Introduction
Finding the best Brevo alternatives for small business operations in 2026 is a critical step for growing teams. You have likely invested countless hours learning Brevo’s interface, setting up workflows, and importing contacts. The sunk cost is real, and the thought of migrating can be daunting. However, as your contact list grows and your need for advanced automation increases, Brevo’s pricing scale and feature complexity can quickly become a bottleneck.
Streamline your software evaluation process
Furthermore, the baseline requirements for marketing software have shifted. With stricter 2026 deliverability standards from major inbox providers and the rising necessity of AI-driven lead scoring, small teams need platforms that are highly specialized, not just functional. If you are experiencing feature bloat, struggling with CRM limitations on free tiers, or facing unexpected price jumps as you scale past 10,000 contacts, it is time to explore the market.
This guide breaks down cheaper, easier, and more specialized tools for small teams. We will compare pricing, primary use cases, and ease of migration to help you make a definitive, data-backed choice.
Software Covered in this Article
To help you understand CRM software in the right context, this article refers to a carefully curated set of leading CRM alternatives:
Quick Comparison: Top 12 Brevo Alternatives at a Glance
Tool | Best For | Price | Key Features |
MailerLite | Simple, Affordable Automation | Free up to 1k contacts, Paid starts at $15/mo | Drag-and-drop builder, clean UI |
Moosend | Budget-Conscious Scaling | Starts at $9/mo | Advanced personalization, predictable scaling |
HubSpot | Integrated CRM Power | Free basic tools, Starter at $14/mo | Pipeline management, robust tracking |
ActiveCampaign | Advanced Customer Journeys | Starts at $15/mo | Complex automation, predictive sending |
Zoho CRM | Sales-Heavy Small Teams | Starts at $14/mo per user | Multichannel outreach, AI forecasting |
Mailchimp | Creative Templates & Brand Growth | Free up to 500 contacts, Paid starts at $13/mo | Vast integrations, social media posting |
GetResponse | Inbound Marketing Funnels | Starts at $19/mo | Webinar hosting, conversion funnels |
Omnisend | E-commerce & Shopify Users | Free up to 250 contacts, Paid starts at $16/mo | Shopify sync, SMS, cart abandonment |
Constant Contact | Event-Driven Marketing | Starts at $12/mo | Event management, social sharing |
AWeber | Reliable Deliverability & Support | Free up to 500 contacts, Paid starts at $15/mo | 24/7 live support, Canva integration |
Keap | Service-Based Client Management | Starts at $299/mo | Invoicing, appointment scheduling |
Twilio | Transactional Email Reliability | Free up to 100 emails/day, Paid starts at $15/mo | High-volume API, dedicated IP |
Why Small Businesses are Switching from Brevo in 2026
While Brevo remains a highly functional tool, small businesses are moving away from generic, all-in-one platforms in favor of tools that align perfectly with their specific operational needs. Finding an affordable CRM with email marketing that doesn't compromise on deliverability is the ultimate goal. Here is why decision-makers are actively seeking cheaper Brevo competitors:
The Feature Bloat Problem: Brevo pushes a multichannel approach, heavily promoting SMS, WhatsApp campaigns, and chat widgets. If you only need reliable email marketing and a CRM for small teams, you end up navigating a cluttered interface and paying for enterprise tools you never touch.
Hidden Scaling Costs: Brevo’s pricing model charges based on the number of emails sent rather than the number of contacts. This is advantageous when you have a massive list but rarely send emails. However, if you have a highly engaged list, your monthly costs will skyrocket compared to alternatives that offer unlimited sends.
CRM Limitations: Brevo’s free and lower-tier plans lock essential CRM features behind paywalls. Syncing marketing activity with actual sales follow-ups in the same interface can be frustratingly difficult without upgrading to their premium sales suites.
Deliverability and Setup Hurdles: With stricter email provider rules in 2026, setting up DKIM/SPF records is mandatory. Many users find Brevo’s domain authentication process overly technical compared to alternatives that offer automated setups.
Rule of Thumb: If you send more than 4 campaigns per month to a list of 10,000+ contacts, Brevo’s per-email pricing is likely costing you 30% more than a contact-based competitor.
Find the best value CRM and email platform with AuthenCIO's neutral comparisons.
