If you have an email address and accounts on most social media networks these days, chances are that you’re getting at least a few emails every day. And if these come from small businesses you’re subscribed to, they are probably being sent with some of the most popular email marketing software of this year.
According to recent stats, there are over 4.2 billion email users worldwide. For businesses, big or small, finding the best email marketing software can make a huge difference in their campaigns and overall marketing strategies.
Whether you’re a small business owner looking to re-engage existing customers or an experienced marketer looking to use advanced features, the right email marketing tool can change the game for your business.
So, let’s jump right into our blog about the best email marketing software available and learn more about each offering.
- Why Email Marketing Software?
- Key Benefits of Email Marketing Software
- Top 24 Email Marketing Software of 2024
- Choosing the Right Email Marketing Tool
- Best Practices for Email Marketing Campaigns
Why Email Marketing Software?
Finding the right email marketing software is crucial for most companies, as it can transform your marketing efforts from good to spectacular.
On average, the open rate for emails across every industry is 21.33%. Welcome emails have a more significant 63.91% open rate, which means that well-written content in that welcome email is essential for keeping your customers hooked for more.
These statistics alone show why email marketing campaigns and their associated tools are an integral part of every business, big or small.
Free email marketing tools give you the ability to create, personalize, and optimize emails without needing to be a tech wizard. They can also provide powerful email automation tools.
Think of this software as your right-hand person, automating tasks, segmenting audiences, and delivering messages that resonate with your customers.
This software simplifies the email creation process and has a whole host of advanced features that can supercharge your campaigns. From detailed analytics to seamless integration with other marketing tools, email marketing software is a must-have for any business that is serious about digital marketing.
Key Benefits of Email Marketing Software
- Automation capabilities: Imagine having a personal assistant who sends out emails at just the right time without you lifting a finger. That’s the power of marketing automation.
- Advanced segmentation: Instead of sending the same email to everyone, advanced segmentation allows you to tailor messages to specific groups, making your emails more relevant and effective.
- Analytics and reporting: Get the full scoop on how your emails are performing with detailed analytics. See what’s working and what’s not so that you can tweak your strategy for even better results.
- Integration: Why work in silos? Integrate your email marketing with your CRM, social media, and e-commerce platforms to create a seamless marketing ecosystem.
- Cost: Whether you’re on a shoestring budget or ready to invest in more advanced features, there’s an email marketing service that fits your needs.
How We Tested These Email Marketing Tools
Our experienced marketers test these tools, spending much of their time testing and evaluating each program’s features. Some of our staff have been working with some of these tools for many years, while others have tried them briefly to share their thoughts on the matter.
Please note that each entry represents our marketers’ opinions on the top email marketing software. The opinions are their own, and they won’t always represent what most people might think about these tools. Therefore, we present them as is.
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Top 24 Email Marketing Software of 2024
First, we have put together a list of the top email marketing tools you’ll come across in your marketing career. Whether you’ve been in marketing for years or are just starting out in a big company, you’ll likely need to compare these tools at some point.
There are many options, including free and paid email marketing tools, each with pros and cons. In this section we’ll give you an overview of what those are.
1. Constant Contact
Website: Constant Contact
Description: For small businesses, Constant Contact has an easy-to-use interface with a drag-and-drop editor, integrations with many popular platforms, and top-notch customer support.
It helps businesses create professional-looking emails, manage contact lists, and track campaign performance to increase customer engagement. The platform also supports tons of automation workflows, making it an ideal tool for new customers looking for a head start.
It’s noted that the platform doesn’t have a free plan, but you can get a 14-day trial – albeit requiring a credit card to continue.
2. Mailchimp
Website: Mailchimp
Description: Mailchimp is highly versatile and has a free plan. It’s great for businesses of all sizes looking for an all-in-one marketing solution.
It has powerful email marketing tools, automation features, generative AI to help you write more targeted and compelling content, and advanced analytics to give you detailed insights and help you optimize your campaign.
Mailchimps’ free email marketing plan has more than 100 pre-built, customizable templates, limited reporting and analytics, and up to 1000 emails per month (or 500 per day). So, it’s a strong contender among free plans.
