MailerLite
Email marketing
Simpler and just as affordable — best if you want the easiest possible newsletter tool.
4.4Updated Jul 2026Handpicked by Perklyo
Brevo Review (2026)
Email marketing
All-in-one email, SMS, and CRM — priced by emails sent, so your contact list can grow for free.
Perk coming soon
The quick answer
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a European email and marketing platform combining transactional email, campaigns, SMS, WhatsApp, and CRM in one tool. Its free plan sends up to 300 emails per day forever, and paid plans are priced per email sent — not per contact — making it a strong Mailchimp alternative for growing small teams.
Quick facts
- Starting price
- Free forever plan; paid tiers priced by email volume, not contacts — see current pricing
- Best for
- Small and mid-size businesses wanting email, SMS, and a simple CRM in one place
- Free plan
- Yes — genuinely free forever, unlimited contacts, around 300 emails a day
- Ease of use
- High — most people build their first campaign in under fifteen minutes
- Standout perk
- Perk coming soon
Overview
What is Brevo?
If your contact list is growing and you're tired of your email bill climbing every time it does, Brevo is built around exactly that problem. It's an all-in-one marketing platform — email campaigns, SMS, WhatsApp, marketing automation, and a built-in CRM in one dashboard — and its cleverest move is how it charges: you pay by the number of emails you send, not by how many contacts you store. That means you can grow your list to any size without your price going up, which is the opposite of how Mailchimp and most rivals work, and a big reason Brevo is one of the most cost-effective options for a growing business.
For a small or mid-size team it covers a lot for very little: a free-forever plan, a drag-and-drop builder most people figure out in minutes, reliable deliverability, and email plus SMS plus a simple sales CRM without paying for three separate tools. Scale is where the rough edges show. The template library and editor are on the basic side, reporting isn't very deep, and the automation builder handles straightforward flows well but fights you on complex, branching logic. There's also a steep jump from the mid tier to Professional with nothing in between, and Brevo's anti-spam rules are strict — let engagement slip and you can hit account limits faster than on some rivals.
Is it for you
Great fit if you…
- You're a small or mid-size business wanting email, SMS, and a simple CRM in one place
- Your contact list is growing and you don't want the bill to climb with it
- You're just getting started and want something you can learn in an afternoon
- You run a small ecommerce store on Shopify or WooCommerce
- You need reliable transactional email (receipts, resets) alongside marketing
Maybe skip it if you…
- You need advanced, multi-branch automation — Brevo's builder hits walls on complex logic
- Polished, highly customizable templates and deep reporting are must-haves
- You're a solopreneur building elaborate sales funnels — the landing-page editor is weak
The honest take
Pros & cons
Pros
- Volume-based pricing — store unlimited contacts and only pay for emails sent
- A genuinely free-forever plan with unlimited contacts and a real drag-and-drop builder
- True all-in-one: email, SMS, WhatsApp, a sales CRM, and transactional email together
- Beginner-friendly — most people build their first campaign in minutes
- Reliable deliverability with managed sender reputation, plus a handy AI writing assistant
Cons
- Templates and the editor are basic, and customization is limited next to design-led tools
- Reporting lacks depth for attribution and funnel analysis
- Automation struggles with complex, branching workflows — fine for simple sequences
- A big price cliff from the mid tier to Professional, and strict anti-spam rules can trip you up
Pricing
What it costs
Free
Best for getting started — around 300 emails a day, unlimited contacts, and the core builder.
Starter
Best for small senders — removes the daily cap and the Brevo footer, priced by email volume.
Business
Best for growing teams — adds marketing automation, A/B testing, and advanced reporting.
Professional
Best for high volume and bigger teams — multi-user access, AI segmentation, and the highest limits.
Brevo prices by the number of emails you send each month, so your contact list can grow without the cost climbing — but note there's a large jump from the mid tier to Professional. Plans change often; check the official site for today's pricing and limits.
Two things to watch: Brevo counts every email sent to every recipient (an automation of 5 emails to 1,000 people uses 5,000 of your allowance), and some extras like advanced reporting or a dedicated IP cost more on top.
See Brevo pricing Last updated: Jul 2026
Transparency
What's the catch?
Perklyo may earn a commission when you start through one of our links. It costs you nothing extra — you pay the same price you would going direct.
The perk is real. It applies when you sign up through us, and it's the same offer we'd want ourselves. We only feature tools we'd genuinely recommend, and our review above stays honest about the trade-offs.
FAQ
Common questions
Is Brevo free?+
Yes — Brevo has a genuinely free-forever plan with no time limit and no credit card. You can store unlimited contacts and send around 300 emails a day, with the drag-and-drop builder, basic templates, and a simple CRM included. Emails carry a small 'Sent with Brevo' footer, and you move to a paid plan when you need to remove the daily cap, drop the footer, or unlock automation and advanced reporting.
Is Brevo good for beginners?+
Very. Most people build their first campaign in under fifteen minutes — the drag-and-drop editor is straightforward and the dashboard doesn't drown you in data. There's a small learning curve once you get into automation workflows, but for newsletters and simple campaigns, it's about as approachable as email tools get.
Is Brevo cheaper than Mailchimp?+
Usually, yes — often significantly. The reason is the pricing model: Mailchimp charges by the number of contacts you store, while Brevo charges by the emails you actually send. So if you have a large list you email occasionally, Brevo can be far cheaper, since your contact count doesn't drive the price. If you send to a small list very frequently, run the numbers both ways — but for most growing lists, Brevo wins on cost.
Is the Perklyo perk really free?+
Yes. Starting Brevo through Perklyo costs you nothing extra, and if you upgrade we may earn a commission from Brevo at no cost to you — that's how Perklyo stays free. The perk applies when you start through our link.
Perk coming soon
A verified Brevo perk is on the way
We're finalizing a Perklyo perk for Brevo. Meanwhile, our review tells you honestly whether it's worth it at full price — and when the perk goes live, this box lights up automatically.
Perk activating soonChecked Jul 2026
Brevo alternatives worth a look
Mailchimp
Email & marketing
The big, familiar name — more recognition, but pricier as your contact list grows.
ActiveCampaign
Email & automation
Best if you need serious, advanced automation and a deeper CRM.
AWeber
Email marketing
A long-established newsletter tool with reliable deliverability — solid if you want a straightforward list-building setup.
CompareSend smarter with Brevo — free to start, perk coming soon.
Email, SMS, and a CRM in one place, priced by emails sent so your list grows for free. Start through Perklyo to get more time on the paid features — same price, better terms.
Perk updated Jul 2026 · No extra cost