The Best Email Marketing Platforms 

Email marketing is a highly effective way to reach your target audience, increase brand awareness and drive business growth. But with the plethora of email marketing platforms available today, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. This article is here to help – we’ll explore some of the top platforms out there to help you make an informed decision. 

Top Email Marketing Platforms

Let’s look at some of the best email marketing platforms – in no particular order.  

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Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the most popular platforms and for good reason. It offers a user-friendly interface, automation capabilities, and a range of integrations with other tools. It also offers a free plan for businesses with up to 500 contacts; however, this plan doesn’t include all the features – you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan to access them.  

Pros of Mailchimp 

  • User-friendly interface: Mailchimp has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for beginners to navigate and set up their email marketing campaigns. It provides drag-and-drop functionality, allowing users to easily design visually appealing email templates.  
  • Email automation: One of the significant advantages of Mailchimp is its robust automation features, allowing users to set up automated email sequences based on specific triggers and user behaviour. This feature saves time and effort by sending targeted emails to subscribers at the right time. 
  • Integration capabilities: Mailchimp integrates with various popular platforms and tools such as e-commerce platforms, content management systems, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and social media platforms, making it easier to synchronise data and streamline your marketing efforts. 
  • A/B testing: A/B testing is available with Mailchimp, which allows users to determine the most effective elements for engagement and conversion.  
  • Analytics and reporting: Mailchimp offers detailed analytics and reporting features, providing insights into email performance, open rates, click-through rates, subscriber behaviour, and more. These metrics enable users to make data-driven decisions and refine their email marketing strategy. 

Cons of Mailchimp 

  • Pricing structure: While Mailchimp offers a free plan for users with 500 or fewer subscribers, it can become relatively expensive as the subscriber count grows. This applies to contacts whether or not they are subscribed/have opted-in, which can push the prices up. On the other hand, there is also a pay-as-you-go model which may be preferable for some users.  
  • Limited automation in the free plan: Users need to upgrade to a paid plan to access advanced automation functionality, which may be a drawback for budget-conscious users. 
  • Template customisation constraints: While Mailchimp offers pre-designed templates and a drag-and-drop editor, some users may find the customisation options limited. Advanced users who prefer complete control over design and coding may feel restricted by the platform’s template constraints. 
  • Affiliate marketing is not allowed: If you are an affiliate marketer, you’ll need to use another platform as this activity is prohibited in Mailchimp’s Terms of Use.  
  • Limited support on the free plan: Users on the paid version (the essentials plan) have access to live chat and email support, which is not available for users on the free plan. 
  • Possible changes in the near future: Mailchimp was recently acquired by Intuit. Before that, their free plan included 2,000 free contacts – so, who knows what else is going to change? 

All in all, Mailchimp is good for beginners and small businesses. With that said, anyone can get value from it – the company has been around for a long time and remains one of the most popular platforms for good reason. One of the main things to consider is whether their pricing structure aligns with your plans to scale. 

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Drip

Drip is designed for e-commerce businesses, offering a range of features specifically tailored to the needs of online retailers. The cheapest subscription costs $39/month for up to 2,500 contacts and a 14-day free trial is available.  

Pros of Drip  

  • Advanced e-commerce features: Drip is known for its robust e-commerce capabilities, offering features such as tracking customer behaviour, segmenting subscribers based on purchase history, and creating personalised email campaigns.  
  • Powerful automation: Drip provides a powerful automation engine that allows users to create complex email sequences based on various triggers, events, and conditions such as abandoned cart reminders and post-purchase campaigns. It supports conditional logic, tagging, and custom workflows, giving users greater control over their automation strategy.  
  • Integrations: Drip integrates with popular e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento, as well as other third-party tools. This enables businesses to synch customer data, track purchases, and leverage the power of Drip’s automation within their existing e-commerce ecosystem. 
  • Comprehensive analytics: Drip offers detailed analytics and reporting features to track the performance of email campaigns and make data-driven decisions to optimise their strategies. 
  • Excellent customer support: Drip is known for its responsive and helpful customer support. Users can reach out to their support team via email or live chat and receive timely assistance.  

Cons of Drip 

  • Learning curve: Drip’s advanced features and automation capabilities can have a learning curve, especially for users who are new to email marketing or automation. It may take time and effort to fully understand and utilise all the functionalities the platform offers, and some users may find their interface to be complex to navigate in the beginning. This is not truly a con, as the more you learn on any platform, the more effective your campaigns will be – though it may be off-putting for some users that want to get started quickly.  
  • Limited templates: Some reviews have complained that the selection of templates is very limited. However, the editor has good customisation options.  

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a robust email marketing platform known for its powerful marketing automation capabilities. It provides advanced segmentation options and allows users to personalise customer journeys and create sophisticated automation workflows based on various triggers.  

Pros of ActiveCampaign 

  • Advanced reporting and analytics 
  • CRM features assist in managing customer relationships, tracking interactions, and nurturing leads effectively. 
  • Supports SMS marketing. 
  • Integrates with numerous third-party tools including popular CRMs, e-commerce platforms, and content management systems.  
  • Lead scoring functionality is available, allowing users to prioritise leads based on their engagement and behaviour.  