3. Brevo (formerly SendinBlue)
Website: Brevo
Description: Great for multichannel marketing, Brevo has both email marketing and SMS marketing tools.
It’s good for businesses looking to expand their communication channels and engage with customers across multiple platforms. The multichannel angle also allows for multiple integrations with popular solutions like WooCommerce for WordPress websites.
While Brevo offers plenty of solutions, it also has a free plan that gives businesses and individuals up to 300 emails per day, customizable email templates, and a drag-and-drop editor. For both the free and paid options, Brevo offers a pay-as-you-go model on SMS and WhatsApp campaigns, among other mediums.
The free plan doesn’t require a credit card for platform access.
4. HubSpot
Website: HubSpot
Description: HubSpot is a marketing automation leader for businesses that want to use customer data for super personalized campaigns. It does come with a few free marketing tools; however, its more robust package is fairly pricey, and thus, it’s only recommended for medium-sized businesses.
With CRM integration and advanced automation features, HubSpot allows marketers to manage marketing across multiple channels. Some free options don’t require a credit card, which is a good sign for anyone looking to try out a solution before they commit to it.
5. GetResponse
Website: GetResponse
Description: Made for multi-channel engagement, GetResponse has email marketing tools, webinar hosting, and a landing page builder infused with AI.
Its main feature is its compelling pricing, which can cover the needs of bigger companies. Some features, however, are tied to specific plans, so to get automation workflows, you’ll need to use a more advanced plan.
What’s also interesting is that the company has a 24-month plan with even lower pricing, and it also offers free onboarding services for anyone looking to make the switch.
6. ActiveCampaign
Website: ActiveCampaign
Description: A favourite of experienced marketers, ActiveCampaign is known for its automation and CRM capabilities. Like most of the tools in this category, ActiveCampaign has AI-powered automation features and offers hundreds of integrations with other marketing tools like ZApier, Stripe, WooCommerce, Instagram, Slack, and over 900 more.
Great for businesses with complex marketing needs, it gives detailed customer insights and personalized campaign strategies.
Its starter plan comes with an AI automation builder and a few other interesting features, while the full-blown CRM features more advanced plans.
7. AWeber
Website: AWeber
Description: Simple and easy to use, AWeber is for small to medium-sized businesses. It features great customer support, lots of templates, and easy-to-use email marketing tools so you can get up and running quickly.
AWeber offers a free plan as well, with up to 500 subscribers in one email list. However, it still offers all the integrations the other plans have, making it a good starting point for someone who wants to try it.
8. Campaign Monitor
Website: Campaign Monitor
Description: For design-focused businesses, Campaign Monitor stands out with its gorgeous email templates and easy-to-use email builder. It helps companies create beautiful campaigns that grab attention and engage recipients.
Campaign Monitor provides a marketing resources hub that shares the latest best practices in email marketing for both new and seasoned marketers. Additionally, the affordable solution offers up to 2500 emails per month, along with a drag-and-drop builder and marketing automation capabilities.
9. Drip
Website: Drip
Description: For eCommerce businesses, Drip has advanced automation and segmentation tools made with online stores in mind.
It helps businesses drive sales and customer retention by sending personalized and timely marketing messages based on user behaviour. Analytics and campaign monitoring are also included, while the onboarding process is one of its strongest points.
Prices start at $2500 per month, with extensive integration for popular tools and social media.
10. Moosend
Website: Moosend
Description: Affordable and powerful, Moosend has an email marketing platform with a free plan. Great for startups and small businesses looking for quality email marketing tools without the cost.
It also offers a free trial plan with no credit card required, allowing you to send unlimited emails to up to 1000 subscribers during the trial period.
11. ConvertKit
Website: ConvertKit
Description: With over 600K creators on its platform, ConvertKit is another email marketing tool with automation features specifically for bloggers and content creators. It makes email marketing easy and helps you grow and nurture your audience.
It has an intuitive interface and a free tier for up to 10000 subscribers, 1 email sequence, and 1 user.
12. Benchmark Email
Website: Benchmark Email
Description: This simple solution boasts an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor. It’s suitable for small- to medium-sized businesses that need a basic email marketing solution.
