What is Email Automation? 19 Email Automation Tools
In this article, I’m going to provide some information about the best email marketing automation software providers. You can choose the best one based on features like user interface, deliverability, security, email templates, cost, GDPR compliance, and integrations.
Email marketing is still one of the core elements of digital marketing in terms of conversion optimization. In this case, sometimes it’s difficult to choose the best email marketing software.
You can find useful information about the 18 best email marketing automation software in this article. Hope you like it!
A lot of people in the market want to find an email marketing software that is user-friendly and reasonably priced. Epsilon Email Institute gives interesting details and stats about email marketing automation. According to their survey, automated email messages generate a 70.5% higher open rate and a 152% higher click-through rate than standard marketing messages.
According to Lenskold and Pedowitz Groups, companies that send automated emails are 133% more likely to send relevant messages according to a customer’s purchase cycle than those who send general correspondence.
So, before getting into the best automated mailing systems, we can start off by defining email automation.
What is Email Marketing Automation?
Email marketing automation is creating a series of automated emails that are triggered by the actions of the subscribers and sent automatically. The best thing about automated email campaigns is that you can increase ROI without even trying. You just need to set up the email marketing automation and it does the hard work on your behalf 'automatically.'
You can effortlessly automate emails with automated mailing systems.
Of course, we can’t speak of one particular email marketing software that best fits you. It really depends on your,
- budget
- contact list size
- features
Ok then, let’s dive into the best email marketing automation software that you can use for your email marketing efforts!
In the table below you can see the detailed comparison table of 36 services in the email marketing area.
If you specifically look for marketing automation software for small business, you can also check our related article.
18 Best Email Marketing Automation Software
1. Active Campaign
ActiveCampaign is now used by over 60,000 organizations of all shapes and sizes.
ActiveCampaign is an email marketing automation tool which simply enables you to create drip emails that will boost your subscriber interaction, interests, demographics, history, and more.
You can use Active Campaign as a CRM and marketing automation software. You’re going to like this email marketing automation software in terms of email deliverability, affordability, customer support, and integrations.
Pros:
- Excellent customer support
- Flexible and versatile
- Advanced features
Cons:
- The learning curve is a bit challenging.
- There are some glitches reported by some users.
- The forms feature isn't sufficient and not customizable enough
Pricing
The minimum price plan costs $9/mo with annual payment for 500 contacts. The highest price plan is the Enterprise plan costing $229/mo.
G2 Rating: 4.6 out of 5
2. Hubspot
There are 48,000 small companies that use Hubspot Email Marketing Automation which means it is ranked as one of the top email automation tools. In order to support your email marketing campaigns, it provides
- all-in-one CRM
- email marketing automation
- landing page builder platform
Probably the most advantageous part of HubSpot is its analytics. You can track your email campaigns in terms of conversions. But what about pricing?
Well, you should consider that it’s very affordable in the first place, costs about $50/month. However, the pricing can quickly get out of control. For example, if you want to add bonus features and grow your email list, you may have to pay $2,000/month annually. So, better be careful.
Pros:
- Ability to customize the user experience based on behavior
- Great user interface
Cons:
- Prices are too high for most startups.
- Not HIPAA compliant
Pricing
The starter plan for HubSpot Marketing Hub costs $50/mo.
G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5
3. Constant Contact
As an effective email marketing automation software, Let Constant Contact allows you to send powerful emails with unique designs. Also, it is simple to use. You can arrange Facebook fan promotions, coupons, and deals with Let Constant Contact.
As the other email marketing automation software in the market, it provides an autoresponder. One of the important parts of this email marketing automation software is its affordable prices.
Pros:
- Clear overview of demographics of email recipients
- Simple and easy to use UI
- Excellent customer support
Cons:
- Has Constant Contact branding at the bottom of the emails
- Email templates tend to distort based on the platform recipients' use.
