10 Pro Email Marketing Software for Startups and Small Businesses

Sep 10

9 min read

Email marketing remains one of the most effective strategies for startups and small businesses to connect with customers, increase sales, and build lasting relationships. With automation, segmentation, and robust analytics, email marketing tools have evolved to offer a range of powerful features. Below is a list of 10 top email marketing software solutions that are ideal for startups and small businesses, along with their pricing plans and key features.

1. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign stands out as a leader in email marketing, combining CRM features with marketing automation. It’s highly suitable for startups looking to streamline communication with leads.

Key Features: Email automation, segmentation, lead scoring, and customer journey tracking.
2023 Statistics: Boasts over 180,000 users globally, with businesses achieving a 70% increase in sales after adopting their automation tools.

ActiveCampaign offers four key pricing plans, each tailored to businesses of different sizes and needs, with pricing primarily based on the number of contacts and additional features:

Lite Plan:

Starts at $15/month.
Features include email marketing, automation
Allows 10x email sends based on contact limits.

Plus Plan:

Begins at $49/month.
Includes advanced CRM, landing pages, lead scoring, and SMS automation.
Allows 10x email sends based on contact limits.

Professional Plan:

Priced at $79/month.
Adds predictive content and sending, split automation, and site messaging.
12x email sends based on contact limits.

Enterprise Plan:

Starts at $145/month.
Custom pricing for larger teams with advanced support and features, including single sign-on (SSO) and phone support.
Allows 15x email sends based on contact limits.

For exact pricing, contact limits, and features tailored to your business size, ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day free trial to explore its full range of tools.

2. Zoho Workplace (Zoho Campaigns)

While Zoho Workplace is a broader suite, Zoho Campaigns is its dedicated email marketing tool, providing integration with other Zoho products like CRM, making it a great choice for startups that want an all-in-one business platform.

Zoho Campaigns offers a range of pricing plans for email marketing, catering to businesses of various sizes. Here's a breakdown:

Forever Free Plan:

Contacts: Manage up to 2,000 contacts.
Emails: Send up to 6,000 emails per month.
Users: Up to 5 users.
Key Features: Limited email templates, signup forms, and compliance checks.
Cost: Free.

Standard Plan:

Contacts: Manage up to 100,000 contacts (higher available on request).
Emails: Unlimited emails.
Users: Up to 10 users.
Key Features: Includes all free plan features plus unlimited emails, basic segmentation, drag-and-drop workflows, and add-ons like SMS marketing.
Cost: ₹180/month when billed annually.

Professional Plan:

Contacts: Manage more than 100,000 contacts (up to 500,000+ on request).
Emails: Unlimited emails.
Users: Up to 20 users.
Key Features: Advanced segmentation, contact scoring, dynamic content, ecommerce features like cart abandonment, batch sending, and recipient time zone/optimal open time sends.
Cost: ₹258/month when billed annually

Additionally, Zoho offers pay-as-you-go pricing, where businesses can purchase email credits as needed instead of opting for a monthly subscription.

3. Freshworks (Freshmarketer)

Freshmarketer, part of Freshworks, is an integrated marketing automation and email marketing platform ideal for growing startups. Its focus is on streamlining customer journeys with ease.

Key Features: Email campaign automation, segmentation, A/B testing, and powerful reporting tools.
2023 Statistics: Freshmarketer has grown by 25% in the SMB segment, helping businesses achieve a 60% boost in open rates with targeted campaigns.

Freshmarketer offers flexible pricing plans based on the number of marketing contacts. Here’s an overview of their pricing:

Free Plan: ₹0/month, which includes up to 100 marketing contacts. Ideal for businesses just starting with email marketing.
Growth Plan: Starts at ₹749/month per user, allowing up to 500 marketing contacts. This plan is perfect for growing startups that need basic email marketing features.
Pro Plan: Priced at ₹3239/month per user with 5,000 marketing contacts. It includes advanced features like multichannel marketing, webhooks, and WhatsApp Business integration.
Enterprise Plan: Costs ₹4899/month per user for up to 10,000 marketing contacts. This plan offers extensive customization options, advanced metrics, and a dedicated account manager, making it suitable for large-scale businesses.p to 500 marketing contacts.

Each plan can be tailored further based on your contact volume, making Freshmarketer a scalable solution for startups and small businesses

4. Mailchimp

One of the most well-known email marketing platforms, Mailchimp offers robust tools and a user-friendly interface. It is especially attractive for startups and small businesses due to its free plan.

