Pros
- Volume-based pricing (charges per email sent, not per contact)
- Unlimited contacts on all plans including free
- Generous free plan (300 emails/day, automation included)
- Multi-channel: email, SMS, WhatsApp, push notifications in one platform
- 72% cheaper than Mailchimp at equivalent sending volume
- Easy to use with a clean drag-and-drop editor
Cons
- Brevo branding on free and Starter plans (removal costs extra)
- Landing pages and A/B testing gated to Business plan ($18/mo)
- CRM is basic, not a full replacement for dedicated CRM tools
- Automation is solid but less advanced than ActiveCampaign
- Transactional email handled through separate MailerSend product
This Brevo review covers the email marketing platform that breaks the industry’s most common pricing trap. While Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and most competitors charge per contact (punishing you for growing your list), Brevo charges per email sent, letting you store unlimited contacts without your bill climbing. Formerly known as Sendinblue, Brevo has evolved into a multi-channel platform covering email, SMS, WhatsApp, and push notifications. We tested it across campaign creation, automation, and pricing to determine where it delivers on its value promise and where the tradeoffs show.
The Pay-Per-Send Model: Why It Matters
Most email marketing tools punish list growth. Add 1,000 new subscribers to Mailchimp and your bill goes up, whether or not you email those contacts. Brevo flips this by pricing based on how many emails you send per month, regardless of how many contacts you store. You can have 50,000 contacts and pay the same as someone with 500 if you send the same email volume.
This model benefits two specific business types most. First, businesses building a list faster than they send (content creators, early-stage startups, seasonal businesses) save substantially because their growing list does not trigger price increases. Second, businesses with large lists and modest send frequency (monthly newsletters rather than daily campaigns) pay dramatically less than they would on contact-based tools. According to a 2026 pricing comparison by EmailToolTester, Brevo runs approximately 72% cheaper than Mailchimp at equivalent sending volumes for lists above 5,000 contacts.
What Brevo Costs in 2026
Brevo’s paid plans scale by monthly email volume, not contacts. All plans store unlimited contacts.
| Plan | Monthly Emails | Price | Key Additions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 300 per day (~9,000/mo) | $0 | Unlimited contacts, automation, 40+ templates, segmentation |
| Starter | 5,000 | $9/mo | No daily limit, scheduling, basic reporting |
| Business | 5,000 | $18/mo | Landing pages, A/B testing, multi-user, advanced reporting, phone support |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | SLA, dedicated account manager, advanced integrations |
Two pricing details to note. First, Brevo branding appears on emails sent from the Free and Starter plans, and removing it requires either the Business plan or a paid add-on. Second, the Starter plan is genuinely a starter: it lacks A/B testing and landing pages, which live only on Business at $18 per month. Budget for Business if you need those features rather than assuming Starter covers them.
Multi-Channel: Email, SMS, WhatsApp, and Push in One Platform
Brevo’s second major strength is multi-channel marketing from a single interface. Email, SMS, WhatsApp messages, and web push notifications all send from the same platform using the same contact data and automation workflows. For small businesses that would otherwise need separate tools for each channel, this consolidation is genuinely valuable.
SMS and WhatsApp credits are purchased separately and billed on top of your email plan, similar to how Klaviyo handles SMS. The per-message rates vary by country, with US SMS rates running higher than European. For businesses that want to run coordinated campaigns across email and mobile messaging, Brevo eliminates the integration overhead of connecting separate tools.
Automation: Strong for SMBs, Not for Power Users
Brevo includes marketing automation on all plans, including the free plan, which is increasingly rare since Mailchimp removed automation from its free tier. You can build multi-step email sequences triggered by contact actions, page visits, or custom events. For small and mid-size businesses, this automation covers the most common flows: welcome series, abandoned cart, re-engagement, and event-triggered follow-ups.
The limitation surfaces when compared to ActiveCampaign. Brevo’s automation lacks the conditional branching depth, lead scoring sophistication, and CRM integration that ActiveCampaign provides. Businesses that need complex customer journeys with if/then logic and sales integration will find Brevo’s automation adequate but not advanced. For those use cases, see our ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp comparison for alternatives with deeper automation.
The Built-In CRM: Useful but Basic
Brevo includes a basic CRM with contact management, custom fields, tags, segments, and interaction history. This covers the needs of solopreneurs and very small teams that want marketing and contact management in one place. You can see which emails a contact opened, which pages they visited, and basic engagement history.
It is not a replacement for dedicated CRM tools like HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Salesforce. Brevo’s CRM lacks deal pipelines, sales forecasting, task management, and the advanced reporting that sales teams need. For most SMBs, the ideal setup is Brevo for marketing automation paired with a dedicated CRM for sales, connected via Zapier or API. If CRM integration is critical, ActiveCampaign’s built-in CRM is substantially more capable.
Where Brevo Falls Short
Brevo’s value proposition is strong, but the tradeoffs are real and worth knowing before you commit.
