Best Email Marketing Software 2021: Top 10 Platforms
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Table of Contents
- Quick Picks: Best Email Marketing Software 2021
- How We Evaluated These Tools
- Detailed Reviews
- Email Marketing Software Comparison
- What to Look for in Email Marketing Software
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Bottom Line
Looking for the best email marketing software in 2021? You’re not alone. With email marketing delivering $42 for every $1 spent, choosing the right platform can make or break your campaigns.
This guide breaks down the top email marketing tools based on features, pricing, deliverability, and ease of use. Whether you’re a solopreneur sending weekly newsletters or an enterprise managing complex automation sequences, we’ve got you covered.
Quick Picks: Best Email Marketing Software 2021
- mailchimp — Best for beginners with generous free plan
- convertkit — Best for creators and bloggers with advanced automation
- activecampaign — Best overall for growing businesses needing CRM features
- sendinblue — Best value with unlimited contacts on paid plans
- constant-contact — Best customer support and deliverability rates
How We Evaluated These Tools
We tested over 15 email marketing platforms, focusing on deliverability rates, automation capabilities, template quality, pricing structure, and customer support responsiveness. Each tool was evaluated using real campaigns across different industries to ensure practical, real-world insights.
Detailed Reviews
mailchimp — Best for Beginners
Key Specs:
- Free plan: Up to 2,000 contacts, 10,000 emails/month
- Drag-and-drop builder with 100+ templates
- Basic automation and A/B testing
- Integrates with 300+ apps
- Mobile app available
Mailchimp remains the go-to choice for email marketing newcomers, and for good reason. The interface feels intuitive from day one, with clearly labeled sections and helpful tooltips throughout. Their template library covers most use cases, from simple newsletters to product announcements.
The free plan is genuinely useful — not just a teaser. You get enough contacts and sends for most small businesses to operate for months without paying. The automation features on free accounts are basic but functional for welcome series and birthday emails.
Where Mailchimp struggles is scalability. Once you hit 2,000+ subscribers, pricing jumps significantly. The automation builder, while pretty, can feel limiting compared to more advanced platforms. Customer support on free plans is email-only, which means longer wait times.
convertkit — Best for Creators and Bloggers
Key Specs:
- Starts at $29/month for 1,000 subscribers
- Visual automation builder with conditional logic
- Advanced tagging and segmentation
- Landing page and form builder included
- Creator-focused integrations (Teachable, Gumroad, etc.)
ConvertKit was built specifically for content creators, and it shows. The automation builder uses visual flowcharts that make complex sequences easy to understand. You can tag subscribers based on link clicks, form submissions, or purchase behavior, then trigger different email paths.
The platform excels at subscriber management. Instead of traditional lists, ConvertKit uses tags and segments, making it simple to send targeted content without duplicate subscribers across multiple lists. The deliverability rates consistently rank among the highest in the industry.
The downside? No free plan, and the starting price assumes you’re serious about email marketing. The template selection is smaller than competitors, focusing on simple, text-heavy designs rather than flashy graphics. If you need extensive design options, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
activecampaign — Best Overall for Growing Businesses
Key Specs:
- Starts at $15/month for 500 contacts
- Built-in CRM with sales automation
- Advanced behavioral triggers and scoring
- Over 850 integrations
- SMS marketing included on higher plans
ActiveCampaign bridges the gap between email marketing and customer relationship management better than any competitor. The automation capabilities rival enterprise-level platforms, with machine learning that optimizes send times and predicts customer behavior.
The CRM functionality transforms how you handle leads. Sales teams can see every email interaction, website visit, and form submission in one dashboard. Lead scoring automatically identifies hot prospects based on engagement patterns you define. The reporting goes deep — you’ll know exactly which emails drive revenue, not just opens and clicks.
The learning curve is steeper than simpler tools. New users can feel overwhelmed by the feature set, and the interface assumes some marketing automation knowledge. Pricing scales quickly as your list grows, making it expensive for businesses with large, less-engaged audiences.
sendinblue — Best Value with Unlimited Contacts
Key Specs:
- Free plan: Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day
- Paid plans start at $25/month with unlimited contacts
- Built-in SMS marketing and live chat
- Transactional email API included
- Landing page builder and Facebook ads integration
SendinBlue flips traditional email pricing on its head. Instead of charging per contact, they charge per email sent. This makes them incredibly cost-effective for businesses with large, infrequently-emailed lists like event companies or seasonal retailers.
The platform covers more than just email. SMS campaigns, live chat widgets, and Facebook ad retargeting all work from the same dashboard. The transactional email service competes directly with dedicated providers like SendGrid, making it a one-stop solution for developers.
The automation builder feels basic compared to ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign. Template designs lean heavily toward European aesthetics, which may not suit all brands. Customer support, while responsive, primarily operates during European business hours, creating delays for US-based users.
constant-contact — Best Customer Support and Deliverability
Key Specs:
- 60-day free trial, then starts at $20/month
- 99%+ deliverability rates consistently
- Live chat, phone, and email support
- Event management tools included
- 200+ templates with mobile optimization
Constant Contact has spent decades building relationships with email providers, and their deliverability rates prove it. Emails consistently land in inboxes rather than spam folders, making them particularly valuable for businesses in competitive industries.
The customer support stands out immediately. Live chat connects within minutes, phone support operates extended hours, and their knowledge base actually answers questions instead of deflecting to other articles. For non-technical users, this support quality justifies the higher pricing.
