Email Marketing Platforms: A Deep Dive into Features & Functionality
Email marketing has evolved significantly, from simple newsletters to sophisticated, data-driven campaigns. The tools marketers use have also advanced, with a wide array of software options designed to streamline and enhance email strategies. This article aims to cut through the noise by providing a detailed comparison of ten popular email marketing platforms. We’ll explore the features, functionality, and overall value, empowering you to select the best fit for your business needs.
1. HubSpot Marketing Hub
HubSpot is a proper powerhouse, offering a full suite of marketing, sales, and service tools. Its email marketing functionality is deeply integrated with its CRM, which is a massive plus for businesses already in the HubSpot ecosystem.
Features and Functionality: HubSpot offers a robust drag-and-drop email builder, personalisation options using CRM data, A/B testing, automation workflows, detailed analytics, and integration with the wider HubSpot platform for lead scoring and management. It’s got all the bells and whistles for sophisticated marketing.
Rating: 9/10
2. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo is a versatile platform that started with SMS marketing but has grown into a comprehensive marketing communication tool, including email. It’s often seen as a more budget-friendly alternative without skimping too much on features.
Features and Functionality: Brevo provides a user-friendly email builder, segmentation capabilities, automation features, transactional emails, SMS marketing, and a CRM. Its strength lies in its multi-channel approach and competitive pricing.
Rating: 8/10
3. Klaviyo
Klaviyo is heavily focused on e-commerce businesses. It offers deep integrations with platforms like Shopify and Magento, allowing for highly personalised email campaigns based on customer behaviour and purchase history.
Features and Functionality: Klaviyo excels in segmentation based on e-commerce data, automated flows for abandoned carts and post-purchase follow-ups, dynamic content, and detailed analytics specific to online sales.
Rating: 9/10 (specifically for e-commerce) / 7/10 (for general use)
4. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is known for its powerful automation capabilities and its focus on providing a personalised customer experience. It’s a favourite among marketers who want intricate and behaviour-driven email sequences.
Features and Functionality: ActiveCampaign boasts advanced automation builders with branching logic, dynamic content, CRM and sales automation features, segmentation based on various data points, and integrations with numerous other tools.
Rating: 9/10
5. MailerLite
MailerLite is praised for its simplicity and ease of use, making it a great option for smaller businesses or those new to email marketing. Despite its user-friendly interface, it still packs a decent punch in terms of features.
Features and Functionality: MailerLite offers a drag-and-drop editor, automation workflows, segmentation, landing page builder, pop-up forms, and decent analytics. It balances simplicity with essential functionality.
Rating: 7/10
6. GetResponse
GetResponse is an all-in-one marketing platform that includes email marketing alongside landing pages, webinars, and conversion funnels. It aims to provide a comprehensive toolkit for online marketing.
Features and Functionality: GetResponse features an email creator, automation tools, segmentation, landing page builder, webinar hosting, paid ads management, and conversion funnel features. It’s quite a broad offering.
Rating: 8/10
7. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is one of the most well-known email marketing platforms, particularly popular with small to medium-sized businesses. It offers a good balance of user-friendliness and features.
Features and Functionality: Mailchimp provides an easy-to-use email builder, segmentation, automation (though more advanced features can be pricier), A/B testing, and integrations with many other platforms. It’s a solid all-rounder.
Rating: 8/10
8. Omnisend
Omnisend, similar to Klaviyo, focuses on e-commerce and offers multi-channel marketing capabilities, including email, SMS, and push notifications. It aims to provide a unified platform for engaging online shoppers.
Features and Functionality: Omnisend includes email marketing with a focus on product recommendations, automated workflows for e-commerce scenarios, SMS marketing, push notifications, and integrations with e-commerce platforms.
Rating: 8/10 (specifically for e-commerce) / 6/10 (for general use)
9. Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor is known for its clean interface and focus on providing a professional-looking email marketing experience. It caters to businesses that value design and ease of use.
Features and Functionality: Campaign Monitor offers a drag-and-drop builder, segmentation, automation, transactional emails, and detailed reporting. It’s particularly strong on design flexibility.
Rating: 7/10
10. Constant Contact
Constant Contact is another long-standing player in the email marketing space, often recommended for small businesses and non-profits due to its user-friendly interface and helpful support.
Features and Functionality: Constant Contact provides an easy-to-use email editor, list management tools, basic automation, event management features, and social media integration. It focuses on simplicity and deliverability.
Rating: 6/10
Email Marketing Software Functionality: Compared
Email marketing software options are vast and varied, but this comparison of ten of the top platforms offers a clear overview of their features.
