If you want the easiest switch, MailerLite matches Brevo's price without the contact caps. For ecommerce automation, Klaviyo or Omnisend do more with purchase data. For advanced workflows plus a CRM in the same login, ActiveCampaign and HubSpot go furthest.
I moved my own newsletter list to Brevo's Starter plan on a Friday, sure that "unlimited contacts" applied as it does on the marketing page. By Tuesday, Brevo had frozen new campaigns the moment I imported subscriber number 512. Brevo isn't lying when it says it prices by email volume, not contact count. What it doesn't mention on the homepage is that the entry level Starter and Standard tiers still cap stored contacts at 500 and 1,500.
You only get the genuinely unlimited contacts version once you're paying for a higher volume tier, something none of the other Brevo alternatives roundups I checked mention.
Where Brevo starts to pinch
Brevo is a real all in one platform. Email, SMS, WhatsApp, and a light CRM in one dashboard, a free plan generous enough for 100,000 stored contacts, and a French, GDPR-native company behind it. On Brevo's own Capterra page, where 3,406 reviews average a 94% positive sentiment, the complaints cluster around a few repeat themes: automations that feel clunky once a workflow gets past two or three steps, occasional deliverability wobbles, and confusion left over from the Sendinblue rebrand.
One reviewer who moved to Brevo explained the move away from a bigger competitor plainly: "Mailchimp is too expensive and is more difficult to use" (Robert M., CEO, IT services, Capterra). That same logic runs in both directions. People leave Brevo for the same reasons people leave anything: price surprises and automation ceilings.
The 13 Brevo Alternatives Explained
1. MailerLite
Starting price: $12/month (Comfort plan, 500 subscribers) · Free plan: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month · Best for: solopreneurs who want the simplest editor
MailerLite is an email marketing platform built around a drag and drop editor and website builder. It's the closest like for like swap for Brevo's price point, and its data lives in the EU with ISO 27001 certification, which matters if GDPR data residency is part of why you're looking.
2. Klaviyo
Starting price: $20/month (Email plan, 500 profiles) · Free plan: 250 profiles, 500 sends · Best for: ecommerce brands running abandoned-cart flows
Klaviyo is an ecommerce focused email and SMS platform that ties campaigns directly to purchase behavior. It costs more than Brevo at scale, but the segmentation depth is a real step up for Shopify and WooCommerce stores. If Klaviyo's pricing climbs past your budget as your list grows, our Klaviyo alternatives roundup covers cheaper ecommerce-focused picks.
3. ActiveCampaign
Starting price: $15/month (Starter, 1,000 contacts) · Free plan: none · Best for: teams that want marketing automation and a sales CRM together
ActiveCampaign is a marketing automation platform with a built-in CRM and lead scoring. Brevo's automation builder tends to feel basic once you're past a welcome sequence; ActiveCampaign's is the one most reviewers point to as the upgrade.
4. Omnisend
Starting price: $16/month (Standard, 500 contacts) · Free plan: 250 contacts, 500 emails · Best for: ecommerce stores that want email and SMS credits bundled
Omnisend is an ecommerce marketing platform that folds SMS credits into its Pro plan price instead of billing them separately. That's the opposite of Brevo, where SMS is always metered on top.
5. GetResponse
Starting price: $19/month (1,000 contacts) · Free plan: 500 contacts · Best for: businesses that want unlimited sends without a volume meter
GetResponse is an email marketing and automation platform that includes unlimited monthly sends on every paid tier, landing pages, and webinar hosting on higher plans. If Brevo's per-email pricing is the actual complaint, this removes it entirely.
6. Mailchimp
Starting price: $13/month (Essentials, 500 contacts) · Free plan: 250 contacts, 500 sends · Best for: teams that want the most recognizable name and the widest integration list
Mailchimp is a contact-based email marketing platform, the mirror image of Brevo's send-based model. If your list barely moves but you email often, Brevo usually wins on price; if your list grows fast but you send rarely, that flips. For a closer look at what else competes with Mailchimp specifically, see our Mailchimp alternatives roundup.
7. HubSpot Marketing Hub
Starting price: $20/seat/month (Starter, 1,000 contacts) · Free plan: limited CRM and email · Best for: companies planning to grow into a full sales and service stack
HubSpot Marketing Hub is part of a broader CRM suite covering marketing, sales, and support. It's the only tool here where the jump from entry to mid-tier is dramatic: Starter runs $20 a seat, Professional starts at $890 a month plus a $3,000 onboarding fee.
8. Constant Contact
Starting price: $12/month (Lite, 500 contacts) · Free plan: none · Best for: event-driven small businesses that want a simple broadcast tool
Constant Contact is an email marketing platform built around straightforward newsletters, RSVPs, and social posting. Lite is genuinely bare (one user, one automation), so budget for Standard at $35/month if you need real segmentation.
9. Systeme.io
Starting price: $17/month (Startup, 2,000 contacts) · Free plan: 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails · Best for: creators who want funnels and course hosting alongside email
Systeme.io is an all-in-one funnel builder that bundles email marketing with sales pages, course delivery, and affiliate management. It's the pick if what actually bothers you about Brevo isn't email at all, it's that Brevo doesn't sell products or host courses.
