Best Email Automation Software
Only the email marketing software that fit "best email automation software", scored on our public rubric from published specifications, dated prices and independent reviews.
MailerLite (Growing Business) - The best inbox placement in our test, a clean editor, real automation and landing pages — at a third of Mailchimp's price Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- 97% inbox placement — best here
- $39 at 5,000 contacts with automation and unlimited emails
- Landing pages, forms and a site builder included
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) (Creator) - Built for people who publish: tags instead of lists, a visual automation builder, paid newsletters and a creator network that grows your list Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Free up to 10,000 subscribers — the most generous free tier here
- Tag-based subscriber model suits creators
- Sell products and paid newsletters without another tool
Klaviyo (Email) - The ecommerce platform: every Shopify order, browse and cart in every profile, predictive analytics and the flows that make store email pay Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Abandoned-cart flow built from templates in minutes with product data already there
- Predicted next-order date and lifetime value on every profile
- 96% inbox placement
ActiveCampaign (Plus) - The deepest automation builder in the test — conditions, splits, goals, lead scoring, a CRM — for businesses whose email is a sales process Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Our re-engagement flow with scoring and branching was only fully possible here
- CRM with pipelines on Plus
- Site tracking and conditional content
Mailchimp (Standard) - The most integrations, the most templates and the name everyone knows — now priced like a premium product with a shrunken free tier Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Integrates with everything — QuickBooks, Shopify, Canva, Salesforce
- Largest template library; generative AI writing
- Customer journeys are flexible on Standard
More to consider
These 6 come from retailer catalogs. We have not scored them, so they carry no score and sit below the scored picks.
Master Mailchimp Email Marketing Automation
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Create an Email Autoresponder Using Mailchimp
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ChatGPT Masterclass For Mailchimp Email Marketing Automation
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Mailchimp Email Marketing Course & Automation For FREE
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Brevo: E-Mail Marketing, Newsletter, Automation & CRM
A course on using Brevo for email marketing, newsletters, automation and CRM. View at Udemy →
Sesgun - First Serverless Bulk Email And Newsletter Platform
A course on Sesgun, an AWS-powered serverless newsletter and bulk email platform for creating and tracking campaigns. View at Udemy →
What separates the best email automation software on this page?
Deliverability carries 25 of the 100 scoring points, and it splits the field. MailerLite landed 97% of test emails in the inbox, Klaviyo 96%, ActiveCampaign 93%. Editor and automation is another 25 points, and that is where ActiveCampaign pulls ahead with conditions, splits, goals and lead scoring. Value is 20 points, and price at 5,000 contacts ranges from $39 (MailerLite) to $100 (Klaviyo and Mailchimp).
MailerLite scores 9 and costs $39 at 5,000 contacts with automation and unlimited emails, plus landing pages, forms and a site builder. Kit scores 8.3 at $79, free up to 10,000 subscribers, with tags instead of lists and paid newsletters built in. Klaviyo scores 8.3 at $100, with every Shopify order, browse and cart in each profile and predicted next-order date and lifetime value. ActiveCampaign scores 8.1 at $79, with a CRM on Plus and site tracking. Mailchimp scores 7.8 at $100 on Standard, with the largest template library and integrations from QuickBooks to Salesforce.
What should I check before buying email automation software?
Start with the score weights. Deliverability and editor/automation together are half the total, so a platform that lands in the inbox and builds the flow you need beats one with a longer feature list.
- Inbox placement: MailerLite 97%, Klaviyo 96%, ActiveCampaign 93%.
- Automation depth: ActiveCampaign handled a re-engagement flow with scoring and branching that was only fully possible there. MailerLite and Kit cover standard flows; Mailchimp limits automation on Essentials.
- Segmentation: Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign go deeper than MailerLite's simpler segmentation.
- Price at 5,000: $39 MailerLite, $79 Kit, $79 ActiveCampaign, $100 Klaviyo, $100 Mailchimp.
- Free tier: Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers; Mailchimp's free plan is cut to 500 contacts with branding; ActiveCampaign has no free plan and annual billing for the listed price.
MailerLite
For a small list that wants automation, landing pages and the best inbox placement here at $39. Skip it if you need Klaviyo- or ActiveCampaign-level segmentation, and expect a day for account approval.
Kit
For writers and creators selling products or paid newsletters, with tags instead of lists and a free tier to 10,000 subscribers. The editor is plain by design.
Klaviyo
For Shopify stores that want abandoned-cart flows from templates and predictive analytics. Overkill for a newsletter or a service business.
ActiveCampaign
For teams whose email is a sales process and need the deepest automation builder, lead scoring and a CRM. Watch the 93% inbox placement.
Mailchimp
For anyone who needs a specific integration or template and wants the name everyone knows. Automation is limited on Essentials.
MailerLite suits a small list that wants automation and landing pages at $39 with 97% inbox placement. Kit suits creators selling products or paid newsletters, free up to 10,000 subscribers. Klaviyo suits Shopify stores, ActiveCampaign suits sales-driven teams, and Mailchimp suits buyers who need a specific integration or template.
Questions about best email automation software
*Scores: Deliverability 25 · Editor & automation 25 · Segmentation & data 15 · Ease of use 15 · Value 20; score = Σ ÷ 10. Prices shown were checked on the date beside each and may change. Affiliate links are added only after a score is locked and can never change it. How we rank.