Best Email Marketing Software for Ecommerce Businesses
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Ecommerce sellers need email marketing tools that go beyond newsletters — order tracking, SMS follow-up, automated flows, and native store integrations matter more than generic list-building. This ranking compares six platforms on the specific data points that matter for online stores: built-in CRM/order data, SMS marketing, ecommerce integrations, marketing automation depth, and free-plan availability for stores just getting started. Pricing tiers and feature notes below are pulled directly from each vendor's published plans so you can see exactly what you get before committing budget.
Full ranking
Best for: Ecommerce brands that want order-level CRM data tied directly to email/SMS sends
Klaviyo positions itself as 'The B2C CRM' with Customer Hub, account management, and order tracking built in — a direct fit for ecommerce data needs. Its Free plan already includes $5 of mobile messages/month for SMS alongside 250 profiles and 500 emails/month, letting small stores test SMS+email together at $0.
- Built-in CRM / contact scoring
- SMS marketing
- Free forever plan
Best for: Cost-conscious ecommerce stores that want SMS and web push alongside email from day one
Omnisend's Free plan (500 emails/mo, 250 contacts, 500 Web Push notifications) requires no credit card, and its Pro plan adds SMS starting at $0.007/SMS plus unlimited emails — a low-cost path for stores scaling SMS and email together. Marketing automation is listed as included across all plans, not gated to a top tier.
- SMS marketing
- Marketing automation workflows
- Free forever plan
Best for: Growing ecommerce merchants ready to invest in Professional-tier automation and merchandising features
Brevo's Professional plan ($499/mo, from 150,000 emails/month) explicitly adds ecommerce features like AI recommendations, back-in-stock alerts, and coupons, plus contact scoring (RFM, CLV) for customer segmentation. Marketing automation and A/B testing are already available at the Standard tier ($18/mo), giving growing stores a mid-tier upgrade path.
- E-commerce integrations
- Marketing automation workflows
- Deliverability tools (warm-up, monitoring)
Best for: Ecommerce teams with multiple users needing CRM and automation bundled at every price point
ActiveCampaign includes ecommerce integrations at every tier, described as 'standard' on Starter/Plus/Pro and 'premium' on Enterprise ($145/mo, 5 users), plus built-in CRM across all plans. Marketing automation is unlimited on higher tiers versus 5 actions per automation on the $15/mo Starter plan.
- E-commerce integrations
- Built-in CRM / contact scoring
- Marketing automation workflows
Best for: Small ecommerce shops on Shopify or WooCommerce wanting low-cost native integrations
MailerLite lists specific Stripe, Shopify, and WooCommerce integrations as included, and its Free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails at $0. Automation limits scale by tier — 3 automations on Free, 50 on Comfort ($12/mo), unlimited on Power ($25/mo) — which suits smaller catalogs more than high-volume flows.
- E-commerce integrations
- Drag-and-drop email builder
- A/B testing
Best for: Stores already using Mailchimp for general email who need basic automation and occasional SMS add-ons
Mailchimp's Essentials plan ($13/mo) caps automation at 4 flow steps, with fuller automation (up to 200 flows) only unlocked on Standard ($20/mo) or Premium ($350/mo). The provided feature data does not list a dedicated ecommerce_integrations capability for Mailchimp, making it a weaker fit specifically for store-level automation compared to the other tools here.
- Marketing automation workflows
- AI content assistant
- Free forever plan
Buying guide
For ecommerce, prioritize platforms that connect directly to store data — order history, product recommendations, and abandoned-cart triggers — rather than generic email tools. Check whether ecommerce integrations are a named feature (Brevo, ActiveCampaign, and MailerLite all list this explicitly) or absorbed into a general CRM (Klaviyo's Customer Hub). SMS matters for order updates and flash sales: Klaviyo bundles $5 of mobile messages into its free tier, Omnisend prices SMS at $0.007 on Pro, and Brevo/Mailchimp sell SMS as an add-on. Watch tier gating closely — automation step limits (Mailchimp Essentials: 4 steps; ActiveCampaign Starter: 5 actions), AI content assist availability (often locked to mid/upper tiers like Brevo's Starter tier or Mailchimp's Standard/Premium), and deliverability support (Brevo's Professional-tier Deliverability Specialist, MailerLite's Enterprise-only support) before committing. Finally, compare free-plan limits directly: Klaviyo, Omnisend, Brevo, and MailerLite all offer $0 plans, but contact and send caps vary enough (250 profiles vs. 300 emails/day vs. 250 subscribers) that the right free tier depends on your current list size and send frequency.
Frequently asked questions
Which email marketing software is cheapest for a new ecommerce store?
Brevo, Klaviyo, Omnisend, and MailerLite all offer $0/month free plans. Brevo's free plan allows 300 emails per day with no credit card needed, Klaviyo's covers up to 250 profiles and 500 emails/month plus $5 of mobile messages, Omnisend's covers 500 emails/mo and 250 contacts, and MailerLite's covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails.
Who should choose Klaviyo over the other options?
Ecommerce sellers who want customer data (order tracking, account management) built directly into their CRM should consider Klaviyo, since it's described as 'The B2C CRM' with a Customer Hub, and its free plan already includes SMS credit alongside email.
Does Mailchimp have dedicated ecommerce integrations?
The provided feature data does not list a dedicated ecommerce_integrations capability for Mailchimp, unlike Brevo, ActiveCampaign, and MailerLite, which all explicitly list ecommerce integrations in their feature sets.
Which platforms include SMS marketing for order updates?
Klaviyo includes $5 of mobile messages/month on its Free plan, Omnisend offers SMS starting at $0.007/SMS on its Pro plan, Brevo sells SMS credit separately based on volume, and Mailchimp offers SMS as a paid add-on on Essentials, Standard, and Premium plans.
What's the price jump to look out for as an ecommerce store scales up?
Mailchimp's Premium plan jumps to $350/month (with a promo of $297.50/mo for 12 months), Brevo's Professional plan is $499/month for 150,000+ emails and 10 seats, and ActiveCampaign's Enterprise plan is $145/month for 5 users — all significant increases from their entry-level tiers.