Landing pages require the Business plan. Unlike MailerLite (which offers landing pages on its free plan), Brevo gates landing pages behind the $18 per month Business tier. For businesses that rely on landing pages for lead capture, this creates an earlier upgrade trigger than the email volume alone would require.
The email editor is functional but not exceptional. Brevo’s drag-and-drop editor handles most campaign needs, but it lacks the polish and template variety of Mailchimp’s editor. Businesses that prioritize email design quality may find the editor limiting for complex visual campaigns.
Support on lower tiers is email-only. Phone and live chat support are available only on Business and Enterprise plans. Free and Starter users rely on email support, which review data indicates has variable response times, particularly during high-volume periods.
Who Should Use Brevo?
| Use Brevo If | Skip Brevo If |
|---|---|
| Your contact list is growing faster than you send | You need advanced automation with conditional branching |
| You want multi-channel (email + SMS + WhatsApp) | You need a full CRM with deal pipelines |
| Budget is a priority and you want the lowest cost | You need polished landing pages on a free or entry plan |
| You send moderate volume to a large list | You send high volume daily (Starter/Business email caps matter) |
| You want automation included on a free plan | You need enterprise-grade automation depth |
For the full landscape of free options, see our best free email marketing tools guide where Brevo earns the top spot for growing lists. For ecommerce-specific email, see our Klaviyo review.
Last updated: May 31, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Brevo cost in 2026?
Brevo offers a free plan with 300 emails per day and unlimited contacts. Paid plans start at $9 per month (Starter for 5,000 emails) and $18 per month (Business for 5,000 emails with landing pages and A/B testing). All plans store unlimited contacts, and pricing scales by email volume sent rather than contact count. A 10% discount applies to annual billing.
Is Brevo better than Mailchimp?
Brevo is better on price and multi-channel coverage. It costs approximately 72% less than Mailchimp at equivalent volumes for larger lists, stores unlimited contacts on all plans, and includes SMS and WhatsApp natively. Mailchimp is better on ease of use, email design quality, and brand recognition. Choose Brevo for budget and multi-channel; choose Mailchimp for simplicity and template polish.
Does Brevo’s free plan include automation?
Yes. Brevo includes marketing automation on its free plan, which is increasingly rare since Mailchimp removed automation from its free tier. You can build multi-step email sequences triggered by contact actions. The free plan limits you to 300 emails per day and adds Brevo branding, but automation is fully available for designing welcome series, follow-ups, and engagement sequences.
Is Brevo the same as Sendinblue?
Yes. Sendinblue rebranded to Brevo in May 2023. The platform, features, and pricing model remain the same. The rebrand reflected Brevo’s expansion beyond email into a broader multi-channel marketing and CRM platform covering email, SMS, WhatsApp, and web push notifications.
Does Brevo have a CRM?
Brevo includes a basic CRM with contact management, custom fields, tags, and interaction history. It covers the needs of solopreneurs and very small teams but lacks deal pipelines, sales forecasting, and advanced reporting that dedicated CRM tools provide. For serious sales integration, ActiveCampaign’s built-in CRM or a dedicated tool like HubSpot CRM is more capable.
Is Brevo good for ecommerce?
Brevo works for ecommerce but lacks the deep store integration and predictive analytics that dedicated ecommerce email platforms like Klaviyo provide. Brevo handles product-based campaigns, abandoned cart emails via automation, and SMS for order confirmations. For stores where email is a primary revenue driver, Klaviyo is purpose-built. For stores wanting affordable multi-channel marketing, Brevo offers strong value.
What is Brevo’s main disadvantage?
Brevo’s main disadvantage is that landing pages and A/B testing are gated behind the Business plan at $18 per month. Businesses that need landing pages for lead capture must pay more than the email volume alone would require. Automation, while included on all plans, also lacks the depth of ActiveCampaign for complex customer journeys with conditional branching and lead scoring.
Can Brevo replace Mailchimp?
Yes, for most small business email marketing needs. Brevo covers campaigns, automation, templates, and segmentation at a lower cost with the added benefit of SMS and WhatsApp. The main gaps versus Mailchimp are email editor polish and the broader marketing suite (Mailchimp includes social tools and postcards). Most businesses switching from Mailchimp to Brevo do so for the cost savings and multi-channel capability.
Related Reviews and Guides
- Klaviyo Review 2026
- GetResponse Review 2026
- Best Free Email Marketing Tools
- ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp
- MailerLite vs Mailchimp
- Complete Guide to Email Marketing Software
Brevo is the best value email marketing platform for businesses with growing contact lists and moderate send frequency. Its pay-per-send pricing model means your list can grow without your bill spiking, which is the opposite of what happens on Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and most competitors. Multi-channel coverage (email plus SMS plus WhatsApp) adds real breadth at an affordable price. The tradeoffs are basic CRM, gated landing pages, and automation that works for SMBs but does not match ActiveCampaign's depth.
