The 60 Best Marketing Automation Platforms and Email Tools in 2026

We compared every major platform feature by feature — email, automation, AI, agent access and what each one actually costs at 5,000 contacts. No marketing spin, and we kept the rows we lose.

The short version

Spreeflo is the agentic AI-powered marketing automation platform that combines email, browser push, forms and web analytics on one contact record, writes AI personalization per individual recipient at send time, and exposes a hosted MCP server so an AI agent can build your marketing. From $16/mo — $13 billed annually — with a free plan that never expires.

See pricing

Mainstream email platforms

The tools most small businesses actually choose between. Broad feature sets, familiar brands, and pricing that climbs with your list.

E-commerce & creator platforms

Built around a store or an audience. Deep on purchase and subscriber data, thinner on everything that is not a product catalogue or a newsletter.

Behavior-driven & developer platforms

Event-triggered messaging for product teams. The most conceptually similar to Spreeflo, and usually the most expensive or the most technical.

CRM suites & all-in-one platforms

Marketing bundled with sales, support or a full CRM. Broader than Spreeflo by design, and priced accordingly.

Enterprise engagement platforms

Six-figure contracts and multi-month implementations. Listed for teams leaving them, not for teams choosing between them and Spreeflo.

Retail specialists & legacy tools

Vertical retail platforms and long-running SMB tools, several now in maintenance mode under new ownership.

Transactional email infrastructure

APIs that send what your code tells them to. A different category — often complementary to Spreeflo rather than competing with it.

Newsletter, creator & niche tools

Publishing platforms, popup builders and single-job tools that usually sit alongside a marketing platform rather than replacing one.

Price at a glance

What each platform charges to start, what it charges once your list reaches roughly 5,000 contacts, and whether the free plan is worth anything. Figures checked August 2026 — confirm before you buy.

