This article was last updated May 2026 with verified current pricing and feature changes from October 2025.
Quick Answer
60-second read
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is an email marketing and automation platform best suited for SMBs with large contact lists, ecommerce stores, and businesses that need email, SMS, and CRM in one affordable package. Starting at approximately €7/month ($9) for paid plans — or free for 300 emails per day — it’s genuinely cheaper than Mailchimp for high-volume senders because it charges per email sent, not per contact stored. The big caveat: Gmail deliverability sits around 72%, below the industry average. We rate it 8.2/10 for value for money, but it’s not the right choice if Gmail-heavy audiences or fast support access are priorities. Always verify current EUR pricing at official pages as rates vary.
🔬 How I Reviewed Brevo
I tested Brevo’s email editor, automation builder, transactional email setup, and free CRM across four weeks of actual use. Deliverability data comes from EmailToolTester’s ongoing independent testing (2017–2026). Pricing was confirmed directly on brevo.com/pricing in March 2026 and reviewed in May 2026. EUR prices are approximate conversions — always verify at official pricing pages before committing.
9,300+
User reviews analysed
6
Independent sources
9 yrs
Deliverability data
May 2026
Pricing reviewed
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What Is Brevo — and Who Makes It?
Brevo is an email marketing and automation platform for small and medium-sized businesses, available from approximately €7/month ($9) with a free plan capped at 300 emails per day. Founded in 2012 in Paris under the name Sendinblue, the company rebranded to Brevo in May 2023 and now serves over 500,000 businesses worldwide. Brevo competes directly with Mailchimp, MailerLite, and GetResponse, with plans ranging from €0 (free) to approximately €430/month ($499) for high-volume senders. Its biggest differentiator is email-volume pricing — you pay per email sent, not per contact stored. Always verify current pricing at brevo.com/pricing.
If you’re still comparing your options before committing, it’s worth checking out our roundup of the best email marketing software to see how Brevo stacks up against the full field.
⚠️ October 2025 Pricing Changes — Read This First
Brevo restructured its pricing in October 2025. The old “Business” plan is now called “Standard.” A new “Professional” tier at $499/month (~€430) was introduced. The free plan’s automation was restricted to 2,000 contacts — previously unlimited. Landing pages were removed from the Starter plan and moved to Standard only. Any Brevo review written before November 2025 may show incorrect plan names and outdated pricing. Always verify at brevo.com/pricing.
The short answer: Brevo is a Paris-based email marketing platform (formerly Sendinblue) offering email-volume pricing from approximately €7/month ($9). It serves 500,000+ businesses and includes email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and a free CRM in one platform. Best for SMBs with large contact lists or multi-channel needs. Not ideal for businesses where Gmail inbox rates are a top priority.
How Much Does Brevo Cost in 2026 — EUR and USD?
Brevo offers four pricing tiers in 2026. The free plan allows 300 emails per day (9,000/month) with unlimited contacts. Paid plans start at approximately €7/month (Starter, $9), €15/month (Standard, $18 — most popular), and €430/month (Professional, $499). Enterprise pricing is negotiated. Annual billing saves 10% across all paid plans. EUR prices are approximate — always verify at brevo.com/pricing.
Free
€0/month
- 300 emails/day (9,000/month)
- Unlimited contacts
- Basic automation (2,000 contacts)
- Free CRM
- Aura AI assistant
- SMS pay-as-you-go
- Brevo branding on emails
- No A/B testing
- No landing pages
Best for: Testing the platform, very low send volumes
Starter
~€7/month
$9/month · 5,000 emails
- No daily sending limit
- Everything in Free
- 24/7 email support
- Logo removal: +$9/month extra
- No A/B testing
- No landing pages
- Basic automation only
Best for: Small businesses, occasional senders
Standard
~€15/month
$18/month · 5,000 emails
- Everything in Starter
- A/B testing
- Landing pages (1 included)
- Unlimited automation contacts
- Heat maps & advanced analytics
- Predictive send-time (AI)
- Brevo branding removed
Best for: Growing SMBs needing full features
Professional
~€430/month
$499/month · 150,000 emails
- Everything in Standard
- WhatsApp Business
- AI segmentation
- 10 users included
- Phone support
- Dedicated IP included
Best for: Large teams, very high-volume senders
EUR prices approximate. Always verify at brevo.com/pricing before committing.
