Email generates $42 in sales for every $1 invested.
ROI like that can persuade even the greatest online marketing critics to give email a shot. And why wouldn’t you? Email has the ability to:
boost content marketing visibility,
turn leads into sales, and
strengthen customer relationships.
If you want to put your marketing dollars to good use by collecting email addresses to start selling, you won’t get very far without a tool to capture and store contact details.
Comparing the Best Email Marketing Platforms for Under $50
We’d all love to spend $0 on marketing. And there’s no shortage of freemium software to make marketing easier. But free doesn’t always accommodate a growing company’s needs.
For instance, one platform may only allow you to store five contacts. Five leads won’t get you very far... unless they're all million dollar leads. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here...
You may find a free platform, only to be disappointed that you can’t create landing pages for lead capture.
At some point, you need to consider paying for a program that suits your needs, which might include:
Price
Ease of use
A/B testing
Functionality and flexibility for growing lists
The ability to create landing pages, forms, email automations, workflows, etc.
Instead of wasting hours researching the features of email service providers, constructing spreadsheets, comparing costs, here are the 8 best email marketing platforms for less than $50.
1. MailerLite $10/month
Pros:
A free plan is available for lists with under 1,000 subscribers which allows 12,000 email sends per month
Clean, easy-to-use interface
Lead-generating pop-up creation included
Cons:
TrustPilot reviews mention technical glitches and email send failures. On the bright-side, their customer service team is quick to respond and assist where needed.
A/B Testing:
MailerLite allows you to test nearly every aspect of each email (subject lines, send times, call-to-action copy, etc.).
Level of Difficulty:
Beginner
2. HubSpot Marketing Starter - $50/month
Pros:
One of the most established all-in-one marketing platforms
Free versions of the marketing software and CRM are included (so you to test out other HubSpot products before committing to an annual plan)
Manage up to $2,000.00 in PPC ads
Cons:
One of the more expensive platforms because it comes with so many add-ons
Once you have more than 1,000 contacts in your CRM, you must upgrade your account, and charges increase based on your list size
Paid plans are locked in for one year minimum; prorates are not given and HubSpot makes no exceptions on this policy
A/B Testing: Testing is limited to email subject lines only. Despite testing limitations for emails, HubSpot landing pages allow you to A/B test copy, calls-to-action, and graphic elements too.
Level of Difficulty: Beginner
3. Campaign Monitor - $29/month
Pros:
Includes stunning templates for email newsletters and landing pages
Campaign Monitor’s visual funnels come with examples you can clone and use for your own automations, which is great if you are just getting started with sales funnels
Cons:
Campaign Monitor isn’t as well known or cost-competitive compared to its competitors
A/B Testing: A/B testing is only available for subject lines and calls-to-actions
Level of Difficulty: Beginner
4. ConvertKit $29/month
Pros:
ConvertKit customizes its platform based on your type of business, suggesting pre-made marketing funnels and templates
Free plan is available for lists of under 1,000 subscribers
Cons:
Though it’s an easy-to-use platform, ConvertKit isn’t as robust or feature-packed as its competitors
ConvertKit email templates are not overly designed, so if you like pretty templates, you may want to look for another provider
A/B Testing: Testing is only available for subject lines in broadcasts (not sequences or automated emails).
Level of Difficulty: Beginner
5. Klaviyo - $30/month
Pros:
Send SMS messages for $0.30 each, but this can get expensive if your business sends mass text messages to a large subscriber list
Includes website pop-up creation as an additional feature
Cons:
Introverts beware - you must speak with a salesperson before receiving a free demo
$30 monthly plan must be upgraded once you reach 1,000 subscribers
A/B Testing: Testing is available for subject lines, test groups (segments), send time, send frequency.
Level of Difficulty: Unknown - wasn’t about to speak to a real live salesperson for a free demo to test this one out. :(
6. ActiveCampaign - $9/month
Pros:
Powerful CRM capabilities
Allows you to track data on website visitors, Google Maps clicks, geo tracking, and more
Allows you to oversee, manage, and post content to social media
Plan includes chatbots, advanced email list cleaning, and website page customization
Highly cost-effective for the amount of tools included
Cons:
Because ActiveCampaign can be used for more complicated funnels, there’s a steeper learning curve for beginners.
A/B Testing: A/B testing is available for subject lines, email content, call-to-action buttons, and more.
Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
7. Constant Contact - $26/month
Pros:
One of the most established email companies
Great for live event promotion and management, as well as selling online courses, because it includes additional tracking for ticket holders
Like ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact also allows you to manage social media accounts and chat inboxes
Their free templates come with basic copy that can be customized and used for your own marketing needs
Cons:
Additional automation packages cost $50
Constant Contact is one of the more complicated programs to use and its interface is not as aesthetically pleasing as some of its competitors
Online reports of difficulties cancelling paid subscriptions.
A/B Testing: For such an advanced email marketing platform, A/B testing is only available for subject lines.
Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
8. Mailchimp - $10/month
Pros:
One of the most well-known email marketing companies
MailChimp is equipped with a CRM and a website builder
Free version is available for users with up to 2,000 subscribers, and includes landing pages and forms
Cons:
Online reviews raise concerns with hidden fees on free plans
Some of MailChimp’s newer features, like Creative Studio (page builder), are not as robust as other design programs
The $10 plan only allows automations with up to four actions, whereas the $15 plan allows up to 100 actions per workflow
A/B Testing: A/B testing is available for subject lines, sender name, email content, and send time.
Level of Difficulty: Beginner
The Most Important Aspect When Choosing Email Marketing Software (it’s not whatcha think)
Before making your final decision on a platform, you need to first get your feet wet with email marketing. This’ll give you an idea of your business’s needs and your own technical abilities before you invest in a big expensive program that’s too difficult to use.
There are inexpensive, user-friendly email programs that I chose not to include in this list, because they do not offer A/B testing. For me, lack of A/B testing is a deal-breaker. You should always be testing, learning, and improving on the elements of your emails.
Each of these programs includes a free trial, with the exception of Klaviyo. If you have the time and patience, give them a try. Just be sure to carefully read any cancellation policies so as not to worry about a trial timeline and being charged for a program you don’t love.
Still not sure which platform is right for you? I’ve done all the leg work, and can pinpoint what you’ll need over a virtual coffee. Hit me up here.