a feast of data that helps you understand your audience better and fine-tune your marketing strategy like a pro.
• Free Tier Available: Who doesn’t love a good freebie, right? Mailchimp’s free tier lets you dip your toes into email marketing waters without breaking the bank. 

Cons:

• Can Be Expensive as Your List Grows: Just like drinking at a fancy cocktail bar, the bill can start adding up as you keep ordering more rounds—and the same goes for Mailchimp. As your subscriber list grows, so can your monthly costs. So, keep an eye on those numbers!
• Limited Customization Options on Lower-Tier Plans: You might find yourself craving more customization options if you’re looking to *really* shake up your emails (like scheduling emails). But sadly, there might not be all the options available at your fingertips as expected. 
• Counting subscribers is not fun: Mailchimp is one of the email marketing services that will charge you even for unsubscribed and inactive contacts. 

Let’s Talk $$$:

Mailchimp offers different pricing plans based on the features and services you need. The pricing plans are tiered based on the number of subscribers you have and the features you require.

They have a free plan, as well as three paid plans: 

• Free: $0/mo; limit of 500 contacts.
• Essentials: $13/mo for 500 contacts.
• Standard: $20/mo for 500 contacts.
• Premium: $350/mo for 10,000 contacts.

For more on the nitty gritty, check out their pricing plan website here. 

ActiveCampaign

With over 250 fun templates, ActiveCampaign makes it simple to create a highly engaging email campaign. It includes super fun features like reporting, analytics, email design, SMS marketing, and more.

Is this one right for you, then? Let’s help you out: 

Pros:

• Great deliverability: High deliverability rates are a badge of honor that ActiveCampaign wears loud and proud.
• Free migrations: ActiveCampaign offers free migration for users transitioning from different marketing software, without additional costs. 
• Extremely powerful automation: The automation features are noted as being not only powerful but also easy peasy to use. 

Cons:

• Charges for client preview: On your end, previewing newsletter designs on various email clients is a breeze. However, this is a $1 per client/test charge. 
• Limited Customization Without Technical Knowledge: Advanced customization may require technical expertise, which could be a big time, money, and resource barrier for businesses. It’s not the platform for those who are looking for a low-maintenance, beginner-friendly tool.
• Lack of Scalability: This might not be the most cost-effective solution for larger businesses with complex needs. 

Let’s Talk $$$:

Each plan has different pricing starting points and offers various key features, including the number of contacts, users, marketing automation capabilities, CRM functionalities, integrations, and reporting features. 

Here’s a simplified comparison of the pricing plans:

• Starter: Starts at $15/month. A great plan for those starting personalized marketing campaigns.
• Plus: Starts at $49/month. This offers further automation and powerful customer insights.
• Pro: Starts at $79/month. A popular plan that unlocks full omnichannel marketing automation. 
• Enterprise: Starts at $145/month. Get to run campaigns at scale with enterprise-level support.

Compare and find the right plan for you here! 

Klaviyo

Where data, analytics, and marketing are untied. Klaviyo’s is high on our list of best email platforms because it provides tools and playbooks for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Its robust and user-friendly email marketing makes it a breeze for effective growth. (Psst – this is our FAVORITE platform, especially for product-based brands).

Sounds juicy? Take a closer look at the menu: 

Pros:

• Excellent for E-commerce: Klaviyo just gets e-commerce, like a bartender who knows your go-to cocktail without you even saying a word. It’s tailored specifically for online sellers, making it a top pick for those of us hustling in the digital marketplace.
• Advanced Segmentation: It’s like having a secret weapon in your mixology arsenal. Klaviyo’s advanced segmentation lets you slice and dice your customer data like a master chef, enabling you to serve up hyper-targeted messages that hit the spot every time.
• Robust Integration Options: Klaviyo is like that versatile liquor that pairs perfectly with any mixer. It plays well with others, offering a wide range of integrations with e-commerce platforms and other tools, so you can craft the ultimate marketing concoction without limits.
• In-depth analytics: You get a front-row seat to all audience insights and personalized industry benchmarks. You can gain valuable insights into the performance of your email campaigns and compare their results against industry standards.
• Freaking awesome education portal: This portal offers a range of learning resources including getting-started guides, best practices, quick guides, live training, courses, and certificates. This is a gem for brands to tap into for endless support. 

Cons:

• Setup & ease of use: Klaviyo’s setup process is straightforward but as you dig into the features, it can be overwhelming. The full range of features may make it less user-friendly for first-timers. 
• Integration Challenges: The lack of specific details on the ease and adaptability of these integrations could be challenging for new email marketers. Tying to smoothly connect current systems with Klaviyo’s platform could affect the overall user experience.
• Complex pricing model: Klaviyo’s pricing structure can be confusing, especially for businesses with rapidly growing email lists. There are also additional charges when you send an email to a subscriber more than once in an email campaign, which can add up if you’re communicating frequently with your subscribers. (Klaviyo Review (2024): Is it worth its high price?) 

Let’s Talk $$$:

Klaviyo offers pricing plans based on the number of active profiles you have. The plans ranges from free to starting at $60 per month and include a combination of email and SMS marketing. The pricing varies depending on the number of active profiles and the number of monthly email sends. 

• Free: Starting $0/month. Perfect for getting started and getting a feel for the platform. 
• Email: Starting at $45/month. Advance your email marketing efforts by adding an easy-to-use solution that customizes messages on a large scale.
• Email & SMS: Starting at $60/month. Increase your reach by connecting with customers through both email and SMS.

Check out Klaviyo’s pricing plans in full detail here. 

