Business owners are constantly trying to improve their marketing efforts. Email marketing remains a powerful marketing tool, with a return on investment of $42 to every $1 spent. In order to harness the power of email marketing, it’s important to choose the right software that can take your marketing to the next level.

Email marketing software is so much more than just a way to send and track emails. Tools to increase your audience, segment your lists, and combine all your marketing channels turn the software into a powerful solution to grow your business and earn more revenue.

We tested the most popular email marketing software on the market and considered price, ease of use, functionality, and more to give you the best options depending on what you need.

5 Best Email Marketing Tools of 2022

1.     MAILCHIMP

Mailchimp is the best overall email marketing software because it has the features that most businesses need, without being overly complicated or confusing. Businesses can schedule campaigns, A/B test copy, and get reports that include open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribe rates, and more. Plus, it has the most generous free-forever plans of the software we tested.

Pros

  • Free-forever plan (up to 2,000 contacts)
  • Easy to build and customize campaigns
  • Clear reporting that helps optimize future sends
  • Integrates with hundreds of software platforms

Cons

  • Pricey for larger contact lists (more than 15k subscribers)
  • Very limited phone support
  • Not designed for advanced marketing teams

Mailchimp’s free plan includes up to 2,000 contacts and up to 10,000 monthly email sends. Its platform is one of the easiest to get used to with drag-and-drop features that allow you to stylize your emails. Mailchimp is the perfect tool for any business looking for a simple way to send emails to their customers. It has an easy-to-use email editor, and once you upgrade to the first paid plan you get access to more advanced tools such as A/B testing and multi-step journeys. Users will enjoy the easy-to-understand reporting that helps them determine what is working and what isn’t. Things like open rates and click-throughs are easily identified so business owners know if readers are responding to the content.

2. Active Campaign

Active Campaign is the best email marketing software for automation because it has hundreds of pre-built automation that help you personalize campaigns for each subscriber. There are help guides throughout the platform as you’re getting things set up, plus Active Campaign’s customer support is fast and friendly.

Pros

  •       Great automation features that simplify customer interactions
  •         Helpful, friendly, and fast customer support
  •         All plan levels include data migration and implementation services
  •       CRM with sales automation included for free (For a limited time)
  •         Has 850+ integrations with the most popular software

Cons

  •         Learning curve can be a challenge
  •         Lite plan is very limited (and includes Active Campaign branding)
  •         Plans quickly jump in price with the number of contacts

Active Campaign is a customer experience automation (CXA) software with email capabilities. Because it is designed to manage contacts and the sales process, it offers more than 850 integrations.

There’s a 14-day free trial to test the software. After that, you will need to subscribe to one of the four paid plans, which you can pay monthly or annually. There’s a 14-day free trial to test the software. After that, you will need to subscribe to one of the four paid plans, which you can pay monthly or annually. The discount for paying annually ranges from 15% to 40% depending on the plan. The cost of each plan also depends on how many contacts you have (nonprofits get 20% off). Active Campaign helps businesses build automation that are customized to increase engagement with subscribers, giving it the edge in this category. The interface is easy to use, intuitive and includes resources for any questions that come up during the process. It also includes sales automation so your marketing and sales processes can work together to earn more revenue.

3. Mailer Lite

Mailer Lite is the easiest email marketing software to use because it has a drag-and-drop interface that makes it fun and intuitive to create the design you want. Simplicity is at the heart of the company’s mission, which is why the software has a clean and streamlined look.

Pros

  •         Drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to design emails
  •         Free plan for up to 1,000 contacts
  •         Email support
  •       Lots of email templates to choose from

Cons

  •       Doesn’t include CRM functionalities (Though it allows for integration)
  •         Limited integrations
  •       Need to provide a lot of company information to get an account set up

It offers a free-forever plan that includes 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 email sends. If you need more bandwidth or want more advanced features (like the ability to remove Mailer Lite branding), there is a paid plan. The cost depends on how many subscribers you have. You can pay monthly or annually, but with an annual plan, you get a 30% discount.  Active Campaign helps businesses build automation that are customized to increase engagement with subscribers, giving it the edge in this category. The interface is easy to use, intuitive and includes resources for any questions that come up during the process. It also includes sales automation so your marketing and sales processes can work together to earn more revenue.

4. Hubspot

Hubspot is the best all-in-one marketing suite because it has great tools and reporting for all of your marketing campaigns across various channels (website, social, email marketing, and more). You can store all contact information with Hubspot’s CRM and attract an audience through lead forms, live chat, and online ads.

Pros

  •         Full marketing suite with CRM, social media, blogging, as well as email marketing capabilities
  •         Email health tab helps keep deliverability rates on track
  •         Only pay for the contacts you are marketing to
  •         Track leads throughout their buying journey
  •         Helpful online training resources

Cons

  •       Does not have a free-forever plan or a low-cost plan
  •         Not for businesses strictly looking for email marketing tools
  •         Difficult to integrate a separate CRM, like Salesforce or Pipedrive
  •         Steep learning curve to fully unlock the marketing potential.

Hubspot is a leader in CRM services that include email marketing. The platform can handle everything from emails, social media posts, and blog publishing, making it the top platform for an all-in-one marketing solution.

There’s a 14-day free trial, and then you’ll have to subscribe to one of their three paid plans. While it’s free to store unlimited contacts, once the number you email surpasses the included amount, you will have to pay an additional fee. Save 10% on the first two plans if you pay annually (the Enterprise plan must be paid annually)

Hubspot combines all of your marketing activities in one place so you can have a centralized view of how contacts interact with your website, Google ads, social media, and email marketing. It provides insights into the buyer’s journey, helping business owners better tailor their marketing efforts for success. The platform includes a robust training platform that not only reviews how to use the system but also highlights the best practices for successful marketing campaigns.

5. Moosend

Moosend is the best affordable option not only because its paid plans cost less than most on the market, but also because you can pay either by the number of subscribers or by the number of emails sent, depending on which option is cheapest for you. Plus, its tools are user-friendly and make it easy to get attractive and timely emails out to your audience.

Pros

  •         Lowest plan costs
  •         Option to pay only when you send emails
  •         Easy to customize templates or use one from the template library

Cons

  •         Can’t send emails from a Gmail or Hotmail address
  •         less-sophisticated user interface
  •         Limited integrations

Moosend is a cost-effective platform that gives users the choice of how to get billed: by subscribers or by email. Phone support is included that can help if you have trouble customizing one of the numerous templates provided.

Moosend’s Free Forever plan includes 1,000 subscribers, plus there’s a Pro Plan and an Enterprise plan with tiered pricing. You’ll need to contact Moosend for Enterprise plan pricing. The Pro Plan is priced based on the number of subscribers. Below is the cost if you pay monthly, but you’ll receive a 20% discount for annual billing. You’ll also receive a 25% discount if you’re a non-profit. Moosend is one of the cheapest email marketing tools on the market, but it’s robust enough to satisfy most email marketing campaigns for small businesses, winning our spot for the most affordable option. It allows you to pay either by the number of subscribers or by the number of emails sent, so you can choose which option is most cost-effective for your business.

 Conclusion: In our review, we favored companies that offered a free-forever plan or a free trial so you can test the product’s effectiveness before committing.