Email is an evergreen way to talk to customers. It reaches the inbox, carries the brand voice, and doubles as an authenticator for sign‑ups, order alerts, and password resets. For e-commerce, email is not just a way of communication; it is the central system that connects browsing, buying, service, and loyalty. The right platform helps send attractive campaigns, recover abandoned carts, trigger timely flows, and measure revenue with clarity. Below is a detailed guide to the best email platforms for online stores in 2025, with a special look at Mailchimp and Brevo, plus seven more strong options for global sellers.
1. Mailchimp
Mailchimp remains a familiar, well-supported choice for growing stores that need solid templates, basic-to-advanced automation, and a wide integration library. It suits brands that want newsletters, promotions, and customer journeys without fully committing to e-commerce only tooling. Pricing scales with contacts, with a free tier for small lists and paid tiers unlocking multivariate testing, dynamic content, and deeper automation. Do note that recent price changes and contact counting rules may raise costs as lists grow, so housekeeping and segmentation discipline are important. For many merchants, Mailchimp delivers a reliable balance of ease, features, and partner ecosystem.
2. Brevo
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a value‑driven platform known for fair pricing, transactional emails, and an all‑in‑one mindset that blends email, SMS, chat, and basic CRM. It is friendly for smaller stores and local businesses that need dependable deliverability and easy automations like welcome, post‑purchase, and cart recovery. Brevo’s pricing and free plan are attractive for early‑stage brands, and the tool grows comfortably with contact lists and SMS needs. If the priorities are affordability, transactional reliability, and quick setup, Brevo is a very practical pick.
3. Klaviyo
Klaviyo is a favorite for mid‑market and scaling stores that want deep data, robust segmentation, and advanced flows. It shines with predictive analytics, detailed revenue attribution, and granular testing. Teams can build complex journeys across the lifecycle from browse abandonment to win‑back with precise triggers tied to product and behavior data. The trade‑offs are price and a steeper learning curve, but for brands that want sophisticated, data‑rich email plus SMS, Klaviyo becomes a growth engine.
4. Omnisend
Omnisend focuses squarely on e-commerce with fast, intuitive workflows and strong email‑SMS‑push orchestration. It is easier to set up than many advanced tools and ships with practical, pre‑built flows for welcome, cart, and post‑purchase that work out of the box. Many Shopify and WooCommerce stores like Omnisend for its clean editor, large template library, and channel mix. If the goal is to launch effective lifecycle marketing without heavy tinkering, Omnisend is a friendly and powerful option.
5. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign blends marketing automation with strong CRM features, making it suitable for stores that also run lead nurturing and B2B segments. It offers deep branching logic, site tracking, and sales automations beyond pure e-commerce use cases. For teams that need both store flows and broader lifecycle campaigns, it can consolidate tools while keeping advanced rules and scoring intact.
6. Drip
Drip targets direct‑to‑consumer brands with clean automations, tagging, and good e-commerce integrations. It prioritizes lifecycle flows and personalization for repeat purchases and LTV uplift. If the brand is content‑led and community‑oriented, Drip’s approach to segmentation and storytelling fits well.
7. GetResponse
GetResponse offers a versatile suite of email, automation, funnels, webinars, and landing pages useful for merchants who also run launches and events. Its funnel builder and webinar features make it attractive for education‑led commerce and high‑ticket drops that need pre‑sale nurturing.
8. MailerLite
MailerLite is popular for its simplicity, clean editor, and fair pricing. It is good for small stores and creators who want polished emails, basic automations, and landing pages without heavy overhead. As the list grows, stores can add e-commerce blocks and expand flows gradually.
9. Shopify Email
For Shopify stores, Shopify Email is the convenient baseline: native templates, product blocks, and straightforward campaigns from the same admin. It is not the most advanced for automation, but for lean teams, it reduces context switching and keeps costs in check until scale demands a move to a specialist tool.
10. Constant Contact
Constant Contact remains relevant for SMEs that value event tools, surveys, and straightforward campaign building. It is a safe, serviceable option for brands with mixed marketing needs and community events alongside online sales.
11. HubSpot
HubSpot is powerful for stores that need CRM‑first operations with email as part of a wider customer platform for sales, service, and marketing in one place. Revenue attribution and lifecycle automation are strong, but pricing fits teams ready to leverage CRM depth beyond newsletters.
How to choose the right platform
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Start with the store’s data needs: If the plan involves heavy segmentation, predictive modelling, and multi‑step flows, Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign are better fits; if the aim is quick wins with strong ecommerce presets, Omnisend or Drip work well.
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Map channels early: If SMS will be a core channel, check coverage and pricing; Omnisend’s international SMS reach is broader, while Klaviyo’s SMS is excellent but limited to selected countries.
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Consider total cost of ownership: Pricing models vary by contacts, sends, and extras like SMS or transactional email; recent changes mean Mailchimp costs can rise as lists add unsubscribed/non‑subscribed contacts, so hygiene and pruning matter.
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Test deliverability and reporting: Use free plans/trials to send to seed lists, check inbox rate, and verify revenue tracking and UTM consistency before migrating fully.
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Match team bandwidth: If the team prefers pre‑built flows and quick setup, Omnisend and MailerLite are friendly; if there is time for complex builds, Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign unlock more depth.
Practical stacks for common scenarios
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Early‑stage Shopify brand: Start with Shopify Email for launches and simple flows, then graduate to Omnisend for omnichannel automation when revenue stabilizes.
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Scaling D2C with strong data: Choose Klaviyo for advanced segmentation and predictive features; add SMS where coverage fits target markets.
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Value‑first small store: Brevo or MailerLite to balance costs, transactional reliability, and basic automations; upgrade only when constraints appear.
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B2B‑B2C hybrid: ActiveCampaign or HubSpot for combined CRM, sales journeys, and e-commerce flows under one roof.
Migration tips
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Audit all flows first: welcome, browse and cart abandonment, post‑purchase, review requests, replenishment, and win‑back; list triggers and logic so the new platform replicates business rules.
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Clean the list: remove role accounts, bounces, and long‑inactive contacts; this lowers costs and improves deliverability when warming new sending domains.
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Warm-up domains: ramp sending volume gradually and align SPF, DKIM, and DMARC from day one; test with seed inboxes and adjust cadence to protect reputation.
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Preserve attribution: standardize UTM templates and use the platform’s revenue reporting to validate “email‑attributed sales” against analytics.
Final word
Email continues to be the most dependable channel for e-commerce part message, part receipt, part authenticator. Mailchimp and Brevo are excellent starting points with strong ecosystems and sensible pricing for sellers. For deeper e-commerce data and lifecycle precision, Klaviyo and Omnisend set the pace, while ActiveCampaign, Drip, GetResponse, MailerLite, Shopify Email, Constant Contact, and HubSpot cover varied budgets and workflows.
Begin with the store’s growth plan and team bandwidth, test two or three tools with real segments, and choose the platform that balances deliverability, automation depth, and total cost over the next 12–24 months. The right email stack does not just send more emails; it builds reliable revenue, one honest message at a time.