9 Best Email and SMS Marketing Software in 2026, Compared

Klaviyo is built for stores, and it shows in the billing: the Email + SMS plan is the only one in this list that bundles text-message credits into the monthly price, so a shop can run abandoned-cart emails and SMS follow-ups from one account without a second subscription. The Shopify and WooCommerce integrations sync orders, browsing and purchase history into segments automatically, and the pre-built flows cover the sequences stores actually run.

The catch is the price curve. Billing counts every active profile, and the plan that costs $35 a month at 500 profiles costs much more at 5,000, with no annual discount to soften it. For a store doing real revenue through email and SMS, that is usually worth it; for a newsletter-only business, Brevo or Sender costs a fraction of the price.

Brevo is the cheapest way into this list because it charges by emails sent, not by contacts stored: $9 a month buys 5,000 emails, and a business that emails a large list pays far less than it would on a per-contact tool. SMS, WhatsApp, live chat and a sales CRM all live in the same account, so a small team can run multichannel campaigns without stitching tools together.

The trade-off sits on the entry plan. Starter has no marketing automation at all — that starts on Standard at $18 a month — and paid plans cap the contacts you can store, so the list size still shapes the bill. The Brevo logo also stays on your emails unless you pay extra to remove it. Buy Brevo when price per send matters most, and budget for Standard if you want automation.

Omnisend is the most ecommerce-shaped tool in this list: email, SMS and web push run in the same workflows, so a welcome series can start with an email, follow up by text and finish with a push notification, all reported in one place. The Pro plan adds unlimited sends, AI product recommendations and personalized send times, and support answers around the clock on every plan.

The catch is the 2026 SMS rule. New accounts cannot send SMS on the $16 Standard plan at all — texting needs Pro at $59 a month plus a separate SMS subscription from $10 a month. Billing also counts non-subscribers who received automated messages. For a Shopify store that texts regularly, Pro is the honest price; for email-only sending, Standard is still cheap.

Mailchimp is the default choice for a reason: 300-plus integrations, a free plan, and a familiar editor that a new marketer can learn in an afternoon. Essentials at $13 a month covers the basics for 500 contacts, and Standard at $20 unlocks 200 automation flows, predictive segmentation and dynamic content — the features that make the tool earn its keep as a list grows.

Two costs hide behind the headline price. SMS runs on credits that expire each month, and billing counts unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts until you archive them, so a messy list costs real money. Generative AI is also missing from Essentials. Mailchimp is the right pick when integrations and familiarity matter most; if SMS is the main channel, Klaviyo bundles the credits instead.

ActiveCampaign has the deepest automation builder in this list. Starter includes multi-step workflows with conditional logic, site tracking and a built-in CRM, so a small team can run lead scoring, abandoned-cart sequences and SMS follow-ups from one account. The AI automation builder writes first drafts of campaigns and workflows, which saves real setup time.

The headline price is only part of the bill. SMS, the AI add-on and extra users are all separate charges, there is no free plan at any tier, and the $15-a-month price needs annual billing — paying monthly costs about 20 percent more. Buy ActiveCampaign when automation depth is the job; buy Brevo or Sender when a simple newsletter and a few texts are enough.

Constant Contact is the friendliest tool in this list for a business that wants help from a human: phone, chat and email support come with every plan, including the $12 Lite plan. Event registration, social posting and SMS sit in the same account as email, and the Premium plan includes 500 SMS messages a month, which makes the texting cost predictable.

The limits are the trade-off for that simplicity. There is no free plan any more, Lite allows one user and a single automation template, and SMS works in the US only — Lite and Standard need the $10-a-month add-on. Nonprofits save up to 30 percent by prepaying annually. Pick Constant Contact when support and events matter more than automation depth.

Drip sells one plan with every feature included, which makes the buying decision unusually simple: $39 a month buys unlimited email sends, the visual workflow builder, split-path testing and revenue attribution for up to 2,500 contacts. Every campaign reports dollars earned rather than opens, so a store can see exactly which workflow paid for itself.

The price is the catch. There is no free plan, the $39 entry covers only 2,500 contacts, and SMS is billed per message on top — in the US only. Support on the entry plan is email-only on weekdays. Drip fits a direct-to-consumer brand that already earns real revenue from email and wants every workflow tied to sales.

Sender wins on the free plan: 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, with automation and segmentation included, which no other free tier in this list matches. The $10 Standard plan adds SMS steps inside workflows, removes Sender branding and opens multi-user access, and pricing follows email volume rather than contacts stored.

The trade-off is scale and polish. Sender is the smallest brand here, with fewer native integrations than Mailchimp or Klaviyo, no built-in CRM and no AI writing features on Standard. SMS credits are bought separately, and free SMS only starts on the $20 Professional plan. Pick Sender when budget comes first and the free plan covers your list.

GetResponse is the broadest bundle in this list: webinars, a course creator, landing pages and premium newsletters sit next to email marketing, and every paid plan includes unlimited sends with no monthly cap to watch. The free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month, and the AI content generator is included from Starter.

The catch is SMS. GetResponse lists SMS marketing as an Enterprise-only feature, so a buyer who wants email plus texting faces a custom quote rather than the $19 Starter price — and Starter allows only one automation workflow. GetResponse fits a creator who sells courses and runs webinars; for email plus SMS at a published price, Klaviyo or Brevo is the honest choice.