Starting price, price at 5,000 contacts and free plan for Spreeflo and 60 alternatives.
Spreeflo Starting price:$16/mo — $13/mo billed annually (1,000 marketing contacts)At ~5,000:$36/mo Starter · $52/mo Professional ($30 / $43 billed annually)Free plan:✓ Forms with unlimited responses, unlimited non-marketing contacts, full web analytics. No card.
Mailchimp logo MailchimpStarting price:Essentials $13/mo — 500 contacts, 5,000 emails/moAt ~5,000:~$75/mo Essentials · ~$100/mo StandardFree plan:✓ 500 contacts, 500 emails/mo (250/day), 1 audience, support for the first 30 days only
Brevo logo BrevoStarting price:Starter ~$9/mo — 5,000 emails/mo, unlimited contactsAt ~5,000:~$17–29/mo Starter · ~$35–65/mo Standard, driven by send volume rather than list sizeFree plan:✓ Unlimited contacts, 5,000 emails/mo (~300/day), forms, transactional email, basic segmentation
MailerLite logo MailerLiteStarting price:Comfort $12/mo — 500 subscribersAt ~5,000:~$49/mo Comfort · ~$69/mo PowerFree plan:✓ 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo, 3 automations of 5 steps, 1 landing page
Constant Contact logo Constant ContactStarting price:Lite $12/mo — 500 contactsAt ~5,000:~$110–150/mo StandardFree plan:✕ None — 14-day trial capped at 100 contacts
GetResponse logo GetResponseStarting price:Starter $19/mo — 1,000 contactsAt ~5,000:~$54/mo Starter · ~$95/mo MarketerFree plan:✕ None — 30-day trial only
AWeber logo AWeberStarting price:Lite $12.49/mo billed annually ($15 monthly) — 500 subscribersAt ~5,000:~$60/mo Lite · ~$90/mo PlusFree plan:✓ 500 subscribers, 3,000 emails/mo, automation builder and phone support — but AWeber branding, one list, no saved segments and forced double opt-in
Moosend logo MoosendStarting price:Pro $9/mo — 500 contacts, unlimited sendsAt ~5,000:~$48/moFree plan:✕ None — 30-day trial only
Mailjet logo MailjetStarting price:Starter $9/mo — 8,000 emails, 2,000 contactsAt ~5,000:Essential $17/mo — 15,000 emails and unlimited contacts, if your send volume fitsFree plan:✓ 6,000 emails/mo (200/day) with APIs, SMTP and webhooks included
Sender logo SenderStarting price:Standard ~$7–8/mo billed annually — prices exclude VATAt ~5,000:~$35–70/mo — figures are unofficial, confirm at signupFree plan:✓ 2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails/mo, with automation, segmentation, landing pages, forms, popups and transactional email
EmailOctopus logo EmailOctopusStarting price:Pro ~$9–10/mo — 500 subscribersAt ~5,000:~$24–32/moFree plan:✓ 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/mo, one landing page and one form, 30-day reporting, EmailOctopus branding
Klaviyo logo KlaviyoStarting price:$20/mo Email at 251–500 profiles · ~$35/mo with SMSAt ~5,000:~$100/mo Email · ~$115/mo Email + SMSFree plan:✓ 250 profiles, 500 sends/mo, 150 SMS credits — support for the first 60 days only
Kit logo KitStarting price:Creator $33/mo billed annually ($39 monthly) — 1,000 subscribersAt ~5,000:~$89/mo Creator · ~$139/mo Creator Pro, billed monthlyFree plan:✓ Newsletter plan — 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, but one basic automation and Kit branding
Omnisend logo OmnisendStarting price:Standard ~$16/mo — 500 contacts, 6,000 emailsAt ~5,000:~$81/mo Standard · ~$90–115/mo ProFree plan:✓ 250 contacts, 500 emails/mo, 500 web push/mo, most features included
Drip logo DripStarting price:$39/mo — 2,500 contacts, unlimited sendsAt ~5,000:~$89/mo (and ~$449 at 30,000)Free plan:✕ None — 14-day trial only
beehiiv logo beehiivStarting price:Scale ~$39–43/moAt ~5,000:~$89/mo Scale · ~$169/mo Max, billed monthlyFree plan:✓ Launch — 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, hosted website and custom domain; no automations, A/B testing, monetization or AI
Customer.io logo Customer.ioStarting price:Essentials $100/mo — 5,000 profiles, 1M emailsAt ~5,000:$100/mo — the entry plan starts at exactly this sizeFree plan:✕ None — a startup programme offers 12 months free to companies under $10M funding
Ortto logo OrttoStarting price:Starter $169/mo — 5,000 contactsAt ~5,000:$169/mo — the entry plan begins at exactly this sizeFree plan:✕ None listed — trial only
Loops logo LoopsStarting price:$49/mo — 1,000 to 5,000 contacts, unlimited sends and seatsAt ~5,000:$49/mo at exactly 5,000 — $99/mo the moment you cross into the next bracketFree plan:✓ 1,000 contacts, 4,000 sends/mo, all features, Loops branding
