Which are the best email marketing tools?

Email marketing tools help you to set up newsletter campaigns for your business. Different software offers different features as well as price plans.

What to look for in newsletter software

If you want to run professional newsletter marketing, you need the right software. But the demands on email marketing tools are high. In addition to the security aspect and legal compliance when sending newsletters, there are also some things to consider from a marketing point of view. For example, your choice of newsletter tool has to support you in managing your contacts and, if required, enable individual users to be divided into groups. The more expensive your planned campaign, the more important it is to have a feature implemented that measures performance. Only this way can you continuously improve the quality of your emails. In addition, the email marketing platform you choose should be able to ensure that your messages do not end up in the recipient’s spam folder.

Newsletter marketing is particularly popular because it is one of the most cost-effective marketing instruments. Should the cost aspect play an important role in your decision, you could also consider that many newsletter software promise a significant and rapid increase in your subscriber numbers, but when sending emails, you’re sometimes dependent on another provider’s services because a corresponding service is missing in the software you’ve chosen. It is therefore important to consider whether the cost/feature ratio is good when you decide on a particular newsletter provider.

Below we introduce you to various newsletter software (Updated: 2025).

IONOS Email Marketing Tool

IONOS Email Marketing is the email marketing solution to choose if sending emails in a GDPR-compliant way is particularly important to you, if you do business with customers in the EU, for example.

The tool is particularly suitable for small and medium-sized companies and is known for its simple, intuitive operation. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have prior knowledge of newsletter design because these newsletters look professional thanks to the attractive design templates and drag-and-drop editor. AI generated texts can help you formulate the newsletters’ contents and help save time.

Features

• GDPR-compliant newsletter dispatch
• Simple and intuitive operation
• AI-generated texts
• Drag and drop editing
• Double opt-in

Price

The IONOS email marketing tool offers great value for money. All plans include the full range of features, with the only difference being the number of emails you can send. The plans are structured as follows:

• Starter (up to 2,500 emails/month): $7/month for the first 6 months, then $10/month
• Plus (up to 10,000 emails/month): $5/month for the first 6 months, then $15/month
• Pro (up to 30,000 emails/month): $15/month for the first 6 months, then $30/month
• Premium (up to 60,000 emails/month): $25/month for the first 6 months, then $40/month

MailChimp

Mailchimp is a user-friendly email marketing software with an intuitive interface and a drag-and-drop editor for creating email templates. It integrates with various CRM systems, including Salesforce, Zoho CRM, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM, as well as over 300 other apps and web services like Shopify, WordPress, and Canva. Advanced analytics features provide detailed insights into your campaign performance. Note that data is stored on U.S. servers, which may have implications for data protection compliance.

Features

• Double opt-in process
• Spam and design testing
• Autoresponder
• Refined bounce management
• Linked to social media
• Marketing automation
• Authentication: sender-ID, SPF, DomainKeys/DKIM

Price

Mailchimp offers a free plan that allows up to 1,000 emails per month to up to 500 contacts. However, users must do without features like email scheduling and A/B testing. For more advanced features, the following paid plans are available:

• Essentials: From $13/month for 500 contacts
• Standard: From $20/month for 500 contacts, with advanced automation features
• Premium: From $297.50/month for 10,000 contacts, with comprehensive analytics and segmentation options

Additional contacts can be added for a monthly fee, depending on the plan. The Standard plan includes a free 14-day trial, allowing up to 1,200,000 emails to 100,000 contacts.

CleverReach

CleverReach is a leading provider of newsletter software in Germany. This cloud-based solution offers a user-friendly interface with a drag-and-drop editor and a wide range of customizable, responsive templates that make sending newsletters easy. With servers located in Germany, CleverReach meets high security standards and ensures compliance with the GDPR. It also integrates seamlessly with various systems and social media platforms such as WordPress, Magento, TYPO3, affilinet, Facebook, and Salesforce.