Deep Dive: The 12 Best Brevo Alternatives for Small Teams
1. MailerLite vs. Brevo: Best for Simple, Affordable Automation
MailerLite has solidified its reputation as the go-to platform for small teams prioritizing clean design and straightforward functionality.
Who is this best for: Budget-conscious creators and small businesses who need simple, affordable automation without the steep learning curve of a complex CRM.
How it compares to Brevo: When evaluating Brevo vs MailerLite 2026, MailerLite is strictly an "Email-first" platform. Its interface is significantly less cluttered. While Brevo pushes multi-channel campaigns, MailerLite keeps the focus on email and intuitive automation workflows.
Pricing & Scaling: MailerLite offers a robust "Free Forever" tier for up to 1,000 contacts. As you scale to 10,000 contacts, the Advanced plan costs around $110/month, offering unlimited emails—often cheaper than Brevo for frequent senders.
Ease of Migration: Exporting your active contacts from Brevo as a CSV and importing them takes minutes. MailerLite’s built-in list cleaning tool automatically flags formatting errors.
Customer Support & Mobile App: The mobile app is excellent for checking campaign stats on the go. Support is 24/7 via live chat on paid tiers, which is faster than Brevo’s standard email ticketing.
Why you should NOT choose this: If you manage a B2B sales pipeline, MailerLite’s lack of a dedicated CRM means you will need to integrate a separate tool, defeating the purpose of an all-in-one platform.
2. Moosend vs. Brevo: Best for Budget-Conscious Scaling
Moosend is a highly capable, affordable alternative that punches above its weight class in automation and personalization, bringing enterprise-grade features to small businesses.
Who is this best for: Small marketing teams and agencies looking for budget-conscious scaling and predictable pricing as their contact lists grow.
How it compares to Brevo: Moosend is an "Email-first" tool offering superior visual automation builders that are easier to navigate than Brevo’s workflow canvas. It includes advanced features like countdown timers and AI-driven product recommendations on its base paid plan.
Pricing & Scaling: Moosend starts at $9/month for 500 contacts. Scaling to 10,000 contacts costs approximately $88/month. Crucially, Moosend does not charge extra for unlimited emails.
Ease of Migration: Moosend provides a dedicated migration team for paid users. Their support staff will map your custom fields and help recreate your primary Brevo automation workflows.
Customer Support & Mobile App: Moosend lacks a dedicated mobile app, which is a drawback for managing campaigns on the move. However, their live chat support is highly responsive and technically proficient.
Why you should NOT choose this: The lack of a native CRM and mobile app makes it unsuitable for field sales teams or businesses that need to log offline interactions.
3. HubSpot vs. Brevo: Best for Integrated CRM Power
HubSpot remains the heavyweight champion of inbound marketing. In 2026, their Starter bundles have become more accessible, offering small businesses a taste of enterprise-level CRM power.
Who is this best for: B2B service providers and scaling startups that need integrated CRM power to align marketing campaigns directly with sales team activities.
How it compares to Brevo: In the Brevo vs HubSpot for small business debate, HubSpot is a "CRM-first" platform. While Brevo offers a functional CRM, HubSpot provides deep pipeline management, deal tracking, and granular reporting. Every email interaction is automatically logged on the contact's timeline.
Pricing & Scaling: HubSpot offers a generous suite of free tools. The Starter Customer Platform begins at $14/month. However, scaling to 10,000 marketing contacts on HubSpot’s Professional tier can push your bill past $800/month.
Ease of Migration: HubSpot’s data import wizard is highly advanced. You can export your Brevo contacts, companies, and deals into separate CSVs, and HubSpot will automatically associate them based on email domains.
Customer Support & Mobile App: HubSpot’s mobile app is best-in-class, allowing sales reps to log calls, send tracked emails, and manage deals on the go. Support includes 24/7 phone and chat for paid tiers.
Why you should NOT choose this: If you have a massive contact list but a tiny budget, HubSpot’s scaling costs will quickly price you out. It is overkill for simple newsletters.
4. ActiveCampaign vs. Brevo: Best for Advanced Customer Journeys
ActiveCampaign is the gold standard for customer experience automation. It blends a highly capable CRM with some of the most sophisticated email marketing automation available.