ConvertKit

This platform uniquely focuses on empowering creators to build and nurture their audience while simplifying their email workflows. ConvertKit helps creators connect with their audience and monetize their content online efficiently. 

Too good to be true? Here’s the breakdown: 

Pros: 

• Landing page editor: ConvertKit allows users to create customized forms and landing pages to capture leads and engage with their audience effectively.
• Targeted Towards Creators and Bloggers: This platform is designed specifically for creators and bloggers, making it a suitable choice for those in that niche. For example, it offers tools and resources that align with the needs of individuals looking to amplify their work, provide advice, and connect with fellow creators.
• Generous Freemium Plan: The platform offers a generous freemium plan for up to 10,000 subscribers, including unlimited emails, forms, and landing pages. 

Cons:

• Limited reporting: Although it’s striving to improve, it is still not as advanced as some tools. You can see open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes, but not click maps, geo-tracking, or other useful metrics.
• Poor design options: There are a total of 15 email templates and landing page designs. Not to mention, some of them feel outdated and a bit clunky. 
• Limited E-commerce Integration: If you heavily rely on e-commerce functionalities and require seamless integration with platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce, you might find ConvertKit very limited.

Let’s Talk $$$:

ConvertKit offers a range of pricing plans to fit where you are in your email marketing journey. These plans include a free limited plan for beginners looking to build their audience, as well as a Creator Pro plan with advanced features for those looking to automate and scale their businesses. You also have the option to pay monthly or yearly. 

Here’s the gist:

• Pro: For established creators looking to scale their business.
  • Includes deliverability scoring, insights dashboard, and 24/7 priority support. 
  • Unlimited visual automation, email sequences, and users. 
  • Up to 1,000 subscribers. 

• Creator Plan: For growing and established creators looking to automate their work.
  • Includes powerful features tailored for advanced creators. 
  • Features include subscriber scoring and a state-of-the-art visual automation builder, as well as third-party integrations. 
  • Up to 1,000 subscribers. 
• Newsletter Plan: Ideal for creators looking to build their audience.
  • Includes unlimited landing pages, opt-in forms, and email broadcasts.
  • Features audience tagging & segmentation, selling digital products, and running paid newsletters & subscriptions. 
  • Provides a newsletter feed & website, along with smart recommendations and 24/7 support.
  • Up to 10,000 subscribers. 

For more detailed information and pricing, you can visit ConvertKit’s official pricing page.

Flodesk

Flodesk is an intuitive, all-in-one email marketing platform that helps entrepreneurs and small businesses grow. The platform offers a suite of tools to help users easily create and send on-brand marketing emails.

Here’s what we got for ya: 

Pros: 

• Customizable forms: Flodesk offers customizable forms that help users grow their email lists and convert more subscribers.
• Intuitive and user-friendly interface: Its intuitive, drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for even non-technical users to create stunning picture-perfect emails.
• Unlimited Emails and Subscribers: You get the freedom to grow your list without worrying about emptying your pockets. 

Cons:

• Not as “figureoutable” as other platforms: Sadly, there are limited comprehensive training resources available on the platform to help users make the most of all the features.
• Very basic automation: Flodesk’s automation only has single-trigger workflows (“when a subscriber is added to a segment”). It doesn’t allow you to automate personalized emails based on your contact’s behaviors and actions. 
• Limited integrations: Flodesk has limited integrations with third-party apps other than Shopify. This may limit e-commerce functionality for some folks. 

HOWEVER – Flodesk is on the rise and actively tuning into their customers’ feedback. We especially appreciate their roadmap site where you can submit requests for what you feel is missing, and upvote other requests, too!

Let’s Talk $$$:

Flodesk pricing plans are flexible for all marketers. It caters to both those wanting a free email marketing platform and those looking for more advanced features through their paid plans

• Free Forever Plan: To name a few features:
  • Free forever access to Flodesk.
  • Unlimited subscribers.
  • Audience segmentation.
  • Robust analytics and data exports.
  • No platform fee and unlimited access.

• Email Marketing Plan: $35/month when billed annually. This plan includes email marketing features for up to 14,000 subscribers.
• E-Commerce Plan: $24/month when billed annually. This plan includes e-commerce features in addition to email marketing capabilities.

Take a deeper dive into Flodesk’s pricing plans.  

How to Narrow Your Choices Down

There you have it, the best email marketing platforms…but, which one is the best fit for you? Choosing the right email marketing platform depends on your specific needs and goals. Here are some factors to consider:

Budget

Consider your budget and the pricing structure of each platform. Some platforms offer free tiers or special pricing for nonprofits, which can help you save $$$$. We recommend you evaluate the total cost of ownership, including any hidden fees or add-ons, to ensure the platform fits your budget both now and in the future.

Features

Evaluate the features offered by each platform. Make sure the platform you choose has the features you need, whether it’s advanced automation, analytics, or nonprofit-specific tools. Consider your current needs as well as any future requirements as your organization grows.

Scalability

You want a platform to grow with your business. As your email list grows, you’ll need a platform that can handle larger volumes without compromising on performance. Scalability is so so important to ensure that your email marketing efforts remain effective and efficient as your audience expands.

Final Thoughts

Email marketing is tried and true when it comes to reaching and engaging with your audience. With the right platform, you can automate your campaigns, personalize your messages, and track your success. Who doesn’t want that!?

If this sounds like another thing to put on your never-ending to-do list, we would love to help you lighten the load! 

As your marketing enthusiasts, we handle full-service marketing, email conversion funnels, SMS marketing, and more. 

Our goal is for you to fully understand your data and the stories it tells to drive business decisions. 🥂Ready to get the party started? 

🎊And for even more good times, follow us on Instagram: @brandgoodtime