Like most tools in this space, Benchmark Email offers a free plan with 500 contacts and 3500 emails per month. The full-fledged service offer also comes with email templates, forms, and pop-ups to attract more customers.
13. Mailjet
Website: Mailjet
Description: Mailjet is team-based and robust. It’s great for teams working on email campaigns together, as it offers collaborative tools and automation features for seamless teamwork and campaign management.
The email editor is easy to use and provides a drag-and-drop interface, allowing you to preview and test the end result before you send it. Along with the plentiful templates available, Mailjet is a solid option with a free forever plan with up to 6000 emails per month or 200 emails per day.
14. Omnisend
Website: Omnisend
Description: Based in Lithuania, Omnisend is an eCommerce-focused option and one of the most popular on our list. It integrates with major eCommerce platforms and has advanced segmentation and automation features.
This is for online businesses looking to drive sales and customer engagement through personalized marketing. The free option, while a bit limiting, still offers 500 emails per month and 500 web push notifications on your online store.
15. MailerLite
Website: MailerLite
Description: Simple and cheap, MailerLite is for small businesses and startups, but the company also offers a more advanced option, MailerSend, which is an email API and SMTP. MailerLite is easy to use, comes at an affordable price for entrepreneurs, and brings simple email marketing automation to everyone.
The service offers plenty of customizable email templates and can also be integrated into multiple platforms, including WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe, and others.
16. Mailgun
Website: Mailgun
Description: Mailgun offers APIs for sending, receiving, and tracking emails, targeting tech-savvy users and developers in need of versatile and dependable email services.
It’s mostly suitable for professionals and offers a free plan limited to 100 emails per day. However, the service provides excellent customer support and is utilized by various industries.
17. SendGrid
Website: SendGrid
Description: SendGrid is a scalable and powerful solution for transactional emails that is also developer-friendly and offers a robust email API. It provides email marketing services for marketers and developers who need scalable solutions for their email campaigns.
The free service still offers plenty of the paid plans’ features, including 100 emails per day and a dynamic email template editor with insightful analytics to help your team and business grow more efficiently.
On top of that, SendGrid offers plans specifically tailored for marketers, including email automation, marketing campaign creation, and email design.
18. ActiveTrail
Website: ActiveTrail
Description: ActiveTrail delivers an all-in-one marketing service with automation options, landing page creator, and SMS support to help nurture existing customers with ease.
On its list of features, you’ll find A/B testing support, lots of email templates, contact management, triggers, and birthday campaigns to keep every customer engaged with your company.
Contrary to most tools, there’s no free plan available, although it offers plenty of integrations with popular services such as PayPal, Facebook, Salesforce, and many others.
19. Zoho Campaigns
Website: Zoho Campaigns
Description: Zoho has extended its available tools with Zoho Campaigns, allowing businesses to construct email marketing and SMS marketing campaigns with ease. The solution is fully integrated with Zoho, one of the most popular office suite platforms after Google and Microsoft.
For businesses already using Zoho and seeking to boost their marketing, there’s also a ‘free forever’ version that offers up to 6000 emails per month and a contact list of 2000 people for personalized messages.
20. MailPoet
Website: MailPoet
Description: As a WordPress-friendly service, MailPoet is a plugin that integrates fully with WooCommerce and allows users to create and send newsletters directly from their WordPress dashboard.
It’s considered one of the top tools for WordPress and it’s tailored for users who want an integrated email marketing solution right within their CMS platform. The email templates come in various designs, and no coding skills are required to edit them to fit your brand and industry.
For startups and small businesses, there’s also a free plan for up to 500 subscribers and 5000 emails per month, along with subscription forms you can place on your website and basic marketing automation.
21. iContact
Website: iContact
Description: With easy-to-use tools, iContact provides straightforward email marketing solutions with excellent customer support. It’s ideal for small businesses and nonprofits looking for reliable and user-friendly email marketing services.
iContact provides a wide range of services and tools that focus on digital marketing. Its free solution includes up to 15000 emails per month and covers up to 500 subscribers, making it one of the most feature-rich free versions currently available on the market.
22. Klaviyo
Website: Klaviyo
Description: Mainly designed for eCommerce, Klaviyo offers powerful automation and segmentation features and holds a complete email platform with marketing automation features.
