Email Marketing for Small Business: The No-BS Guide to Picking the Right Platform
Email marketing consistently delivers one of the highest ROIs of any digital marketing channel. But here's the problem: there are dozens of email marketing platforms, each claiming to be perfect for small businesses. Most aren't.
I've tested the major players and dug into what actually matters when you're running a small operation with a limited budget and no dedicated marketing team. Here's what you need to know to pick the right tool without wasting money or time.
What Small Businesses Actually Need from Email Marketing Software
Before diving into specific tools, let's be clear about what features actually matter when you're small:
- Easy-to-use email builder – You don't have time to learn complex software. Drag-and-drop is non-negotiable.
- Decent templates – You need emails that look professional without hiring a designer.
- Basic automation – Welcome sequences, abandoned cart emails (if you sell online), simple drip campaigns.
- List management – Segments, tags, and the ability to clean your list without jumping through hoops.
- Deliverability – Doesn't matter how pretty your emails are if they land in spam.
- Reasonable pricing – Costs should scale with your list, not bankrupt you before you hit 1,000 subscribers.
Advanced features like AI-powered send time optimization, predictive orchestration, and deep behavioral tracking? Nice to have, but most small businesses won't use them. Don't pay extra for features that look cool in demos but collect dust in practice.
The Best Email Marketing Platforms for Small Business
Here's my breakdown of the top options, with honest takes on pricing, strengths, and limitations.
Brevo (Formerly Sendinblue) – Best for Budget-Conscious Businesses
Brevo is hard to beat on value. Their free plan lets you send 300 emails per day with unlimited contacts, which is rare. Most platforms cap contacts on free tiers, but Brevo doesn't—they limit sends instead.
Pricing: Free plan available (300 emails/day). Paid plans start at $9/month, or $8.08/month if you pay annually.
What's good:
- All-in-one platform includes SMS and WhatsApp marketing
- Unlimited contacts on all plans (you pay based on email volume)
- Built-in CRM included
- Solid automation features even on lower tiers
What sucks:
- The 300 daily email limit on free tier gets restrictive fast
- Landing page builder and A/B testing require the Business plan
- Email templates are decent but not spectacular
For a deeper look at what you'll actually pay, check out our Brevo pricing breakdown and full Brevo review.
MailerLite – Best Free Plan for Beginners
MailerLite has built a reputation as the easiest email marketing tool for people who hate complicated software. Their Forever Free plan includes up to 500 subscribers and 12,000 monthly emails with access to nearly all features. The only catch is a small MailerLite logo in your email footer.
Pricing: Free for up to 500 subscribers. Paid plans remove branding and add advanced features.
What's good:
- Genuinely simple interface—you can be sending emails within 15 minutes
- Landing page builder and form builder included on free plan
- Automation builder is visual and intuitive
- Great for bloggers and content creators
What sucks:
- No spam testing or email preview across devices on free tier
- Approval process for new accounts can be slow
- Fewer integrations than larger competitors
AWeber – Reliable Veteran, But Showing Its Age
AWeber has been around for over 20 years and built its reputation on deliverability. They have over 300 email templates and solid automation capabilities for basic workflows.
Pricing: Free plan available for up to 500 subscribers. The Lite plan starts at $15/month for 500 subscribers with a send limit of 10x your list size. Plus plan starts at $30/month.
What's good:
- Excellent deliverability rates
- 24/7 live chat support and phone support
- 700+ integrations with third-party tools
- Smart Designer feature uses AI to create branded templates from your website
What sucks:
- Automation capabilities are more basic compared to ActiveCampaign or Drip
- Reporting and analytics aren't as comprehensive as competitors
- Interface feels dated compared to newer tools
For full pricing details, see our AWeber pricing guide.
Moosend – Best Value for Advanced Features
Moosend is one of the most affordable options that doesn't skimp on features. What sets it apart: all Pro features are available on a single paid plan. You pay more to increase contacts and email limits, not to unlock tools.
Pricing: Pro plan starts at $7/month for 500 contacts with unlimited emails. 30-day free trial available.
What's good:
- Visual automation builder included on all paid plans
- Heatmaps and AI product recommendations—features you usually pay premium prices for
- Built-in countdown timers for urgency-driven campaigns
- 100+ professionally designed templates
What sucks:
- No permanent free plan (only the 30-day trial)
- Smaller user community means fewer tutorials and guides online
- Limited native integrations compared to bigger platforms
Constant Contact – Best for Local/Service Businesses
Constant Contact focuses on being easy and reliable rather than feature-packed. It's particularly strong for local businesses and service providers who want to send newsletters without a learning curve.
Pricing: 30-day free trial (no credit card required). Paid plans start at $12/month.