| HubSpot Marketing Hub | Brevo | Klaviyo | ActiveCampaign | MailerLite | GetResponse | Mailchimp | Omnisend | Campaign Monitor | Constant Contact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email Builder | Drag-and-drop, customisable templates, visual editor | Drag-and-drop editor, responsive templates, HTML editor | Drag-and-drop, customisable templates, content blocks | Drag-and-drop, conditional content, design testing | Drag-and-drop, rich text editor, custom HTML | Drag-and-drop, ready-made templates, AI email creator | Easy-to-use, flexible layouts, creative tools | Drag-and-drop, product blocks, responsive templates | Drag-and-drop, template management, custom coding | Easy-to-use, mobile-optimised templates, branding tools |
| Automation | Advanced workflows, branching logic, triggers, lead nurturing | Automation workflows, transactional emails, autoresponders | Flows (abandoned cart, welcome series), behavioural triggers, predictive analytics | Advanced automation, branching logic, goal tracking, CRM automation | Automation workflows, email sequences, triggers | Automation tools, marketing automation, workflow builder | Basic automation, customer journeys, scheduling | E-commerce automation, pre-built workflows, segmentation-based | Automation, triggered emails, autoresponders | Basic automation, automated series, triggered emails |
| Segmentation | CRM-based, list segmentation, dynamic lists | Segmentation capabilities, contact lists, segmentation rules | E-commerce data, behavioural segmentation, predictive segmentation | Advanced segmentation, tags, custom fields, lead scoring | Segmentation, groups, tags | Segmentation, contact tagging, advanced segmentation | Segmentation, list segmentation, behavioural targeting | E-commerce segmentation, customer lifecycle, RFM analysis | Segmentation, list management, custom fields | List management, contact tagging, list segmentation |
| Personalisation | CRM data, dynamic content, personalisation tokens | Personalisation, dynamic content, contact attributes | Dynamic content, personalised recommendations, customer-specific data | Dynamic content, conditional content, personalised experiences | Personalisation, dynamic content | Personalisation, dynamic content, AI personalisation | Personalisation, merge tags, dynamic content | Product recommendations, personalised content, dynamic content | Personalisation, dynamic content, custom fields | Personalisation, contact details, dynamic content |
| A/B Testing | Yes, multivariate testing | Yes, A/B testing | Yes, A/B testing for emails and forms | Yes, A/B testing for emails, subject lines, and content | Yes, A/B testing | Yes, A/B testing | Yes, A/B testing | Yes, A/B testing | Yes, A/B testing | Yes, A/B testing |
| CRM Integration | Yes, HubSpot CRM | Yes, built-in CRM | Yes | Yes, built-in CRM | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| E-commerce | Yes, e-commerce workflows | Yes, e-commerce tools | Deep integrations with Shopify, Magento, etc. | Yes, e-commerce automation | Yes, e-commerce integrations | Yes, e-commerce tools | Yes, e-commerce integrations | Multi-channel e-commerce features | Yes, e-commerce features | Yes, e-commerce tools |
| Multi-Channel Marketing | Yes, social media, ads | SMS, Chat, Facebook Ads | SMS | Yes, SMS, site tracking | No | Webinars, Ads, SMS | No | SMS, Push notifications | No | Social media integration |
| Reporting/Analytics | Detailed reporting, custom reports, revenue tracking | Detailed analytics, campaign reports, delivery statistics | E-commerce specific reporting, revenue attribution, customer insights | Detailed reporting, funnel tracking, goal measurement | Decent reporting, campaign statistics | Detailed reporting, conversion tracking, ROI analysis | Standard reporting, campaign performance, basic analytics | Sales-focused reporting, product performance, customer behaviour | Detailed reporting, campaign performance, client reporting | Basic reporting, tracking, and deliverability |
| Landing Page Builder | Yes, landing page creation | Yes, landing page creation | No | No | Yes, landing page builder | Yes, landing page builder | Yes, landing page builder | No | No | No |
| Pricing | High, scalable pricing | Competitive, flexible plans | Mid-high, tiered pricing | Mid-high, feature-based pricing | Low-mid, affordable plans | Mid, tiered plans | Mid, varied plans | Mid-high, e-commerce based | Mid, tiered pricing | Low-mid, simple pricing |
Our Top Ten Email Marketing Software Options
Based on the features and functionality discussed, here’s our ranking of the top ten options for email marketing software:
- HubSpot Marketing Hub (9/10): Top marks for its deep integration, comprehensive features, and powerful automation, especially for businesses already using the HubSpot ecosystem.
- ActiveCampaign (9/10): Highly rated for its advanced automation capabilities and focus on personalised customer journeys.
- Klaviyo (9/10 for e-commerce): Excels in providing e-commerce specific features and deep integrations for online stores.
- Brevo (8/10): A strong contender offering a good balance of features and affordability, with a multi-channel approach.
- GetResponse (8/10): A comprehensive platform with a wide range of marketing tools beyond just email.
- Mailchimp (8/10): A popular and user-friendly option with a good set of features and extensive integrations.
- Omnisend (8/10 for e-commerce): Another excellent choice for e-commerce businesses looking for multi-channel marketing.
- MailerLite (7/10): A great option for those seeking simplicity and ease of use without sacrificing essential features.
- Campaign Monitor (7/10): Strong on design and user experience, providing a professional email marketing platform.
- Constant Contact (6/10): A user-friendly option particularly suited for small businesses and non-profits needing straightforward email marketing.
Choosing the right platform ultimately depends on your specific business needs, budget, and technical expertise. Whether you prioritise advanced automation, ease of use, e-commerce integration, or budget-friendliness, there is a solution tailored to your needs. We encourage you to leverage the information provided in this article to make an informed decision and unlock the full potential of your email marketing strategy. It’s also a good idea to have a play around with the free trials or demos to see which one feels like the best fit for you.