Cons of ActiveCampaign

  • While ActiveCampaign offers a range of plans suitable for businesses of various sizes, it is one of the more expensive options on the market.   
  • No landing page creation options.  
  • Limited support hours, and phone support is not available on the ‘Lite’ or ‘Plus’ plans.  

Hubspot

Hubspot is a comprehensive platform for managing your marketing activities, including email marketing, social media management, email marketing, analytics and more, and it comes with a CRM system. Its email marketing service includes all the essentials such as automation, templates, reporting, and so on. 

Pros of Hubspot

  • Lead scoring 
  • Personalisation options 
  • A good selection of templates 
  • Drag and drop builder for emails and landing pages 
  • A convenient solution for managing all your marketing activities in one place 
  • All customer data is synchronised in one platform 
  • You can try it for free but with limited functionality – however, this lets you get a good feel for how the platform works.  

Cons of Hubspot 

  • It’s not worthwhile financially if you only use email marketing features and not the whole platform.  
  • It can get expensive as your list grows. 
  • Contracts are annual with no option to terminate early. 
  • A/B testing is not available on the cheapest plans.  

To get good ROI from the platform, it’s best for businesses looking for a comprehensive solution, with a clear understanding of their long-term requirements.  

Zoho Campaigns

Zoho Campaigns is an email marketing platform offered by Zoho, a comprehensive suite of business software applications.   

Pros of Zoho Campaigns 

  • Integration with Zoho Suite: The email marketing service integrates with other applications in the Zoho Suite, such as Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, and Zoho Analytics. This streamlines marketing efforts within a unified ecosystem. 
  • Affordable pricing: Zoho Campaigns offers competitive pricing plans, making it an attractive option for small and medium-sized businesses with budget constraints. The cheapest plan is $3/month for up to 500 contacts.  
  • Template customisation: Zoho Campaigns offers a wide range of pre-designed email templates that can be customised to match your brand. The drag-and-drop editor allows users to modify the layout, add images and text, and create visually appealing emails without requiring coding skills. 

The platform also provides automation and workflows, as well as A/B testing and analytics.  

Cons of Zoho Campaigns 

  • Limited integration options: If your business relies heavily on specific integrations, it’s important to ensure that they are supported by Zoho Campaigns. 
  • Less advanced features: Zoho does not offer as many advanced features compared to some other platforms.  
  • Support limitations: While Zoho provides customer support, some users have reported challenges in getting timely assistance or receiving comprehensive solutions to their queries.  
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Constant Contact

Constant Contact offers a range of features for businesses of all sizes and offers a free trial. There are two types of plans, each of which has variable pricing. The Core plan begins at $9.99 per month while the Plus plan starts at $45 per month, offering more features than the Core plan. The cost of both plans increases depending on the number of contacts in your list.   

Pros of Constant Contact 

  • User-friendly interface with a drag-and-drop editor, as well as a library of stock images. It automatically takes your logo, colour scheme and social media profiles from your website to add to your templates.   
  • A wide range of pre-designed, customisable email templates for various industries and purposes.  
  • Robust list management and segmentation features 
  • Reporting and analytics 
  • Additional marketing features are available such as event management, surveys, and social media integration.  
  • Flexible pricing 
  • Dynamic content on the Plus plan (this is when content automatically changes depending on rules you define such as user behaviour, inventory levels, weather data, and so on).  

Cons of Constant Contact  

  • A/B testing is limited to email subject lines 
  • Limited features on the cheapest plan 

GetResponse

GetResponse is well suited for small to medium enterprises, offering a wide range of features.  

Pros of GetResponse

  • User-friendly interface, drag and drop editor, pre-designed templates, and a variety of customisation options 
  • Robust marketing automation and personalisation features, comprehensive analytics, and A/B testing 
  • Additional marketing automation features 
  • Built-in landing page creation and hosting, as well as webinar hosting capabilities 
  • Integrates with various third-party tools and platforms, including e-commerce platforms, content management systems and CRM systems 
  • A ‘free forever’ plan is available.  
  • 24/7 live chat support and email support (for free users as well) 
  • 30-day free trial with no requirement to enter payment details upfront 

Cons of GetResponse 

  • Various plans are available but in general, the platform is relatively higher than some of the other options.  
  • No phone support  

ConvertKit

ConvertKit is a popular email marketing platform for bloggers and content creators, offering a range of features tailored to their needs.  

Pros of ConvertKit 

  • Free plan for businesses with up to 1,000 subscribers 
  • Tailored to bloggers and content creators 
  • Plenty of email templates, landing pages and forms 
  • Powerful automation capabilities 
  • Easy-to-use list management tools 
  • Tagging and segmentation capabilities 
  • Ability to synch custom audiences to Facebook 
  • Helpful customer support 
  • Creator community/forum for advice and early access to new features 

Cons of ConvertKit 

  • Limited features on the free plan 
  • Analytics and tracking could be more advanced 
  • The page builder is not as effective as that of other platforms 
  • While customer support is helpful, some users have commented that they aren’t the quickest to respond. 

Wrapping Up

We’ve explored a handful of the best email marketing platforms. Of course, there are many others out there – but this will give you a good starting point.

Perhaps one or two on the list stood out to you as being the most feasible options for your business at the moment. I recommend learning more about any platforms you’re interested in to see whether their features and integrations match your needs and plans.

If you need help with your email marketing or other aspects of your marketing strategy, feel free to get in touch – my team and I would be happy to assist.

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