Email marketing delivers $42 for every $1 spent — the highest ROI of any digital marketing channel. But that ROI depends on picking a tool that fits your business. Here's a ranked breakdown of the best email marketing software in 2025.
What Makes Great Email Marketing Software?
- Deliverability: Emails that land in inboxes, not spam folders
- Ease of use: Design and send without a developer
- Automation: Sequences that run without manual work
- List management: Segmentation and tagging at scale
- Analytics: Open rates, clicks, and revenue attribution
- Price: Value that scales with your list
best email marketing software: Top Picks for 2025
1. HubSpot — Best Free Option + Best CRM Integration
HubSpot's free plan includes email marketing for unlimited contacts — no other platform comes close. You get drag-and-drop email builder, basic automation, landing pages, and a full CRM in the same platform.
Start free with HubSpot — no credit card, no contact limit.
Best for: Growing businesses that want email connected to sales pipeline. Free plan: Yes (unlimited contacts) | Paid from: $20/month Rating: ★★★★★
2. Mailchimp — Best Email-First Platform
Mailchimp is the market leader for good reason. Its email builder is the most polished available, the template library is extensive, and e-commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce) are best-in-class. If your business lives and dies by email newsletters, Mailchimp is the right tool.
Try Mailchimp free — 500 contacts on the free plan.
Best for: E-commerce brands, newsletters, content creators. Free plan: Yes (500 contacts) | Paid from: $13/month Rating: ★★★★½
3. ActiveCampaign — Best for Advanced Automation
ActiveCampaign's automation builder is the most sophisticated available. Visual workflow automation, CRM, and site tracking let you build behaviour-triggered sequences that most competitors can't match. The learning curve is steep, but the payoff is significant.
Best for: Businesses with complex, multi-step email automation needs. Paid from: $15/month Rating: ★★★★
4. ConvertKit — Best for Creators and Bloggers
ConvertKit is purpose-built for content creators, podcasters, and bloggers. Its subscriber tagging system is intuitive, the landing page builder is clean, and it integrates with every course and membership platform.
Best for: Individual creators, bloggers, course sellers. Free plan: Yes (1,000 subscribers) | Paid from: $15/month Rating: ★★★★
5. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — Best Budget Option
Brevo charges by email sends rather than contacts — making it uniquely affordable for large lists with lower send frequency. 300 emails/day free, with paid plans starting at $25/month for 20,000 sends/month.
Best for: Large lists, infrequent senders, transactional email. Free plan: Yes (300 emails/day) | Paid from: $25/month Rating: ★★★½
best email marketing software: Feature Comparison
| Tool | Free Plan | Starting Price | Best At | |---|---|---|---| | HubSpot | Unlimited contacts | Free/$20/mo | CRM + email | | Mailchimp | 500 contacts | $13/mo | Email design | | ActiveCampaign | No | $15/mo | Automation | | ConvertKit | 1,000 subscribers | $15/mo | Creators | | Brevo | 300 emails/day | $25/mo | Budget sends |
Our Recommendation
For most businesses: start with HubSpot free. The unlimited contacts, built-in CRM, and free email marketing make it the most valuable starting point.
For e-commerce brands that want the best email templates and Shopify integration: Mailchimp is the better choice.
For solo creators with an audience: ConvertKit is purpose-built for you.
Don't overpay until you've grown beyond free tier limits.