- Email builder is a bit limited in terms of designing options
Pricing
Price based on number of contacts, starting at $20/mo
G2 Rating: 3.9 out of 5
4. Drip
Being an email drip campaign software, Drip has a simple and user-friendly interface. You can use email gathering technology, drag and drop elements, and pre-made templates in your emails.
If you have an e-commerce company then this email marketing software is great for you. For basic email marketing automation, it has affordable pricing options! For example, you should pay $49/month for 100+ contacts. You can streamline the drip email process with this app.
Pros:
- Smoothly handles large data
- User-friendly interface, dark mode available
- Ability to create unique responsive HTML email templates
Cons:
- Slow customer support
- Analytics and reports are average.
- Inability to re-edit workflows
- Not storing events for recall so, for example, in Zapier you have to continually refresh
Pricing
Starting at $19/mo for 1,500 contacts
G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5 starts
5. Sendloop
Sendloop is really one of the best marketing automation software on the market. It has an easy-to-use interface that doesn’t require IT. So, you can customize your emails with a simple drag n-drop email builder. It offers more than 80 free email templates with some unique features.
You can refine a drip campaign by targeting the right people.
Sendloop enables you to track your customers' movements on your site. By using this email automation software, you can run highly-effective email marketing campaigns.
Pros:
- Drag and drop feature
- Provides WYSIWYG Email Editor so you can edit fast and easily
- Analysis track report
- Great technical support
Cons:
- A bit expensive as it charges for subscribers not plans
- The interface is a bit over-siimplistic
- Lacks mobile-optimized emails
Pricing
Service cost based on the number of subscribers. You can calculate your service cost from their website. The minimum cost is $9/mo for 500 subscriber and unlimited emails.
G2 Rating: 4.3 out of 5
6. Emailsmart.io
Emailsmart is an email automation software that serves for small and medium-sized transactions that care about privacy, gdpr and security. Based in London, the company offers boutique solutions that are GDPR compliant and affordable.
Pros:
- Unlimited contact size & billed only total emails sent
- GDPR Compliant for EU Users
- Affordable Prices
- Boutique service with excellent support team
Cons:
- Integration options are lacking
7. GetResponse
GetResponse is one of the best email service providers (ESP) and email marketing automation software in the market.
Even if it didn’t specify marketing automation capabilities at first, it did add some useful features such as autoresponder and much more. In this case, you can design your workflows with its easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface.
Pros:
- Straightforward and easy to use
- Fast interface
- They offer landing page building as well as email marketing
- Value price compared to its competitors
Cons:
- Some users reported messages going to spam folders
- Contact import issue
- Limitation in integrating with other apps
Pricing
Starting at $15/mo for 1,000 subscribers
G2 Rating: 4.2 out of 5
8. MailChimp
MailChimp is another good email marketing automation software that allows you to customize your emails. You can send a welcome sequence to new subscribers automatically or send birthday wishes or any content you want.
Also, you can use it to prevent and recover from cart abandonment. If you want to personalize your order notifications from your store or re-engage with inactive customers, MailChimp is for you!
For those who are looking for effective email marketing automation software, it is a great tool to use.
Pricing is not that affordable when you compare it to other marketing automation software. It’s free for up to 2,000 contacts. However, it costs upwards of $425 or more per month depending on your total number of subscribers.
Pros:
- Saves templates and contacts so you won't have to start over everytime
- Provides an internal database that helps you store contacts
- Intuitive interface
Cons:
- Understanding list segmentation can be a bit tricky.
- Since they price based on the number of contacts, it can quickly get pretty expensive.
Pricing
Free plan available with 2,000 contacts. Paid plans start at $10/mo for 500 contacts with custom branding and A/B testing.
G2 Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Did you know that you can easily integrate Popupsmart with MailChimp? This way, the leads coming from the subscription popup will automatically be added to your MailChimp lists.
Also, if you use Shopify, take a look at our blog post, How to Add a MailChimp Popup to Shopify Account?
