Question 1

How does BestSends make money?

Accepted Answer

BestSends is reader-supported. When you click a link to an email marketing platform and sign up for a paid plan, the vendor pays us a referral commission — usually a flat fee or a percentage of your first month. You never pay a cent more than you would by going direct. Commissions fund our testing accounts, deliverability tools, and the time it takes Carlos Gil to run hands-on trials of every platform we cover. We disclose this on every page in compliance with FTC guidelines, and we publish a full affiliate disclosure at /affiliate-disclosure.

Question 2

Who writes the reviews?

Accepted Answer

Every review, comparison, and guide on BestSends is written and tested by Carlos Gil — author of The End of Marketing, founder of Gil Media Co., and former Head of Social Media at Winn-Dixie. Carlos has spent 20+ years running B2B and B2C marketing campaigns and has used most of these platforms in production for client work. We don't use ghostwriters, AI-generated review content, or syndicated copy. If a tool is reviewed here, Carlos personally created an account, sent campaigns, and pulled the data.

Question 3

How do you test deliverability?

Accepted Answer

For each platform we sign up, warm a fresh sending domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and send identical 500-subscriber test campaigns to seed lists across Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, and iCloud. We measure inbox placement using GlockApps and MailReach, track bounce and spam-complaint rates over 14 days, and repeat the test quarterly to catch regressions. Deliverability scores in our reviews reflect real placement data, not vendor marketing claims. When a provider regresses, we update the rating and add a note explaining what changed.

Question 4

What's the difference between Kit and ConvertKit?

Accepted Answer

There is no difference — they're the same product. ConvertKit rebranded to Kit in late 2024, but the platform, pricing, automations, and integrations are identical. The new Kit branding emphasizes the company's pivot toward creator-focused features like the Creator Network, Sponsorships marketplace, and Recommendations. If you see older articles referencing ConvertKit, the URL kit.com is the current home, and existing accounts continued working without migration. Pricing tiers and the free plan up to 10,000 subscribers also carried over unchanged.

Question 5

Do you accept paid placements?

Accepted Answer

No. We do not sell sponsored reviews, paid rankings, or guaranteed positions in any of our 'best of' lists. Vendors cannot pay to be added, moved up, or have negative coverage removed. We do earn affiliate commissions when readers sign up, but commission rates do not influence placement — several of our top-ranked tools pay below-average commissions, and several high-paying vendors don't appear in our recommendations at all. If you ever spot something that looks pay-to-play, email carlos@gilmediagroup.com and we'll investigate.

Question 6

Is Mailchimp still worth it in 2026?

Accepted Answer

For most users, no. Mailchimp's pricing has climbed steadily since the Intuit acquisition, and the contact-based billing model means you pay for unsubscribed and inactive contacts. The free plan dropped from 2,000 to 500 contacts, and core automation features now sit behind the Standard tier. Brevo, MailerLite, and Kit deliver comparable or better functionality at half the price. Mailchimp still makes sense if you're already deep into the Intuit ecosystem (QuickBooks, Mailchimp Sites) or need its specific Shopify integration — otherwise, switch.

Question 7

What's the cheapest email marketing tool?

Accepted Answer

On a per-email basis, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is the cheapest mainstream option — its free plan allows 300 emails per day to unlimited contacts, and paid plans start at $9 per month for 5,000 emails. MailerLite is the cheapest contact-based option, starting at $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers with unlimited emails. For very high volume, Amazon SES costs $0.10 per 1,000 emails but requires technical setup. See our full /best-email-marketing/cheap ranking for the complete breakdown.

Question 8

Do email tools work for cold outreach?

Accepted Answer

No — and using them for cold outreach will get your account suspended. Mailchimp, Kit, Brevo, MailerLite, and ActiveCampaign all require explicit consent (CAN-SPAM and GDPR compliance) and prohibit purchased or scraped lists in their terms of service. For cold B2B outreach, use a dedicated cold email tool like Instantly, Smartlead, or Apollo, which warm dedicated inboxes and rotate sending across multiple domains. Mixing cold and opt-in sending on the same domain will tank your deliverability for both channels.

