The 7 Best Email Marketing Tools in 2026–2027

We track pricing, features and affiliate terms across every major email platform and refresh this ranking whenever something changes. These are the seven that earn their place right now.

Ranking current as of 31 October 2026 · re-ranked automatically when tools change

Affiliate disclosure: Critingo is reader-supported. If you sign up through links on this page we may earn a commission — it costs you nothing extra and never changes our verdicts. We verify pricing and terms regularly, but they change often: always confirm on the vendor's site before buying.

1

MailerLiteTop pick

4.5/5

Best overall value — the cheapest reputable platform that still does automations, forms and landing pages properly.

Free plan · Paid typically from around $10/mo for 1,000 subscribers · The best value all-rounder

2

beehiiv

4.4/5

Best for newsletter growth — built-in recommendation network and referral tools no rival matches.

Free plan · Paid scales with list size (Launch is free; paid tiers typically start around $39/mo) · Newsletter platform built by growth-obsessed media people

3

Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

4.3/5

Best for creators selling digital products — clean automations and a creator-first feature set.

Free plan · Paid tiers scale with list size (typically from around $29/mo) · The creator-economy email platform

4

ActiveCampaign

4.2/5

Best for complex automations — the most powerful workflow builder in mainstream email marketing.

Paid typically from around $15/mo ( Starter, 1,000 contacts) · The automation heavyweight

5

Klaviyo

4.2/5

Best for ecommerce — deep store integration and revenue attribution down to the email.

Free plan · Paid typically from around $20/mo for small lists · The ecommerce revenue machine

6

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

4.1/5

Best budget all-in-one — email plus CRM plus chat, priced by volume instead of contacts.

Free plan · Paid typically from around $9/mo · Email + CRM + chat in one affordable bundle

7

AWeber

4.2/5

Best human support — decades of deliverability history and real phone support.

Free plan · Paid typically from around $12.50/mo (Lite) · The veteran that's still competitive

best email marketing software: FAQ

How was this ranking made?

Four factors — ease of use, features, value for money and support — scored 1–5 and averaged, then adjusted for what each list is optimising for (value, growth, ecommerce fit and so on). We re-check pricing and features regularly; this page reflects the database as of 31 October 2026.

Do brands pay to appear here?

No. Rankings are ours alone. We may earn a commission when you sign up through our links, but commercial terms never buy a placement — several of our highest-commission programs rank below free options in these lists.

What's the single best pick here?

For most readers, MailerLite — best overall value — the cheapest reputable platform that still does automations, forms and landing pages properly.