How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Enterprise platforms such as Braze and Iterable price by monthly active users or contacts under annual contracts, so budget for the contract, not a monthly fee.
- Customer.io and Klaviyo publish entry prices ($100 and $20 per month), which makes them far easier to evaluate without a sales call.
- If push notifications are your main channel, OneSignal gives you a free tier and same day setup that the enterprise suites cannot match.
- Pricing units differ across vendors (profiles, active users, seats, messages), so compare costs at your actual audience size, not at the headline price.
- AI features are now standard, but the useful ones (send time optimization, predictive segments, AI agents) sit on higher tiers at most vendors.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Braze | Enterprise cross channel engagement at scale | See website | Free trial |
 Iterable | Real time AI driven journeys for large brands | See website | No |
 Customer.io | Data driven messaging for product led teams | $100 per month | Free trial |
 Klaviyo | Ecommerce email and SMS with revenue tracking | $20 per month | Yes |
 Intercom | Support led engagement with an AI agent | See website | Free trial |
 MoEngage | AI personalization for consumer apps and retail | See website | No |
 CleverTap | Mobile first retention and lifecycle analytics | See website | Free trial |
 OneSignal | Push, email, and SMS for apps and small teams | See website | Yes |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
#1Braze
Best for: Enterprise cross channel engagement at scale4.4/5 on
G2 (1,965 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit braze.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Braze is the benchmark enterprise customer engagement platform, built for brands that send billions of messages across email, push, SMS, in app, and web. Its data platform ingests customer behavior in real time, and the Canvas builder lets marketers design branching journeys with experiments on copy, timing, channel, and creative. BrazeAI adds content generation, predictive segments, and decisioning that picks the next best action per customer.
The price of that power is opacity and scale. Braze does not publish pricing, and third party benchmarks put entry contracts in the tens of thousands of dollars per year, priced by monthly active users with overage fees when activity runs high. Implementation also takes real work: data connections, SDK setup, and journey design need either an in house lifecycle team or an implementation partner. If you are a large consumer brand with millions of users and a dedicated CRM team, Braze is the strongest all round choice. Smaller teams should look further down this list.
What we like- Real time data platform with strong cross channel orchestration
- Canvas journey builder with deep experimentation
- Content Cards and in app messaging included
Watch out for- No public pricing, quote only
- Annual contracts with MAU overage fees
- Setup complexity needs dedicated lifecycle staff
#2Iterable
Best for: Real time AI driven journeys for large brands4.4/5 on
G2 (839 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit iterable.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Iterable positions itself as the AI customer engagement platform for global brands, and its Nova layer is the centerpiece: it watches behavior and performance signals, then adapts journeys, audiences, and send decisions in real time rather than on a fixed schedule. Workflow Studio gives marketers a visual builder for cross channel campaigns, and the platform handles email, push, SMS, in app, and web messages from one place.
Like Braze, Iterable sells through annual contracts priced by contacts and message volume, and published benchmarks put entry deals well into five figures per year, with implementation often adding tens of thousands more. There is no free plan and no self serve trial, so evaluation means a demo and a sales conversation. Iterable fits large B2C brands that want Braze class capability, often at a somewhat lower contract, and have the team to run it. Mid market teams will find the entry cost hard to justify.
What we like- Strong real time decisioning through its Nova intelligence layer
- Broad channel coverage including email, push, SMS, and in app
- Marketer friendly workflow studio
Watch out for- No public pricing and no free plan
- Enterprise contracts with implementation costs
- Channel add ons priced separately
#3
Customer.io
Best for: Data driven messaging for product led teams
Visit customer.io
Starting price$100 per month
Free planFree trial
Customer.io is the most approachable serious engagement platform for SaaS and product led companies. It takes behavioral data from your product, website, or warehouse, and turns it into visual workflows across email, push, in app, SMS, WhatsApp, and LINE. Segmentation is flexible, the workflow builder is genuinely usable without engineering help, and pricing is published: Essentials starts at $100 per month for 5,000 profiles, with a 14 day free trial and no credit card required.
The catch is the step up. Premium starts at $1,000 per month billed yearly, with custom profile and message volume, and enterprise features such as dedicated infrastructure and HIPAA compliance sit higher still. Costs also rise as profiles and sends grow, so a fast growing user base needs watching. For a startup or mid market SaaS team that wants data driven messaging without an enterprise contract, Customer.io is the sweet spot. Larger brands needing deeper experimentation may outgrow it.
