7 products tested & ranked

We Tested 7 Email & Marketing Automation — Here's What's Actually Worth It

We tested the top marketing automation tools to help you nurture leads, automate email sequences, and drive more conversions through your funnel.

Featuring:

ActiveCampaign·

HubSpot Marketing Hub·

Brevo·

MailerLite·

Keap+2 more

Helping 12,000+ professionals choose the right tools

Quick Answer

Our Top 3 Picks at a Glance

See all reviews

Best Overall

9.2

ActiveCampaign

From $15/mo (Starter) to $145/mo (Enterprise) for 1,000 contacts

Industry-leading email marketing and automation platform with best-in-class deliverability, advanced visual workflow builder, and integrated CRM for businesses of all sizes.

Try ActiveCampaign Free

Best for Small Teams

8.8

HubSpot Marketing Hub

Free plan available; Starter $20/mo; Professional $800/mo; Enterprise $3,600/mo

Enterprise-grade inbound marketing and CRM platform with powerful automation workflows, AI-powered tools, and a comprehensive free tier for businesses scaling from startup to enterprise.

Try HubSpot Free

Best Value

8.5

Brevo

Free plan available; Starter from $9/mo; Standard from $18/mo; Professional from $499/mo

Affordable multi-channel marketing platform (formerly Sendinblue) with email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat -- pricing based on email volume rather than contacts, making it one of the best values in the category.

Try Brevo Free

Why Marketing Automation Powers Your Funnel

Marketing automation is the engine that keeps your sales funnel running around the clock. From welcome sequences to abandoned cart recovery, the right automation platform can dramatically increase your conversion rates while saving you hours of manual work.

How We Evaluate Automation Platforms

We test each platform by building real automation workflows, evaluating email deliverability, segmentation capabilities, CRM features, and reporting depth. We also assess ease of setup and the learning curve for new users.

What to Look for in Marketing Automation

Focus on platforms with strong email deliverability, visual workflow builders, robust segmentation, and native CRM capabilities. The best tools grow with your business without requiring expensive upgrades.

0Products Tested

0+Hours of Testing

0+Years Experience

0Expert Reviewers

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Our Top Picks

#1 Top Pick

ActiveCampaign

Best Overall

9.2

Excellent

Try ActiveCampaign Free

#2 Runner Up

HubSpot Marketing Hub

Best Enterprise

8.8

Very Good

Try HubSpot Free

#3 Also Great

Brevo

Best Value

8.5

Very Good

Try Brevo Free

#1 Our Top Pick

Editor's Choice

From $15/mo (Starter) to $145/mo (Enterprise) for 1,000 contacts

ActiveCampaign

Growing businesses and marketing teams that need powerful, visual email automation with integrated CRM and industry-leading deliverability

Read Full Review →

Excellent

Features9.5

Ease of Use8.5

Integration9.5

Value for Money8.5

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	ActiveCampaign9.2/10	HubSpot Marketing Hub8.8/10	Brevo8.5/10	MailerLite8.4/10	Keap7.8/10	Kit (ConvertKit)7.9/10	Drip7.8/10
Starting Price	From $15/mo (Starter) to $145/mo (Enterprise) for 1,000 contacts	Free plan available; Starter $20/mo; Professional $800/mo; Enterprise $3,600/mo	Free plan available; Starter from $9/mo; Standard from $18/mo; Professional from $499/mo	Free plan (1,000 subscribers); Growing Business from $10/mo; Advanced from $20/mo	Pro $249/mo (1,500 contacts); Max $289/mo (2,500 contacts)	Free (10,000 subscribers); Creator from $29/mo; Creator Pro from $59/mo	Single plan from $39/mo (2,500 subscribers); scales with list size
Free Plan
Starting Price	$15/mo	$20/mo	$9/mo	$10/mo	$249/mo	$29/mo	$39/mo
Email Deliverability	9.5	8.5	8.0	8.5	7.5	8.0	8.0
Visual Workflow Builder
CRM Built-in
Lead Scoring
Segmentation	9.5	9.0	8.0	7.5	7.0	7.5	8.5
Reporting	8.5	9.5	7.5	7.0	7.0	7.0	8.5
	Try ActiveCampaign Free	Try HubSpot Free	Try Brevo Free	Try MailerLite Free	Try Keap Free	Try Kit Free	Try Drip Free

