The best AI email marketing tools in 2026
As of October 2026, Klaviyo is our top-rated AI email marketing tool, at 4.8 out of 5, for online stores that want email and SMS built on their shop data. ActiveCampaign is our pick for advanced automation, Brevo for small budgets and Beehiiv for newsletters.
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Our picks for October 2026
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Best overall
Our rating: 4.8 / 5Email and SMS built on your store data. Free plan, then $20 a month.
Best for automation
Our rating: 4.7 / 5Deep automation with AI built in. From $15 a month billed yearly.
Best for small budgets
Our rating: 4.6 / 5Email, SMS and a CRM in one. Free plan, then $97 a year (about $8 a month).
Best for newsletters
Our rating: 4.1 / 5Grow and earn from a newsletter, with a free plan.
All AI email marketing tools, ranked
Ordered by our rating. Prices: lowest paid plan on annual billing where the vendor offers it, per month unless the row says otherwise, checked on 15 and 16 October 2026. Most prices rise with the size of your list. This article contains affiliate links.
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Klaviyo Reviewed
Best for online stores that want email and SMS built on shop data
Note: price rises as your active profiles grow
Free plan 250 profiles, 500 emails a month
From $20 a month for 500 profiles
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ActiveCampaign Reviewed
Best for growing businesses that need advanced automation
Note: unsubscribed contacts count toward the plan on accounts opened since November 2025
No free plan 14-day trial
From $15 a month for 1,000 contacts (Starter)
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Brevo Reviewed
Best for low-cost email, SMS and a CRM in one place
Note: Starter shows Brevo's logo unless you pay for removal
Free plan 300 emails a day
From $97 a year, about $8 a month (Starter)
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Omnisend Reviewed
Best for online stores that want email, SMS and push for less than Klaviyo
Note: SMS is sold separately on new Pro plans
Free plan 250 contacts, 500 emails a month
From $16 a month for 500 contacts
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GetResponse Reviewed
Best for small businesses that want email, webinars and courses in one tool
Note: webinars and courses need a higher plan than Starter
Free plan up to 500 contacts
From $15.58 a month for 1,000 contacts (Starter)
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MailerLite
Best for beginners who want an easy editor, landing pages and simple automations
Note: free plan cut to 250 subscribers in June 2026
Free plan 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month
From $10.80 a month for 500 subscribers (Comfort)
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Beehiiv Reviewed
Best for creators who want to grow and earn from a newsletter
Note: plan names changed on October 1, 2026
Free plan up to 2,500 subscribers
From $49 a month for 1,000 subscribers (Lite)
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Moosend Reviewed
Best for small budgets that want unlimited sends
Note: transactional email needs a custom plan
No free plan 30-day trial
From $7 a month for 500 contacts
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Mailchimp Reviewed
Best for small businesses that sell online and want an all-round tool
Note: free plan now 250 contacts (since February 2026)
Free plan 250 contacts, 500 emails a month
From $13 a month for 500 contacts (Essentials)
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Campaign Monitor
Best for basic campaigns and newsletters, with unlimited users
Note: no free plan, and prices step up quickly as a list grows
No free plan 30-day trial
From $11.70 a month for 500 contacts (Lite)
Our picks in detail
What each pick does well, where it falls short and who should skip it. Strengths and limits come from our reviews, each vendor's own pages and recent independent reviews, checked on 15 October 2026.
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Best overall: Klaviyo
Our rating: 4.8 / 5Klaviyo connects to your online store and uses its data to build segments, flows and campaigns for email and SMS. Its Composer AI agent, which opened to public beta in June 2026, audits your account and drafts campaigns that go live only once you approve them.
Strengths
- Segments and flows built on store data
- Composer AI audits and drafts campaigns
- 4.7 stars from 3,374 Shopify App Store reviews
Limits
- Price rises as your active profiles grow
- Free-plan email support ends after 60 days
- Less suited to B2B sales pipelines
Skip it if you send a simple newsletter or need automation beyond ecommerce. Beehiiv suits newsletters and ActiveCampaign suits advanced automation. Stores on a tighter budget can compare Omnisend.