What we like- Published pricing starting at $100 per month
- Visual workflow builder with strong segmentation
- Data pipelines connect to warehouses and APIs
Watch out for- Premium plan jumps to $1,000 per month billed yearly
- Price rises with profiles and message volume
- Advanced features need higher tiers
#4Klaviyo
Best for: Ecommerce email and SMS with revenue tracking4.6/5 on
G2 (1,368 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit klaviyo.com
Starting price$20 per month
Free planYes
Klaviyo is the default engagement platform for ecommerce, and its Shopify integration is the reason: orders, products, and customer behavior sync quickly, feeding pre built flows for abandoned carts, browse abandonment, post purchase follow up, and win back. Email, SMS, RCS, WhatsApp, and push run from unified profiles, and revenue attribution shows what each flow actually earned.
Pricing is public and profile based. The free plan covers up to 250 active profiles with 500 monthly email sends, and the email plan starts at $20 per month for 251 to 500 profiles, rising to about $150 at 10,000 profiles and $720 at 50,000. The billing model is the catch: you pay for every active profile stored, whether you email them or not, so list hygiene directly affects the bill, and SMS credits are separate. For a Shopify store or any B2C brand selling online, Klaviyo is the obvious starting point. For non ecommerce companies, its strengths matter less.
What we like- Deep Shopify integration with fast data sync
- Free plan up to 250 active profiles
- Revenue attribution down to individual flows and campaigns
Watch out for- Bills on all active profiles, not just emailed ones
- Costs climb steeply as lists grow
- SMS credits billed separately
#5Intercom
Best for: Support led engagement with an AI agent4.5/5 on
G2 (3,918 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit intercom.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Intercom belongs on this list because engagement does not end at marketing messages: the support conversation is often where retention is won or lost. Its helpdesk combines a shared inbox, ticketing, help center, and Messenger, while Fin, its AI agent, resolves customer questions inside the same system and learns from every human reply. Teams can also send proactive messages, product tours, and outbound campaigns from the same workspace.
Pricing has two layers, which is where budgets get surprised. Seat plans run from Essential upward per agent per month, and Fin adds a per outcome charge (about $0.99 per resolved conversation) on top, with add ons such as Copilot and Proactive Support Plus extra. There is no free plan, though a 14 day trial needs no credit card. Intercom fits SaaS and service companies where support and engagement live together. Pure marketing teams that never touch support will get better value elsewhere.
What we like- Helpdesk and AI agent (Fin) share one inbox and customer record
- Fin resolves conversations at a per outcome price
- Strong Messenger for web and mobile
Watch out for- Two layer pricing (seats plus AI outcomes) makes totals hard to predict
- No free plan, only a 14 day trial
- Add ons stack up quickly
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
MoEngage is an AI led engagement platform popular with consumer apps, retail, food delivery, and fintech brands, particularly across Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with growing US adoption. It combines segmentation, journey orchestration, and analytics with AI features that predict churn, pick optimal send times, and personalize content per user. Channels cover push, email, SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, in app, and web.
Pricing is quote based, and third party benchmarks put entry contracts well below Braze and Iterable, which is part of its appeal for mid market consumer brands. The trade off is a sales led buying process with no free plan and no published price list, so budgeting requires a quote. MoEngage suits consumer facing companies with an app at the center of their business, especially retail and food delivery, where its personalization features shine. B2B SaaS teams will find Customer.io or Intercom a closer fit.
What we like- Strong AI personalization and predictive segments for retail and consumer apps
- Broad channel set including push, email, SMS, WhatsApp, and in app
- Analytics tied to engagement
Watch out for- No public pricing
- Enterprise leaning sales process
- Strongest in APAC and retail, less proven for US B2B
#7CleverTap
Best for: Mobile first retention and lifecycle analytics4.6/5 on
G2 (681 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit clevertap.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
CleverTap started in mobile analytics and grew into a full engagement platform, and that history still shapes it. Cohorts, funnels, retention curves, and uninstall tracking sit next to journey orchestration, so a team can see exactly where users drop off and then message them about it from the same tool. Its CleverAI layer adds AI segmentation, content creation, and decisioning, and channels include push, email, SMS, WhatsApp, and in app messaging.
Pricing is not published, and entry is typically a sales conversation with a trial available. The platform is strongest for mobile first businesses such as subscription apps, media, gaming, and fintech, where retention analytics matter as much as messaging. Email centric B2B teams will find less here than in Customer.io or Klaviyo. If your business lives in an app and retention is your main metric, CleverTap deserves a serious look.
What we like- Deep mobile analytics (cohorts, funnels, retention) built into the engagement platform
- CleverAI layer for segmentation and decisioning
- Strong for subscription and media apps
Watch out for- No public pricing
- Mobile focus means email led teams get less value
- Enterprise features gated to higher tiers
#8OneSignal
Best for: Push, email, and SMS for apps and small teams4.7/5 on
G2 (1,221 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit onesignal.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
OneSignal is the practical choice for teams that need to start messaging this week, not next quarter. It began as a push notification service and now covers web and mobile push, email, SMS, RCS, and in app messaging, with a visual journey builder for onboarding, activation, and win back campaigns. SDKs exist for Android, iOS, Flutter, React Native, Expo, and Unity, and setup is measured in days rather than months.
A free tier covers early stage use, and paid plans scale with subscribers and message volume, though exact pricing depends on channels and features, so check the pricing page for your volume. The limits are depth: segmentation, analytics, and experimentation are solid but not Braze or Iterable class, and there is no helpdesk. For an app team, indie developer, or small business that needs reliable push and lifecycle messaging without an enterprise contract, OneSignal is the best value on this list.
What we like- Free tier for getting started with push and email
- Same day setup with SDKs for all major app frameworks
- Visual journey builder for lifecycle campaigns
Watch out for- Less depth in data and experimentation than enterprise suites
- Pricing scales with message volume and features
- Support led use cases are not its strength
How we chose
We checked each vendor's homepage to confirm it is operating and matches the product described, then compared published pricing where available and independent pricing benchmarks where vendors keep prices behind sales. We favored platforms with a distinct strength (enterprise scale, ecommerce, data driven SaaS messaging, support led engagement, or push) rather than listing near identical tools. Where a vendor does not publish pricing, we list See website instead of repeating an unverified third party figure as fact.
Match the platform to your main channel
Push first teams should start with OneSignal or CleverTap. Email and SMS led ecommerce belongs on Klaviyo. Product behavior driven SaaS messaging fits Customer.io. Support driven engagement fits Intercom. Enterprise cross channel at scale belongs on Braze or Iterable.
Compare prices at your real audience size
Vendors bill on different units: profiles, monthly active users, seats, or messages. Build a simple model at your current audience and at double that size, including message volume and any AI add ons, before you sign. The cheapest headline price often loses at scale.
Run a real campaign in the trial, not a demo
Demos show the best version of every platform. Use the trial to connect your actual data source, build one journey end to end, and send to a small real segment. That single exercise exposes weak integrations, confusing builders, and missing channels faster than any sales call.
Plan for the contract, not just the tool
Enterprise platforms mean annual contracts, implementation time, and overage fees. Self serve tools mean faster starts but less support. Be honest about your team's size and lifecycle experience: a powerful platform nobody can operate is worse than a simpler one your team actually uses.
Frequently asked questions
What is a customer engagement platform?
It is software that collects customer behavior and profile data, then uses it to send personalized messages across channels such as email, push, SMS, WhatsApp, and in app messages, usually through automated journeys tied to what customers do.
How much does a customer engagement platform cost?
It ranges from free (OneSignal and Klaviyo free tiers) to $100 per month for Customer.io Essentials, up to five figure annual contracts for Braze, Iterable, and MoEngage. The right comparison is cost at your audience size, including message volume and add ons.
Do I need Braze or Iterable for a small business?
Almost certainly not. Both are built for large brands with dedicated lifecycle teams and large audiences. Small teams get more value from OneSignal, Klaviyo, or Customer.io, which start free or at published low prices.
What is the difference between Customer.io and Klaviyo?
Customer.io is built around product behavior and data driven messaging for SaaS and app companies. Klaviyo is built around ecommerce, with deep Shopify integration and revenue attribution for stores. Pick based on whether your data comes from a product or a store.
Can one platform handle push, email, and SMS?
Yes. Braze, Iterable, MoEngage, CleverTap, and OneSignal all cover push, email, and SMS in one platform. Klaviyo covers email, SMS, push, and WhatsApp with an ecommerce focus. Intercom covers messaging mainly through support and proactive chat.
How long does implementation take?
Self serve tools such as OneSignal and Klaviyo can be live in days. Customer.io typically takes a few weeks including data setup. Enterprise platforms such as Braze and Iterable often take one to three months with integration and journey design work.
Sources we checked (11)
- https://www.braze.com
- https://iterable.com
- https://customer.io
- https://www.klaviyo.com
- https://www.intercom.com
- https://www.moengage.com
- https://clevertap.com
- https://onesignal.com
- https://customer.io/solutions/marketing
- https://www.omnisend.com/blog/klaviyo-pricing/
- https://www.intercom.com/learning-center/intercom-pricing
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.