Best Email Marketing Software for Shopify Stores
By DTCStack · Updated 2026-06-12
Email is still the highest-ROI channel most Shopify stores have - but the "best" tool depends entirely on your stage, your list size, and how much complexity you can manage. This guide covers the four tools worth your shortlist across every stage, from your first 250 subscribers to a list of 50,000+, with honest pricing and trade-offs as of June 2026. Prices scale with contacts or send volume, so confirm live rates before committing.
Quick recommendations
| You are... | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A complete beginner (under 500 contacts) | Mailchimp or Omnisend | Mailchimp for the easiest editor; Omnisend for ecommerce-first features + free 24/7 support |
| A growing DTC store (500-10K) | Omnisend | Best price-to-ecommerce-features ratio; multi-channel bundled |
| A scaling, email-heavy brand (10K+) | Klaviyo | Segmentation depth and per-flow revenue attribution justify the cost |
| Running a large list, sending infrequently | Brevo | Volume-based pricing is uniquely cheap for big, low-cadence lists |
How we chose
We weighed the things that actually move revenue for a Shopify store: depth and reliability of the Shopify data sync, quality of prebuilt ecommerce automations (abandoned cart, welcome, post-purchase, win-back), segmentation power, revenue attribution, ease of use, support, and honest total cost as your list grows. We deliberately avoid star ratings - they're easy to fake. Instead, each pick comes with the situations it fits and the situations it doesn't.
The best email marketing tools for Shopify
Klaviyo - best for scaling, data-driven brands
Best for: stores doing meaningful revenue (often cited around $50K+/month) that need surgical segmentation and per-flow revenue data.
Pricing: Free up to 250 profiles; Email plans start around $20/month and scale to ~$100/month at 5,000 and ~$150/month at 10,000 profiles. Note it bills on all active profiles, including non-opted contacts (as of June 2026).
Pros: best-in-class segmentation (RFM, predicted CLV, churn risk, next-order date); per-flow, per-campaign revenue attribution; 350+ integrations and a deep agency ecosystem.
Cons: expensive at scale; steep learning curve; SMS is a separate credit add-on.
Omnisend - best all-around for growing stores
Best for: small-to-medium Shopify stores that want most of Klaviyo's ecommerce features at a lower price, with email + SMS + push bundled.
Pricing: Free up to 250 contacts; Standard starts around $16-$20/month and scales to ~$70/month at 5,000 contacts (as of June 2026).
Pros: best price-to-ecommerce-features ratio; ecommerce-native and fast to onboard; 24/7 live chat on every plan, including free; 27 prebuilt ecommerce workflows.
Cons: thinner integrations outside the ecommerce core; an enterprise ceiling for very large lists; SMS adds up at high volume.
Mailchimp - best for beginners and broad integrations
Best for: very small or early-stage stores, and hybrid/non-ecommerce businesses that prize an easy editor and wide compatibility.
Pricing: Free up to 250 contacts; Essentials from around $13/month and Standard from around $20/month for 500 contacts, scaling with contact count (as of June 2026).
Pros: the most intuitive editor of the four; 300+ integrations; strong documentation and a large talent pool.
Cons: unsubscribed and duplicate contacts keep counting unless manually archived; ecommerce depth lags Klaviyo and Omnisend; pricing deteriorates at scale.
Brevo - best for large lists and all-in-one budgets
Best for: stores with large lists but moderate send frequency, and teams wanting email + SMS + transactional + CRM in one affordable tool.
Pricing: Free plan with 300 emails/day; paid plans start around $9/month for ~5,000 emails, based on publicly listed pricing - verify current rates (as of June 2026).
Pros: uniquely cheap for big lists with low cadence (prices on volume, not contacts); bundles transactional email and a CRM; beginner-friendly editor.
Cons: shallower ecommerce segmentation; users have reported occasional account suspensions tied to list-hygiene enforcement; limited templates and a basic landing-page builder.
How to choose
- Map your pricing shape. Big list, infrequent sends? Brevo's volume pricing wins. Small list, frequent sends? Contact-priced tools (Omnisend, Mailchimp) are fine.
- Be honest about complexity. If you don't have a marketer or agency, Klaviyo's depth may go unused - Omnisend or Mailchimp will be friendlier.
- Weigh ecommerce depth. Serious lifecycle programs and per-flow attribution point to Klaviyo; most stores are well served by Omnisend.
- Test on the free plan first. All four have one - send a real campaign before you pay.
Final recommendation
For most Shopify stores, Omnisend is the best starting point: ecommerce-native, multi-channel, and well priced for the 500-10K contact range where most merchants live. As you scale and email becomes a core revenue channel, graduate to Klaviyo for its segmentation and attribution depth. If you're brand new, Mailchimp is the gentlest on-ramp, and if you run a large list on a tight budget, Brevo is the value play. Compare all four in our email marketing category.
FAQ
- What's the single best email tool for Shopify?
- There isn't one universal answer. Omnisend is the best all-around pick for most growing stores; Klaviyo is best for data-heavy scaling brands; Mailchimp for beginners; Brevo for large lists with light sending.
- Which has the best free plan?
- All four offer roughly 250 contacts and 500 emails/month - except Brevo, which gives 300 emails/day (around 9,000/month) with unlimited contact storage, making it the most generous on volume.
- Do I need email and SMS, or just email?
- Start with email - it's the highest-ROI channel. Add SMS once you have an engaged list and a reason to use it. Omnisend, Klaviyo, and Brevo all support SMS in one platform.
- How much should a Shopify store budget for email?
- Most small-to-medium stores land between roughly $20 and $130/month depending on list size and tool. Model the cost at your expected contact count, since prices scale steeply at the top tiers.
- Is Klaviyo overkill for a small store?
- Often, yes. Its power shines with a dedicated marketer and a list past ~10K. Smaller stores usually get better value - and a gentler learning curve - from Omnisend or Mailchimp.
Related tools
Premium email and SMS marketing platform built for ecommerce, with the deepest Shopify data sync and segmentation of any mid-market tool.
Ecommerce-native email, SMS, and web push in one platform - most of Klaviyo's ecommerce features at a noticeably lower entry price.
The most beginner-friendly email platform, with a polished editor and the broadest integration ecosystem - but lighter on ecommerce depth.
All-in-one email, SMS, CRM, and transactional platform priced by email volume - uniquely affordable for large lists with moderate send frequency.