Brevo (Sendinblue) Review (2026)

Email Marketing Free / $25/mo

Best for: Budget-conscious teams wanting email + SMS + CRM without HubSpot pricing

The Sultan's Verdict

7.6

Solid Pick

All-in-one marketing platform with email, SMS, chat, and CRM at a fraction of HubSpot's price. The email builder is solid, and the pricing model (based on emails sent, not contacts) is founder-friendly.

Ease Of Use7.5

Value8.5

Features7.5

Support7.0

Visit Brevo (Sendinblue) → Starting at Free / $25/mo

Pros

Pricing based on emails sent, not contacts
Includes SMS, chat, and CRM
Generous free tier (300 emails/day)

Cons

Deliverability historically inconsistent
Automation less powerful than ActiveCampaign
Brand awareness lower than competitors

Brevo (Sendinblue): What You Need to Know

Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, flips the standard email pricing model on its head. Where Mailchimp, Kit, and ActiveCampaign all charge based on how many contacts you store, Brevo charges based on how many emails you send. This single difference saves 40-70% for businesses with large contact databases that don't email every subscriber every week.

The platform has grown from a simple email tool into a genuine multi-channel suite. Email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat, CRM, and marketing automation all live under one roof. The pricing on each channel is transparent and usage-based. Store unlimited contacts for free, pay for what you send. For budget-conscious teams that have been priced out by Mailchimp's contact-based billing, Brevo's model is a revelation.

The trade-off is polish. Brevo's automation builder is competent but lacks ActiveCampaign's depth. The email templates are functional but won't win design awards. The CRM is basic compared to HubSpot's free tier. Every individual component is a B or B+, never an A+. But the combined package at Brevo's price point gives you 80% of what HubSpot's $800/mo Marketing Hub offers for under $65/mo. For SMBs watching every dollar, that math is hard to argue with.

What The Sultan Likes

Pricing by emails sent, unlimited contacts, changes everything

Store 100,000 contacts and pay nothing for storage. Send 20,000 emails/mo on the Starter plan for $25/mo. On Mailchimp, 100,000 contacts on Standard costs over $800/mo whether you email them all or not. If you have a large list but only send to active segments, Brevo saves hundreds of dollars monthly. This alone is reason enough to switch.

Multi-channel from one dashboard works

Email, SMS, WhatsApp campaigns, live chat, and a basic CRM all accessible from one login. You can set up an automation that sends an email, waits two days, sends an SMS if unopened, and creates a CRM deal if clicked. No Zapier needed. No integration maintenance. It all works natively, and each channel is priced separately and transparently.

Free plan is surprisingly capable

300 emails per day (roughly 9,000/mo), unlimited contacts, the drag-and-drop editor, and transactional email support. The daily sending limit is the main constraint, not a contact cap. For a micro-business sending 2-3 campaigns per week to a few thousand subscribers, the free plan works for months or even years.

Transactional email included without a separate tool

Order confirmations, password resets, shipping notifications. Most email marketing platforms force you to use a separate service (SendGrid, Postmark, Mailgun) for transactional email. Brevo includes it with a shared IP on free, and dedicated IP on paid plans. One fewer vendor to manage and pay.

Where It Falls Short

Automation builder is capable but not category-leading

Brevo's marketing automation handles sequences, if/then conditions, and multi-channel workflows. But the visual builder isn't as flexible as ActiveCampaign's. Complex branching logic gets messy. Lead scoring exists but is rudimentary compared to ActiveCampaign's system. If sophisticated automation is your primary requirement, Brevo will feel like it's 80% there.

Brevo branding on free and Starter plans

Your emails include a 'Sent with Brevo' footer on the free plan and Starter plan. Removing it requires the Business plan at $65/mo. For professional communications, having another company's logo in your footer undermines your brand. This is standard practice among email tools with free tiers, but it stings when the free plan is otherwise generous.

Email deliverability can be inconsistent

Independent tests show Brevo's deliverability ranging from 80-89%, which is acceptable but below Mailchimp (88-92%) and ActiveCampaign (90%+). The shared IP on lower-tier plans means your deliverability is affected by other senders on the same infrastructure. Dedicated IP (available on Business plan) improves this, but adds to the cost.