What's good:
- 300+ industry-specific templates (real estate, retail, restaurants, etc.)
- Built-in event management tools
- "Check for Errors" feature catches mistakes before you send
- Excellent customer support with live chat and phone
What sucks:
- No permanent free plan
- Automation is solid for basics but lacks complex branching
- Gets expensive as your list grows compared to competitors
ActiveCampaign – Best for Growing Businesses That Need Automation
If you're serious about marketing automation and willing to invest time in learning the platform, ActiveCampaign is the most powerful option at a reasonable price point. It's overkill for someone sending monthly newsletters, but invaluable if you're building complex customer journeys.
What's good:
- 900+ customizable automation workflow templates
- Built-in CRM that actually works
- Deep personalization based on contact behavior
- A/B test up to 5 email versions at once
What sucks:
- Steeper learning curve than simpler tools
- No free plan (though pricing is reasonable for what you get)
- Can be overwhelming if you just need basic email marketing
Email Marketing Platform Pricing Comparison
Here's what you'll actually pay at common list sizes:
| Platform | Free Plan | 500 Subscribers | 2,500 Subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Yes (300 emails/day) | $9/month | $9/month (email volume based) |
| MailerLite | Yes (500 subs, 12K emails) | Free | ~$15/month |
| AWeber | Yes (500 subs) | $15/month (Lite) | ~$30/month |
| Moosend | No (30-day trial) | $7/month | ~$20/month |
| Constant Contact | No (30-day trial) | $12/month | ~$50/month |
Which Email Marketing Platform Should You Pick?
Cut through the noise with these recommendations:
You're just starting out and have almost no budget: MailerLite or Brevo free plans. Both are legitimate options, not crippled trials designed to upsell you immediately.
You run an ecommerce store: Klaviyo or Omnisend if you can afford it. They integrate deeply with Shopify, WooCommerce, etc. and have pre-built flows for abandoned carts, product recommendations, and post-purchase sequences. Omnisend starts at $11/month for 500 contacts.
You want the most value for your dollar: Moosend. At $7/month you get features that competitors charge $30+ for.
You need great customer support: Constant Contact or AWeber. Both offer phone support, which is increasingly rare.
You're ready to get serious about automation: ActiveCampaign. Accept the learning curve and build workflows that actually nurture leads into customers.
What About Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is the most recognized name in email marketing, but I didn't include it in my top recommendations. Why? Their pricing has gotten aggressive, especially after they removed the generous free tier. The free plan now limits you to 500 contacts and 1,000 monthly emails with Mailchimp branding. Competitors offer more at similar or lower prices.
Mailchimp isn't bad—the interface is polished and integrations are plentiful. But you're paying a premium for brand recognition, not features.
Email Marketing Best Practices for Small Business
The platform matters less than what you do with it. Here are practices that actually move the needle:
Build your list properly: Use signup forms on your website. Create lead magnets that attract your target customer. Never buy email lists—it destroys deliverability and violates most platform terms of service. If you need help with list building, check out our guide to website builders for small business that include form builders.
Segment from day one: Even basic segments (new vs. repeat customers, engaged vs. inactive) dramatically improve results. All the platforms above support this.
Write subject lines people actually open: Keep them under 50 characters. Be specific. Test what works for your audience—clever doesn't always beat clear.
Don't over-send: Unless you're running a daily deal site, weekly or bi-weekly is usually the sweet spot. More frequent than that, you'd better have genuinely valuable content.
Clean your list regularly: Remove subscribers who haven't engaged in 6+ months. A smaller, engaged list outperforms a bloated one every time.
Connecting Email to Your Broader Marketing Stack
Email marketing doesn't exist in isolation. Here's how it connects to other tools:
CRM: If you're managing customer relationships beyond email, consider platforms with built-in CRM (Brevo, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot) or integrate with a dedicated CRM for small business.
Landing pages: Most email platforms include basic landing page builders. For more advanced needs, consider Leadpages—check out our Leadpages pricing breakdown.
Sales outreach: Email marketing is different from cold email outreach. If you're doing B2B prospecting, look at tools like Instantly or Lemlist which are built for that use case. See our Instantly pricing guide for details.
The Bottom Line
Email marketing is one of the few channels where small businesses can compete with larger companies on relatively equal footing. You don't need a massive budget—you need the right tool for your situation and the discipline to use it consistently.
Start with a free plan from Brevo or MailerLite. Learn what works for your audience. Upgrade when you hit limits or need features you don't have. Don't overthink the initial platform choice—migrating later is annoying but not impossible.
The best email marketing platform is the one you'll actually use. Pick one today and send your first campaign this week.