Who is this best for: Sales-focused teams and advanced marketers who require complex customer journeys, predictive sending, and deep behavioral tagging.
How it compares to Brevo: ActiveCampaign leaves Brevo behind when it comes to automation logic. You can build intricate "If/Then" scenarios based on website visits, email clicks, and custom event tracking. It is a balanced "CRM-and-Email" platform.
Pricing & Scaling: Pricing starts at $15/month for the Lite plan. Scaling to 10,000 contacts on the Plus plan (which includes the CRM) will cost around $187/month. You are paying for premium automation that replaces the need for a separate sales tracking tool.
Ease of Migration: ActiveCampaign offers free expert migration services. They will securely transfer your Brevo lists, custom fields, and even recreate your opt-in forms and automation workflows.
Customer Support & Mobile App: The mobile app is solid for checking CRM deals and contact history. Support is robust, though live chat wait times can occasionally lag during peak hours.
Why you should NOT choose this: The learning curve is steep. If you do not have the time to build out complex automations, you will be paying for advanced features you never use.
Find Perfect Software For Your Business
5. Zoho CRM vs. Brevo: Best for Sales-Heavy Small Teams
Zoho CRM is part of the massive Zoho ecosystem, providing an incredibly deep set of tools for businesses that want to run their entire operation from one unified suite.
Who is this best for: Sales-heavy small teams that prioritize pipeline management, lead forecasting, and multichannel outreach over purely aesthetic email marketing.
How it compares to Brevo: Zoho is fundamentally a "CRM-first" sales tool with marketing capabilities bolted on (via Zoho Campaigns), whereas Brevo is a marketing tool with a CRM bolted on. Zoho offers superior 2026 AI forecasting features through its Zia assistant.
Pricing & Scaling: Zoho CRM starts at $14/user/month. To get the full email marketing experience, you will likely bundle it with Zoho One ($37/user/month). For a team of five managing 10,000 contacts, the total cost is highly competitive.
Ease of Migration: Migrating from Brevo to Zoho requires careful data mapping. Because Zoho uses strict modules (Leads, Contacts, Accounts), you must clean your Brevo CSV exports thoroughly before importing.
Customer Support & Mobile App: Zoho’s mobile app is exceptional for field sales reps, offering offline access and route mapping. Support is 24/5, with premium support available for an extra fee.
Why you should NOT choose this: The interface can feel dated and clunky compared to modern competitors. Setting up email campaigns requires navigating between different Zoho apps, which can be frustrating.
6. Mailchimp vs. Brevo: Best for Creative Templates and Brand Growth
Mailchimp is the most recognized name in email marketing. While it has evolved into a full marketing platform, its core strength remains its intuitive design interface.
Who is this best for: Retailers, creatives, and brand-focused businesses that prioritize beautiful, creative templates and brand growth over complex B2B sales pipelines.
How it compares to Brevo: Mailchimp offers a vastly superior drag-and-drop email builder with AI-assisted design tools. However, Mailchimp’s CRM features are rudimentary compared to Brevo’s. It remains an "Email-first" platform.
Pricing & Scaling: Mailchimp offers a free plan for up to 500 contacts. Scaling to 10,000 contacts on the Standard plan costs roughly $13/month. Crucially, Mailchimp enforces list-based pricing, meaning you can be charged twice for the same contact if they exist in multiple audiences.
Ease of Migration: Moving from Brevo is straightforward due to Mailchimp’s extensive import tools. However, you must manually consolidate your Brevo lists into a single Mailchimp "Audience" using tags to avoid duplicate billing.
Customer Support & Mobile App: The mobile app is highly polished, allowing you to create and send campaigns directly from your phone. Support is notoriously difficult to reach on lower tiers, relying heavily on chatbots.
Why you should NOT choose this: The double-billing for contacts across different lists is a massive hidden cost. If you rely heavily on list segmentation rather than tagging, Mailchimp will drain your budget.
7. GetResponse vs. Brevo: Best for Inbound Marketing Funnels
GetResponse has pivoted successfully from a standard email service provider to a comprehensive inbound marketing machine, combining email marketing, website building, and webinar hosting.
Who is this best for: Course creators, coaches, and digital product sellers who want to build complete inbound marketing funnels without stitching together five different tools.