Features

• Autoresponder and follow-ups
• Marketing automation (THEA)
• Automatic bounce and log-off management
• Design and spam tests (Newsletter Client Testing)
• Double opt-In
• SSL encryption
• Blacklist (import/export possible)

Price

The newsletter provider CleverReach offers various plans tailored to different needs:

• Lite plan: Free for up to 250 contacts and 1,000 emails per month
• Basic plan: From €15/month (around $17) for up to 5,000 contacts
• Pro plan: From €18/month (around $21) for up to 150,000 contacts with advanced features
• Enterprise plan: Custom pricing starting at €499/month (around $570) for large companies with specific requirements
• Flex Option: One-time or monthly bookings of email quotas as needed

Brevo (formerly known as Newsletter2Go/Sendinblue)

The service provider Brevo is based in Berlin. The servers where the company stores customers’ newsletter data are also located in Germany, which is a big plus in terms of security and data protection (GDPR-compliant). Brevo is a versatile multi-channel marketing platform that enables marketing via WhatsApp, SMS, and Facebook Ads in addition to email marketing. This allows you to manage comprehensive campaigns all in one place.

Brevo is suitable for businesses of any size and offers, in addition to classic email marketing features, the ability to integrate transactional emails, chat functions, and a sales platform. Moreover, sign-up forms and landing pages can be created quickly and easily—even without prior knowledge, thanks to the user-friendly drag-and-drop editor.

Features

• Differentiated bounce and unsubscribe management
• Multi-channel marketing
• Spam test
• 1-click product and content transfer
• Marketing automation
• Mail server with whitelisting
• Double opt-in

Price

Brevo offers a flexible billing model with various plans, depending on your business needs. Pricing starts with a free plan for up to 300 emails per day. The paid plans start as follows:

• Starter plan: Starting at €6.33 (around $7)/month, ideal for small businesses needing basic features and limited sending volume.
• Business plan: Starting at €13.50 (around $15)/month, for businesses looking for advanced analytics and greater reach.
• Enterprise plan: Custom pricing available upon request, suitable for larger companies with specific volume and functionality needs.

Additional contacts and emails can be added for a monthly fee.

GetResponse

GetResponse is an internationally oriented email marketing software available in 24 different languages and in a total of 183 countries. Besides the robust newsletter editor, the integrated landing page editor is particularly impressive. With a selection of more than 150 templates and a variety of free iStock photos, it offers virtually unlimited design possibilities. Thanks to the mobile view available at all times, you get a good overview of how your newsletter looks on mobile devices. Open and click tracking as well as Google Analytics tracking are also available to you. In addition to Salesforce, SugarCRM, and Zoho CRM, e-commerce solutions like WooCommerce and PayPal can also be connected to the newsletter software.

Features

• Autoresponder
• Access to free stock photos
• A/B testing
• Optimized message delivery
• Spam and design testing
• Double opt-in process
• Bounce management

Price

The GetResponse newsletter tool offers various pricing plans based on the number of contacts:

• Starter: From €13.12 (around $15) per month for up to 1,000 contacts
• Marketer: From €44.28 (around $50) per month for up to 1,000 contacts
• Creator: From €50.84 (around $60) per month for up to 1,000 contacts

GetResponse also offers an 18% discount if you sign up for a 12-month contract. A free trial account with premium features is available for 30 days. After the trial period, you can upgrade to a paid plan.

Rapidmail

Rapidmail is a user-friendly email marketing software that stands out for its ease of use and extensive functionality. The software offers more than 250 design templates, which can be customized via a drag-and-drop editor, as well as a comprehensive image library with over 880,000 free photos. Rapidmail enables the easy sending of professional newsletters and offers numerous automation and analysis features to make your campaign success measurable. Thanks to its server location in Germany, Rapidmail meets all GDPR requirements and offers a high level of data security.

Features

• A/B tests
• Follow-up mailings
• Real-time tracking and click maps
• Unlimited recipient lists
• Email campaign automation
• Spam scoring

Price

Rapidmail offers a flexible pricing model:

• Per Send: No monthly costs, payment upon sending (e.g., €20 (around $23) for 500 emails)
• Starter: From €15 (around $17)/month for up to 500 contacts with unlimited sending
• Premium: From €25 (around $29)/month for up to 500 contacts with advanced features
• Enterprise: Custom pricing available upon request, suitable for larger companies with specific volume and functionality needs.

Newsletter software for smaller projects

Many of the newsletter software solutions mentioned above aren’t suited for smaller businesses and projects. The reason being is that there are too many useless features that can be distracting for freelancers or small businesses. If you simply want to reach a small amount of people, you should opt for a provider that offers the exact functions you need.

Simple email marketing tools such as Clever Elements with their sleek but solid range of functions are best suited for getting started. Campayn offers a few more of the standard features that are also included in professional newsletter software. A good option with a user-friendly interface is Cakemail.