Bento logo BentoStarting price:$29/mo — up to 5,000 active users, unlimited marketing sendsAt ~5,000:$29/mo flat — cheaper than Spreeflo at this sizeFree plan:✕ None — 30-day trial only
Encharge logo EnchargeStarting price:Growth $79/mo billed annually ($99 monthly) — 2,000 subscribersAt ~5,000:~$129–179/moFree plan:✕ None — 14-day trial only
HubSpot logo HubSpotStarting price:Starter ~$15–20 per seat/mo — 1,000 marketing contactsAt ~5,000:~$215/mo Starter · ~$1,140/mo Professional, plus a $3,000 mandatory onboarding feeFree plan:✓ Free tools — 2 users, 2,000 branded sends/mo, forms, landing pages and the full free CRM
ActiveCampaign logo ActiveCampaignStarting price:Starter $19/mo billed annually — 1,000 contactsAt ~5,000:~$179/mo Plus · ~$259/mo ProFree plan:✕ None — 14-day trial only
Zoho Marketing Automation logo Zoho Marketing AutomationStarting price:Standard ~$14/mo — 1,000 contactsAt ~5,000:— Slider-based and not published as a flat figure; check Zoho’s calculatorFree plan:✕ Trial only — the separate Zoho Campaigns product has a free tier of 2,000 contacts and 6,000 emails
Campaign Monitor logo Campaign MonitorStarting price:Lite ~$11–13/mo — 500 contacts, capped at about 2,500 sends/moAt ~5,000:Lite ~$75 · Essentials ~$117 · Premier ~$203/moFree plan:✕ None in practice — a 5-subscriber sandbox account
EngageBay logo EngageBayStarting price:Basic ~$12.74 per user/mo on a two-year prepay — 500 contactsAt ~5,000:Growth ~$55–65 per user/moFree plan:✓ 250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails/mo, 15 users, 2 sequences and basic lead scoring
Benchmark Email logo Benchmark EmailStarting price:Pro from ~$13–27/mo depending on source — the official page shows about $27 at 1,000 contactsAt ~5,000:~$63/moFree plan:✓ 500 contacts, roughly 2,500–3,500 sends/mo, full feature access, one user
Braze logo BrazeStarting price:Quote only — independent benchmarks put entry near $60,000/yrAt ~5,000:— Not sold at this scaleFree plan:✕ None, and no self-serve trial
Iterable logo IterableStarting price:Quote only — entry estimated near $36,000/yrAt ~5,000:— Not sold at this scale; contract minimums applyFree plan:✕ None
Pardot logo PardotStarting price:Growth+ $1,250/mo billed annually, including 10,000 contactsAt ~5,000:$1,250/mo — the floor includes 10,000 contacts, so smaller lists pay the sameFree plan:✕ None
Oracle Eloqua logo Oracle EloquaStarting price:Per-contact bands — historic Basic floor around $2,000/moAt ~5,000:~$24,000/yr — the Basic floor applies even below 10,000 contactsFree plan:✕ None; trials are uncommon
SAP Emarsys logo SAP EmarsysStarting price:Quote only — mid-market entry estimated at $90,000–220,000/yrAt ~5,000:— Not sold at this scaleFree plan:✕ None
Dotdigital logo DotdigitalStarting price:Quote-driven — cheapest cited entry around $150/mo, plus onboarding feesAt ~5,000:~$150–250/mo estimated, on an annual contractFree plan:✕ None — trial through a signup conversation
Cordial logo CordialStarting price:Quote only — entry estimated near $1,000/mo plus implementationAt ~5,000:— Not sold at this scaleFree plan:✕ None, and no trial
Keap logo KeapStarting price:$299/mo billed annually — 1,500 contacts and 2 usersAt ~5,000:Above the $299/mo base — priced by sliderFree plan:✕ None — a 14-day trial capped at around 25 emails
Sendlane logo SendlaneStarting price:$100/mo — 50,000 sends, unlimited contactsAt ~5,000:~$100/mo — the send floor applies regardless of list sizeFree plan:✕ None — a 60-day trial capped at 100 contacts and 500 sends
Listrak logo ListrakStarting price:Custom quote — estimated near $1,500/mo, with a ~$37,000 annual minimum reportedAt ~5,000:— Not sold at this scale in practiceFree plan:✕ None
Ometria logo OmetriaStarting price:Custom quote only — contracts generally in the tens of thousands per yearAt ~5,000:— Not sold at this scale; targets larger retail databasesFree plan:✕ None
Emma logo EmmaStarting price:Quote only — entry estimated near $89/mo on an annual agreementAt ~5,000:— Not published; quoted through salesFree plan:✕ None — a two-week trial capped around 500 emails
iContact logo iContactStarting price:~$9–15/mo at 500 contacts, by estimateAt ~5,000:~$65/moFree plan:~ Around 250 contacts and 500 emails, and it does send; confirm at signup