The hidden costs nobody mentions
- Logo removal (Starter only): $9/month — nearly doubles the Starter plan cost
- Dedicated IP: $251/year — Professional+ plans only
- Additional landing pages: $24/month for 5 extra pages (Standard plan)
- Additional marketing seats: $9/month each (Standard: up to 3 included)
- SAML SSO: $324/month (Professional plan)
- SMS: Pay-as-you-go on all plans — rates vary by country
- WhatsApp: Pay-as-you-go, Professional+ plans only
If you’re on the Starter plan and want clean, unbranded emails, you’re actually paying ~€7 + $9 = roughly €16/month. That’s when the Standard plan at ~€15/month starts looking like the smarter move.
Brevo plans feature comparison
| Feature | Free | Starter (~€7) | Standard (~€15) | Professional (~€430) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emails/month | 9,000 (300/day) | 5,000+ | 5,000+ | 150,000+ |
| Contacts | Unlimited (2K automation) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| A/B Testing | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Landing Pages | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (1 included) | ✅ |
| Advanced Automation | Basic (2K contacts) | Basic only | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Unlimited |
| Aura AI Assistant | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Free CRM | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Phone Support | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| 🏆 Best For | Platform testing | Simple newsletters | Growing SMBs, ecommerce | High-volume teams |
The short answer on pricing: Brevo’s realistic entry price for professional use is approximately €15/month ($18) on the Standard plan — not the advertised ~€7 Starter, which lacks A/B testing, landing pages, and advanced automation. For businesses that need full features without hidden logo-removal costs, Standard is the right starting point. Annual billing saves 10%.
What Can Brevo Actually Do? The Key Features Explained
Email marketing and the drag-and-drop editor
The email editor is genuinely one of Brevo’s strongest points. The drag-and-drop interface is clean and intuitive — even for someone who’s never touched an email marketing tool before. The template library has around 40–50 options, which feels thin compared to Mailchimp’s 130+. Real-time engagement tracking is a standout feature — you can watch opens and clicks happen as they occur.
Marketing automation workflows
Automation is where Brevo earns its reputation. The visual workflow builder lets you set up behavioral triggers — contact joins a list, visits a specific page, clicks a link, or hasn’t opened in 30 days — and branch into different email sequences, SMS follow-ups, or time delays. Setting up a basic welcome sequence takes about 20 minutes.
The important catch: full automation is a Standard-plan feature (~€15/month). On the free plan and Starter, automation is capped at 2,000 contacts — that restriction will hit quickly for any meaningful list.
Multi-channel marketing — email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat
One thing that sets Brevo apart from standalone email tools: it handles multiple channels natively. SMS marketing is available on all plans via pay-as-you-go credits that never expire. WhatsApp campaigns are Professional+ only (and as of April 2025, US-based WhatsApp marketing templates are suspended by Meta, so this is most useful for European and Asian markets). Live chat via Brevo’s Conversations app, web push notifications, and Facebook Ads integration round out the multi-channel offering.
💡 The Pricing Advantage Most People Miss
Brevo charges by email volume, not contact count. A business with 80,000 contacts sending two campaigns per month pays exactly the same as one with 5,000 contacts on the same plan. If you have a large list but moderate send frequency, Brevo will almost certainly be cheaper than Mailchimp, Kit, or ActiveCampaign — all of which charge based on how many contacts you store.
What’s new: Aura AI assistant (launched May 2025)
🤖 Aura AI — Available on All Plans Including Free
Brevo launched its AI writing assistant, Aura, in May 2025. It generates subject lines, drafts full email copy, adjusts tone (formal, conversational, persuasive), and translates campaigns into six languages. According to Brevo’s internal data, Aura-generated subject lines improve open rates by 8–12% compared to manually written versions. It’s one of the few AI email tools available even on the free plan — a genuine competitive advantage over Mailchimp’s AI features, which require paid tiers.
Free CRM and sales tools
Every Brevo plan includes a sales CRM — something competitors like Mailchimp don’t offer natively. You get deal pipelines, contact management, task automation, and a 360° customer view tying marketing activity to CRM records. It’s not a replacement for Salesforce or HubSpot, but for SMBs who don’t need enterprise-level CRM depth, it removes the need for a separate subscription.
Transactional email
Transactional email — order confirmations, password resets, shipping notifications — is included on every Brevo plan at no extra cost. You get RESTful APIs, SMTP relay, and webhooks. This is notably different from Mailchimp, which charges additional fees for transactional email (via Mandrill). For ecommerce stores sending a high volume of automated triggered emails, this matters a lot in total cost calculations.
The short answer on features: Brevo’s strongest feature combination is its visual automation builder, multi-channel reach (email + SMS + WhatsApp), and the Aura AI assistant — all available at a price point well below competitors. The weak spot is the template library (~40–50 vs Mailchimp’s 130+) and the automation contact cap on lower tiers.