9. Wishpond
Wishpond is not only concentrating on your email marketing automation but also covers a large portion of your marketing needs.
You can use Wishpond to,
- capture leads
- create landing pages
- run social content, promotions, and discounts.
Wishpond has some functional features like other email marketing automation software that I’ve mentioned above. Dripping campaigns, customizing emails, and benefitting from real-time analytics and integrations might be given as examples.
You can track each lead in your database with a comprehensive overview. That means you can track your visitor’s activity individually.
It offers various packages for pricing but when you consider the service you get, it has reasonable pricing plans.
Pros:
- Excellent customer support
- Drag and drop feature
Cons:
- No search bar to search a particular lead
- Lag between campaigns
- Unreliable email deliverability (based on user reviews)
Pricing
Staring at $49/mo for 1,000 leads. You can schedule a demo for a custom plan.
G2 Rating: 3.9 out of 5
10. Benchmark Email
Benchmark Email might be a good fit for you if you’re looking for a basic email automation system. There are a lot of people who don’t want to deal with technicalities and issues that require expertise in this field. For this reason, it has a user-friendly interface and great customer support.
It just does the basics quite well. You can use the drag and drop system without any trouble. I recommend this tool if you’re just after something simple. However, if you’re looking for something more powerful for your email marketing benefits, you should probably consider some other email marketing automation software.
Pros:
- User-friendly and straightforward
- Ability to set limits to your email campaigns
- Easy to navigate dashboard
Cons:
- Not so mobile-friendly
- Doesn't provide Email Usage report in downloadable format
- Lacks automatic spell-checking
Pricing
Free plan available for 250 emails per month. Paid plans start at $13/mo for unlimited emails but limited features compared to higher price plans.
G2 Rating: 4.1 out of 5
11. Keap
Keap, also known as Infusionsoft, is a great sales and marketing automation tool, so not just a platform for email marketing.
You can choose a ready workflow or build your own from scratch, then select a trigger event for your campaign. Also, it is possible to add members of your team to handle contacts, set meetings, and track them!
It offers lots of automation features so that you can do different automation according to your business goals such as sending emails automatically.
Pros:
- Robust feature set
- All-in-one tool, makes it easy to automate all your tasks from a single place (follow-up, landing page, and shopping cart solutions)
- Excellent onboarding
Cons:
- The email builder lacks the option to send text-only emails.
- Its learning curve can be a bit steep at times.
- Pricing is a bit high for start-ups and small businesses.
Pricing
Starting at $79/mo for 500 contacts
G2 Rating: 4.1 out of 5
12. Mailjet
Mailjet is an email marketing automation solution for fast-moving teams.
You can create and send emails with their intuitive email platform as well as integrate the Email API and start sending emails.
Mailjet's drag and drop editor provides a great email marketing experience to their users. Also, their service improves your deliverability of emails and the sending speed at affordable prices.
Pros:
- Cost-effective pricing for companies of all sizes
- Excellent inboxing rate
- Ability to save templates: you can save not only an entire email but also just some sections from it
Cons:
- Unfriendly customer service
- Lacks auto-saver
- Setup can be a bit problematic in terms of certain DNS or domain hosts
Pricing
Free plan available. Paid plans $15 per month for 15,000 emails.
G2 Rating: 3.9 out of 5
13. Omnisend
Omnisend is another marketing platform that is growing in popularity. Designed to assist e-commerce brands in email marketing, SMS, and automation, they claim to multiply your open rates and improve revenue growth.
Since their primary focus is on e-commerce, Omnisend offers innovative email templates to reduce cart abandonment and drive repeat buyers.
Additionally, you can build shoppable emails, create push notification campaigns, scratch cards, product recommendations, and more.
Pros:
- Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Variety of segmentation options
- Features like Giftable and Wheel of Fortune
Cons:
- Poor color scheme in design
- Some users experienced glitches in the system
- Integration options are lacking
Pricing: 14-day free trial available. Paid plans start at $16/mo for 15,000 emails.