Key Features: Email automation, audience segmentation, and pre-designed templates.
2023 Statistics: Mailchimp reports that businesses using their automation tools see an average of 30% more revenue from email campaigns.

Mailchimp offers a variety of pricing plans tailored to different needs, whether you're just starting out or managing a large-scale business. Here’s a breakdown of the plans:

Free Plan:

Price: ₹0/month
Contacts: Up to 500 contacts
Sends: 1,000 emails per month (500/day limit)
Ideal for beginners who want to test Mailchimp's basic features, including 1 audience, limited email templates, and basic reporting.

Essentials Plan:

Starting Price: ₹385/month for up to 500 contacts
Sends: 10x your contact limit (e.g., 5,000 sends for 500 contacts)
Offers more features like multiple audiences (up to 3), email automations, and A/B testing, suitable for small businesses with moderate needs.

Standard Plan:

Starting Price: ₹575/month for up to 500 contacts
Sends: 12x your contact limit
Adds advanced tools like behavioral targeting, custom-coded templates, and advanced automations, recommended for businesses looking to scale.

Premium Plan:

Starting Price: ₹11,500/month for upto 10,000 contacts
Contacts: Unlimited
Sends: 15x your contact limit
Includes all features like multivariate testing, advanced segmentation, unlimited seats, and dedicated support, making it suitable for large enterprises with complex marketing needs.

Mailchimp’s flexibility in pricing based on contact count and access to various features ensures it caters to both startups and established businesses looking to expand their email marketing efforts.

5. Sendinblue

Sendinblue, now rebranded as Brevo, offers a comprehensive email marketing solution with a strong focus on transactional emails and SMS marketing, making it ideal for startups looking for a multichannel approach.

Key Features: Email and SMS marketing, marketing automation, transactional emails, and a drag-and-drop editor.
2023 Statistics: With over 180,000 users, Sendinblue has seen a 45% increase in small businesses using their email and SMS combo tools.

Brevo, offers a range of pricing plans suitable for startups and small businesses. The plans are flexible and cater to varying email marketing needs. Here are the current plans:

Free Plan:

Send up to 300 emails per day.
Includes customizable templates, transactional emails, and basic support.

Starter Plan:

Starts at ₹625/month.
Includes 5,000 emails per month, with no daily sending limits.
Offers basic reporting and the option to remove Brevo branding as an add-on.

Business Plan:

Starts at ₹1,345/month.
Designed for larger operations, offering 5,000+ emails per month.
Includes advanced features like marketing automation, multi-user access, landing pages, and A/B testing.
Offers phone support for premium assistance.

Enterprise Plan:

Pricing is custom and depends on your specific needs.
Includes unlimited contacts, advanced reporting, dedicated support, and more tailored features like sub-account management and enterprise-grade security.

These plans provide options for both regular campaigns and transactional emails, with the flexibility of pay-as-you-go credits available for businesses with less frequent email requirements

6. MailerLite

MailerLite is known for its simplicity and affordability, making it a favorite among startups that don’t need overly complex features but still want professional email marketing capabilities.

Key Features: Email automation, landing pages, pop-ups, and surveys.
2023 Statistics: Businesses using MailerLite report a 50% increase in email open rates after implementing automation.

MailerLite offers two main pricing plans, Free and Premium, each with varying subscriber limits and email sending capacities.

Free Plan:

Covers up to 1,000 subscribers.
Allows sending 12,000 emails per month.
Includes basic features like email automation, landing pages, and website creation.

Premium Plan (billed monthly or annually):

Up to 1,000 subscribers: $10 per month .
Larger subscriber numbers require custom quotes.
Includes everything in Free Plan

For annual plans, users can avail a 30% discount, and there’s additional support for non-profit organizations. The premium plan also includes advanced features like segmentation, auto-resend campaigns, and priority support.

7. Constant Contact

Constant Contact has been a long-standing player in email marketing, offering powerful features for businesses of all sizes. It's particularly effective for event marketing and nonprofits.

Key Features: Drag-and-drop email builder, contact segmentation, and social media integrations.
2023 Statistics: Constant Contact has a 97% customer satisfaction rate, with over 700,000 customers worldwide.