Question 9

Which platform has the best free plan?

Accepted Answer

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) has the most generous free plan at 10,000 subscribers with unlimited emails and one automation, making it the obvious choice for newsletter creators. Brevo is best if you have a large list but send infrequently — unlimited contacts and 300 emails per day. MailerLite gives 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month with no feature lockouts. Mailchimp's free plan dropped to 500 contacts and 1,000 sends per month, which is too restrictive to recommend in 2026.

Question 10

How do you decide your rankings?

Accepted Answer

Each platform receives a 0–10 score across six weighted criteria: deliverability (25%), ease of use (20%), automation power (15%), pricing value (15%), integrations and API depth (15%), and customer support quality (10%). Scores come from hands-on testing — not vendor specs. We re-score every platform at least twice a year and any time the vendor ships a major release or pricing change. The full methodology lives at /how-we-test, including our scoring rubric, test campaign templates, and the seed-list infrastructure.

Question 11

What's the best email tool for ecommerce?

Accepted Answer

Klaviyo remains the category leader for Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce stores doing more than $50k/month in revenue — its product-feed integrations, predictive analytics, and SMS bundle are unmatched. For smaller stores, Omnisend offers similar workflows at a fraction of the price. Brevo is the best budget choice for stores under 5,000 contacts. Mailchimp's Shopify integration was rebuilt in 2023 but still lags Klaviyo on attribution. Full breakdown at /best-email-marketing/ecommerce.

Question 12

What's the best email tool for creators and newsletters?

Accepted Answer

Beehiiv and Kit are the two strongest creator platforms in 2026. Beehiiv leads on monetization — built-in paid subscriptions, ad network, and referral programs — and is the choice for writers planning to earn revenue from the newsletter itself. Kit is stronger for creators who sell their own products (courses, ebooks, coaching) thanks to deep tagging, sequences, and Commerce. Substack remains the easiest start, but its lack of automation and list-portability concerns make it a weaker long-term home.

Question 13

What's the best email tool for small business?

Accepted Answer

MailerLite is our top small business pick: clean interface, fair pricing, strong automation, and a free plan large enough to validate the channel before committing. Brevo is a strong alternative if you also need transactional email (order confirmations, password resets) on the same platform. ActiveCampaign is worth the higher price once you have a sales pipeline you want to automate against. We avoid recommending Constant Contact and AWeber for new accounts — both feel a generation behind on UX and automation.

Question 14

How often do you update reviews?

Accepted Answer

Every review carries a 'Last updated' date in the byline, and we re-test platforms on a rolling 6-month cycle. Pricing pages get a lightweight check every quarter — vendors change tier limits and prices more often than they announce. When a platform ships a major release (a new automation builder, AI feature, or pricing model), we publish an interim update within two weeks and revise the score if our hands-on testing changes the verdict. Outdated reviews are noindexed until refreshed.

Question 15

Can I trust the user ratings on BestSends?

Accepted Answer

User ratings are collected via a simple form on each review page and are aggregated separately from our editorial score. We require a verified email and reject reviews from IP addresses associated with the vendor or its agencies. We do not delete negative reviews unless they violate our guidelines (defamation, off-topic, identifiable PII). If a vendor disputes a review, we ask for evidence and add an editor's note rather than removing the rating. The aggregate score never influences our editorial ranking.

Question 16

Do you cover SMS, transactional, or marketing automation tools?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but only where they overlap with email. Klaviyo, Brevo, ActiveCampaign, and Omnisend all bundle SMS with their email plans, and we cover those bundles in the relevant reviews. We also test transactional providers (Postmark, Mailgun, Amazon SES, Resend) in our /best-email-marketing/transactional category. Standalone SMS-only platforms (Attentive, Postscript) and CRMs without an email-sending product (HubSpot Free) are out of scope — there are better dedicated review sites for those niches.

Question 17

Do you offer consulting or migration help?