How it compares to Brevo: GetResponse outshines Brevo with its built-in conversion funnels and native webinar hosting. If your strategy relies on hosting live events to capture leads, GetResponse handles the entire process natively.
Pricing & Scaling: The Email Marketing plan starts at $19/month. Scaling to 10,000 contacts costs around $79/month, making it highly affordable. However, you need the Marketing Automation tier (around $95/month for 10k) to unlock the best features.
Ease of Migration: GetResponse offers a smooth import process and provides excellent documentation on how to transition your Brevo workflows into their funnel builder.
Customer Support & Mobile App: The mobile app is functional for monitoring webinar registrations and email stats. They offer 24/7 live chat support with remarkably fast response times.
Why you should NOT choose this: If you run a traditional B2B service or a brick-and-mortar store, the webinar and funnel features are unnecessary fluff that you will be paying for but never use.
8. Omnisend vs. Brevo: Best for E-commerce and Shopify Users
Omnisend is specifically engineered for e-commerce, offering deep, native integrations with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce.
Who is this best for: E-commerce store owners who need to drive revenue through automated cart abandonment, product recommendations, and post-purchase flows.
How it compares to Brevo: While Brevo integrates with e-commerce platforms, Omnisend pulls live product data, discount codes, and customer browsing behavior directly into its email builder. It is an "E-commerce-first" tool rather than a traditional CRM.
Pricing & Scaling: Omnisend offers a free tier for up to 250 contacts. Scaling to 10,000 contacts on the Standard plan costs $132/month. This includes unlimited web push notifications and a generous SMS allowance.
Ease of Migration: If you use Shopify, migrating is practically instant. Omnisend syncs your historical purchase data, allowing you to immediately segment your former Brevo contacts based on past buying behavior.
Customer Support & Mobile App: They lack a dedicated mobile app, which is surprising for 2026. However, their 24/7 email and chat support is highly praised by users.
Why you should NOT choose this: If you do not sell products online, Omnisend is completely the wrong tool. It lacks B2B pipeline management and traditional sales CRM features.
9. Constant Contact vs. Brevo: Best for Event-Driven Marketing
Constant Contact is a legacy platform that has maintained its relevance in 2026 by focusing heavily on simplicity and event management integrations.
Who is this best for: Non-profits, local community organizations, and small businesses that heavily rely on hosting in-person or virtual events.
How it compares to Brevo: Constant Contact is an "Email-first" platform that excels in event registrations, ticketing, and social media sharing. It lacks the advanced automation logic and CRM depth that Brevo provides.
Pricing & Scaling: Pricing starts at $12/month. Scaling to 10,000 contacts on the Standard plan costs roughly $210/month. It is not the cheapest option, but the built-in event management tools can replace third-party software like Eventbrite.
Ease of Migration: The platform offers a very straightforward, guided import process. However, recreating complex Brevo automations is difficult because Constant Contact’s workflow builder is quite basic.
Customer Support & Mobile App: The mobile app is highly intuitive for managing event check-ins and sending quick updates. They offer phone support, which is a massive plus for users who prefer speaking to a human.
Why you should NOT choose this: The automation features are severely outdated compared to the rest of the market. If you need behavioral triggers or lead scoring, look elsewhere.
10. AWeber vs. Brevo: Best for Reliable Deliverability and Support
AWeber is one of the oldest email marketing platforms, and it has survived by mastering two things: inbox placement and customer service.
Who is this best for: Less tech-savvy business owners who prioritize getting their emails into the primary inbox and want immediate, human support when things go wrong.
How it compares to Brevo: AWeber is strictly "Email-first." It does not attempt to be a CRM. However, its deliverability rates for small sender volumes consistently outperform Brevo, and its native Canva integration makes designing emails effortless.
Pricing & Scaling: AWeber offers a free plan for up to 500 contacts. Scaling to 10,000 contacts on the Plus plan costs around $100/month, making it a highly cost-effective Brevo alternative.
Ease of Migration: AWeber offers free, full-service migration. Their team will literally move your Brevo contacts, recreate your templates, and set up your tags for you at no extra cost.
Customer Support & Mobile App: Support is their strongest selling point, offering 24/7 live chat and phone support. Their mobile app, AWeber Atom, is great for adding subscribers on the go.
