Brevo Review 2026: The Best Email Marketing + Transactional Combo for Small Businesses
Best for:Small businesses that send both marketing emails AND transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets, shipping updates)
Pricing:Free up to 300 emails/day · $9/mo Starter · $18/mo Standard · $499/mo Enterprise
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Brevo was Sendinblue until 2023. They rebranded to Brevo in March 2023 and have been quietly building the best email + SMS + transactional combo for small businesses. We tested Brevo as our primary marketing and transactional email tool for four months across two projects — one e-commerce store, one SaaS startup.
Who Brevo is for
- Small businesses that send both newsletters AND transactional email (order confirmations, shipping updates, password resets)
- E-commerce stores with under 50,000 contacts
- SaaS companies that need transactional email reliability without paying for SendGrid or Postmark
- Businesses that want SMS marketing without paying for a separate SMS tool
Who Brevo is NOT for
- Creators selling digital products who don’t send transactional email (use Kit or MailerLite)
- Service businesses with only newsletter needs (MailerLite is cheaper and cleaner)
- Enterprises with 100,000+ contacts (Brevo’s enterprise tier is overpriced compared to SendGrid or Postmark)
Pricing breakdown
Brevo’s pricing model is different from most email tools — they cap emails/day, not contacts:
| Plan | Cost | Emails/mo | Contacts | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 300/day | Unlimited | Marketing + transactional |
| Starter | $9/mo | 20,000 | Unlimited | No Brevo logo, A/B testing |
| Standard | $18/mo | 20,000 | Unlimited | Advanced automation, landing pages |
| Premium | $299/mo | 150,000 | Unlimited | Priority support, SLA |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Unlimited | Dedicated IP, advanced features |
The unique part: contacts are unlimited on every tier. You only pay based on emails sent. This is a major cost saver for businesses with large lists but low send frequency.
Features that matter for small businesses
Marketing email builder
Brevo’s drag-and-drop email builder is functional but not as polished as MailerLite’s or Mailchimp’s. Templates load slower, the block library is smaller, and the preview doesn’t always match the final email accurately.
That said, the builder is improving rapidly. New templates ship every month, and the underlying editor has been rewritten twice in the past 18 months.
Transactional email
This is Brevo’s strongest feature. The transactional email API is reliable, well-documented, and fast — comparable to SendGrid and Postmark on deliverability. Templates are easy to set up via the dashboard, and the SMTP relay works with all major e-commerce platforms.
For an e-commerce store doing $500K/year, Brevo’s transactional email alone saves $30-50/mo compared to paying separately for SendGrid.
SMS marketing
Brevo is one of the few email platforms that includes SMS on every plan (not an add-on like Mailchimp). SMS is available in:
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Most of Europe
- Australia
- Brazil
If your business is in one of these regions, the SMS feature is a real value-add. SMS pricing is pay-as-you-go on top of the email plan.
Automation
Automation is where Brevo beats MailerLite but loses to ActiveCampaign. On the Standard plan ($18/mo), you get:
- Visual automation workflows
- Conditional splits based on email engagement
- Goal tracking
- Multi-channel workflows (email + SMS)
This is enough for 80% of small business automation needs. If you need lead scoring or CRM-like features, ActiveCampaign is the upgrade path.
What Brevo doesn’t do well
Interface polish
Brevo’s interface is the weakest part of the product. There are too many menus, settings are buried in unexpected places, and the UX feels like it was designed by engineers rather than designers. Compared to MailerLite or Kit, using Brevo feels like work.
Template designs
The email template library is smaller and less polished than Mailchimp’s. If email design is critical to your brand (e.g., fashion, lifestyle), you’ll spend more time customizing Brevo templates than you would Mailchimp’s.
Reporting depth
Brevo’s reporting is functional but basic. You get opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and basic geographic data. Mailchimp’s paid plans include click heatmaps, comparative reporting, and revenue attribution. If you’re reporting to clients, Brevo’s depth will frustrate you.
The honest comparison: Brevo vs Mailchimp
For a small business sending both marketing and transactional email, Brevo wins on:
- Bundled transactional email (Mailchimp charges separately)
- Bundled SMS (Mailchimp charges separately)
- Unlimited contacts on all plans
Mailchimp wins on:
- Reporting depth
- Template designs
- Brand kits and design tools
- Third-party integration ecosystem
For most small businesses reading this, the question is: do you need transactional email? If yes, Brevo wins on cost. If no, MailerLite or Mailchimp is better for pure newsletter needs.
Verdict
4.4/5
Brevo is the right answer if you send both marketing and transactional email. The bundled approach saves $30-50/mo compared to running Mailchimp + SendGrid, and the transactional email deliverability is on par with dedicated transactional providers.
If you only need newsletters and don’t send transactional email, look at MailerLite or Kit — they’re cleaner and cheaper for pure newsletter use.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brevo better than Sendinblue?
Same product, new name. Brevo rebranded from Sendinblue in March 2023. Pricing and features are similar; the new branding includes the unified email + SMS + transactional positioning.
Is Brevo good for e-commerce?
Yes — it’s one of the best options for small e-commerce stores because of the bundled transactional email. Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce all have direct integrations.
Can I migrate from Mailchimp to Brevo?
Yes. Brevo has a direct Mailchimp importer. Lists, custom fields, and tags transfer. Automation flows need to be rebuilt — plan for 2-4 hours.
Does Brevo have a free tier?
Yes — 300 emails/day with unlimited contacts. This is more generous than Mailchimp’s free tier (500 contacts, 2,500 emails/mo).
Quick pros and cons
What we like
- Bundles marketing email + transactional email + SMS on every plan (Mailchimp charges separately for both)
- $9/mo Starter tier is one of the most affordable paid plans at 20,000 emails/mo
- Transactional email deliverability is on par with SendGrid and Postmark
- Free tier has unlimited contacts (capped at 300 emails/day, not subscribers)
- Solid automation features on the Standard plan ($18/mo)
What we don't
- Interface is more cluttered than MailerLite or Kit — steeper learning curve
- Email template designs are less polished than Mailchimp's paid templates
- Reporting depth is shallower than Mailchimp on the lower tiers
- SMS is only available in select countries (US, UK, EU, AU, BR)