3 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses

As a small business owner, email marketing provides one of the best ways to reach a massive audience without breaking the bank. You can check out some of the ways real small businesses - like lawyers, photographers, and dentists - are using it to drive business success.

In fact, studies show that it has one of the highest ROIs across all digital marketing channels, generating an average return of more than $36 for every $1 spent.

But the first step toward a successful email marketing strategy is finding a platform that aligns with your business's size, needs, and budget.

We’ve compared more than 230 email marketing software providers to come up with the three best options for small businesses.

Let’s dive in!

What Makes the Best Email Marketing Platform for Small Businesses?

Most big companies are using email marketing platforms. But while these platforms offer advanced features, many of them might be more than you need.

Every small business is unique, with its own specific needs and goals - and a unique marketing lifecycle. For example, a coach or consultant might need advanced tracking and automation to secure high-ticket sales.

On the other hand, a yoga studio might just want an easy way to send attractive newsletters without any technical headaches.

In other words, the software you choose will really come down to how you need to use it. That said, there are some key criteria that we believe apply to most small businesses.

Price

Most small businesses operate with limited resources. As such, the price of email marketing software is often one of the most important criteria.

Email marketing platforms offer various pricing models, including:

• Free: Basic plans with limited features
• Freemium: Free up to a specific subscriber count
• Free trials: Full access for a limited period
• Paid: Monthly or annual subscription plans

Going with a free plan might mean missing out on some fancy features. But depending on your needs, you might be able to get by just fine until you're ready to level up to a paid plan.

The ideal solution will give you room to grow within your budget. Even if you start with a free plan, upgrading features shouldn't require you to switch providers or lose your existing emails and lists. Our top picks give you the flexibility to change plans whenever you need.

Features

While price is a major consideration, at the end of the day, you want an email marketing platform that performs. Sending emails is the bare minimum - you could do that for free. An email marketing platform worth investing in should offer much more.

Email marketing automation is one important feature to look for. A good platform will let you automate essential tasks, like sending a welcome email when someone signs up for your list. That personal touch can go a long way in building relationships with your subscribers from the beginning.

But automation can get even more powerful than that. Imagine being able to trigger specific emails based on what your subscribers do (or don't do). It can be a game-changer! (Learn more in 12 Marketing Automation Best Practices to Implement Right Now.)

Templates are another must-have. Why? Because, on average, your subscribers are getting bombarded with 121 business emails per day. If you want to stand out in their inbox, your emails need to look professional.

Integrations are also crucial. They sync email platforms with other business systems like ecommerce stores, landing pages, and CRMs. Connecting data sources provides a 360-degree view of your customers. This will help you better personalize messaging based on insights from different tools.

Ease of Use

As a lean small business, you may not have the time or expertise needed to learn a complex system. You need to prioritize email providers with intuitive dashboards that allow you to quickly build emails, create automation, view analytics, and more.

With the right platform, you'll be able to set up automations without writing a single line of code. The easiest-to-use platforms also let you customize templates to your liking in minutes instead of hours.

Finally, we understand that not everyone on your team is tech-savvy. That's why solid customer support is another standout feature we considered. Help should always be just a phone call, email, or chat away.

Best Email Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses

Choosing the best email marketing platform can be overwhelming, considering there are hundreds of options competing for your business. We narrowed the choice down to three providers that we believe offer the best blend of cost, features and ease of use that small businesses need.

Keep in mind that this concise list is based on our broader analysis and ranking of the best email software, which analyzed more than 230 software providers. You an learn more about how we choose our lists here.

As you read through these reviews, think about your specific requirements and see which platform seems like the best fit for your small business. (You might also come across some new-to-you terminology here. If you do head to our list of email marketing terms to learn more.)

1. MailerLite

We're leading with MailerLite because it offers exceptional value for money. There's a free plan you can opt for that supports 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails monthly. If the free plan is too limited for your needs, you can subscribe to one of the paid plans that start at $9 per month.

