8 Best Email Marketing Software with Automation in 2026

ActiveCampaign leads on automation depth. Starter starts at $15 a month billed annually for 1,000 contacts and already includes multi-step automation, site tracking and a large integration library. The builder handles branching logic on Plus, so a welcome series can split by behavior, score leads and hand off to sales without a second tool.

The catch is the Starter ceiling. Each automation is capped at five actions with no branching, so a serious nurture sequence needs Plus at $49 a month. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and new accounts are billed for unsubscribed contacts, so clean the list before you import it.

Klaviyo builds automation from profile data. The free plan covers 250 active profiles and 500 email sends a month, and the Email plan starts at $20 a month for 251 to 500 profiles. Flows trigger on events such as browse, cart and purchase, and segments refresh as behavior changes, so the right mail reaches the right group without manual list work.

The catch is the price curve. Klaviyo bills by active profiles, so a growing list raises the bill even when send volume stays flat. SMS is a separate credit meter, and the store-first design means a non-store team pays for ecommerce reporting it never opens.

Omnisend is the only tool here that puts its full automation set on the free plan. It covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, and the prebuilt flows cover abandoned carts, welcome series and post-purchase mail. Standard starts at $16 a month for 500 contacts with 6,000 emails, and email, SMS and push sit in one account.

The catch is the store focus. If you do not sell online, much of its strength goes unused, and the free plan's 500-email cap runs out fast. SMS costs extra through credits, and new customers need Pro plus a paid SMS subscription to send texts.

Brevo is the budget route into automation. Starter starts at $9 a month for 5,000 emails, and you pay by emails sent rather than contacts stored, so a large list emailed a few times a month stays cheap. The same account covers SMS, WhatsApp and a basic CRM, and the API handles transactional mail.

The catch is that automation and A/B testing only arrive on Standard at $18 a month, so the $9 tier is a sending tool, not an automation tool. The free plan caps sends at 300 emails a day, and Starter keeps Brevo branding unless you pay for removal.

Drip gives every paid account the same automation set. It starts at $39 a month for up to 2,500 people, with unlimited email sends, up to 50 workflows, dynamic segments, split-path workflow testing and popups on every plan. There are no feature tiers to climb, so a workflow you build on day one still runs when the list triples.

The catch is the price and the missing free plan. At $39 a month it costs more than the budget tools here, and the only free entry is a 14-day trial. The data model is shaped around orders and carts, so a non-store team must map its own events onto that model.

Mailchimp pairs automation with the widest integration library here, more than 300 tools, so store, CRM and support data can feed the same flows. Essentials starts at $13 a month for up to 500 contacts, and Standard at $20 a month adds more automation and send-time tools. The free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month.

The catch is that the free plan has no automation at all, so you pay before any flow runs. Prices climb steeply as the list grows, and Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts toward your bill, so a messy list costs real money.

GetResponse bundles automation with webinars, landing pages and a course creator, so one account can run the whole funnel. Starter starts at $19 a month for 1,000 contacts and adds landing pages, forms, popups and AI writing help to the email core. The free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month.

The catch is Starter's single custom automation workflow. One welcome series uses it up, so real automation starts on Marketer at $59 a month. The free plan also switches automation off after the 14-day premium window and keeps GetResponse branding.

Kit keeps automation simple for creators. The free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, and paid plans add sequences and visual automations. Creator starts at $39 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers, and the sequences suit welcome mail, course launches and paid recommendations.

The catch is the price jump and the free-plan limit. The free plan limits automation, so a creator who needs sequences pays sooner than the 10,000-subscriber cap suggests. Kit has no SMS channel and no branching as deep as ActiveCampaign, so complex nurture logic outgrows it.