Using email automation software can make all the difference in your marketing. This article will help you choose the right option for your business.

Email segmentation and automated campaigns require dedicated tools. After all, business owners have a lot of work on their hands if they were to compose individual emails for their customers through a basic service.

This is where email software like Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and ActiveCampaign comes in.

All three are excellent tools that will get the job done. But, depending on your industry, one might fare better than others. The fact is that the same email software won’t work as well for a service-based business or an e-commerce one.

With that in mind, this article will compare Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and ActiveCampaign in terms of functionality. It will also determine whether the software is better suited for services or e-commerce.

Mailchimp vs. Klaviyo vs. ActiveCampaign: An Overview

Mailchimp represents a specialised software solution for targeted email campaigns.

The software uses customer buying habits, preferences, and online behaviour to create outreach with pinpoint accuracy. Furthermore, Mailchimp can manage ad campaigns via Google and social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Klaviyo has several strong points, including segmentation by category, customisation, automation, and traffic generation.

This service offers extensive reporting for your email campaign based on detailed data analysis. Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns are also supported, and the software is intended for businesses of all sizes.

ActiveCampaign covers various business aspects and offers automated solutions for emails, marketing, and customer relations.

The software has a user-friendly interface and very useful forum support. It’s also worth mentioning that ActiveCampaign has a strong focus on collaboration and connectivity between its users.

The Main Features

All three platforms have several similar features, as well as some unique ones. So, let’s look at the essential features of each email service:

Mailchimp has plenty of native features, although some of its functionality depends on various integrations. Its native features include:

  • Sign-ups
  • Popups
  • Welcome emails
  • Support for first-time buyers
  • Abandoned cart notifications
  • Retargeting
  • Product recommendations

Klaviyo offers a more significant number of native functionalities, including:

  • One-click integration
  • ROI-based reports
  • Segmentation
  • Personalisation
  • Autoresponders
  • Drag-and-drop builder
  • Facebook ads

ActiveCampaign has the following essential functions:

  • Site tracking
  • Event tracking
  • User-friendly API
  • Conditional content
  • CRM
  • Split testing
  • Lead scoring

In terms of features, all three services have something to offer.

However, Mailchimp and Klaviyo have a slight advantage, with Klaviyo being a bit more convenient since it doesn’t rely on integrations.

Payment Plans

Mailchimp has four plans plus additional options. The plans are:

  • Free, which includes an email builder, CRM, landing pages, forms, a Mailchimp domain, and website builder.
  • Essentials, which costs $9.99 per month. This plan expands on the Free plan and adds email templates, branding, A/B testing, and around-the-clock support.
  • The Standard plan, priced monthly at $14.99, includes all Essentials features plus branching points, optimisation for send time, behaviour-based targeting, dynamic content, and custom templates.
  • Premium costs $299 a month and includes the features available on the Standard plan. But it adds advanced segmentation, expanded testing, comparative reports, and phone customer support to its list.

Klaviyo has a different pricing structure, which is based on the number of contacts in your list. The company’s site features a handy price calculator that takes into account your region and how many contacts you want to manage with the software.

Here are the price points relative to the number of contacts:

  • 0-250 contacts: Free
  • 251-500 contacts: $20
  • 501-1,000 contacts: $30
  • 1,001-1,500 contacts: $45

Basically, there’s a $5 increase in price per 500 contacts. The final tier available on the calculator is for up to 145,000 contacts and costs $1,650 per month. But if you need email automation for more contacts than that, the website states you should contact a representative from Klaviyo.

ActiveCampaign has four price plans, although pricing will vary depending on how many contacts you have. The prices listed here are for 500 contacts:

  • The Lite plan costs $15 monthly. Features include email automation, newsletters, email builder, templates, contact importing, automatic responses, reporting, forms, and event and site tracking.
  • The Plus plan is priced at $70 per month. It has mostly the same features as Lite, with additional automation options, contact scoring, expanded reporting, conditional content, SMS subscriptions, customisable app URL, and others.
  • The Professional plan further expands on the previous two for the price of $159 a month. Extra features include predictive sending, custom permissions, Facebook integration, API, and synchronisation with your database.
  • The Enterprise plan costs $279 monthly and supports an unlimited number of users, as well as unlimited sending. Besides that, this plan introduces plenty of advanced features intended for large businesses.

Which Email Automation Service Is Best for You?

As stated at the beginning of this article, some services will better suit different types of businesses.

If you run an e-commerce business, Klaviyo seems to be the best option. It has an extensive reporting feature that offers the essential metrics to track your lead generation, conversions, and sales.

For service-based businesses, you can opt either for Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign. The choice will depend on the size of your business.

Mailchimp might be better suited for small-to-medium companies. And if you’re starting out, you could benefit even from its basic free plan that lets you access essential services at no cost.

ActiveCampaign is a better fit for larger businesses that can handle the service’s relatively steep pricing.

Choose the Best Email Software for Your Business

Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and ActiveCampaign count among the best and most popular email automation services on the market. Each option has valuable features you can leverage to increase your outreach and improve your lead generation and conversion rates.

Based on your particular needs and the information from this article, you’ll surely be able to choose the optimal solution for your business.

If you want us to help you improve your automation and set up your business for success, feel free to contact us and schedule your free consult with GMS.