If Klaviyo’s cost doesn’t match your email marketing revenue, you should look for the best Klaviyo alternatives.
Doing email marketing doesn’t have to be costly. There are many affordable email marketing software out there that offer sophisticated email marketing solutions like Klaviyo.
In terms of ease of use, customer support, and affordability, there are many options available to choose from.
We have listed the top 5 alternatives to Klaviyo, compared their features, and how affordable they are.
Use Retainful’s easy-to-setup email automation to send emails without the complexity and high costs.
Challenges of using Klaviyo
While the price of Klaviyo is increasing, the ease of use and customer support are not catching up.
Here are the main challenges of using Klaviyo.
1. Expensive for small businesses
Klaviyo’s pricing model, while justified by its advanced automation features and capabilities, presents significant challenges for small to medium-sized businesses.
Many users highlight concerns about the rapid price increase with subscriber growth, which may become unsustainable in the long-term.
Klaviyo’s pricing is based on “active profiles” rather than total list size. It can be confusing and unclear for some users.
It’s not always obvious what counts as an “active profile” and how to properly manage your active profile count.
For merchants who only need basic email marketing, the costs may outweigh the value received compared to simpler, cheaper Klaviyo alternatives.
2. Steep learning curve
Klaviyo has a lot of advanced functionality, which is great for power users but can be overwhelming for beginners.
Figuring out how to properly utilize features like segmentation, flows, reporting, etc. requires a substantial investment of time.
3. Non-reliable customer support
Many reviews from the users cited that they had a bad experience with customer support.
It is a double-whammy that email marketing software with complex functionalities doesn’t have reliable customer support to guide the customers.
Ensuring every detail in triggers, campaigns and flows is properly configured can be very time-consuming and leave room for errors.
How to choose an alternative to Klaviyo?
Choose an alternative to Klaviyo by prioritizing the must-have features and determining the maximum you can reasonably spend. This will help narrow down the best alternatives.
Here are the factors to consider when choosing an alternative to Klaviyo.
Determine the level of complexity you need for automation.
Consider how complex your automation workflows need to be. More complex workflows demand more time and effort from your end.
Highly complex workflows involving dynamic content, advanced segmentation, behavioral triggers, and comprehensive analytics.
Note the complexity of each workflow. For example, do you need simple triggers (like email opens) or more complex ones (such as multi-step triggers involving purchase history, browsing behavior, or engagement scores)?
Evaluate your budget
Clearly define how much are you willing to spend on email marketing. Consider if your budget can accommodate growth in your email list and additional features over time.
Prioritize essential features
List the must-have features for your business, such as automation, segmentation, analytics, and customer support.
Identify secondary features that are beneficial but not essential. This can include advanced reporting, custom templates, and CRM integration.
5 Best Klaviyo Alternatives
These Klaviyo alternatives not only match Klaviyo’s capabilities but also provide unique advantages tailored to diverse business needs.
Here are the 5 best alternatives to Klaviyo.
1. Retainful
3.33X more affordable than Klaviyo
Retainful is an all-in-one email marketing software that enables you to automate every stage in the email marketing lifecycle – acquire, nurture, and retain customers.
You can capture the email addresses of the visitors and grow your email list with targeted sign-up forms.
At the core of Retainful lies easy-to-setup email automation that allows you to send email campaigns at every stage of the customer journey – from welcome emails, abandoned cart emails, thank you emails, win-back emails, and more.
Unlike Klaviyo, it is not an omnichannel platform and doesn’t have cross-channel flows.
You can segment your customers based on demographics, purchase history, email engagement, and life-cycle stages.
It integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce and Shopify.
Why is it easy to use?
- Easy-to-setup email automation workflows that don’t need a 3-page manual to set it up.
- Pre-built segmentation templates.
- Intuitive beginner-friendly drag-and-drop email editor.
How affordable is it?
Sending 10000 emails costs only $9, while Klaviyo costs $35.
Why is it the best alternative to Klaviyo?
- One of the most affordable plugins in the market is tailor-made for e-commerce.
- Beginner-friendly automation workflows and email editor.
- Dedicated onboarding and technical support.
Use the beginner-friendly interface of Retainful to send email campaigns with minimum effort from your end.
2. Mailchimp
For businesses seeking an alternative to Klaviyo, Mailchimp offers features that cater to both beginners and experienced marketers.
Automation triggers in Mailchimp include basic actions such as signup, specific dates, and purchase activity. These are adequate for straightforward marketing needs.
Mailchimp offers automation features that help users send the right message at the right time. This includes welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and follow-up sequences,all designed to nurture leads and convert them into customers.
This Klaviyo alternative doesn’t have cross-channel flows, as it is not an omni-channel platform.
Why is it easy to use?