Constant Contact offers three primary pricing plans for email marketing services, with rates scaling based on the number of subscribers:

Lite Plan:

Starts with ₹990/month for 1 user
The Lite plan includes essential features like 10x your number of contacts, 1GB storage, Self-service, live chat & phone.

Standard Plan (with additional features like advanced automation and A/B testin

Starts with ₹2888/month for 3 Users
The standard Plan has features like 10 GB storage, 12x your number of contacts, Self-service, live chat & phone

Premium Plan (with additional features like advanced automation and A/B testing):

Starts with ₹6,600/month
Unlimited Users
Have features like 24x your number of contacts, Dedicated piority and Support, 25GB storage.

8. GetResponse

GetResponse is a complete marketing automation platform with robust email marketing features. It’s ideal for startups looking to scale their efforts through webinars, e-commerce tools, and email marketing.

Key Features: Marketing automation, email templates, landing pages, and webinar hosting.
2023 Statistics: Businesses using GetResponse report an average of 57% higher ROI from email marketing efforts.

GetResponse offers various pricing plans based on the size of your email list and the features you need. Here’s a breakdown of their plans in INR, highlighting the number of users and subscribers they accommodate:

Email Marketing Plan:

For 1,000 subscribers: ₹1,308/month

This plan includes basic email marketing features such as autoresponders, unlimited newsletters, and access to email templates.

Marketing Automation Plan:

For 1,000 subscribers: ₹4,063/month

This plan is designed for businesses looking to automate their marketing efforts, offering features like event-based automation and webinars.

Ecommerce Marketing Plan:

For 1,000 subscribers: ₹8,195/month

The Ecommerce Marketing plan adds advanced tools for tracking e-commerce sales and optimizing customer journeys.

9. AWeber

AWeber focuses on delivering straightforward email marketing tools with excellent customer support, making it ideal for small businesses looking for an easy-to-use platform.

Key Features: Drag-and-drop email builder, templates, and split testing.
2023 Statistics: AWeber helps over 120,000 small businesses, with reports of up to 42% higher engagement rates using their automation features.

AWeber offers various pricing plans for its email marketing platform, providing flexible options for startups and small businesses:

AWeber Free Plan:

Subscribers: Up to 500 subscribers.
Emails: Limited to 3,000 emails per month.
Features: Basic email templates, landing pages, and sign-up forms.
Cost: Free.

AWeber Lite Plan:

Subscribers: Up to 500 subscribers.
Emails: Unlimited emails.
Cost: Starts at $12.50/month.
Features: Basic automation, email templates, and reporting.

AWeber Plus Plan:

Subscribers: Up to 500 subscribers.
Emails: Unlimited emails.
Cost: Starts at $20/month .
Features: Advanced automation, segmentation, split testing, and more.

AWeber Unlimited Plan:

Subscribers: Unlimited.
Emails: Unlimited.
Cost: $899/month.
Features: Full access to all features, including eCommerce, automation, and more
advanced tools.

These pricing options adjust based on the number of subscribers, with increases in the plan's cost as subscriber count grows.

10. Benchmark Email

Benchmark Email offers a solid set of email marketing features with a focus on simplicity and delivering results for small businesses and startups.

Key Features: Easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, email templates, automation, and A/B testing.
2023 Statistics: Over 500,000 businesses use Benchmark Email, with users reporting up to 40% improvement in campaign performance after using their A/B testing tools.

Benchmark Email offers four key pricing plans, each tailored to businesses of different sizes and needs, with pricing primarily based on the number of contacts and additional features:

Free Plan:

Starts at $0/month.
Support for up to 500 contacts.

Pro Plan:

Begins at $13/month.
Includes advanced CRM, landing pages, A/B Testing, and Email automation.
Support upto 100,000 contacts

Enterprise Plan:

Custom pricing for larger teams with advanced support and features, including single sign-on (SSO) and phone support.
Managed account set-up, Deliverability tools, Volume discounts, Send-based pricing

Conclusion

Email marketing tools have become essential for startups and small businesses looking to engage with their audience in meaningful ways. From automation to advanced analytics, these platforms offer a variety of features that cater to different needs and budgets. Whether you're looking for an all-in-one platform like Zoho Workplace or a dedicated email marketing tool like ActiveCampaign, these solutions can help your business grow by reaching the right audience with the right message. You can also reach out to the service providers of these services, like Techsenslabs to get additional discounts and benefits, apart from the mentioned services.