10. Sender.net
Starting price: $7/month (Standard) · Free plan: 2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails/month · Best for: the tightest budget that still wants automation
Sender.net is a budget email and SMS platform with a free tier larger than most competitors' paid entry plans. It's the cheapest real option on this list, with automation included even for free.
11. EmailOctopus
Starting price: $9/month (Pro, 500 subscribers) · Free plan: 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/month · Best for: newsletters that don't need SMS or heavy automation
EmailOctopus is a stripped-down email marketing tool with no SMS, no CRM, and no chatbot, just campaigns, automation, and landing pages at a low price. If Brevo's multichannel bundle is overhead you never use, this removes it.
12. Postmark
Starting price: $15/month (Basic, 10,000 emails) · Free plan: 100 emails/month · Best for: developers sending transactional email, not campaigns
Postmark is a transactional email API for password resets, receipts, and system notifications, now owned by ActiveCampaign but run as a separate product. It doesn't compete with Brevo's marketing side at all, but if transactional deliverability is the actual pain point, Postmark's reputation is built specifically for that.
13. Kit
Starting price: $39/month (Creator, 1,000 subscribers) · Free plan: 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends, 1 automation · Best for: newsletter writers who want to sell something alongside it
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is an email platform built for creators, with digital product sales and paid subscriptions built in. The free plan's 10,000-subscriber ceiling is the most generous on this list, though the paid tiers run pricier than Brevo once you outgrow it.
Brevo Alternatives Comparison
Tool | Starting price | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
MailerLite | $12/mo | 250 subs | Easiest overall switch |
Klaviyo | $20/mo | 250 profiles | Ecommerce automation |
ActiveCampaign | $15/mo | None | Automation + CRM |
Omnisend | $16/mo | 250 contacts | Ecommerce SMS + email |
GetResponse | $19/mo | 500 contacts | Unlimited sends |
Mailchimp | $13/mo | 250 contacts | Brand recognition |
HubSpot Marketing Hub | $20/seat/mo | Limited | Scaling into full CRM |
Constant Contact | $12/mo | None | Simple small-business email |
$17/mo | 2,000 contacts | Funnels + courses | |
$7/mo | 2,500 subs | Tightest budget | |
EmailOctopus | $9/mo | 2,500 subs | No-frills newsletters |
Postmark | $15/mo | 100 emails | Transactional email |
Kit | $39/mo | 10,000 subs | Creator monetization |
A Quick Data Residency Check
If GDPR compliance is part of why you're comparing tools, not just price, worth knowing: Brevo and MailerLite both store data in the EU by default (Paris and Lithuania respectively), while Klaviyo, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, and Constant Contact are all US-headquartered companies that rely on standard contractual clauses and data processing addendums to cover EU customers. That doesn't make them non-compliant, but it's a different legal mechanism, and it's worth a look if your legal team cares about where the servers physically sit.
Which Brevo Alternatives Fit Your Situation
You run an online store and live or die by abandoned cart emails. Klaviyo or Omnisend will do more with your purchase data than Brevo ever will.
You want the cheapest way to keep emailing a big, quiet list. Sender.net or EmailOctopus beat Brevo's Starter tier on price and don't cap contacts the way Brevo now does.
You need marketing and sales pipeline under one login. ActiveCampaign covers mid-market needs; HubSpot covers it at enterprise scale and enterprise pricing.
You write a newsletter and want to sell something alongside it. Kit or Systeme.io both build monetization into the platform instead of bolting it on.
Your app sends password resets and receipts, not campaigns. Postmark is built for exactly that job and nothing else.
FAQ: Brevo Alternatives
Is there a free alternative to Brevo?
Yes. Sender.net's free plan covers 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, and Kit's free plan holds up to 10,000 subscribers, both more generous than Brevo's 300-emails-a-day free tier for anyone with a real list.
What is the cheapest Brevo alternative?
Sender.net starts at $7/month for the Standard plan, undercutting Brevo's $9/month Starter tier while including automation from day one.
Which Brevo alternative is best for ecommerce?
Klaviyo and Omnisend both build automation around purchase events, abandoned carts, and product recommendations in ways a general-purpose tool like Brevo doesn't attempt.
Is Brevo still worth it in 2026?
For businesses with a big list that emails rarely, yes, the send based pricing still wins. For businesses that email daily or need multi-step automation, the contact caps and automation ceiling usually make an alternative cheaper.
What happened to Sendinblue?
Sendinblue rebranded to Brevo in 2023. Same company, same platform, expanded into SMS, CRM, and chat under the new name.
Which Brevo alternative works best for agencies managing several clients?
ActiveCampaign and HubSpot both support multi-account and multi seat structures that Brevo's Professional tier only partially matches, and Brevo's Standard plan tops out at a handful of seats.
Do any Brevo alternatives price by emails sent instead of contacts?
Most don't. GetResponse comes closest by offering unlimited sends on every paid tier regardless of list size, which removes the send-volume math entirely rather than flipping it to contacts.
My picks for Brevo Alternatives
If you're leaving Brevo purely over the contact cap, MailerLite is the least disruptive move, similar price, similar simplicity, no surprise freeze at 500 contacts. If ecommerce automation is the real goal, Klaviyo justifies its higher price with what it does with purchase data. And if budget is the only thing that matters, Sender.net's free plan alone outperforms what Brevo gives away for nothing.