Email Marketing
Brevo is an email and SMS marketing, CRM, and automation platform that lets businesses run multichannel campaigns, send transactional messages, and manage sales pipelines from one place. It is positioned for SMBs and solopreneurs who want a lot of surface area, email, SMS, transactional, CRM, and chat, for a low monthly price.
The core value is multichannel coverage at entry-level prices. The drag-and-drop email editor comes with ready-to-use templates, campaigns cover email and SMS, and transactional email, SMS, and WhatsApp messages can be sent via SMTP relay and API, which makes Brevo one of the few marketing platforms that doubles as a transactional sender. The Standard plan and up include unlimited multi-step automation workflows, advanced segmentation including web and on-site behavior tracking, and the sales management CRM adds custom pipelines, sales automation, and live chat or chatbot.
Pricing is transparent and aggressive. A free forever plan requires no credit card, Starter is $9/mo ($8.08/mo billed yearly) from 5,000 emails per month, Standard is $18/mo ($16.17/mo yearly), Professional is $499/mo (about $449/mo yearly) from 150,000 emails per month, and Enterprise is custom-priced. That undercuts Mailchimp's $13/mo Essentials intro rate and gives Brevo a clear price advantage for SMBs that outgrow free tiers, with 10% off on yearly billing across paid plans.
Brevo
Brevo is an email and SMS marketing, CRM, and automation platform that lets businesses run multichannel campaigns, send transactional messages, and manage sales pipelines from one place. Best for: SMBs and solopreneurs wanting multichannel email/SMS marketing with a built-in CRM and a generous free tier.
At a glance
| Category | Email Marketing |
| Starts at | $9/mo (Starter plan, monthly billing, from 5,000 emails/month) |
| Pricing | Free forever plan (no credit card); paid plans from $9/mo Starter, $18/mo Standard, $499/mo Professional (10% off on yearly billing); Enterprise is custom-priced. |
| Best for | SMBs and solopreneurs wanting multichannel email/SMS marketing with a built-in CRM and a generous free tier |
Key features
- Drag-and-drop email editor with ready-to-use email templates
- Email and SMS campaigns plus transactional email, SMS, and WhatsApp messaging via SMTP relay and API
- No-code marketing automation with unlimited multi-step workflows (Standard plan and up)
- Advanced segmentation including web/on-site behavior tracking
- Sales management CRM with custom pipelines, sales automation, and live chat/chatbot
How does Brevo compare to Mailchimp and MailerLite?
Mailchimp is Brevo's most common comparison. Mailchimp's free plan covers 250 contacts with 500 sends per month, and paid plans start at $13/mo (Essentials intro rate), while Brevo's free forever plan requires no credit card and its Starter plan costs $9/mo from 5,000 emails per month. Brevo also bundles transactional email, SMS, and a CRM that Mailchimp does not include the same way, which is why Brevo is often the cheaper all-rounder for growing lists.
MailerLite competes on similar territory: its free plan covers up to 500 subscribers with 12,000 emails per month, and paid plans start at $10/mo (Growing Business). MailerLite adds a built-in website and blog builder, while Brevo adds WhatsApp messaging, transactional SMTP, and a sales CRM. Both are value picks, and the $1/mo gap at entry is small next to their different feature bundles.
Feature-wise, Brevo's bundling is unusual: transactional email, SMS, and WhatsApp via SMTP relay and API, plus a sales CRM with custom pipelines, sales automation, and live chat, all within the same plans. Mailchimp does not bundle transactional delivery or a CRM into its marketing plans, and MailerLite's automation builder is included on its free plan but its transactional story is less central. For a business that sends both campaigns and order or notification emails, Brevo collapses what would be two or three subscriptions into one.
Who should use Brevo?
If you are a solopreneur or small business that wants email marketing plus transactional messages, SMS, and a simple CRM without paying for three tools, Brevo is a fit because those capabilities sit in one subscription starting at $9/mo. Developers and product teams benefit from the SMTP relay and API for transactional email, and the free forever plan is a practical way to start at $0 with no credit card.
If your business sends confirmation emails, receipts, or notifications alongside campaigns, the transactional side of Brevo covers both workloads in one account, and the live chat or chatbot adds a support channel that marketing platforms rarely include.
Brevo is NOT ideal for ecommerce brands that want order-data-driven flows and omnichannel ecommerce automation, where Klaviyo and Omnisend are purpose-built, or for newsletter creators whose main need is monetization tooling, where Kit and beehiiv go deeper. It is a generalist's platform: broad, cheap, and easy, rather than the deepest in any single niche.
Pricing
Free forever plan (no credit card); paid plans from $9/mo Starter, $18/mo Standard, $499/mo Professional (10% off on yearly billing); Enterprise is custom-priced. Confirm current terms on the vendor site before buying.
Alternatives
Worth comparing: Mailchimp, Mailerlite, Activecampaign.
FAQ
Is Brevo free?
Yes. Brevo has a free forever plan that requires no credit card. Paid plans start at $9/mo (Starter, from 5,000 emails per month).
How much does Brevo cost?
Starter is $9/mo ($8.08/mo billed yearly), Standard is $18/mo ($16.17/mo yearly), Professional is $499/mo (about $449/mo yearly) from 150,000 emails per month, and Enterprise is custom-priced. Verified on the Brevo pricing page in August 2026.
Does Brevo have a free trial?
Brevo's free forever plan serves as the evaluation path; the pricing page advertises no time-limited trial, and paid plans bill monthly or yearly with 10% off on yearly billing.
Brevo vs Mailchimp: which is better?
Brevo is cheaper at entry ($9/mo Starter vs Mailchimp's $13/mo Essentials intro) and includes transactional email and a CRM. Mailchimp offers a broader integration catalog, and its free tier is capped at 250 contacts and 500 sends per month. The right pick depends on whether you need Mailchimp's ecosystem or Brevo's lower price and bundled channels.