What Is Brevo’s Deliverability Rate — and Is Gmail a Problem?
Brevo’s overall deliverability rate is approximately 89–92% in 2025–2026, based on EmailToolTester’s ongoing independent testing. That’s a reasonable number — but the Gmail-specific figure is where things get uncomfortable: around 72% of emails sent to Gmail addresses actually land in the inbox, compared to an industry average of roughly 85%.
📊 Brevo Deliverability Over Time (EmailToolTester)
Source: EmailToolTester ongoing deliverability testing (2017–2026). Industry average ~85%.
Deliverability by provider: Gmail ~72% inbox ⚠️, Outlook ~80%, AOL ~82%, ProtonMail / custom servers best performance. Overall average: ~78.94% inbox / 19.72% spam / 2.16% lost.
⚠️ Gmail Deliverability: Know Before You Commit
Independent testing shows Brevo achieving roughly 72% inbox placement for Gmail addresses — below the ~85% industry benchmark. If your audience is primarily B2C consumers with personal Gmail accounts, this matters significantly. To improve Gmail performance: enable a dedicated IP ($251/year, Professional+ plans), configure SPF/DKIM/DMARC properly, and maintain consistent sending schedules. Brevo provides an automated DKIM setup wizard — use it.
The short answer on deliverability: Brevo’s overall deliverability is solid at 89–92%, and it earned “Best Email Marketing Tool 2026” from EmailToolTester. But Gmail performance (~72%) is a real weakness. If your list is mostly Gmail addresses, test deliverability on the free plan before upgrading, and budget for a dedicated IP if you need to close that gap.
Brevo Pros and Cons — What I Actually Found After Testing
✅ What Works Well
- Email-volume pricing: Large lists cost the same as small ones at the same plan
- Generous free plan: 300 emails/day and unlimited contacts
- Multi-channel in one tool: Email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, push
- Free CRM included: Deal pipelines without a separate tool
- Aura AI on free plan: AI subject lines and email copy at no cost
- Strong automation: Visual workflow builder with behavioral triggers on Standard+
- GDPR-friendly: Paris HQ, strong EU compliance built in
- Transactional email included: No extra fees for order confirmations
❌ Where It Falls Short
- Gmail deliverability: ~72% inbox rate — 13pp below the ~85% industry average
- Thin template library: ~40–50 templates vs Mailchimp’s 130+
- Account suspension risk: Strict anti-spam policies can flag legitimate accounts
- Support slow on lower tiers: 24–48+ hour response on Free and Starter
- Hidden costs add up: Logo removal, landing page extras, dedicated IP all cost extra
- Free plan automation limit: Only 2,000 contacts since October 2025
Is Brevo Better Than Mailchimp?
Brevo is cheaper than Mailchimp for high-volume senders because it charges by email volume rather than contact count. A business with 50,000 contacts on the Standard plan pays approximately €15/month with Brevo versus Mailchimp’s Essentials for 50,000 contacts running around €270/month. Mailchimp wins on deliverability (~93–95% vs Brevo’s 89–92%) and template variety (130+ vs ~40–50). Choose Brevo for budget and multi-channel needs; choose Mailchimp for maximum reliability and design.
| Criteria | Brevo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per email sent ✅ | Per contact stored |
| Cost at 50K contacts (approx.) | ~€15/month ✅ | ~€270/month |
| Overall deliverability | 89–92% | 93–95% ✅ |
| Gmail deliverability | ~72% ⚠️ | ~85%+ ✅ |
| Template library | ~40–50 | 130+ ✅ |
| Free CRM included | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Transactional email | ✅ Included free | Extra cost (Mandrill) |
| GDPR / EU base | ✅ Paris HQ | US-based |
| 🏆 Best For | Large lists, ecommerce, multi-channel, budget-conscious | Maximum deliverability, design variety, beginners |
The short answer on Brevo vs Mailchimp: Brevo wins on price for large lists — dramatically. A 50,000-contact list costs approximately €15/month on Brevo Standard vs roughly €270/month on Mailchimp Essentials. Mailchimp wins on Gmail deliverability, template variety, and ease of use for beginners. The right choice depends entirely on your list size and send frequency. All prices approximate.
Brevo Controversy — What Users Actually Complain About
A significant number of users report having their accounts paused or terminated without clear warning, particularly in the early stages of using the platform. The common thread involves domain warmup issues, importing cold lists, or sending to contacts who haven’t explicitly opted in. Brevo’s anti-spam policies are strict, and the platform can flag accounts automatically when engagement rates fall below certain thresholds.
