The honest guide to email marketing software.
We test every platform hands-on. Real accounts. Real campaigns. Real pricing. No pay-to-play rankings — ever.
Tested hands on by Carlos Gil, author of The End of Marketing, 20+ years in B2B marketing.
We don't accept paid rankings — ever.
The most reviewed.
Browse our most-read independent reviews of 2026.
ActiveCampaign
Best overall email marketing platform
GetResponse
Best value with built-in landing pages and webinars
MailerLite
Best free plan and easiest to use for beginners
Brevo
Affordable all-in-one marketing platform
Klaviyo
E-commerce email marketing powerhouse
ConvertKit
The platform built for creators
Our top picks, ranked.
Five platforms, ranked by our editorial team after months of hands-on testing across deliverability, features, and pricing.
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
| # | Platform | Best For | From | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | ActiveCampaign★ Editor's Choice | Best Overall | $29/mo | 4.7 | Visit Site |
| 02 | GetResponse | Best Value | $19/mo | 4.5 | Visit Site |
| 03 | MailerLite | Best Free Plan | $0/mo | 4.4 | Visit Site |
| 04 | Brevo | Best for Transactional | $25/mo | 4.3 | Visit Site |
| 05 | Klaviyo | Best for Ecommerce | $45/mo | 4.3 | Visit Site |
Side by side.
Comparing the platforms most readers ask about.
Thinking of switching?
If your current platform is getting expensive or holding you back, you are not stuck. Here are the honest alternatives, tested and ranked.
Leaving Mailchimp?
Prices jump fast and the free plan keeps shrinking.
See the best Mailchimp alternativesKlaviyo too pricey?
Powerful for ecommerce, but the bill scales hard.
See the best Klaviyo alternativesOutgrowing Constant Contact?
Dated automation and rising costs.
See the best Constant Contact alternatives
Compare any two platforms head to head → all comparisons
Find what fits.
The right platform depends on what you're building.
Learn the craft.
Expert guides to help you get more from every campaign.
Email Marketing Best Practices for 2026
The complete guide to email marketing success in 2026. Learn proven strategies for list building, segmentation, copywriting, and automation.
Read guide OptimizationA/B Testing Your Email Campaigns
Learn how to A/B test subject lines, content, send times, and CTAs to optimize every email campaign for maximum results.
Read guide How-ToHow to Migrate Your Email Marketing Platform
Switching platforms doesn't have to be painful. Follow our step-by-step guide to migrate contacts, automations, and campaigns safely.
Read guideBrowse by use case.
Pick the platform that matches how you actually run email — by audience size, channel, or budget.
All comparisons.
- Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign
- Mailchimp vs Brevo
- Mailchimp vs ConvertKit
- Mailchimp vs Constant Contact
- Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
- Klaviyo vs Omnisend
- ConvertKit vs MailerLite
- ConvertKit vs Mailchimp
- ConvertKit vs Beehiiv
- GetResponse vs ActiveCampaign
- GetResponse vs MailerLite
- Beehiiv vs Mailchimp
- Beehiiv vs ConvertKit
- Beehiiv vs Substack
- Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp
- ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot
- InboxAlly vs Warmup Inbox
- InboxAlly vs Mailreach
Tools, deals, and the methodology.
Free: 2026 ESP Comparison Chart
Download the side-by-side comparison of 20+ platforms
Clean Your Email List with Bouncer
Verify your list before you send. 99.5% accuracy, free toxicity checks, pay-as-you-go from $0.008/email.
Why trust BestSends.
Email marketing remains one of the highest-ROI channels for businesses of every size — studies consistently show returns of $36–$42 for every dollar spent. But with dozens of platforms on the market, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. That's where BestSends comes in.
We're an independent review site run by email marketing professionals who have collectively managed campaigns for over 200 brands. Every platform we review gets tested hands-on: we create real accounts, build campaigns from scratch, set up automations, test deliverability across multiple inbox providers, and evaluate customer support response times.
Our editorial process scores each platform across five key dimensions: ease of use, features and automation, deliverability, customer support, and value for money. We update every review at least quarterly.
Read our full testing methodology or browse all reviews.
Questions we get asked most.
- What is the best email marketing software in 2026?
- ActiveCampaign is our top rated platform for 2026 at 4.7 out of 5, thanks to the deepest automation and strong deliverability in our tests. The right pick still depends on your use case: creators, ecommerce, and small business each have a different best fit. See the full 2026 ranking for how every platform scored.
- How does BestSends test email platforms?
- We open a real paid account on every platform, send real campaigns, and measure five things: ease of use, features, deliverability, support, and value. Nothing is scored from a spec sheet. Read the full methodology on how we test.
- Are BestSends rankings paid for?
- No. Rankings are never paid for, ever. Some outbound links are affiliate, which means we may earn a commission if you buy, but that never changes a score or a position. The details are in our affiliate disclosure.
- What is the best free email marketing tool?
- For a genuinely useful free plan, MailerLite and Brevo lead our testing, because their free tiers include automation most rivals lock behind paid plans. We break down the real limits of each free plan, and the catches to watch for, in best free email marketing.
- How do I choose an email platform for my business?
- Start with your primary job to be done: selling products, growing a newsletter, or running automations. Match that to the platform strong in that area, then check the free tier and the price at your list size, since costs climb fast as you grow. Our 2026 ranking gives you a pick, or read how to choose email marketing software.
- Can you do affiliate marketing with email marketing?
- Yes, and email is usually the highest converting affiliate channel because you own the audience. The requirement is that your sender permits affiliate links and that the list is opted in, never purchased. Our affiliate email marketing guide walks through the whole process, start to first commission.
- Which email marketing platforms allow affiliate links?
- In our testing Kit, beehiiv, MailerLite and ActiveCampaign all permit affiliate promotion to a list you built yourself. Restricted verticals and purchased lists are where accounts get suspended, so read the acceptable use policy before you import.
- Do you have to disclose affiliate links in emails?
- Yes. The FTC expects a clear disclosure inside the email, placed above the first affiliate link, not only on the landing page or in a footer. One plain sentence is enough, and it does not measurably hurt clicks. Ours is in the affiliate disclosure.
Featured In / As Cited By
BestSends reviews have been referenced by marketers across LinkedIn, Reddit, and industry publications.