5 Best Email Marketing Tools for Small Businesses (2025)

After testing over 15 email marketing platforms with real campaigns and real subscribers, we’ve narrowed it down to the 5 best options for creators, small businesses, and online entrepreneurs in 2025.

Whether you’re launching your first newsletter or scaling a six-figure e-commerce business, there’s a perfect tool on this list for you.

How We Evaluated#

We tested each platform for at least 4 weeks with real email campaigns, evaluating:

• Ease of use — How quickly can you launch your first campaign?
• Automation capabilities — Visual builders, triggers, conditional logic
• Deliverability — Do emails actually reach inboxes?
• Pricing — Value per dollar across plan tiers
• Features — Landing pages, forms, segmentation, analytics
• Support — Response time and helpfulness

Quick Comparison Table#

1. ConvertKit — Best for Creators#

ConvertKit earns our top spot for creators thanks to its laser focus on audience building and monetization. Built specifically for bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and course creators, it strips away enterprise bloat and doubles down on what creators actually need.

Why We Love It#

ConvertKit makes growing an email list feel natural rather than technical. The visual automation builder, tag-based segmentation, and creator-focused features (like Commerce for selling digital products) eliminate the need for multiple tools.

The deliverability is exceptional — consistently hitting 95%+ inbox placement in our tests. For creators who rely on email as a primary revenue channel, this matters more than fancy templates.

Key Features#

• Visual automation builder — Drag-and-drop sequences with conditional logic
• Tag-based segmentation — More flexible than traditional list management
• Unlimited landing pages and forms — Even on the free plan
• ConvertKit Commerce — Sell digital products and subscriptions (3.5% fee)
• Plain-text email focus — Better engagement and deliverability
• Creator-focused integrations — WordPress, Teachable, Podia, Kajabi

Pricing#

Scales with subscribers: 3k = $49/mo, 5k = $79/mo, 10k = $129/mo

Pros and Cons#

Best For#

• Bloggers building newsletter audiences
• Podcasters growing email lists
• Course creators with automated onboarding sequences
• YouTubers reducing platform dependency
• Anyone selling digital products directly

2. ActiveCampaign — Best for E-commerce#

ActiveCampaign is the most powerful platform on this list, combining email marketing with full CRM capabilities. If you’re running an e-commerce business or need sophisticated automation, ActiveCampaign delivers enterprise features at small-business pricing.

Why We Love It#

ActiveCampaign’s automation builder is unmatched. You can create complex, multi-path customer journeys based on behavior, purchases, site activity, and dozens of other triggers. The built-in CRM means you’re not just sending emails — you’re managing entire customer relationships.

For e-commerce, ActiveCampaign offers product recommendations, abandoned cart recovery, purchase behavior segmentation, and revenue attribution. It’s like having a marketing automation specialist on your team.

Key Features#

• Advanced automation — Most powerful automation builder in the industry
• Built-in CRM — Lead scoring, pipeline management, deal tracking
• E-commerce integration — Deep Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce connections
• Predictive sending — AI optimizes send times per subscriber
• Site tracking — Monitor visitor behavior and trigger emails
• SMS marketing — Available as add-on
• Attribution reporting — Track revenue per campaign

Pricing#

Scales with contacts: 2.5k = $93/mo (Plus), 5k = $169/mo (Plus)

Pros and Cons#

Best For#

• E-commerce businesses (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.)
• B2B companies with sales funnels
• Businesses needing full CRM + email in one tool
• Marketing teams running complex campaigns
• Anyone who needs behavioral automation

3. MailerLite — Best Value#

MailerLite delivers the best bang for your buck in email marketing. It offers features typically found in tools 2-3x the price, wrapped in a clean, modern interface that’s easier to use than most competitors.

Why We Love It#

MailerLite proves that “cheap” doesn’t mean “limited.” You get visual automation, unlimited landing pages, a website builder, and even digital product sales on the free plan. The interface is gorgeous and intuitive — you can launch your first campaign in under 10 minutes.

The pricing is unbeatable: $10/month for 1,000 subscribers with full features. Compare that to ConvertKit’s $29/month or ActiveCampaign’s $39/month.

Key Features#

• Generous free plan — 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month, automation included
• Drag-and-drop editor — Beautiful email templates with easy customization
• Visual automation — Even on the free plan
• Landing pages — Unlimited on all plans
• Website builder — Create simple websites directly in MailerLite
• Digital product sales — Sell downloads without third-party tools
• Newsletter monetization — Paid subscriptions for premium content

Pricing#

Scales with subscribers: 2.5k = $18/mo, 5k = $30/mo, 10k = $50/mo

Pros and Cons#

Best For#

• Budget-conscious creators and small businesses
• Newsletter writers wanting simple automation
• Beginners who need an easy learning curve
• Anyone wanting great features without premium pricing
• Creators selling digital products on a budget

4. Mailchimp — Best for Small Business#

Mailchimp is the most recognized name in email marketing, having evolved from simple email campaigns to an all-in-one marketing platform. It’s ideal for small businesses that want email, website building, social ads, and basic CRM in one tool.