It helps businesses drive sales and improve customer engagement through highly personalized and timely marketing messages. A free option with up to 500 monthly emails is also available.
23. SendPulse
Website: SendPulse
Description: Designed for multi-channel marketing, SendPulse provides a suite of tools for email, SMS, and web push notifications. It’s suitable for businesses that want to engage their audience through various communication channels.
SendPulse offers a host of services and tools, focusing on digital marketing. Its free solution covers up to 15000 emails per month as well as 500 subscribers, which makes it one of the more feature-rich free versions currently available on the market.
24. Pardot
Website: Pardot
Description: Pardot is a Salesforce product for B2B marketing automation. It’s designed for lead generation and nurturing and offers advanced features that help businesses manage and optimize their B2B marketing campaigns effectively.
Choosing the Right Email Marketing Tool
Choosing the right email marketing software is like choosing a dance partner – it has to match your rhythm, enhance your performance, and help you shine. Here are some things to consider:
- Ease of use: Choose software with an easy-to-use interface, especially if you lack technical skills. A steep learning curve will slow you down.
- Features: Make sure the tool has the features you need. Automation, segmentation, and detailed analytics are must-haves for email marketing.
- Integration: Your email marketing software should integrate with other tools you use, such as your CRM, e-commerce platform, and social media accounts.
- Pricing: Compare pricing plans to find one that fits your budget. Many tools offer free plans or trials so you can test before you commit.
- Customer support: Good support is crucial, especially if you encounter issues or are new to email marketing. Look for software with good customer reviews.
Free vs. Paid Plans
Most email marketing tools have a free plan, so startups and small businesses can try them out before they commit to one.
Sometimes, even the free versions of these tools have automation workflows, customizable templates, and customer interaction management, so you can create, personalize, and optimize emails without needing technical skills.
These plans have basic features like email creation and simple automation. As you grow your business, you can upgrade to a paid plan to get unlimited emails, advanced segmentation, and full marketing automation.
Other Marketing Channels
Imagine being able to sync your email campaigns with social media, SMS marketing, and your website. This multi-channel approach can supercharge your marketing.
Brevo and HubSpot have multi-channel marketing capabilities, so you can create cohesive and cross-channel campaigns.
Best Practices for Email Marketing Campaigns
To get the most out of your email marketing efforts, follow these best practices:
- Personalization: Use customer data to create personalized emails that speak directly to the recipient’s interests and needs. Personalized emails earn higher open and click-through rates.
- Segmentation: Divide your email list into segments based on criteria like behaviour, purchase history, and demographics. This allows you to send more relevant messages.
- Automation: Set up automated email sequences for tasks like welcoming new subscribers, nurturing leads, and re-engaging inactive customers. Automation saves time and ensures timely communication.
- A/B Testing: Experiment with different subject lines, email content, and send times to see what resonates best with your audience. Use the insights to optimize future campaigns.
- Responsive Design: Ensure your emails look great on all devices, including smartphones and tablets. Many emails are opened on mobile devices, so responsive design is crucial.
- Compliance: Adhere to email marketing regulations, such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM. This not only keeps you compliant but also builds trust with your subscribers.
Subject Lines That Work
Your subject line is the first impression your email makes, so make it good! A great subject line can boost your opens significantly, so keep it short, relevant and interesting. Personalization and urgency help, too.
Analytics and Reporting
Use the analytics and reporting in your email tool to track opens, clicks and conversions. Analyze this data to see what’s working and what’s not, and adjust your email strategy accordingly.
Conclusion
Email marketing remains a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes. By choosing the right email marketing software and leveraging its features, you can create effective campaigns that drive engagement, conversions, and customer loyalty.
Whether you opt for a robust platform or a versatile tool, the key is to align your choice with your business needs and goals.
Investing in the best email marketing services of this year can transform your digital marketing efforts, helping you connect with your audience in meaningful ways and achieve your business objectives.
With the right tools and strategies, you can make your email marketing campaigns more effective and impactful than ever before.
As you start your journey through these digital landscapes, remember that EasyHosting is your trusted partner, offering guidance and support for every small business online.
Email us at support@easyhosting.com
Call us: 1-888-390-1210