CRM is basic compared to dedicated tools

The built-in CRM covers contacts, deals, and basic pipeline management. For a solopreneur tracking 50 deals, it works. For a sales team needing custom fields, workflow automation, and detailed reporting, it falls short. Think of Brevo's CRM as a functional add-on, not a replacement for HubSpot or Pipedrive.

What You'll Actually Pay

Free: 300 emails/day (~9,000/mo), unlimited contacts, drag-and-drop editor, transactional email. Brevo branding on all emails. Starter: $25/mo for 20,000 emails/mo. Removes daily sending limit, adds basic reporting and A/B testing. Brevo branding still included.

Business: $65/mo for 20,000 emails/mo. Removes Brevo branding, adds marketing automation, landing pages, A/B testing, phone support, and multi-user access. This is where Brevo becomes a real marketing platform. Enterprise: custom pricing with dedicated IP, advanced integrations, and SLA.

Real-world comparison at 10,000 contacts sending 40,000 emails/mo: Brevo Business at $65/mo ($780/yr). Mailchimp Standard at 10,000 contacts: $100/mo ($1,200/yr). ActiveCampaign Plus at 10,000: $139/mo ($1,668/yr). Brevo saves you $420-888/yr depending on the comparison, and includes SMS and CRM that the others charge extra for.

SMS pricing is pay-per-message: roughly $0.01-0.015 per SMS in the US. WhatsApp messages are similar. These costs add up for high-volume SMS campaigns, but the per-message transparency means no surprise bills. Budget $100-200/mo for SMS if you plan to use it at scale.

Should You Buy Brevo (Sendinblue)?

Buy Brevo (Sendinblue) If…

Businesses with large contact lists and moderate send volume

If you have 25,000+ contacts but only email actively to 5,000-10,000 per campaign, Brevo's per-email pricing saves you 50-70% compared to contact-based platforms. This is the single biggest financial advantage in the category.

SMBs wanting email plus SMS plus CRM without paying for three tools

Brevo's Business plan at $65/mo gives you email marketing, SMS campaigns, live chat, and a CRM. Building that stack from separate top-tier tools (Mailchimp + Twilio + Intercom + HubSpot) would cost $300+/mo. The individual components aren't category leaders, but the consolidation value is real.

Budget-conscious teams that need transactional plus marketing email

Most email platforms force you to add SendGrid or Postmark for transactional emails. Brevo handles both in one account. If you send order confirmations, receipts, and marketing campaigns, one platform simplifies your infrastructure.

Skip Brevo (Sendinblue) If…

Teams where email automation complexity is the priority

If you need ActiveCampaign-level automation with deep conditional branching, lead scoring, and CRM pipeline triggers, Brevo's automation builder will leave you wanting. Pay the extra for ActiveCampaign if automation sophistication drives your strategy.

Brands where email design and deliverability are critical

Brevo's templates are functional, not stunning. Deliverability is good, not great. If your business depends on every email reaching the inbox and looking beautiful when it gets there, Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign are safer choices at the cost of higher pricing.

Enterprise teams with complex tech stacks

Brevo's integrations cover the basics (Shopify, WordPress, Salesforce) but lack the depth of Mailchimp's ecosystem. Complex multi-tool workflows with custom data syncing may require more API work than you'd like.

Stage-by-Stage Guidance

Solo Founder

Running lean, doing everything yourself

The free plan (300 emails/day, unlimited contacts) is excellent for solo founders. You can run a real email program for months without paying. When you outgrow it, Starter at $25/mo is affordable. Add SMS for customer communications without a separate Twilio setup.

Small Team (2-10)

Growing past founder-led sales

Business plan ($65/mo) is the move. Remove Brevo branding, get marketing automation, add multiple users. The combined email + SMS + CRM at this price point is unbeatable for a team of 3-5 handling marketing on a tight budget.

Mid-Market (11-50)

Scaling with dedicated teams

Brevo works for mid-market teams that prioritize budget efficiency. The automation builder handles most workflows. But if your team has dedicated marketing ops people who need advanced segmentation and attribution, ActiveCampaign Professional ($149/mo) offers more capability per dollar spent on automation specifically.