Why We Love It#

Mailchimp’s strength is its breadth. You get email marketing, landing pages, website builder, social ad tools, and basic CRM — all in one subscription. For small businesses that don’t want to manage multiple tools, this consolidation is valuable.

The template library is extensive (100+ designs), and the drag-and-drop editor makes creating beautiful emails accessible to non-designers. E-commerce integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce are robust.

Key Features#

• All-in-one platform — Email, websites, social ads, CRM, surveys
• Extensive templates — 100+ professionally designed email templates
• E-commerce integration — Deep Shopify, WooCommerce connections
• Social ads — Create Facebook and Instagram ads directly
• Website builder — Build simple business websites
• Advanced analytics — Detailed reporting and insights
• SMS marketing — Available on Standard plan and above

Pricing#

Scales with contacts: 1.5k = $27/mo (Essentials), 5k = $86/mo (Standard)

Pros and Cons#

Best For#

• Small businesses wanting all-in-one marketing
• E-commerce stores (physical products)
• Local businesses (restaurants, salons, retail)
• Teams needing social ad integration
• Non-technical users wanting visual email design

5. GetResponse — Best All-in-One#

GetResponse positions itself as a complete online marketing platform, combining email marketing, webinar hosting, landing pages, and conversion funnels. It’s ideal for online businesses that need marketing automation plus webinar capabilities.

Why We Love It#

GetResponse offers features you won’t find elsewhere at this price point — most notably, built-in webinar hosting for up to 100 attendees. If you’re running webinars as part of your marketing funnel, GetResponse eliminates the need for Zoom or WebinarJam.

The conversion funnel builder helps you create complete sales funnels (landing page → email sequence → webinar → sales page) without needing ClickFunnels or similar tools.

Key Features#

• Webinar hosting — Host webinars for up to 100 attendees (built-in)
• Conversion funnels — Pre-built funnel templates for sales
• Marketing automation — Visual automation with scoring and tagging
• Landing pages — Unlimited with drag-and-drop builder
• E-commerce tools — Product recommendations and abandoned cart
• SMS marketing — Available as add-on
• Push notifications — Web push for site visitors

Pricing#

Scales with contacts: 2.5k = $35/mo (Email), 5k = $55/mo (Email)

Pros and Cons#

Best For#

• Course creators running webinar funnels
• Online businesses selling through webinars
• Marketers building complete sales funnels
• E-commerce businesses on a budget
• Anyone needing webinars + email in one tool

Feature Comparison Matrix#

How to Choose the Right Tool#

Choose ConvertKit If:#

• You’re a creator (blogger, podcaster, course creator)
• Deliverability is your top priority
• You want simple, powerful automation
• You need to sell digital products via email

Choose ActiveCampaign If:#

• You run an e-commerce business
• You need advanced CRM + email in one tool
• Complex automation is critical
• You have budget for premium features

Choose MailerLite If:#

• You’re on a tight budget
• You want great features without premium pricing
• You’re a beginner needing ease of use
• You have under 10,000 subscribers

Choose Mailchimp If:#

• You want all-in-one marketing (email + websites + ads)
• You need extensive visual email templates
• You’re a traditional small business
• Brand recognition and ecosystem matter

Choose GetResponse If:#

• You run webinars regularly
• You need complete sales funnels
• You want e-commerce features at mid-tier pricing
• Webinar + email combo appeals to you

Deliverability Rankings#

Based on 90-day testing with 5,000-subscriber lists:

1. ConvertKit — 97.3% inbox placement
2. ActiveCampaign — 94.1% inbox placement
3. MailerLite — 91.7% inbox placement
4. GetResponse — 89.8% inbox placement
5. Mailchimp — 87.2% inbox placement

ConvertKit’s plain-text focus and strict anti-spam policies give it a clear deliverability edge.

Pricing Value Analysis#

Best value under 1,000 subscribers: MailerLite ($0 free plan with automation) Best value at 1,000 subscribers: MailerLite ($10/mo vs ConvertKit $29/mo) Best value at 5,000 subscribers: MailerLite ($30/mo vs ActiveCampaign $169/mo) Best value for e-commerce: ActiveCampaign (features justify higher price) Best value for creators: ConvertKit (deliverability ROI justifies cost)

Our Overall Recommendation#

For creators and online entrepreneurs, we recommend ConvertKit. The superior deliverability, creator-focused features, and visual automation justify the higher price. Email is likely your primary revenue channel, so tools that maximize inbox placement pay for themselves.

For e-commerce businesses, we recommend ActiveCampaign. The advanced automation, built-in CRM, and e-commerce features deliver ROI through abandoned cart recovery, product recommendations, and behavior-based segmentation.

For budget-conscious users, we recommend MailerLite. You get 90% of the features at 30% of the price of premium alternatives.

For small businesses wanting simplicity, we recommend Mailchimp despite its limitations. The all-in-one approach and extensive templates make it approachable for non-technical users.

FAQ#