Our Top 5 Picks
Klaviyo is the de facto standard for serious Shopify stores. Its segmentation lets you target subscribers based on exact purchase behavior, predicted LTV, order frequency, and more. Pre-built flows for abandoned cart, post-purchase, win-back, and browse abandonment are best-in-class. Revenue attribution is excellent — you always know exactly what your email program is generating.
Pricing: Free up to 250 contacts · ~$20/mo at 500 · ~$100/mo at 5,000 · ~$400/mo at 25,000
Best for: Shopify stores of all sizes that want the best segmentation and automation available.
Omnisend is the best Klaviyo alternative for budget-conscious stores. It includes SMS in all paid plans (rather than as a costly add-on), has a clean automation builder, and a solid Shopify integration. At 5,000 contacts you'll pay roughly 35% less than Klaviyo for a comparable feature set.
Pricing: Free (250 contacts) · Standard $16/mo · Pro $59/mo · scales similarly to Klaviyo but cheaper
Best for: Growing stores under 10,000 contacts who want email + SMS without Klaviyo's price tag.
Drip positions itself as an ecommerce CRM rather than a pure email tool — it has strong contact management, detailed customer timelines, and flexible automation. It's particularly good for stores that want to treat email marketing like a CRM relationship rather than a broadcast channel.
Pricing: Starts at $39/mo (2,500 contacts) — slightly more expensive than Omnisend at the low end, but competitive at scale
Best for: Stores that want CRM-style contact management alongside email marketing.
ActiveCampaign is the rare platform that works well for both ecommerce (B2C) and B2B companies. If your Shopify store also does wholesale, B2B sales, or has a service component alongside product sales, ActiveCampaign handles both without needing two separate tools.
Pricing: Starts at $15/mo (Lite) · Plus $49/mo · Professional $79/mo — contact-based pricing
Best for: Brands that sell to both consumers and businesses, or need CRM + email in one platform.
Mailchimp is the most approachable email marketing platform — familiar, easy to use, and has a solid Shopify integration for basic ecommerce use cases. It's not as powerful as Klaviyo for segmentation or automation, but for stores just getting started with email marketing it gets the job done.
Pricing: Free (500 contacts) · Essentials from $13/mo · Standard from $20/mo
Best for: Brand new stores, very small lists, or merchants who want the simplest possible setup.
Quick Comparison
| Platform | Score | Starting Price | SMS? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klaviyo | 9.2/10 | Free → ~$20/mo | ⚡ Add-on | Most Shopify stores |
| Omnisend | 8.7/10 | Free → $16/mo | ✓ Included | Budget-conscious stores |
| Drip | 8.3/10 | $39/mo | ⚡ Add-on | CRM-style email |
| ActiveCampaign | 8.5/10 | $15/mo | ⚡ Add-on | B2C + B2B brands |
| Mailchimp | 8.2/10 | Free → $13/mo | ⚡ Add-on | Simple/starter stores |
What to Look For in a Shopify Email Platform
Shopify Integration Depth
Real-time order sync, product catalog access, abandoned cart triggers. Klaviyo and Omnisend lead here.
Automation Flows
Pre-built flows for abandoned cart, post-purchase, win-back. These drive 20–40% of email revenue.
Segmentation
Ability to target by purchase history, LTV, RFM score. Critical for high-revenue email programs.
SMS Marketing
Email + SMS in one platform reduces complexity. Omnisend includes SMS; Klaviyo charges extra.
Pricing Model
Contact-based vs send-based pricing matters at scale. Know what you're signing up for.
Revenue Attribution
Can you see exactly what revenue each campaign and flow generates? Non-negotiable for serious stores.
Frequently Asked Questions
Klaviyo is the best overall — unmatched segmentation, deep Shopify integration, and best-in-class automation flows. For budget-conscious stores, Omnisend offers similar features at lower cost.
Yes, for most stores. Shopify Email handles basic broadcasts but lacks advanced segmentation, automation flows, SMS, and revenue attribution. Klaviyo's capabilities typically generate significantly more revenue from the same list.
Yes — Shopify Email is free up to 10,000 emails/month. It's easy to use but lacks advanced segmentation, automation, SMS, and the attribution tools that dedicated platforms like Klaviyo provide.
Klaviyo: free to 250 contacts, ~$20/mo for 500, ~$400/mo for 25,000. Omnisend: free to 250, $16/mo for 500, ~$150/mo for 25,000. Most stores find email marketing pays for itself many times over through abandoned cart recovery alone.
Klaviyo for most Shopify stores — it's purpose-built for ecommerce with deep Shopify integration and purchase-behavior segmentation. Mailchimp works but Klaviyo typically generates more revenue from the same list size.
🔗 Related reading: Klaviyo Review · Klaviyo vs Omnisend · Mailchimp vs ConvertKit