How we tested it: on our own Klaviyo account in August 2026, for our Klaviyo vs Omnisend comparison.
Go deeper: Klaviyo vs Omnisend: 7 honest differences
Free plan. Paid from $20 a month for 500 profiles.
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Best for automation: ActiveCampaign
Our rating: 4.7 / 5ActiveCampaign builds multi-step automations across email, SMS and WhatsApp, with a sales CRM available as an add-on. Its Active Intelligence assistant, updated in August 2026, can build a campaign from a screenshot, web page or PDF and run recurring tasks for you.
Strengths
- 900+ ready-made automation templates
- AI builds campaigns from a page or a PDF
- Connects with more than 1,000 apps
Limits
- No free plan, a 14-day trial instead
- Unsubscribed contacts count toward the plan
- Sales CRM pipelines cost extra
Skip it if you send a simple newsletter on a small budget. Brevo and Moosend cost less, and online stores get more from Klaviyo.
Go deeper: ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse
No free plan, 14-day trial. Paid from $15 a month for 1,000 contacts (Starter).
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Best for small budgets: Brevo
Our rating: 4.6 / 5Brevo combines email, SMS, WhatsApp and a built-in CRM, and prices its plans mainly by how many emails you send. Its AI builds workflows and segments from a plain-language prompt.
Strengths
- Plans priced mainly by emails sent
- Email, SMS, WhatsApp and push together
- Built-in CRM and an AI workflow builder
Limits
- Free plan sends up to 300 emails a day
- Removing Brevo's logo costs extra on Starter
- Professional plan starts at $350 a month
Skip it if you run a store that needs deep shop data: Klaviyo or Omnisend fit better. For complex automation, ActiveCampaign goes further.
Go deeper: Brevo vs Moosend
Free plan. Paid from $97 a year, about $8 a month (Starter).
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Best for newsletters: Beehiiv
Our rating: 4.1 / 5Beehiiv is built for newsletters, with a website, growth tools such as its recommendation network, and paid subscriptions on which it takes no cut. Its July 2026 release added Copilot, an AI assistant inside the app, plus a new editor and community features.
Strengths
- Free plan with unlimited sends
- 0% cut of your paid subscription revenue
- Podcast hosting on every plan
Limits
- No abandoned-cart or order emails
- Automations need a paid plan
- Removing Beehiiv branding needs the Pro plan
Skip it if you run an online store or need advanced automation. Klaviyo, Omnisend or ActiveCampaign fit better.
How we tested it: on our own newsletter account, on the free Launch plan (now called Free), in June 2026.
Free plan. Paid from $49 a month for 1,000 subscribers (Lite).
How to choose an AI email marketing tool
Start from what you send and who you send it to, then compare prices at your own list size, since most plans rise as your list grows. Every tool here has a free plan or a trial, so test one with a small list before you pay.
You sell online
Klaviyo is built around store data, with segments and flows that use your orders and customers. Omnisend covers the same core jobs for less as your list grows: at 5,000 contacts its Standard plan costs $81 a month, against $100 for Klaviyo's Email plan at 5,000 profiles. Our Klaviyo vs Omnisend comparison walks through the seven differences that matter.
You want advanced automation
ActiveCampaign is our pick for advanced automation, with 900+ ready-made automation templates and a sales CRM as an add-on. Brevo includes a CRM alongside email and SMS at a lower price. GetResponse and Moosend cover the everyday automations most small businesses need. To weigh automation against price, read ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse.
You publish a newsletter
Beehiiv is built for growing and earning from a newsletter. Its free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers, and it takes no cut of paid subscriptions. Its plans were renamed on October 1, 2026 (Launch is now Free, Scale is now Lite, Max is now Pro), so older guides may use the old names. GetResponse also lets you sell paid newsletters, on its Creator plan. For a simpler newsletter, MailerLite is easy to learn, and PCMag picks Campaign Monitor for basic campaigns and newsletters.
You have a small budget
Brevo has a free plan and prices its paid plans mainly by emails sent. GetResponse is free for up to 500 contacts, and MailerLite for up to 250 subscribers. Moosend has no free plan but the lowest paid price on this page on annual billing, with unlimited sends and a 30-day trial. Compare them in Brevo vs Moosend and Brevo vs GetResponse.
