Quick answer: Our top pick is GetResponse, followed by Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and Constant Contact. Entry prices start near $12/mo. All 5 are compared below on price, strengths and the key trade-off of each, so you can match one to your needs.
Choosing the right tool here comes down to fit, not hype. This guide rounds up the 5 tools we'd actually recommend for Agencies, with what each does best, what it costs, and who should pick it.
Each pick was judged on the job in this guide rather than a generic scorecard, weighing results, price and ramp-up time. Pricing is taken from public plans at the time of writing.
Free up to ~2,500 subscribers / 15,000 emails; Standard and Pro paid tiers.
Budget email + SMS
The picks, ranked
1. GetResponse All-in-One Marketing
All-in-one email marketing with automation, webinars, landing pages and AI campaign tools. Best suited to teams that care most about webinars + email in one tool.
Why it's on this list: One of the few platforms that bundles webinar hosting directly with email marketing and automation. Aimed squarely at sMBs and course/webinar sellers who want email plus webinars and landing pages in a single subscription.
Standout features:
Web push notifications and SMS
AI campaign generator and ecommerce/conversion tools
Email + SMS + CRM platform priced by send volume rather than contacts, strong for transactional email. It stands out for send-volume pricing without a heavy setup cost.
Why it's on this list: Charges by emails sent rather than contacts, making it unusually cheap for big lists that send infrequently, with serious transactional capability. Built for businesses with large contact lists but moderate send volume, and developers needing transactional + marketing email together.
Standout features:
Unlimited contact storage even on free plan
Volume-based pricing keyed to emails sent, not contacts stored
Standout strength: One of the best transactional email options bundled with marketing.
Worth knowing: Formerly Sendinblue, rebranded to Brevo in 2023.
Pricing: Free up to 300 emails/day; Starter from ~$9/mo; Business and Enterprise tiers, volume-based.
Beginner-friendly email and event marketing aimed at small businesses and nonprofits. Best suited to teams that care most about small businesses and nonprofits.
Why it's on this list: A beginner-first platform with unusually strong event/registration marketing for small businesses and nonprofits. Built for small businesses, nonprofits and event organizers who want simplicity and support over advanced automation.
Standout features:
Beginner-friendly email editor with large template library
Event marketing and registration tools
Standout strength: Very approachable for non-technical small businesses and nonprofits.
Worth knowing: Affiliate is a bounty model (~$105/sale), not recurring.
Pricing: No free plan (free trial); Lite, Standard and Premium tiers scaling with contacts.
Simple, low-cost email marketing with a generous free tier, built partly on AWS SES economics. It stands out for low-cost simple sending without a heavy setup cost.
Why it's on this list: Low-cost simplicity, with an option to ride Amazon SES economics for cheap sending. Made for beginners, bloggers and cost-sensitive senders who want simple email and a big free tier.
Standout features:
EmailOctopus Connect to send via your own Amazon SES account
Segmentation and basic reporting
Standout strength: Generous free plan (up to 2,500 subscribers).
Worth knowing: Affiliate pays 30% recurring for first 12 months, 31-day cookie.
Pricing: Free up to ~2,500 subscribers; Starter and Pro paid tiers scaling with subscribers.
Affordable email + SMS marketing with automation and a high free-tier limit. Best suited to teams that care most about budget email + sms.
Why it's on this list: One of the most generous free tiers in email marketing, with automation included and optional SMS. A natural fit for budget small businesses wanting email + SMS and a large free allowance.
Standout features:
Automation workflows and autoresponders on all plans
Drag-and-drop builder and templates
Standout strength: All features including automation available on free and paid plans.
Worth knowing: All plans include automation, transactional emails, unlimited seats.
Pricing: Free up to ~2,500 subscribers / 15,000 emails; Standard and Pro paid tiers.
Work backwards from the one job you most need done. Match it to the entry whose ‘why it's on this list’ lines up, sanity-check the pricing against your budget, then shortlist two and trial them on the same real task. Whichever clears your workflow with the least friction is your pick.
FAQ
What is the best option in this list?
For most people, GetResponse is the strongest all-round pick in this guide, but the right choice depends on your budget and exact workflow.
Are there free options?
Yes — GetResponse and Constant Contact offer a free plan or tier, so you can validate fit before paying. Check each entry's pricing line above.
How were these tools chosen?
Each pick is judged on fit for the specific job in this guide — its real strengths, pricing and who it suits — using features and facts drawn from independent reviews and the vendors' own documentation, cited in Sources below.
How often is this guide updated?
We revisit pricing and rankings regularly as vendors change plans and ship features.
Sources
The features, strengths and facts cited for each pick above are drawn from these independent reviews and vendor pages: