How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- GetResponse publishes the cheapest automation entry at $19 per month (Starter, 1,000 subscribers), and Drip starts at $39 per month for up to 2,500 people.
- MailerLite ($12/month) and AWeber ($12.49/month annual) are the budget newsletter-plus-funnel picks, and both publish their prices.
- Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Kit and Brevo all offer free plans, which is enough to build and test a first funnel before paying.
- ActiveCampaign is the deepest automation builder here but publishes no prices, so budget-minded buyers should shortlist the transparent ones first.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 ActiveCampaign | Businesses running complex multi-branch automation with CRM | See website (Starter, Plus, Pro and Enterprise plans) | No |
 Kit | Creators and newsletter-first businesses | See website (paid plans priced by subscriber count) | Yes (Newsletter free plan) |
 GetResponse | Small businesses wanting funnels plus webinars | $19/month (Starter, up to 1,000 subscribers) | Yes (free plan; 14-day premium trial) |
 Drip | Ecommerce brands running revenue-driven flows | $39/month (up to 2,500 people) | No (14-day free trial) |
 Klaviyo | Ecommerce stores on Shopify or WooCommerce | See website | Yes (free plan) |
 Mailchimp | Beginners wanting templates and brand familiarity | See website | Yes (free plan) |
 Brevo | Teams needing transactional and marketing email in one account | See website | Yes (free tier) |
 MailerLite | Simple funnels on a tight budget | $12/month (Comfort) | Yes (Free: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month) |
 AWeber | Long-running small business lists | $12.49/month (Lite, annual billing; $15/month monthly) | Yes (free plan; 14-day trial) |
Is your product missing or out of date?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.
The best email funnel software
A new lead downloads your guide on Tuesday and then hears nothing until a generic newsletter arrives three weeks later. That silence is where money disappears. Email funnel software exists to close it: a welcome sequence, a nurture series, an abandoned-cart flow, a re-engagement win-back, all running without you touching them. These nine builders cover the real market, from creator-friendly to enterprise automation, with prices only where the vendors publish them.
Starting priceSee website (Starter, Plus, Pro and Enterprise plans)
Free planNo
ActiveCampaign is the automation purist's pick. The visual builder handles multi-branch journeys with conditions, goals, waits and A/B splits that the simpler tools cannot match, and the built-in CRM means a lead's emails, deals and tasks live in one record. Lead scoring, site tracking and predictive sending add intelligence to the sequences. Agencies and ecommerce operations with complex nurture paths get the most from it.
The price of that power is opacity and complexity. ActiveCampaign publishes no prices across its four plans, which makes budget comparisons awkward. Small teams also report that building in ActiveCampaign feels like learning a second job. If your funnels need real branching logic and you have the staff to build it, this is the strongest builder here. If you need a welcome series by Friday, look at the simpler picks below.
What we like- Visual automation builder with deep conditional logic, goals and split testing
- Built-in CRM with lead scoring and sales pipelines
- 900-plus integrations across ecommerce, CMS and webinar tools
Watch out for- No published pricing, so planning requires a sales call
- The depth creates a learning curve that small teams feel immediately
#2
Kit
Best for: Creators and newsletter-first businesses
Visit kit.com
Starting priceSee website (paid plans priced by subscriber count)
Free planYes (Newsletter free plan)
Kit, previously ConvertKit, is built for people whose business is an audience. The free Newsletter plan lets a creator start collecting subscribers and sending broadcasts at no cost, and the paid tiers add visual automations, sequences and rules that handle welcome funnels, launches and evergreen courses. Landing pages and signup forms are included, so a funnel can live entirely inside Kit.
The honest catch is pricing transparency. Kit prices paid plans by subscriber count but the site pushes you to a calculator rather than a simple table, so cost planning needs a visit. Ecommerce sellers will also find the revenue tracking thinner than the ecommerce specialists. For creators, coaches and course sellers, Kit's focus is exactly right.
What we like- Free Newsletter plan to start building without paying
- Visual automation builder with rules, sequences and broadcasts
- Landing pages, forms and paid newsletter features built in
Watch out for- Paid pricing is subscriber-based with no fixed headline number published
- Ecommerce features are thinner than Drip or Klaviyo
Starting price$19/month (Starter, up to 1,000 subscribers)
Free planYes (free plan; 14-day premium trial)
GetResponse wins the price-to-scope contest. The Starter plan at $19 per month covers up to 1,000 subscribers with autoresponders, and higher tiers add the visual automation builder, conversion funnels, webinars and even checkout for digital products. It is one of the few tools where the funnel does not stop at email: the landing page, the webinar and the sale can all run inside one account. A free plan exists for trying the basics, with a 14-day premium trial for the full feature set.
The trade is focus. The dashboard packs a lot in, and reviewers note the learning curve. If you only send newsletters, the extra machinery is dead weight. But for a small business that wants a complete funnel, webinar and all, at a published $19, GetResponse is the value pick.
What we like- Cheapest published automation entry at $19 per month
- Conversion funnels with landing pages, webinars and paid-product checkout
- Autoresponders plus visual workflow builder
Watch out for- Interface density can overwhelm first-time users
- The webinar and funnel add-ons matter less if you only need email
#4
Drip
Best for: Ecommerce brands running revenue-driven flows
Visit drip.com
Starting price$39/month (up to 2,500 people)
Free planNo (14-day free trial)
Drip thinks in revenue, not opens. Every flow ties back to store data: abandoned carts, post-purchase follow-ups, win-back campaigns and browse abandonment, all built on product and order events from your store. The visual builder makes multi-step journeys readable, and per-email revenue reporting tells you exactly which message earned its keep. Pricing is refreshingly public: from $39 per month for up to 2,500 people.
The catch is the audience. Drip is priced and built for stores, and a 500-subscriber newsletter will pay ecommerce rates for features it never uses. There is also no free plan, just a 14-day trial. For Shopify and WooCommerce brands that live on email revenue, Drip's attribution focus justifies the price.
What we like- Ecommerce-first automation with deep Shopify and WooCommerce data
- Visual workflow builder with revenue attribution per email
- Published pricing starting at $39 per month for up to 2,500 people
Watch out for- No free plan, only a 14-day trial
- Overkill and overpriced for simple newsletters
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes (free plan)
Klaviyo is the default email platform for serious Shopify stores, and the reason is data depth. Product catalogs, order history and browsing behavior feed prebuilt flows for abandoned carts, back-in-stock alerts and post-purchase upsells, and the same segments drive SMS campaigns in the same account. The free plan lets small stores start without a bill. Reviewers consistently credit Klaviyo flows with a large share of store revenue.
The honest catch is the bill. Pricing is usage-based and climbs with list size and sends, and SMS adds a second meter. Stores that grow fast sometimes get a shock at renewal. Klaviyo earns its keep when email drives real revenue; for stores under a few thousand subscribers, the free plan and entry tiers are the way to test that.
What we like- Deep ecommerce integrations with prebuilt flows for carts, browse and post-purchase
- SMS and email in one platform with shared segments
- Free plan to start
Watch out for- No published starting price on the pricing page text we reviewed
- Costs scale fast as list and SMS volume grow
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes (free plan)
Mailchimp is where most businesses send their first campaign. The free plan covers the basics, the template library is the largest in the business, and the builder is genuinely easy. The customer journey builder handles welcome series and simple nurture flows, and the brand recognition means every freelancer and agency already knows it. For a business sending its first funnels, the learning curve is the gentlest here.
The catch is the ceiling. Reviewers consistently say Mailchimp's automation and segmentation fall short of ActiveCampaign, Drip or Klaviyo once funnels get serious, and the pricing tiers get expensive as lists grow. Treat Mailchimp as the on-ramp: excellent for starting, worth outgrowing when revenue depends on the flows.
What we like- Generous free plan for starting out
- Huge template library and an easy drag-and-drop builder
- Customer journey builder for basic automation
Watch out for- Pricing text did not render on the vendor page during review
- Automation depth lags the specialists, and costs rise steeply at scale
#7
Brevo
Best for: Teams needing transactional and marketing email in one account
Visit brevo.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes (free tier)
Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, solves a specific headache: one account for both marketing campaigns and transactional email like order confirmations and password resets. The automation builder covers welcome series, abandoned carts and lead nurturing, while the SMTP relay and API handle the transactional side developers need. A free tier lets small senders start without paying.
The catch is the ceiling on the free tier, which caps daily sends at a level meant for testing. Pricing also requires a working pricing page visit, since ours did not render. For businesses that want marketing and transactional email under one roof with one bill, Brevo's combined model is the practical pick.
What we like- Marketing campaigns plus transactional email (SMTP/API) in one platform
- Automation workflows with a visual builder
- Free tier for low-volume senders
Watch out for- Pricing page did not render prices during review
- The free tier's daily sending limits suit testing more than production
Starting price$12/month (Comfort)
Free planYes (Free: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month)
MailerLite is the budget purist's answer. The Comfort plan starts at $12 per month, and the free plan handles 250 subscribers with 2,500 emails a month, which is a real working newsletter for a new business. The builder is clean and fast, automations cover welcome sequences and basic nurture, and landing pages and forms are included. Few tools deliver this much at this price.
The honest catch is depth. Complex branching, advanced segmentation and deep ecommerce data are not MailerLite's game, and the integration catalog is smaller. For bloggers, freelancers and small businesses whose funnels are straightforward sequences, the savings are real and the trade-offs rarely matter.
What we like- Cheapest paid entry on this list at $12 per month
- Clean, fast builder with automation workflows
- Free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails monthly
Watch out for- Advanced automation and reporting are thinner than the premium tools
- Template and integration selection is smaller
Starting price$12.49/month (Lite, annual billing; $15/month monthly)
Free planYes (free plan; 14-day trial)
AWeber has been sending small-business email since before most of this list existed, and it shows in the support: real humans, extensive templates and a huge knowledge base. The Lite plan at $12.49 per month annual ($15 monthly) covers 500 subscribers with automations, landing pages and email support, and a free plan plus 14-day trial lower the barrier further. It is a steady, unglamorous workhorse.
The catch is modernity. The builder and automation canvas feel a generation behind Kit or MailerLite, and advanced features sit on the Plus plan at $19.99 per month annual. Businesses that value stability and support over the latest builder tricks will be comfortable here; design-led brands may find it dated.
What we like- Published pricing with a $12.49 per month annual Lite plan for 500 subscribers
- Long track record with small business support
- Automation, landing pages and web push included
Watch out for- Interface feels older than the modern builders
- The Plus plan jumps to $19.99 per month annual for advanced features
What counts as a funnel, and what are you paying for
A funnel is a sequence with a job: turn a subscriber into a customer, or a customer into a repeat buyer. The welcome series, the abandoned-cart flow, the post-purchase upsell and the win-back campaign are the four that earn their keep for most businesses. Everything else is optimization.
What you pay for is the automation engine behind those sequences. Cheap tools send emails on a schedule. Funnel software triggers them on behavior: a link clicked, a cart abandoned, a page visited, a purchase made. That behavioral triggering is the line between a newsletter tool and a funnel builder, and it is what separates the $12 tools from the $39 ones.
Under 1,000 subscribers, price matters more than power. MailerLite, AWeber and GetResponse all publish sub-$20 entry points, and the free plans from Kit, Klaviyo, Mailchimp and Brevo let you build before you pay. Pick the one whose builder you actually enjoy using.
From 1,000 to 10,000 subscribers, match the tool to how you sell. Ecommerce brands should shortlist Drip and Klaviyo for revenue attribution. Creators and course sellers fit Kit. Businesses with long, complex nurture cycles and a sales team fit ActiveCampaign. Mailchimp works until the automation ceiling becomes obvious, which is usually the moment to move.
How we chose
We verified each vendor's homepage and pricing page on 2026-10-14, and we only report prices, plan names and free tiers that the vendor itself publishes. Anything unverifiable is marked See website. We compared automation depth, funnel templates, ecommerce integrations, landing pages and list management against public reviews on G2, Capterra and Reddit threads from email marketers. Company-size fit set the order: deep automation first for complex operations, budget and creator tools for smaller lists.
Frequently asked questions
How much does email funnel software cost?
Entry points run from $12 per month (MailerLite Comfort) to $39 per month (Drip, up to 2,500 people), with GetResponse at $19 and AWeber at $12.49 annual. ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Kit and Brevo require a pricing page visit or a quote. Expect costs to scale with subscriber count on every platform.
Which email funnel software has a free plan?
Kit, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Brevo, MailerLite and AWeber all offer free plans with varying subscriber and send limits. GetResponse offers a free plan plus a 14-day premium trial. Drip offers a 14-day trial but no free plan, and ActiveCampaign has no free plan.
What is the difference between an email funnel and a newsletter?
A newsletter goes out on a schedule to everyone. A funnel is a behavior-triggered sequence: a welcome series after signup, a cart reminder after abandonment, a win-back after silence. Funnel software tracks what subscribers do and responds automatically.
Which tool is best for ecommerce email funnels?
Drip and Klaviyo are built for it, with deep Shopify and WooCommerce integrations and revenue attribution per email. Klaviyo adds SMS in the same platform. GetResponse covers funnels plus webinars at a lower price if your store is small.
Can I switch email platforms without losing my list?
Yes. Every tool here imports subscriber lists via CSV, and most offer guided migration. The work is rebuilding automations and templates in the new builder. Export your list and automation screenshots before canceling the old account, and warm up the new sending domain gradually.
Sources we checked (11)
- https://activecampaign.com/
- https://kit.com
- https://www.getresponse.com/
- https://drip.com/
- https://www.klaviyo.com
- https://mailchimp.com/
- https://brevo.com/
- https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing
- https://www.aweber.com/pricing.htm
- https://www.g2.com/categories/email-marketing
- https://www.capterra.com/email-marketing-software/
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 spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.