Mailchimp's free plan changed in February 2026
Since February 17, 2026, Mailchimp's free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, and automated journeys need a paid plan. Older guides may still quote the previous limits. If you need more room for free, Brevo and GetResponse are good places to start.
AI email marketing tools FAQ
What is the best AI email marketing tool in 2026?
Klaviyo is the best AI email marketing tool in our 2026 rankings, for online stores that want email and SMS driven by their shop data. ActiveCampaign is our pick for advanced automation, Brevo for small budgets and Beehiiv for newsletters. The right choice depends on what you send, so start from your main job and your list size.
Is there a free AI email marketing tool?
Yes, most AI email marketing tools on this page have a free plan. Beehiiv is free for up to 2,500 newsletter subscribers. GetResponse is free for up to 500 contacts, and Brevo sends up to 300 emails a day for free. Klaviyo, Omnisend and Mailchimp have smaller free plans, and so does MailerLite, at 250 subscribers. ActiveCampaign, Moosend and Campaign Monitor offer trials instead.
Which email marketing tool is best for a Shopify store?
Klaviyo and Omnisend are our top picks for Shopify stores on this page. Klaviyo is built around store data and segments and is rated 4.7 from 3,374 reviews on the Shopify App Store. Omnisend costs less as your list grows and holds the same 4.7 from 3,188 reviews. Our Klaviyo vs Omnisend comparison covers pricing, automation and SMS side by side.
What does AI do in email marketing tools?
In tools such as Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign, AI now drafts and checks whole campaigns, not only subject lines. Klaviyo's Composer audits flows and segments and drafts campaigns for approval. ActiveCampaign's Active Intelligence builds a campaign from a web page or PDF. Brevo turns a plain-language prompt into a workflow, and Omnisend added Reports AI to its analytics in 2026. Klaviyo and Omnisend can also pick a send time for each contact.
What is the cheapest email marketing tool?
Moosend has the lowest paid price on this page, from $7 a month on annual billing for 500 contacts, with unlimited sends and a 30-day trial. If you would rather start free, GetResponse is free for up to 500 contacts and Brevo has a free plan too. Prices rise with your list size, so compare plans at the number of contacts you expect to have in a year.
What is the best email platform for a newsletter?
Beehiiv is our pick for newsletters, because it is built around growing and earning from one, and EmailToolTester ranked it the top newsletter platform in October 2026. It has a free plan with unlimited sends, a recommendation network for growth and paid subscriptions with no revenue cut. If your newsletter supports an online store, Klaviyo or Omnisend will serve you better.
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About this page
- What is listed
- Email marketing platforms that use AI to write, segment, automate or time campaigns: tools for online stores, automation, newsletters and small budgets. Most have a full review on this site; MailerLite and Campaign Monitor are listed ahead of their reviews.
- Our picks
- Best overall is always the highest-rated tool on this page. Each other pick is our choice for one kind of reader. The strengths and limits listed for the picks come from each tool's review, the vendor's own pages and recent independent reviews.
- Ratings
- Each rating is our overall score for the tool on a 5-point scale, rechecked on 15 October 2026 against its latest releases, prices and recent independent reviews, and the list is ordered by it. A score rates the whole product, not only its email features. The Best for line says who each tool suits.
- Prices
- The lowest paid plan, read from each vendor's pricing pages on 15 October 2026 (MailerLite and Campaign Monitor on 16 October), on annual billing where the vendor offers it. Klaviyo's, Omnisend's and Mailchimp's entry plans are billed monthly, and Brevo's Starter plan is shown as a yearly total. That day Klaviyo showed a first-month discount and Omnisend a discount for paying three months upfront; we list their regular prices.
- Update log
- 16 October 2026: MailerLite and Campaign Monitor added, ahead of their full reviews. 15 October 2026: new layout, four picks explained in detail, ratings rechecked (Mailchimp 4.2 to 4.1), and every price and free plan read again from each vendor. HubSpot removed (it is covered on our CRM and lead generation pages); Seventh Sense removed (an add-on for HubSpot and Marketo rather than an email platform); Kit removed until it has a full review.