Best Email Marketing Software in 2026
Finding the right tool for your specific needs
By Toolradar Editorial Team · Updated
There's no universal 'best'—it depends on your use case. ConvertKit for creators and newsletters. Klaviyo for e-commerce. Beehiiv for growth-focused newsletters. Mailchimp for small businesses wanting simplicity. The 'all-in-one' platforms often do email worse than focused tools. Pick based on your specific needs.
Email marketing should be simple: write good emails, send them to people who want them. Yet we've created an industry of complex tools with hundreds of features most people never touch.
A clear pattern emerges across dozens of businesses: the best outcomes come from matching tools to use cases, not chasing feature lists.
A creator building a newsletter has different needs than an e-commerce brand doing product campaigns. Here's how to pick the right tool for your situation.
The Email Marketing Market
Email marketing software sends bulk emails to subscriber lists. But the market has fragmented into specialized categories:
- Creator/Newsletter platforms: ConvertKit, Substack, Beehiiv—optimized for content creators
- E-commerce email: Klaviyo, Omnisend, Drip—deep e-commerce integrations
- SMB email marketing: Mailchimp, Constant Contact—general purpose, easy to use
- Marketing automation: HubSpot, ActiveCampaign—email plus CRM plus automation
- Transactional email: Postmark, Sendgrid—for receipts, notifications, not marketing
The right category matters more than the specific tool. A newsletter on Klaviyo is like using a race car to go grocery shopping—powerful, but wrong fit.
Email's Enduring Value
Social media algorithms change. Paid ads get more expensive. SEO takes months. Email remains the most reliable way to reach your audience.
The numbers:
- Average email ROI: $36 for every $1 spent
- Open rates: 20-30% for good lists (compare to 2% social media reach)
- Conversion rates: 3-5x higher than social media traffic
Email works because it's permission-based. People opt in. They want to hear from you. That's fundamentally different from interrupting someone on Instagram.
The catch: email only works with good content and genuine value. The same permission-based nature means you can lose your audience quickly by abusing it.
Key Features to Look For
Whether your emails reach inboxes, not spam. The most important metric that's hardest to evaluate upfront.
Organizing, segmenting, and cleaning your subscriber list.
How easy is it to create good-looking emails? Matters a lot for non-designers.
Triggered sequences like welcome emails, cart abandonment. Basic automation is essential; advanced varies by need.
Understanding opens, clicks, conversions. All tools offer basics; advanced attribution varies.
Connecting to your website, CRM, e-commerce platform, etc.
Matching Tool to Use Case
Evaluation Checklist
Pricing Overview
Beehiiv (unlimited subs, limited features), Mailchimp (500 contacts), ConvertKit (1K subs), Brevo (300 emails/day)
ConvertKit Creator ($29 at 1K), Mailchimp Standard ($20-75), Brevo Starter ($25), ActiveCampaign Lite ($15-49)
ConvertKit Creator ($79 at 10K), Klaviyo ($100 at 5K, $200 at 10K), Beehiiv Scale ($49), ActiveCampaign Plus ($79-149)
Costs scale steeply: Klaviyo $350/mo at 25K, ConvertKit $199/mo at 25K, Mailchimp $350/mo Premium — project your 12-month cost
Top Picks
Based on features, user feedback, and value for money.
Bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, course creators
E-commerce stores, especially Shopify
Newsletter-first businesses, media companies, content entrepreneurs
Mistakes to Avoid
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Choosing based on free tier generosity instead of long-term fit — Mailchimp's free tier is great, but at 10K subscribers you'll pay $100+/mo vs $79 for ConvertKit
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Ignoring deliverability until emails are going to spam — test before committing; switching platforms with a spam-damaged domain is extremely painful
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Over-segmenting small lists — 1,000 subscribers split into 20 segments means 50 people per segment, not enough for meaningful personalization
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Buying Klaviyo ($100/mo at 5K contacts) for a content newsletter — Klaviyo is built for e-commerce; ConvertKit ($49/mo at 5K) or Beehiiv ($49/mo) is a better fit
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Not cleaning your list — sending to unengaged subscribers (no opens in 90 days) tanks your deliverability score; remove or re-engage them quarterly
Expert Tips
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Test deliverability with Mail-Tester.com (free, paste an email address) before committing — a score below 7/10 means the platform has infrastructure issues
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Start simpler than you think — ConvertKit or Beehiiv with one welcome sequence and one weekly email outperforms a complex 20-automation HubSpot setup you never finish building
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Your welcome sequence is the most valuable automation — it gets 2-3x higher open rates than regular emails; spend 80% of your setup time perfecting it
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For e-commerce: cart abandonment emails recover 5-15% of abandoned carts — this single automation justifies Klaviyo's entire subscription cost
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Regularly remove unengaged subscribers (no opens in 90 days) — a 5,000-person engaged list outperforms a 20,000-person unengaged list in revenue and deliverability
Red Flags to Watch For
- !Platform charges you for unsubscribed and bounced contacts — you're paying to store unusable email addresses (Mailchimp does this on paid plans)
- !No dedicated IP option for high-volume senders — shared IPs mean your deliverability depends on other users' behavior
- !The vendor has a history of sudden pricing changes — Mailchimp raised prices 15-25% in 2023-2024 with minimal notice
- !No DKIM/SPF/DMARC setup guidance — email authentication is critical for deliverability; the vendor should help you configure it
- !Subscriber export requires contacting support — you should always be able to export your full list with one click
The Bottom Line
Match the tool to your use case: ConvertKit/Kit ($29-199/mo) for creators and course sellers, Klaviyo ($0-350/mo) for e-commerce, Beehiiv ($0-99/mo) for growth-focused newsletters, Brevo ($0-65/mo) for transactional + marketing on a budget. Skip Mailchimp unless you specifically need its simplicity — competitors offer better value and features at every price point. Test deliverability before committing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best email marketing software for beginners?
Mailchimp and ConvertKit are the easiest to start with. Both have free tiers and intuitive interfaces. Choose Mailchimp for general business use, ConvertKit if you're a creator or building a newsletter.
Is Mailchimp still good in 2026?
For simple email marketing, yes. However, Mailchimp has become more expensive and competitors have caught up. For creators, ConvertKit is often better. For e-commerce, Klaviyo wins. Mailchimp is best for general small business email needs.
How much should email marketing cost?
Expect $0-50/month for small lists (under 5K), $50-150 for growing lists (5K-25K), and $200+ for large lists. The ROI should far exceed the cost—if it doesn't, the problem is strategy, not budget.
Can I switch email marketing platforms later?
Yes, but it's work. Subscriber lists export easily. Automations need to be rebuilt. Some analytics history may be lost. The more complex your setup, the harder migration becomes. Choose thoughtfully upfront.
Should I use Substack or ConvertKit?
Substack is simpler and includes built-in monetization, but you're locked into their platform and take less of your revenue. ConvertKit gives you more control and ownership but requires more setup. For casual newsletters, Substack. For building a business, ConvertKit.
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