Detailed Reviews

Very Good

HubSpot Marketing Hub

Best EnterpriseMid-market and enterprise B2B companies that want an all-in-one marketing, sales, and service platform with world-class reporting and native CRM

Features9.5

Ease of Use8.0

Integration9.5

Value for Money7.0

Pros

Most comprehensive all-in-one platform with marketing, sales, service, and CMS under one roof
Genuinely free CRM with up to 1 million contacts and useful free marketing tools
World-class multi-touch attribution reporting connects marketing to revenue
AI-powered Breeze agents automate prospecting, content creation, and customer service
1,500+ app marketplace integrations with deep native connections

Cons

Professional plan at $800/month with mandatory onboarding fee makes it prohibitively expensive for small businesses
Marketing automation workflows only available on Professional tier and above
Contact-based pricing escalates rapidly with list growth, especially on Professional and Enterprise
Steep learning curve due to the sheer breadth of features across multiple Hubs

Pricing: Free plan available; Starter $20/mo; Professional $800/mo; Enterprise $3,600/mo

Enterprise-grade inbound marketing and CRM platform with powerful automation workflows, AI-powered tools, and a comprehensive free tier for businesses scaling from startup to enterprise.

Read Full Review →

Very Good

Brevo

Best ValueBudget-conscious businesses and startups that need multi-channel marketing with email, SMS, and WhatsApp at affordable volume-based pricing

Features8.5

Ease of Use8.8

Integration8.0

Value for Money9.5

Pros

Volume-based pricing instead of contact-based makes it dramatically cheaper for large lists
True multi-channel platform with email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat built in
Marketing automation available even on the free plan, which is rare among competitors
Transactional email API and SMTP relay included for developers and e-commerce
GDPR-compliant by design as a European company with data stored in the EU

Cons

Free plan limited to 300 emails per day which restricts larger campaigns
Removing Brevo branding requires an extra $9-12/month on lower-tier plans
Automation workflows are less sophisticated than ActiveCampaign for complex branching scenarios
SMS and WhatsApp credits must be purchased separately as prepaid add-ons

Pricing: Free plan available; Starter from $9/mo; Standard from $18/mo; Professional from $499/mo

Read Full Review →

Very Good

MailerLite

Best Free PlanSolopreneurs, bloggers, and small businesses who want the best free email marketing plan with an intuitive interface and affordable scaling

Features7.8

Ease of Use9.2

Integration7.5

Value for Money9.5

Pros

Most generous free plan with 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month
Exceptionally clean and modern interface that makes email marketing enjoyable
Full website builder and landing page creator included on all plans
Remarkably affordable paid plans starting at just $10/month with unlimited emails
Ability to sell digital products and newsletter subscriptions directly through the platform

Cons

No built-in CRM or sales pipeline features for tracking deals
Email templates only available on paid plans, limiting the free tiers design options
Automation capabilities are basic compared to ActiveCampaign or HubSpot for complex workflows
Limited customization options for forms and templates compared to more advanced platforms

Pricing: Free plan (1,000 subscribers); Growing Business from $10/mo; Advanced from $20/mo

Clean, intuitive email marketing platform with one of the most generous free plans in the industry, offering automation, landing pages, and even a website builder at remarkably affordable prices.

