Alternatives · Email Marketing
Bento alternatives
As of Nov 13, 2026, the best Bento alternative for most people is Mailchimp (2.8 GPA), first in our ranking of email marketing and newsletter tools. It's also the best free one.
Bento compared with 5 alternatives: Customer.io, Loops, Mailchimp, Klaviyo and Sendlane.
Bento is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $29 per month for up to 5,000 active users. 3 of the 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 2 more offer a free trial.
Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from
Black Friday: is there a Bento sale?
At a glance
Price against what you get
Bento starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 2 of the 5 alternatives on this chart score higher and start lower: Mailchimp and Klaviyo.
Customer.io and Sendlane score higher without starting lower.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from Bento
Customer.io
Data-driven email, SMS, push and in-app messaging for product teams
- Customer.io starts at $100 per month for up to 5,000 profiles, billed monthly.
- Customer.io also covers business texting.
- Customer.io does not cover shared inbox, forms and transactional email, which Bento does.
Suits: Software and app companies sending messages from product data
Loops
Marketing, product and transactional email for SaaS teams
- Loops starts at $49 per month for up to 5,000 subscribed contacts.
- Loops has a free plan, which Bento lacks.
- Loops does not cover shared inbox and forms, which Bento does.
Suits: SaaS teams sending onboarding and product email
Mailchimp
Email and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count
- Mailchimp starts at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly.
- Mailchimp has a free plan, which Bento lacks.
- Mailchimp also lists iOS and Android apps.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
- Mailchimp does not cover shared inbox and transactional email, which Bento does.
Suits: Small businesses sending regular newsletters and promotions
Klaviyo
Email, text and push marketing built on online-store customer data
- Klaviyo starts at $20 per month for up to 500 active profiles, billed monthly.
- Klaviyo has a free plan, which Bento lacks.
- Klaviyo also covers reports.
- Klaviyo does not cover shared inbox and transactional email, which Bento does.
Suits: Online stores, especially on Shopify, that market from order data
Sendlane
Email and SMS marketing for online stores, priced by sends
- Sendlane starts at $100 per month for up to 50,000 emails, billed monthly.
- Sendlane also covers sMS marketing, a/B testing and popups.
- Sendlane does not cover shared inbox, forms and transactional email, which Bento does.
Suits: Online stores on Shopify or WooCommerce with large lists
Limits worth knowing in Bento
- The vendor says Bento is approval only, so not every sender is accepted.
- There is no free plan; the first month is a 30-day trial.
- Transactional email is a separate product: $5 a month up to 12,500 emails, with 100 free.
- Bento Chat is a $30 a month add-on, and annual billing is available on request.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Bento?
The alternatives to Bento in this directory are Customer.io, Loops, Mailchimp, Klaviyo and Sendlane. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Bento.
Is there a free alternative to Bento?
Yes. Loops, Mailchimp and Klaviyo have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Which Bento alternatives work on Android?
The Bento listing does not include an Android app. Mailchimp lists one.
Which Bento alternatives work on iOS?
The Bento listing does not include an iOS app. Mailchimp lists one.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 17, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.