- “Account was suspended without any explanation after my first campaign” — recurring theme on Reddit
- “Reactivation takes 3–5 business days with no live support to escalate” — Trustpilot reviews
- “Their anti-spam system is aggressive — good in principle but frustrating for legitimate list builders” — G2 reviewer
⚠️ Account Suspension Risk: What to Do Before You Start
If you’re new to Brevo: use double opt-in for all new subscribers, warm up your domain gradually (start with 50–100 emails/day and increase over 2–3 weeks), never import lists that haven’t explicitly consented, and monitor engagement rates in your first month. A suppression list hygiene pass before migrating can prevent most suspension triggers.
Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Use Brevo?
✅ Choose Brevo if you: have a large contact list (10,000+) but send moderate volumes; run an ecommerce store needing abandoned cart automations plus transactional email; need multi-channel marketing (email + SMS + WhatsApp + live chat) without separate platforms; are a European business needing GDPR-compliant infrastructure; or are a B2B sender where subscribers use Outlook or corporate email domains.
❌ Skip Brevo if you: have a primarily B2C Gmail audience — the ~72% Gmail inbox rate will cost you opens; need advanced automation depth (consider ActiveCampaign); require fast phone or live chat support — that’s Professional-only; want design variety — Mailchimp is the better choice; or are importing a large cold list without a solid warmup strategy.
The short answer on who it’s for: Brevo is worth it for SMBs with large contact lists, ecommerce stores, and businesses needing email + SMS + CRM in one affordable package. It’s not recommended for businesses where Gmail deliverability is critical, teams needing enterprise automation depth, or those who expect instant support access. We rate Brevo 8.2/10 for value for money.
Is Brevo Worth It in 2026? Our Honest Verdict
After testing Brevo across email campaigns, automation workflows, transactional setups, and ecommerce integrations — and reviewing data from over 9,000 user reviews — my overall rating is 8.2/10.
That’s a strong score, reflecting genuine value. The email-volume pricing model is a structural advantage that saves real money for growing businesses with large lists. The Aura AI assistant being free across all plans is a differentiator. The CRM inclusion removes a whole category of software spending for smaller teams. And the multi-channel approach — email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat — is genuinely useful for businesses that need more than a simple newsletter tool.
Where points came off: the Gmail deliverability situation (~72%) is a legitimate concern, not a technicality. The template library of ~40–50 designs feels thin. Support on lower tiers is slow. And the account suspension risk trips up new users who aren’t expecting it.
CompareAITools.org Rating
Excellent value for money · Named Best Email Marketing Tool 2026 by EmailToolTester
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Looking for a Brevo Alternative?
GetResponse — best for marketing funnels and webinars
GetResponse offers deeper funnel-building tools than Brevo, with native webinar hosting (unique in this price range) and more advanced segmentation. Read our full GetResponse review or compare them in our GetResponse vs Brevo analysis. → Try GetResponse free for 30 days
MailerLite — best for simplicity and clean design
MailerLite has a genuinely beautiful editor, a strong free plan, and excellent deliverability. Worth noting: MailerLite can also be strict about account approvals — they terminated an account of mine citing cold emailing even when no emails had been sent yet. So account suspension caution applies here too. → Try MailerLite free
Moosend — best budget alternative
Moosend starts at $9/month with solid automation without the complexity of Brevo’s multi-channel setup. → Try Moosend free for 30 days
For a full comparison across the category, check out our best email marketing software guide and our roundup of the best Mailchimp alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brevo
Related Resources
- 📧 Best Email Marketing Software 2026 — Full comparison of 12 platforms tested
- 📊 GetResponse vs Brevo — Which wins for growing businesses?
- 🔄 GetResponse Review — Strongest Brevo alternative for funnels and webinars
- 📬 Best Mailchimp Alternatives — When to switch and what to switch to
- ⚡ Email Marketing Automation Guide — How to choose an automation platform
- 🏆 GetResponse vs Mailchimp — Contact-based pricing compared
- 🌐 Best Landing Page Builders — If you need more than Brevo’s 1-page Standard tier
- 📧 MailerLite vs Brevo — Head-to-head comparison
Primary sources used in this review
- EmailToolTester — Brevo Review & Deliverability Testing (ongoing, 2017–2026)
- Brevo Official Pricing Page — Verified March 4, 2026, reviewed May 2026
- EmailDeliverabilityReport 2026 — inbox placement data by provider
- G2 — Brevo product page (4.5/5, 2,432+ reviews)
- Capterra — Brevo product page (4.5/5, 1,800+ reviews)
- Trustpilot — Brevo (4.3/5, 6,876+ reviews)