The interface feels dated compared to newer platforms. Automation capabilities lag behind competitors, focusing on simple drip sequences rather than complex behavioral triggers. The pricing structure doesn’t include a meaningful free plan, making it harder to test before committing.
getresponse — Best All-in-One Marketing Platform
Key Specs:
- 30-day free trial, starts at $15/month
- Webinar hosting for up to 100 attendees
- Landing page builder with A/B testing
- E-commerce tools and abandoned cart recovery
- Basic CRM and marketing automation
GetResponse packages email marketing with tools you’d typically buy separately. The webinar hosting works seamlessly with email campaigns, automatically adding attendees to specific lists. Landing pages convert well out of the box, with templates optimized for different industries.
The e-commerce features deserve special mention. Abandoned cart emails trigger automatically when customers leave items behind, and product recommendation emails use browsing behavior to suggest relevant items. These features often pay for the entire platform cost.
Where GetResponse falls short is depth. Each feature works well but lacks the sophistication of dedicated tools. The email automation builder handles basic sequences fine but struggles with complex, multi-branched campaigns. Customer support quality varies significantly between chat and email channels.
aweber — Best for Traditional Email Marketing
Key Specs:
- Free plan for up to 500 subscribers
- Drag-and-drop email builder
- Autoresponder sequences up to 20 emails
- Phone support included on paid plans
- Strong deliverability with major ISPs
AWeber represents old-school email marketing done right. They’ve maintained excellent relationships with major email providers since 1998, ensuring consistent inbox delivery. The autoresponder system handles welcome series and follow-up sequences without complications.
The platform excels at reliability. Emails send when scheduled, templates render consistently across devices, and the system rarely experiences downtime. For businesses wanting predictable, no-surprise email marketing, AWeber delivers exactly that.
Innovation isn’t AWeber’s strength. The automation features feel basic compared to newer platforms, and the interface design clearly shows its age. Advanced segmentation and behavioral triggers exist but require workarounds that shouldn’t be necessary in 2021.
Email Marketing Software Comparison
| Platform | Starting Price | Free Plan | Contacts (Starter) | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mailchimp | Free | Yes (2,000 contacts) | 2,000 | Beginner-friendly |
| convertkit | $29/month | No | 1,000 | Creator tools |
| activecampaign | $15/month | No | 500 | CRM integration |
| sendinblue | $25/month | Yes (unlimited) | Unlimited | Value pricing |
| constant-contact | $20/month | 60-day trial | 500 | Support quality |
| getresponse | $15/month | 30-day trial | 1,000 | All-in-one features |
| aweber | $19/month | Yes (500 contacts) | 500 | Reliability |
What to Look for in Email Marketing Software
Deliverability Rates
Your emails need to reach inboxes, not spam folders. Look for platforms with published deliverability statistics and strong relationships with major email providers like Gmail and Outlook. Avoid any service that can’t provide recent delivery rate data.
Automation Capabilities
Basic autoresponders handle welcome emails, but advanced automation can nurture leads through complex sales funnels. Visual workflow builders make it easier to create and modify automation sequences. Consider what triggers you need — form submissions, purchase behavior, website visits, or email engagement.
Integration Options
Your email platform should connect seamlessly with your existing tools. E-commerce businesses need shopping cart integrations, while service providers might prioritize CRM connections. Check for native integrations first, then consider platforms with Zapier connectivity for broader compatibility.
Scalable Pricing
Email marketing costs should grow predictably with your business. Some platforms charge per contact, others per email sent. Consider your growth trajectory — a generous free plan matters less if paid pricing becomes prohibitive at scale. Factor in additional costs for premium features like advanced automation or phone support.
Template Quality and Customization
Pre-built templates save time, but they should match your brand aesthetic. Look for responsive designs that work across all devices, and ensure you can customize colors, fonts, and layouts without coding knowledge. Some industries require specific template styles — B2B companies often prefer text-heavy designs while retailers need product showcases.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between email marketing and marketing automation?
Email marketing typically refers to sending newsletters, promotional emails, and basic autoresponder sequences. Marketing automation encompasses more complex, behavior-triggered campaigns that can include email, SMS, and other channels. Most modern platforms blend both capabilities.
How important are deliverability rates when choosing a platform?
Extremely important. A platform with 85% deliverability wastes 15% of your marketing budget compared to one with 95% rates. Established providers like constant-contact and mailchimp generally maintain better relationships with email providers, resulting in higher inbox placement.
Should I choose a platform based on its free plan?
Free plans are great for testing and very small businesses, but evaluate paid features carefully. Most businesses outgrow free plans quickly, and switching platforms later means rebuilding automations and potentially losing subscriber data. Consider the paid plan you’ll likely need within 12 months.
Can I migrate my email list between platforms?
Yes, but with caveats. Most platforms allow CSV imports of basic subscriber data (email, name, signup date). However, complex segmentation, tags, and automation sequences typically don’t transfer. Plan migrations during low-activity periods and prepare to rebuild advanced features.
How do I know if my current email marketing software is working?
Track beyond open and click rates. Monitor deliverability trends, unsubscribe rates, and revenue attribution. If your open rates are declining despite list growth, or if customer support consistently disappoints, it might be time to switch. Most platforms offer free trials for testing before committing.
What’s the best email marketing software for small businesses?
Mailchimp offers the most generous free plan for getting started, while sendinblue provides the best value as you scale. The “best” choice depends on your specific needs — creators should consider convertkit, while businesses wanting CRM features should evaluate activecampaign.
Bottom Line
The best email marketing software for 2021 depends entirely on your business needs and technical comfort level. Mailchimp remains unbeatable for beginners, while activecampaign offers the most comprehensive feature set for growing businesses.
Don’t get caught up in feature lists you’ll never use. Start with a platform that handles your current needs well, offers room for growth, and maintains high deliverability standards. Most quality platforms provide free trials — use them to test with your actual content and audience before making a long-term commitment.
The right email marketing software pays for itself quickly through improved engagement and sales. Choose based on your real needs today, not theoretical requirements you might have someday.