April 30, 2019

14 Email Marketing Tools for Small Business Owners

Since each service has different pricing and features, it's important that you compare your email marketing software options. To help you decide, we've compiled a list of 14 popular email marketing tools to help you decide.

What Are the Best Email Marketing Tools for Small Businesses?

1. Moosend

Moosend is an award-winning, affordable Email Marketing and Automation platform that combines a user-friendly interface with numerous advanced features. The company prides themselves on their intuitive drag-and-drop campaign editor, which allows you to easily customize your campaigns. They also offer real-time analytics and advanced email list segmentation across its pricing plans. This way, you can rest assured that you have laser-targeted the right audience for you. Streamline your Email Marketing and Automation strategy with Moosend’s “forever FREE” plan for up to 1,000 subscribers. This also allows you to send unlimited email campaigns (and you get access to all features). For their bigger customers, Moosend offers subscription plans for as low as $10/month.

2. Constant Contact

Constant Contact is one of the largest and fastest-growing email marketing services available. This platform's features include customizable templates and easy-to-use contact management tools. It has real-time tracking capabilities, which will allow you to see who’s opening, viewing, and sharing your emails. The company offers live chat, email, community support and a library of resources to address your questions and technical issues. You can test the service for 60 days free of charge. After that, pricing starts at $20/month.

3. MailChimp

MailChimp is a great option for new businesses with limited budgets, as the service offers a free plan for startups. MailChimp’s easy-to-use design tools allow you to craft professional-looking email newsletters in minutes. Plus, its support team and personalized analytics can help you improve your campaigns to increase your response rate. To raise your usage limits or add features to the basic plan, pricing starts at just $10/month.

4. HubSpot

HubSpot offers software for marketing, sales, and customer service with a free customer relationship management (CRM) tool at its core. HubSpot’s array of services allows for detailed and insightful analytics, HubSpot tends to be one of the more expensive options available, making it out-of-reach for many new businesses. Its Starter package starts at $50/month, but prices quickly jump if you want access to HubSpot’s more sophisticated features.

5. Drip

Drip is a powerful email marketing platform, particularly if you’re an eCommerce business, blogger, or marketer. It’s one of the most beginner-friendly tools available and integrates with most popular website builders. This makes it easy to add sign-up forms to your website and grow your contact list. Customer support options include live chat, Webinars, automation training and a library of free guides. After your free trial, plans start at $49/month.

6. GetResponse

GetResponse offers advanced formatting options so that your emails look good whether they’re viewed on a computer or mobile device. With its dynamic content feature, you can segment your mailing list and send relevant, personalized emails to your customers. GetResponse also integrates with most third-party lead-generation software for a seamless process. The service provides real-time email tracking as well as dedicated account manager support. After a 30-day free trial, pricing starts at $15/month. Email-Marketing-In-Text-2

7. AWeber

AWeber is an extremely popular email marketing service, offering a wide range of tools to small and mid-sized businesses. Its drag-and-drop campaign editor allows you to build email automation flows and tag subscribers to receive personalized content. AWeber easily connects with other online tools like PayPal and WordPress and provides you with detailed email tracking data. Customer support is available seven days a week. After a 30-day free trial, plans start at $19/month.

8. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign combines email marketing, automation, and sales tools with a built-in CRM. With this tool, you can segment your contact list based on locations, behaviors, and social data. You'll also have access to additional customer information based on their email addresses. Another notable option that comes with ActiveCampaign is that you can send SMS messages as part of your marketing campaign. ActiveCampaign offers free migration if you’re currently using a different platform, and plans start at $17/month.

9. iContact

iContact offers email design, social content, copywriting support, and access to the company's in-house service team. Its easy-to-read dashboard displays key metrics to track and improve the success of your email campaigns. In addition, iContact prides itself on its customer service, promising that their support team will answer phone calls immediately. The Essential package costs $32/month, while the Professional package is $99/month.

10. EngageBay

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing automation platform. Their marketing automation tools and workflow builder can help you design custom email campaigns. With EngageBay, you’ll get free email templates, landing pages, inline forms, and many more for your email marketing needs. You can also use autoresponders, drip email, automated workflows, and more to optimize your email marketing campaigns. After their free trial, basic plans start at $7.79/month.

11. Campaign Monitor

Using Campaign Monitor, you can create email marketing campaigns and monitor their results. They even provide tips on how you can build transactional emails that are on-brand and successfully attract clients. If you need any help, Campaign Monitor has a 24/7 support team that's always available to answer your questions. If you use other marketing tools, Campaign Monitor can connect with them. These apps include Salesforce, Facebook, WordPress, Shopify, and Google Analytics. If you're interested in using Campaign Monitor, their Basic plan starts at $9 per month. It rises depending on how many contacts you plan on emailing. It also depends on if you're signing up for the Basic, Unlimited, or Premier plans. For instance, if you're contacting 50,000 or more users, their Premier Plan would be $989 per month.

12. SendinBlue

Even if you aren't an expert at designing email, SendinBlue makes it possible for you to create eye-catching content. You can easily drag and drop the design features you want to include, without having to create them manually. In addition, using SendinBlue you can create custom forms and contact fields, so you can collect customer information easily. For pricing, SendinBlue ranges from a Free plan (allowing you to send 300 emails each day) to an Enterprise option. So, regardless of your email marketing needs, you should be able to find a plan that works for your company.

13. ConvertKit

Using ConvertKit, you can design branded emails, grow your audience, and ultimately increase conversions. They specialize in automations, so if you'd like to build out your email workflows, this might be a viable option. With ConvertKit, the pricing depends on how many subscribers you have. If you have between 0 and 1,000 subscribers, it's $29. For 1,000-3,000 subscribers, you'll pay $49 each month. Between 3,000 and 5,000 subscribers is $79 per month. If your list exceeds 7,500 subscribers, its $99 per month.

14. EmailOctopus

EmailOctopus is a simple and affordable email marketing tool that’s beginner-friendly and great for small businesses. Essential features include pop-up forms and landing pages for growing your mailing list, and automation for setting up welcome emails and time-based drip sequences. The tool also offers segmentation for managing contacts and sending personalized messages to the right groups of people. EmailOctopus offers a free plan for up to 2,500 subscribers. After that, prices start at $24 per month.

Conclusion: Start Investing in Email Marketing Solutions!

According to the Data & Marketing Association, email marketing is repeatedly the number one digital channel in terms of return on investment. To improve your email and digital marketing efforts, you should choose a tool that complements your customer base and budget. Since most services offer a free trial, you should test several options to determine which one serves your needs most effectively. Editor’s Note: This post was updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness in April 2019.