Beyond these basics, MailerLite is also one of the easiest email service providers to use. Its simple interface lets you do much more than email marketing. You can create professional-looking newsletters, landing pages, and websites using MailerLite's drag-and-drop editor or pre-designed templates. You can even build a blog to better engage visitors and customers.

For busy marketers, MailerLite can save a lot of time with its library of pre-built content blocks. These make putting together emails quick and painless.

The best thing is that the platform keeps on adding new features. MailerLite now has an AI writing assistant and subject line generator, which are convenient features for crafting effective campaigns. The service also includes transactional emails (emails sent in response to an action a user takes, like purchasing a product or signing up for a newsletter) at no extra cost.

In short, MailerLite is the best choice for small businesses who want to keep things simple and budget-friendly. All without missing out on much besides advanced marketing automation.

2. ActiveCampaign

For small businesses that want a platform that's a little more complex, ActiveCampaign offers a wide range of functionality. While the term "complex" might sound intimidating, ActiveCampaign remains reasonably user-friendly.

Like MailerLite, it’s based on a visual builder that doesn't require coding knowledge. However, we think it does come with a steeper learning curve.

Where ActiveCampaign really shines is its advanced automation capabilities. This allows you to create highly personalized customer journeys using behavioral triggers and tags.

You can also segment your subscriber list based on various criteria like past interactions and behaviors. Keep in mind that this level of personalization and automation results in higher pricing than MailerLite. Paid plans start at $15 per month, and there's no free forever plan (just a 14-day free trial).

For those wanting an all-in-one solution, ActiveCampaign also offers integrated CRM functionality to complement its email marketing features. This brings capabilities like lead scoring, SMS marketing, and more.

In terms of analytics, ActiveCampaign offers excellent insight into all your crucial email and business metrics, along with tools for attribution modeling and split testing.

3. Brevo

Formerly called SendinBlue, Brevo strikes a nice balance between the simplicity of MailerLite and advanced functionality of ActiveCampaign. The platform is user-friendly right out of the box, yet it also supports powerful features like CRM tools.

There's a free plan available and the paid plans start at an affordable $9 per month.

One limitation is that the free email marketing plan allows only 300 sent emails per day. Paid plans come with no daily sending limits.

Higher-tier plans also unlock neat features like the ability to automatically segment contacts based on various behaviors, interests, and attributes.

Brevo also provides customizable signup forms and landing pages to help generate more email signups and leads. Its landing page builder is user-friendly while still letting you create high-converting pages.

Brevo's marketing automation capabilities are more advanced than MailerLite but not quite as robust as ActiveCampaign's (and require upgrading from the free plan). With Brevo, you’ll also get an appointment scheduling application and a live chat widget for your website, as well as an AI assistant.

Choose the Right Email Marketing Platform for Your Small Business

When it comes to something as critical as choosing an email marketing platform, it's impossible to suggest a one-size-fits-all solution for small businesses. The needs of a startup with few customers are different from those of a more established small company experiencing rapid growth.

That's why it's important to evaluate your specific requirements and priorities. You should also assess your current and future email marketing and CRM needs.

For most small businesses, Mailerlite is a stellar place to start. It's affordable, easy to use, and has plenty of room for you to grow. As you scale, you can always upgrade to a paid plan to unlock extra features.

If you're just starting out and want cost-effective yet solid capabilities, Brevo's free plan and CRM can provide a great foundation.

For businesses on the verge of outgrowing the "small" category, ActiveCampaign's robust automation and analytics can meet your expanding needs, all while staying within a small business budget.

No matter where your business is on its journey, one of these three excellent email service providers can likely meet your marketing requirements. Review your specific needs, weigh the pros and cons, and choose the one that best supports your small business growth.

Compare Your Options

The benefits of email marketing for small businesses are multiple. On the plus side, email marketing remains one of the most effective ways for any small business to engage customers.

Yet, finding the right platform tailored to your budget and needs can pose a challenge.

If you need more help, Softailed's email marketing comparison tool allows you to evaluate multiple platforms side-by-side. You can filter by business size, price, and dozens of features to match solutions to your needs.

You might also want to check out our top picks for best email marketing platforms for nonprofits for some other good options.