Why you should NOT choose this: The platform lacks advanced CRM capabilities and sophisticated automation workflows. It is a tool for sending newsletters, not for managing a complex sales cycle.
11. Keap vs. Brevo: Best for Service-Based Client Management
Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is a powerhouse for service-based businesses, combining CRM, email marketing, invoicing, and appointment scheduling into one platform.
Who is this best for: Consultants, accountants, and service-based small businesses that need to manage clients from the first inquiry all the way through to payment.
How it compares to Brevo: Keap is a "CRM-first" platform that goes far beyond Brevo’s capabilities by offering dedicated business phone lines, native invoicing, and client portals. It is built to run a service business, not just market it.
Pricing & Scaling: Keap is a premium tool. The Pro plan starts at $299/month for 1,500 contacts. Scaling to 10,000 contacts will push your monthly bill over $539. It is an investment meant to consolidate your tech stack.
Ease of Migration: Keap provides an expert onboarding coach to help you migrate from Brevo. The process is hands-on, ensuring your data is mapped correctly to their advanced CRM fields.
Customer Support & Mobile App: The Keap mobile app is phenomenal, allowing you to text clients from a business number, send invoices, and manage your calendar directly from your phone.
Why you should NOT choose this: It is expensive and has a steep learning curve. If you just want to send weekly promotional emails, Keap is a massive overinvestment.
12. Twilio vs. Brevo: Best for Transactional Email Reliability
Twilio is the industry standard for transactional emails (password resets, shipping notifications, receipts) and high-volume sending.
Who is this best for: Developers and tech-savvy startups that need an ultra-reliable API to send millions of transactional emails alongside their marketing campaigns.
How it compares to Brevo: While Brevo offers transactional emails, Twilio’s infrastructure is built specifically for massive scale and unparalleled deliverability. Twilio has zero CRM features; it is purely an email delivery engine.
Pricing & Scaling: Twilio offers a free tier for up to 100 emails/day. The Marketing Campaigns API plan starts at $15/month, but pricing scales based on email volume, not contacts. Sending 50,000 emails a month costs roughly $60.
Ease of Migration: Migrating from Brevo to Twilio requires developer resources. You are not just importing a CSV; you are re-routing your application’s email API calls.
Customer Support & Mobile App: There is no mobile app. Support is heavily ticket-based unless you are on a high-tier enterprise plan, relying mostly on their extensive developer documentation.
Why you should NOT choose this: If you are a non-technical user looking for a drag-and-drop CRM and marketing platform, Twilio is entirely the wrong choice. It requires coding knowledge to utilize fully.
Decision Guide: How to Choose the Right Alternative for Your Budget
Choosing the right tool requires matching your primary business activity to the software's core strength. Use this decision matrix to bypass feature bloat and find the exact fit for your 2026 strategy.
If you need advanced automation but have a zero budget: Choose MailerLite. The free tier provides enough automation logic to run basic welcome sequences without costing a dime.
If you run an e-commerce store on Shopify: Choose Omnisend. The native integration and pre-built cart abandonment flows will generate ROI faster than any generic CRM.
If your sales team needs to track deals and pipeline stages: Choose HubSpot (if you have the budget to scale) or Zoho CRM (if you need to keep costs low as your team grows).
If you are a service provider who needs invoicing and scheduling: Choose Keap. It replaces your email tool, CRM, calendaring app, and invoicing software all at once.
If you are terrified of the technical migration process: Choose AWeber or ActiveCampaign, both of which offer free, expert-led migration services to move your data safely out of Brevo.
Try AuthenCIO
Move to faster, smarter software evaluation with AI
Final Verdict: The Best Brevo Alternative for Your Team in 2026
Brevo is a solid entry-level tool, but the 2026 software landscape offers specialized platforms that will serve your business better as you scale.
For budget-conscious creators and simple newsletters, MailerLite is the undisputed winner due to its clean interface and generous free tier. For e-commerce businesses, Omnisend’s deep Shopify integration makes it the most profitable choice. Finally, for B2B and service-based teams looking for a true combined email marketing and CRM platform, ActiveCampaign provides the best balance of advanced automation and sales pipeline management.
Identify your primary use case, leverage the free trials, and make the switch before hidden scaling costs eat into your marketing budget.