VerticalResponse logo VerticalResponseStarting price:Basic $13/mo — unlimited sends, landing pages and popupsAt ~5,000:~$58/moFree plan:✕ A 60-day trial; the legacy free tier is no longer advertised
SendGrid logo SendGridStarting price:Email API Essentials $19.95/mo for 50,000 emails; Marketing Campaigns from ~$15/mo separatelyAt ~5,000:~$35/mo combined across both products, depending on send volumeFree plan:✕ The perpetual free tier ended in 2025 — now a 60-day trial at 100/day
Resend logo ResendStarting price:Pro $20/mo — 50,000 emails; Scale $90/mo for 100,000At ~5,000:$20/mo at typical volume, billed on sends rather than contactsFree plan:✓ 3,000 emails/mo at 100/day
Amazon SES logo Amazon SESStarting price:$0.10 per 1,000 emails à la carte; bundles at $0.16 and $0.22 per 1,000At ~5,000:A few dollars a month at typical volumes — cheapest sending in this comparisonFree plan:~ The 62,000-email free tier was retired; now $200 in credits over six months
Postmark logo PostmarkStarting price:Basic $15/mo — 10,000 emails, with overages at $1.20–1.80 per 1,000At ~5,000:$15/mo at typical transactional volume, with no contact-based chargeFree plan:~ A 100/month developer tier
Mailgun logo MailgunStarting price:Basic $15/mo — 10,000 emails, with 1-day log retentionAt ~5,000:~$15–35/mo depending on send volume, with no contact-based chargeFree plan:~ A 100/day test tier
Mandrill logo MandrillStarting price:$20 per 25,000-email block, plus a required Mailchimp Standard plan (~$20/mo)At ~5,000:~$40/mo effective floor across both productsFree plan:✕ 500 demo sends only
SMTP2GO logo SMTP2GOStarting price:Starter ~$10/mo for 10,000 emailsAt ~5,000:~$10/mo at typical volume, with no contact-based chargeFree plan:✓ 1,000 emails/mo at 200/day
Plunk logo PlunkStarting price:$0.001 per email on the hosted service; self-hosting is freeAt ~5,000:A few dollars a month at typical volume, or free self-hostedFree plan:✓ 1,000 emails/mo hosted, and unlimited if you self-host
Substack logo SubstackStarting price:Free to publish — 10% of paid subscription revenue plus Stripe feesAt ~5,000:Free unless you charge — then 10% of subscription revenueFree plan:✓ Everything, with unlimited subscribers and unlimited sends
Intercom logo IntercomStarting price:$29–132 per seat/mo, plus $0.99 per Fin resolution and usage-billed messagingAt ~5,000:— Priced on seats and usage rather than contact countFree plan:✕ None
Flodesk logo FlodeskStarting price:Lite $19/mo billed annually — around 1,000 subscribers, one automationAt ~5,000:— Not published since the pricing change; confirm on their siteFree plan:~ Forms, landing pages and link-in-bio, but no email sending
Ghost logo GhostStarting price:Ghost(Pro) ~$18/mo billed annually for 1,000 members; self-hosting is freeAt ~5,000:~$75/mo on the Publisher tier, or server costs if self-hostedFree plan:✕ None on Ghost(Pro) — the open-source version is free to self-host
OptinMonster logo OptinMonsterStarting price:Basic $7/mo introductory, renewing near $17.50/moAt ~5,000:~$17.50/mo at renewal, rising with impressions rather than contactsFree plan:✕ None
Privy logo PrivyStarting price:Email and SMS from ~$30/mo for around 1,500 contacts; popups-only from $24/moAt ~5,000:~$45–90/moFree plan:✕ A 15-day trial; a legacy 100-contact free tier appears in older reviews
Buttondown logo ButtondownStarting price:~$9/mo at 1,000 subscribers, before add-onsAt ~5,000:~$29/mo base, or near $67/mo with tagging and automations addedFree plan:✓ Up to 100 subscribers
ConvertFlow logo ConvertFlowStarting price:Personal $29/mo for 10,000 monthly funnel viewsAt ~5,000:$29/mo at low traffic, rising with funnel views rather than contactsFree plan:✓ Up to 5 campaigns
Vero logo VeroStarting price:Starter $54/mo monthly or $49 annually, including 5,000 profilesAt ~5,000:~$49–54/mo — close to Spreeflo Professional at $52Free plan:✕ None stated
Rejoiner logo RejoinerStarting price:$25/mo self-serve for 1,000 contacts, unlimited sends; managed from $1,500/moAt ~5,000:— Not published above the entry tierFree plan:✕ None
SmartrMail logo SmartrMailStarting price:Essentials from $14/mo, metered on peak subscribersAt ~5,000:— Metered continuously rather than published as a tier priceFree plan:✓ Up to 200 subscribers
Pabbly logo PabblyStarting price:Standard $17/mo — up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sendsAt ~5,000:$17/mo, plus whatever your SMTP provider chargesFree plan:✓ Up to 100 subscribers

