Brevo Review

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) has quietly become one of the most compelling email marketing platforms for small businesses that need more than just a newsletter tool. Unlike Mailchimp or ConvertKit, Brevo bundles email marketing, CRM, automation, SMS, and WhatsApp campaigns into a single platform — and it charges based on email volume rather than subscriber count.

This pricing model is Brevo's most distinctive advantage. You can store unlimited contacts on every plan, including the free tier. If you have a large list but send infrequently, Brevo can save you hundreds compared to competitors that charge per subscriber.

The AI features are woven into the platform rather than bolted on. AI send-time optimization analyzes recipient behavior and sends emails when each contact is most likely to open them. On the Professional plan, AI-powered segmentation automatically groups contacts based on engagement patterns, purchase history, and predicted behavior.

We tested Brevo across a 30-day email campaign with a 15,000-subscriber list. The drag-and-drop email builder is functional but not beautiful — it gets the job done, though templates feel a generation behind Mailchimp's polished options.

Where Brevo genuinely impressed was the automation builder. Creating multi-step workflows with conditional branching, A/B splits, and time delays is intuitive even for non-technical users. We built a complete abandoned cart recovery sequence in under 20 minutes.

The built-in CRM surprised us. It is not Salesforce, but for small businesses tracking deals and associating them with email engagement, it eliminates the need for a separate CRM subscription. You can see a contact's full email history, deal status, and website activity in one view.

Deliverability was solid but not exceptional. In our tests, inbox placement averaged 88% across Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo — competitive with mid-tier providers, though slightly behind dedicated deliverability-focused tools like Postmark.

Brevo's pricing structure has clear sweet spots and pain points. The free plan with 300 emails per day and unlimited contacts is one of the best in the industry for getting started.

The Starter plan at $9/month for 5,000 emails is genuinely affordable, but it comes with limitations: automation is capped at 2,000 contacts, there is no A/B testing, and the Brevo branding stays on your emails unless you pay extra. The Standard plan at $18/month unlocks A/B testing, advanced reporting, and removes branding — this is where most small businesses should start.

The Professional plan at $499/month is a jarring jump. You get AI segmentation, advanced integrations, multi-user access, and phone support, but the price gap between Standard and Professional means many growing businesses end up stuck on Standard longer than ideal.

Compared to Mailchimp ($13/month for 500 contacts) and ConvertKit ($29/month for 1,000 subscribers), Brevo's contact-unlimited model is a clear win for businesses with large lists and moderate sending volume.

Brevo is the right choice for small businesses and e-commerce stores that want email marketing, CRM, and automation in one platform without paying for three separate tools. It is especially compelling if you have a large contact list but moderate sending needs.

Choose Brevo if you: want unlimited contacts without per-subscriber pricing, need CRM and email marketing in a single tool, run multi-channel campaigns across email, SMS, and WhatsApp, or want solid automation without the complexity of HubSpot.

Consider alternatives if you: prioritize beautiful email templates and design flexibility (Mailchimp), need advanced creator-focused features like paid newsletters (ConvertKit), want enterprise-grade marketing automation (HubSpot), or send high volumes and need the Professional features but cannot justify $499/month.