Read Full Review →

Good

Keap

Best for B2BService-based small businesses and B2B companies that need CRM, payments, invoicing, and marketing automation in a single all-in-one platform

Features8.5

Ease of Use7.5

Integration7.5

Value for Money6.8

Pros

True all-in-one platform combining CRM, email, payments, invoicing, and scheduling
Dedicated customer success manager included with every plan for personalized onboarding
Built-in payment processing and invoicing eliminates need for separate billing tools
Over 20 years of experience serving small businesses with proven automation workflows

Cons

High starting price at $249/month makes it expensive for businesses just needing email marketing
Interface feels dated compared to newer competitors like ActiveCampaign and Brevo
Limited to only 2 plans with no free tier or affordable entry point
Fewer third-party integrations compared to HubSpot and ActiveCampaign

Pricing: Pro $249/mo (1,500 contacts); Max $289/mo (2,500 contacts)

All-in-one CRM and sales/marketing automation platform built specifically for small businesses, combining contact management, email marketing, payments, and invoicing in a single tool.

Read Full Review →

Good

Kit (ConvertKit)

Content creators, bloggers, podcasters, and online educators who want intuitive email marketing with built-in tools for audience growth and digital product sales

Features7.5

Ease of Use8.8

Integration7.5

Value for Money8.0

Pros

Most generous free plan in the industry with 10,000 subscribers and unlimited emails
Tag-based subscriber system prevents duplicate contacts and simplifies list management
Built-in tools for selling digital products, subscriptions, and paid newsletters
Free migration service for creators switching from other email platforms with 5,000+ subscribers

Cons

Limited email design options compared to platforms with richer template libraries
No built-in CRM, sales pipeline, or advanced business automation features
Pricing scales quickly beyond the free tier, becoming less competitive at higher subscriber counts
Free plan limited to just 1 automation and 1 sequence, restricting advanced workflows

Pricing: Free (10,000 subscribers); Creator from $29/mo; Creator Pro from $59/mo

Creator-focused email marketing platform (formerly ConvertKit) with powerful automation, a generous 10,000-subscriber free plan, and tools for selling digital products and growing an audience.

Read Full Review →

Good

Drip

E-commerce businesses on Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce that want revenue-focused email automation with deep behavioral triggers and purchase tracking

Features8.5

Ease of Use7.5

Integration8.5

Value for Money7.0

Pros

Best-in-class e-commerce automation with behavioral triggers for cart, browse, and purchase activity
Revenue attribution tracking ties every email directly to sales for clear ROI measurement
Deep native integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce with automatic data sync
Single all-inclusive plan with no feature gating -- every feature available at every price point

Cons

No free plan available and $39/month starting price is higher than many general email tools
Steep learning curve for the automation builder compared to simpler email platforms
Limited template library and email design options compared to competitors
Exclusively e-commerce focused, making it unsuitable for service businesses or content creators

Pricing: Single plan from $39/mo (2,500 subscribers); scales with list size

E-commerce-focused email marketing and automation platform with sophisticated behavioral triggers, visual workflow builder, and precise revenue attribution tracking built specifically for online stores.

Read Full Review →

Our Testing Methodology

Our team builds real automation workflows on each platform, testing email deliverability rates, workflow complexity handling, CRM integration depth, and reporting accuracy. Each tool is evaluated over a three-week testing period with real subscriber data.

Written by

Marcus RiveraSaaS Integration Expert

Marcus has spent over a decade in SaaS integration and business automation. He specializes in evaluating API architectures, workflow automation tools, and sales funnel platforms. His reviews focus on implementation details, technical depth, and real-world integration scenarios.

API IntegrationBusiness AutomationSales FunnelsAI Tools

Our Top 3 Picks at a Glance

Why Marketing Automation Powers Your Funnel

How We Evaluate Automation Platforms

What to Look for in Marketing Automation

Our Top Picks

ActiveCampaign

Head-to-Head Comparison

Detailed Reviews

HubSpot Marketing Hub

Pros

Cons

Brevo

Pros

Cons

MailerLite

Pros

Cons

Keap

Pros

Cons

Kit (ConvertKit)

Pros

Cons

Drip

Pros

Cons

Our Testing Methodology

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