The full feature matrix

included · ~ partial, gated or add-on · not available. Hover any cell for the detail, or open a comparison for the full wording and the scorecard.

Sixty columns — swipe the grid sideways. Row names stay pinned on the left.

Feature-by-feature matrix comparing Spreeflo with 60 marketing automation and email platforms.
Feature Spreeflo Mailchimp logo MailchimpBrevo logo BrevoMailerLite logo MailerLiteConstant Contact logo Constant ContactGetResponse logo GetResponseAWeber logo AWeberMoosend logo MoosendMailjet logo MailjetSender logo SenderEmailOctopus logo EmailOctopusKlaviyo logo KlaviyoKit logo KitOmnisend logo OmnisendDrip logo Dripbeehiiv logo beehiivCustomer.io logo Customer.ioOrtto logo OrttoLoops logo LoopsBento logo BentoEncharge logo EnchargeHubSpot logo HubSpotActiveCampaign logo ActiveCampaignZoho Marketing Automation logo Zoho Marketing AutomationCampaign Monitor logo Campaign MonitorEngageBay logo EngageBayBenchmark Email logo Benchmark EmailBraze logo BrazeIterable logo IterablePardot logo PardotOracle Eloqua logo Oracle EloquaSAP Emarsys logo SAP EmarsysDotdigital logo DotdigitalCordial logo CordialKeap logo KeapSendlane logo SendlaneListrak logo ListrakOmetria logo OmetriaEmma logo EmmaiContact logo iContactVerticalResponse logo VerticalResponseSendGrid logo SendGridResend logo ResendAmazon SES logo Amazon SESPostmark logo PostmarkMailgun logo MailgunMandrill logo MandrillSMTP2GO logo SMTP2GOPlunk logo PlunkSubstack logo SubstackIntercom logo IntercomFlodesk logo FlodeskGhost logo GhostOptinMonster logo OptinMonsterPrivy logo PrivyButtondown logo ButtondownConvertFlow logo ConvertFlowVero logo VeroRejoiner logo RejoinerSmartrMail logo SmartrMailPabbly logo Pabbly
Channels
Marketing email~~~
Transactional email~~~~~~~~~~
Browser push notifications~~~~
Forms with unlimited responses on free~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Popup forms~~~~~
Web analytics dashboard~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AI / bot crawler traffic tracking
SMS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Built-in CRM~~~~~~~~
Automation
Visual journey builder~~~~~~~~~~~
Behavioral / custom-event triggers~~~~~~~~~~~~
Form-submission trigger~~~~~~
A/B testing~~~~~~~
Full automation on the lowest paid tier~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AI & agents
AI copy written per recipient at send time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In-app AI that builds automations from plain language~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Official MCP server~~~~~~
AI agent can build automations over MCP~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Data
Nested AND/OR segmentation~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Custom events as triggers and segment conditions~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Custom objects on the contact record~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Multi-touch revenue attribution~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FAQ

Choosing a platform: common questions

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