Enterprise (50+)

Complex org, multiple divisions

Enterprise plan with dedicated IP and SLA. Works for companies with straightforward email and SMS needs at scale. Complex enterprise requirements (advanced attribution, multi-brand, deep Salesforce integration) may push you toward HubSpot or Marketo.

Alternatives Worth Considering

Mailchimp

Choose Mailchimp if you need a massive integration ecosystem and prettier templates. You'll pay more per contact, but the ecosystem depth and brand familiarity have value for teams deeply integrated with other tools. Read review →

ActiveCampaign

Choose ActiveCampaign if marketing automation complexity is your top requirement. The automation builder is a generation ahead of Brevo's. You'll pay more (especially with large lists), but the capability gap is significant. Read review →

MailerLite

Choose MailerLite if you want similar value pricing with a cleaner interface. MailerLite charges per subscriber (not per email), so the cost comparison depends on your list size versus send volume. For small lists with high send frequency, MailerLite may cost less. Read review →

HubSpot Marketing Hub

Choose HubSpot if you want the full platform (CRM, marketing, sales, service) and budget allows $800+/mo. Brevo gives you 30% of HubSpot's capability at 8% of the price. Whether that ratio works depends on which 30% you need.

The Sultan's Bottom Line

Brevo's per-email pricing model is the most founder-friendly approach in email marketing. Storing unlimited contacts for free and paying only for sends means your costs scale with actual usage, not list size. For businesses that have been watching their Mailchimp bill climb as their list grows (even though half those contacts haven't opened an email in months), switching to Brevo is an immediate win.

The multi-channel consolidation adds real value. Email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat, and CRM from one dashboard for $65/mo is objectively good value compared to building that stack from separate tools. No individual component is the best in its class. But the package at this price makes Brevo one of the smartest choices for budget-conscious teams.

The 7.6 score reflects a tool that's excellent on value but doesn't lead on any single capability. If you need the best automation, choose ActiveCampaign. The best creator tools, choose Kit. The best e-commerce email, choose Klaviyo. But if you want the most capability per dollar, Brevo wins that race convincingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brevo the same as Sendinblue?

Yes. Sendinblue rebranded to Brevo in 2023. Same company, same platform, same team. The rebrand reflected the expansion from email-only to a multi-channel marketing platform. Some older tutorials and integrations still reference the Sendinblue name.

How does Brevo's pricing work?

Brevo charges per email sent, not per contact stored. Store unlimited contacts for free. Pay based on your monthly email volume. Starter starts at $25/mo for 20,000 emails. Business starts at $65/mo for 20,000 emails. This saves 40-70% compared to contact-based pricing for businesses with large but lightly-emailed lists.

Is Brevo good for e-commerce?

Adequate. Brevo integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce, supports abandoned cart emails and product recommendations. But Klaviyo and Drip offer deeper e-commerce features: predictive analytics, revenue attribution per email, and advanced product segmentation. Use Brevo for e-commerce if budget is the priority; use Klaviyo if email revenue optimization is the priority.

How is Brevo's deliverability?

Acceptable but not top-tier. Independent tests put Brevo's inbox placement at 80-89%, below Mailchimp (88-92%) and ActiveCampaign (90%+). Shared IPs on lower plans drag the average down. The Business plan with dedicated IP improves deliverability noticeably.

Can Brevo replace HubSpot?

For basic marketing needs, partially. Brevo covers email, SMS, CRM, and chat at a fraction of HubSpot's price. But HubSpot's CRM is far deeper, its reporting is more sophisticated, and the platform integration across marketing, sales, and service is tighter. Brevo replaces HubSpot's marketing email at 8% of the cost. It doesn't replace the full HubSpot platform.

Does Brevo work for transactional email?

Yes. Brevo handles both marketing and transactional email (order confirmations, password resets, shipping notifications) from one account. Most competitors require a separate service like SendGrid or Postmark for transactional email. This consolidation saves both money and management overhead.

Key Features

Email campaigns
SMS marketing
Chat
CRM
Automations
Transactional email

Pricing

Plan	Price
Free	$0 (300 emails/day)
Starter	$25/mo
Business	$65/mo
Enterprise	Custom