Accepted Answer

Carlos takes a small number of client engagements per quarter through Gil Media Co. — typically platform migrations, deliverability audits, or lifecycle strategy for established ecommerce and SaaS brands. For everyone else, our /guides/platform-migration walkthrough covers list export, segment mapping, automation rebuilds, and DNS warm-up at no cost. If you need a vendor introduction or want a second opinion on a quote, email carlos@gilmediagroup.com — there's no fee for short questions.

Question 18

How do I contact BestSends?

Accepted Answer

For corrections, tip-offs, or vendor requests, email carlos@gilmediagroup.com. For consulting and partnership inquiries, email carlos@gilmediagroup.com. We respond to most messages within two business days. We're not on Facebook or TikTok, but Carlos is active on LinkedIn and X (@CarlosGil83) — DMs there are open for quick questions. We do not accept guest posts, link insertions, or sponsored content pitches, so please don't send them.

Question 19

Which is better, Kit or Beehiiv?

Accepted Answer

It depends on how you plan to make money. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the better pick if you sell your own products — courses, coaching, ebooks, memberships — because its tagging, sequences, and Commerce module are built for product launches. Beehiiv is the better pick if the newsletter itself is the product: built-in paid subscriptions, an ad network, referral programs, and a website/CMS are all native. Both have generous free plans (Kit up to 10k subs, Beehiiv up to 2,500). Full breakdown at /comparisons/beehiiv-vs-convertkit.

Question 20

Which is better, Mailchimp or Brevo?

Accepted Answer

Brevo wins on price and features for almost everyone in 2026. Brevo bills by email volume (not contacts), bundles SMS and transactional sending, and starts at $9/month for 5,000 emails. Mailchimp bills by contact — including unsubscribed ones — and locks core automations behind the Standard tier. Mailchimp still has a deeper third-party integration catalog and a more polished landing-page builder. If you're starting from scratch, pick Brevo. If you're already deep into Mailchimp's Shopify or QuickBooks integrations, the switching cost may not be worth it. See /comparisons/mailchimp-vs-brevo.

Question 21

Which is better, Klaviyo or Mailchimp for ecommerce?

Accepted Answer

Klaviyo, by a wide margin, for any store doing more than ~$10k/month. Klaviyo's product-feed integrations, predictive LTV, abandoned-cart and browse-abandonment flows, and SMS bundle are purpose-built for Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce. Mailchimp rebuilt its Shopify integration in 2023 but still lags on attribution and segmentation. Mailchimp can work for very small stores under $5k/month where Klaviyo's pricing feels steep, but most serious ecommerce operators outgrow Mailchimp within a year. See /comparisons/klaviyo-vs-mailchimp.

Question 22

Which is better, ActiveCampaign or HubSpot?

Accepted Answer

ActiveCampaign is better if email automation is the primary use case — its automation builder is more flexible and the price is a fraction of HubSpot's Marketing Hub. HubSpot is better if you also need a CRM, sales pipeline, ticketing, and content tools in one place, and you have budget ($800+/month for Marketing Hub Professional). Most teams under 50 people get more value from ActiveCampaign plus a dedicated CRM like Pipedrive or Close. See /comparisons/activecampaign-vs-hubspot.

Question 23

Which is better, Kit or Substack?

Accepted Answer

Substack wins on speed-to-launch and built-in discovery (the Substack network drives real subscriber growth). Kit wins on long-term control: you own your list cleanly, you can run sophisticated automations and tagging, and you're not locked into Substack's 10% revenue cut on paid subscriptions. A common pattern is launching on Substack to validate, then migrating to Kit once paid revenue justifies the platform fee savings. See /comparisons/kit-vs-substack.

Question 24

Which is better, MailerLite or Kit?

Accepted Answer

MailerLite is better for small businesses, ecommerce stores, and anyone who needs a landing-page and website builder bundled in. Kit is better for creators, writers, and course sellers who live in sequences and tags. MailerLite's interface is friendlier for non-marketers; Kit's data model rewards people who want fine-grained subscriber segmentation. Pricing is similar at small list sizes — MailerLite gets cheaper at scale, Kit's free plan up to 10k is the most generous in the category.