G2 Rating: 4.6 out of 5
14. ConvertKit
ConvertKit is the best email marketing automation tool for people who prefer a relatively simpler one. Typically, bloggers and online course instructors use it but if you are looking for a straightforward option, this will work.
This software has no bells or whistles. Their main focus is on creating and sending plain and clean emails. Rather than offering email templates, they encourage users to create their own templates.
Pros:
- Easy to set up automations
- Ability to create landing pages and tags
- Integrations to WooCommerce, WordPress, and many other applications
Cons:
- Users need to add the leads they obtained through ConvertKit forms manually
- Their email template editor is very basic.
- A bit costlier than its competitors, especially for agencies that manage multiple clients
Pricing: There’s a free plan available for 1,000 monthly subscribers. Premium plans start at $29 per month for a monthly subscription.
G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Email Testing Tools
Email testing tools combined with the best email automation tools make perfect automated mailing systems. You know what they say; better safe than sorry.
15. Litmus
Litmus is one of the top email testing tools that many marketers use before sending their automated emails. It offers an error-free email delivery by allowing you to preview, test, analyze your emails before you hit the send button.
Pricing: This email testing tool's pricing starts from $99/m for 1,000 email previews.
G2 Rating: 4.5 out of 5
16. Mailtrap
Another email testing tool is Mailtrap. It enables previewing emails and checking how your email is being rendered.
Pricing: Mailtrap's pricing starts at $9.99. It has a free plan available.
G2 Rating: 4.1 out of 5
Email List Building Tools
17. Popupsmart
You have one problem that stands between you and driving a successful email marketing drip campaign; email list building.
To build a strong email list with high-quality subscribers, you will need to attract your website visitors and convince them to sign up to your mailing list.
Popupsmart, a no code popup builder makes it simple to display user-friendly email popups with modern designs and collect subscribers.
Another great feature of Popupsmart is the ability to send email notifications or email autoresponders to users who submit their emails via popups. It’s very easy to craft and set up autoresponder emails.
Pricing:
Popupsmart's starts at $29/m for unlimited popups, unlimited domains, and 100,000 page-views. Free plan available.
G2 Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Get Started With Popupsmart Today!
18. Rafflecopter
It is essential to lure customers into signing up for your mailing list to run a more converting automated mailing system. Rafflecopter is a giveaway tool that enables site owners to launch and manage giveaways. You can use giveaways to build a strong email list.
Pricing: Starts at $13/m. Grow plan ($43/m) is suggested for integration with email marketing tools.
G2 Rating: 4.5 out of 5
19. Customer.io
Customer.io, is one of the best email marketing automation software in the market, has a user-friendly interface. You can customize your messages very easily. Also, it allows you to target messages to your customers and integrate it with your mobile app or website to provide real-time stats.
It comes with bonus features such as,
- in-context conversations
- conversion tracking
- A/B testing,
- customer profiles
It’s free for 400 monthly email credits to 200 people. However, the payment increases depending on your growth.
Pros:
- Reasonable pricing
- Easy to set up
- Managing users, events, and attributes is simple
Cons:
- No option to export data
- Reports lack deeper analytics insights
- Challenging learnig curve even for an experienced user
Pricing
Starting at $150/mo for up to 12,000 profiles
G2 Rating: 4.2 out of 5
Recap
You need good marketing strategies in order to succeed in your efforts. We all know that it’s difficult to keep up with everything at the same time. So, you need email marketing automation software to achieve your goals.
You need to build a strong email list and test your automated emails before sending.
We covered the 18 best email marketing automation software, email testing tools, and email list building tools that will make marketing easier for your business.
You should pick the right one from those I’ve mentioned in this article or some other marketing automation tools like Zapier according to your needs and budget.
If you want to give some additional information about email marketing automation software or share the specific tool that you’ve been already using, feel free to share with us!
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