Is Klaviyo worth the price?
Klaviyo offers a genuinely useful free tier (250 contacts, 500 emails/mo) but costs escalate rapidly with list growth, from $30/mo at 1,000 contacts to $150/mo at 10,000 and $1,380/mo at 100,000.
Since February 2025, billing is based on total active profiles (not just emailed contacts), which effectively raised prices for most users.
Pricing Plans
Free
- 250 active profiles
- 500 email sends/month
- 150 SMS credits/month
$20/month
- 500+ profiles
- 10x email sends per profile
- 150 free SMS credits
Email + SMS
From $35
- All Email features
- SMS messaging
- Automation workflows
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Since Feb 2025, you pay for ALL active profiles, not just contacts you email. Imported but unengaged contacts still count toward billing
SMS credits are separate and do not roll over month-to-month, unused credits are lost
International SMS costs 5-12 credits per message vs 1 credit for US, dramatically increasing costs for global audiences
Spending over $10,000/mo forces you into Klaviyo One enterprise tier with a mandatory 20% premium
Advanced add-ons are expensive
Marketing Analytics ($100/mo), Customer Agent AI ($140/mo), Helpdesk ($185/mo)
How Klaviyo Compares
E-commerce store with 10,000 email contacts, email-only plan
Which Plan Do You Need?
Includes segmentation, automation, AI tools, and 150 SMS credits, more generous feature set than most competitors free tiers
Best-in-class Shopify integration, predictive analytics, and 10x contact email sending limits make it the default choice for Shopify merchants
Unified email + SMS + push in one platform avoids managing separate SMS providers, the $15/mo SMS add-on is reasonable at lower tiers
Our Recommendation
Worth it if...
You run a Shopify store and rely on advanced segmentation, abandoned cart flows, and predictive analytics, Klaviyo ROI typically justifies the premium for e-commerce
Skip if...
Your list exceeds 25,000 contacts and you primarily send newsletters, Brevo or Mailchimp offer far better value for high-volume, low-complexity email marketing
Negotiation tips
Annual contracts can yield 10-15% discounts at higher tiers. Clean your list aggressively before each billing cycle since all active profiles count, suppressing unengaged contacts directly reduces your bill.
Klaviyo Pricing FAQ
How much does Klaviyo cost?
Klaviyo starts at $20/month on the Email plan. It offers 2 paid tiers ranging from $20/month up to $35/month. A free plan is also available with limited features.
Does Klaviyo have a free plan?
Yes. Klaviyo offers a free plan called "Free". It includes: 250 active profiles, 500 email sends/month, 150 SMS credits/month.
What is the cheapest Klaviyo paid plan?
The cheapest paid plan for Klaviyo is "Email" at $20/month. Key features include: 500+ profiles, 10x email sends per profile, 150 free SMS credits.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Klaviyo?
Yes. Popular alternatives to Klaviyo include ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Customer.io. Free alternatives include ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, HubSpot. Compare them side-by-side on Toolradar.
Cheaper alternatives to Klaviyo
4 of 6 direct competitors below offer a free plan. Per-seat pricing varies up to 60% across this set.
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