Question 25

Which is better, GetResponse or ActiveCampaign?

Accepted Answer

ActiveCampaign for pure email automation and CRM-style workflows. GetResponse for teams that also need webinars, landing pages, and a basic funnel builder bundled into one tool — its Conversion Funnel feature is genuinely useful for course creators and coaches. ActiveCampaign's deliverability and automation depth are stronger; GetResponse is the better all-in-one if you don't want to stitch tools together. See /comparisons/getresponse-vs-activecampaign.

Question 26

Does Mailchimp work with Shopify?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Mailchimp's official Shopify app was rebuilt in 2023 after a multi-year fallout with Shopify and now supports two-way sync of customers, orders, and product data, plus abandoned-cart automations. Attribution still lags Klaviyo and Omnisend, and the contact-based pricing means you pay for every Shopify customer synced. For stores under 2,000 contacts the free plan is workable; above that, Klaviyo or Omnisend deliver more revenue per dollar.

Question 27

Does Klaviyo work with Shopify?

Accepted Answer

Yes — Klaviyo is the most tightly integrated ESP for Shopify. The official Klaviyo app syncs customers, orders, products, carts, and checkout events in near real time, powers product-feed blocks in emails, and unlocks Klaviyo's predictive analytics (CLV, churn risk, next-order date). Klaviyo is also a Shopify Plus Certified App Partner. Setup takes under 10 minutes; the harder work is migrating existing flows.

Question 28

Does Kit work with Shopify?

Accepted Answer

Yes, via the official Kit Commerce + Shopify integration. Kit can sync Shopify customers as subscribers (tagged by product purchased), trigger sequences from orders, and recommend Shopify products inside emails. It is not a replacement for Klaviyo or Omnisend for high-volume stores — there's no native browse-abandonment or product feed — but it's a good fit for creator brands that sell a small product catalog through Shopify.

Question 29

Does Beehiiv work with Gmail and Google Workspace?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Beehiiv emails deliver to Gmail like any other ESP — you authenticate your sending domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC inside Beehiiv's settings, then point those records at your Google Workspace DNS. Beehiiv also supports custom sending domains on every paid plan, which improves Gmail tab placement (Primary vs. Promotions) noticeably compared to sending from a shared beehiiv.com address.

Question 30

Does Mailchimp work with Gmail?

Accepted Answer

Yes — Mailchimp delivers to Gmail addresses without any special configuration, and you can authenticate your own sending domain via SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in Account → Domains. You cannot send Mailchimp campaigns from a free @gmail.com address since DMARC enforcement in 2024 — you need a domain you own (e.g. yourbrand.com routed through Google Workspace) to pass authentication and avoid the spam folder.

Question 31

Does ActiveCampaign integrate with Shopify and WooCommerce?

Accepted Answer

Yes to both. ActiveCampaign's Shopify integration (Deep Data) syncs customers, orders, products, and abandoned carts, and unlocks revenue attribution inside automations. The WooCommerce integration uses the same Deep Data framework and works equally well. ActiveCampaign isn't as ecommerce-specialized as Klaviyo, but it's the strongest choice if you want one platform for both your store and a B2B sales pipeline.

Question 32

Does Brevo work with WordPress and WooCommerce?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Brevo's official WordPress plugin handles form embeds, subscriber sync, and transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets) from your WordPress install. The WooCommerce integration adds order and customer sync, abandoned-cart automation, and product-block emails. For WooCommerce stores on a budget, Brevo is the best alternative to Klaviyo at roughly a third of the price.

Question 33

Which is better for deliverability, MailerLite or Brevo?

Accepted Answer

Both score in the 92–96% inbox placement range in our quarterly GlockApps tests, with MailerLite edging Brevo on Gmail and Brevo edging MailerLite on Outlook. Neither will rescue a list with bad hygiene. The bigger deliverability lever for either platform is authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) on a dedicated sending domain — which both support on every paid plan. See /best-email-marketing/deliverability for the full rankings.

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