- Drag-and-drop email builder that requires no code to design on-brand emails.
- Has a mobile app.
- Comprehensive onboarding processes and tutorials that guide users through the setup.
How affordable is it?
Sending 10,000 emails costs $19.40, while Klaviyo costs $35.
Why is it the best alternative to Klaviyo?
- Has features that are best suited for scaling and growing businesses.
- User-friendly interface and intuitive design.
- Extensive customer support options.
3. Omnisend
Omnisend is an omni-channel marketing platform supporting emails, SMS and push notifications. While Klaviyo is primarily focused on email and SMS, it does offer web push notifications as an additional channel.
It features cross-channel automation workflows so that you can automate messages of all the channels in one place.
While Klaviyo has a steep learning curve, Omnisend is known for being very user-friendly and easy to set up.
This Klaviyo alternative provides pre-built automation workflows for common use cases like abandoned carts, browse abandonment, post-purchase, and more. These workflows can be easily customized.
The best thing about Omnisend’s pricing is that there is no cap on features in any of its basic plans. Only a limit on contacts and emails.
Why is it easy to use?
- Easy to navigate and use even for those without extensive email marketing experience.
- Users have access to 24/7 customer service through live chat and email.
How affordable is it?
Sending 10,000 emails costs $26.65, while Klaviyo costs $35.
Why is it the best alternative to Klaviyo?
- Has omnichannel capability like Klaviyo.
- User-friendly interface.
- Reliable customer support.
4. Activecampaign
ActiveCampaign is an all-in-one email marketing and CRM tool designed to help you engage with your audience, nurture leads, and drive sales.
This Klaviyo alternative offers site and event tracking capabilities that allow you to monitor user behavior on websites and trigger automated workflows based on specific actions.
ActiveCampaign offers advanced conditional content features that allow you to tailor email content dynamically based on various conditions, such as user behavior, demographics, and preferences.
Why is it easy to use?
- The platform offers drag-and-drop email builders, pre-built automation workflows, and comprehensive onboarding resources to help users get up and running quickly.
How affordable is it?
Sending 10,000 emails costs $15, while Klaviyo costs $35.
Why is it the best alternative to Klaviyo?
- Has omnichannel capability + CRM.
- ActiveCampaign offers powerful automation capabilities, including advanced conditional content, site tracking, and predictive sending.
5. Brevo
Brevo provides a suite of marketing tools that include email marketing, SMS marketing, chat, CRM, and marketing automation.
Setting up automated workflows in this Klaviyo alternative is straightforward, with pre-built templates and a visual workflow editor that guides you through the process.
Brevo provides comprehensive onboarding resources, including tutorials and documentation, to help users get up and running quickly.
Why is it easy to use?
- Setting up automation workflows is straightforward with Brevo’s visual workflow editor.
How affordable is it?
Sending 10,000 emails costs $17, while Klaviyo costs $35. You can do omni-channel marketing even in the free plan.
Why is it the best alternative to Klaviyo?
- Has omnichannel capability + CRM.
- Its unique combination of advanced segmentation and multichannel capabilities offers solutions for engaging customers across different channels.
Pricing:
- Free plan – 300 emails/day
- $9/month – 5000 emails/month (Starter)
- $18/month – 5000 emails/month (Business)
Klaviyo Alternatives Comparison Chart
| Klaviyo alternative | Best for | Free plan |
| Retainful | Ecommerce email marketing and easy-to-setup email automation. | Available |
| Mailchimp | Small-to-medium scale business looking for advanced automation. | Available |
| Omnisend | Omnichannel capabilities and cross-channel workflows. | Available |
| Activecampaign | Omnichannel, event, and site tracking | Available |
| Brevo | Omnichannel + CRM | Available |
Wrapping Up!!
While Klaviyo is a powerful email marketing tool with advanced features, it is not the perfect fit for all businesses due to its complexity and cost.
Exploring Klaviyo alternatives like Retainful can offer more affordability, ease of use, and reliable customer support.
Ultimately, the best alternative to Klaviyo will depend on your specific needs, budget, and the level of complexity you are comfortable with.
Switch to Retainful and experience easy-to-setup email automation and reliable technical support and get value for money.
There are many email marketing apps tailor-made for ecommerce, like Retainful and Omnisend. They have e-commerce-focused automation workflows like abandoned cart, back-in-stock, product recommendation, and more.
Klaviyo is worth it for businesses that can utilize its advanced features and comprehensive automation capabilities.
Retainful is an email marketing software tailor-made for ecommerce. It offers easy-to-setup email automation and pre-designed email templates to send email campaigns easily.
Klaviyo can be challenging for beginners due to its advanced features and complex interface.
No, Klaviyo is not only for email marketing. It also supports SMS marketing, enabling businesses to create integrated multi-channel campaigns.
