Benchmark Email vs EmailOctopus
We give Benchmark Email a 2.2 GPA and EmailOctopus a 2.8, out of 4.0. EmailOctopus grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Benchmark Email
Straightforward email campaigns with every feature on every plan
EmailOctopus
Simple, low-cost email marketing with a free plan for 2,500
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABenchmark EmailFair | 2.8GPAEmailOctopusGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $16 a month for 1,000 contacts on yearly billing, or $19 monthly, between the middle and the dearer quarter of email tools. It's $93 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts, and each extra user costs $15 a month. | BPro is $9 a month for 500 subscribers on yearly billing, or $10 monthly, inside the cheaper quarter of email tools. It stays cheap as you grow, at $44.50 a month billed monthly for 10,000 subscribers, and nonprofits get 20% off for life. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month, with every feature, 1 user and 150 AI credits. Fair for trying it out, but 500 contacts is a cap you'll hit, and emails and forms carry Benchmark's branding. | BStarter is free for 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month, with no card and no time limit. One person could really run a club newsletter on it. You get 1 user, 1 form and 1 landing page, branding on emails and 30 days of reports. |
| Features | CA drag-and-drop editor with a brand kit, an AI assistant, sign-up forms and pop-ups, lists and tags, reports and list checking on Pro. It sends good newsletters, but its pricing page lists no automated email workflows, which most rivals include. | BA drag-and-drop editor with over 100 templates, your own HTML, automated sequences, fields, tags and segments, pop-up forms, landing pages and live reports. That covers the email marketing job, kept plain, with no SMS or store flows on record. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record and no phone app. With no workflows there's less to build, but you'll still set up lists, forms and templates in the web app. | CNo App Store rating on record and no phone app. It's a simple web app, but you'll still import a list and set up a form and templates before the first send. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with an API and native links to Zapier and Playable. Everything else, WordPress and Shopify included, goes through Zapier or the API. No desktop or phone app, so a B at most. | BWeb only, with WordPress, Shopify and Zapier and an API. It's a short list, and with no desktop or phone app, a B is the ceiling. |
| Best for | simple newsletters with every feature free | cheap, plain newsletters for small groups |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Benchmark Email and EmailOctopus. How we grade
Price against what you get
Benchmark Email starts at $16 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. EmailOctopus starts at $9 a month and scores 2.7.
EmailOctopus scores higher and starts $7 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 12 score higher than Benchmark Email for less, and none scores higher than EmailOctopus for less.
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
Where they differ
- Benchmark Email starts at $16 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually. EmailOctopus starts at $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly.
- EmailOctopus also covers marketing automation.
At a glance
| Benchmark Email | EmailOctopus | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $16 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually | $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Up to 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month, 1 user, 1 domain and 150 AI credits a month, with Benchmark branding on emails and forms. | Starter plan: up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month, 1 user, 1 landing page and 1 form, reports kept 30 days and EmailOctopus branding on emails. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Polaris Software, LLC | Three Hearts Digital Ltd |
| Price read from | benchmarkemail.com | emailoctopus.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Benchmark Email
- Small businesses sending regular newsletters to a modest list
- People who want to try every feature on a free plan first
- Teams that need sign-up forms and pop-ups more than automation
EmailOctopus
- Small organizations and clubs that need a free list of up to 2,500
- Authors and bloggers who want plain, cheap newsletters
- Nonprofits, which get 20% off for life
Worth knowing
Benchmark Email
- Each plan includes 1 user; extra users cost $15 a month each and need a paid plan.
- The pricing page lists no automated email workflows among its features.
- Free sends are capped at 2,500 emails a month and carry Benchmark branding.
- Native integrations are limited to Zapier and Playable; other tools connect through Zapier or the API.
EmailOctopus
- There is no free trial of Pro; EmailOctopus suggests starting on the free Starter plan.
- Starter emails carry EmailOctopus branding and reports disappear after 30 days.
- Lists above 500,000 subscribers need a quoted plan.
- EmailOctopus Connect, its Amazon SES product, is a separate service with its own pricing.
Key features
Benchmark Email
- Drag-and-drop editor and brand kit
- Templates, blank layouts, saved blocks and an HTML editor, with your logo, colors and fonts stored in a brand kit.
- AI Assistant
- Writes copy and creates images inside the email and form builders, paid for with AI credits: 150 a month free, 1,000 on Pro.
- Sign-up forms and pop-ups
- A drag-and-drop form builder with templates, pop-ups, hosted form pages, automatic tagging and built-in reCAPTCHA.
- Contacts, lists and tags
- Store contact details and custom fields, group contacts by list or tag, filter them and send to targeted lists.
- Reports
- Contact activity feed, email reports, link activity and an engagement timeline showing when contacts respond.
- List verification
- Pro includes verification of one list up to the plan's size, to clear bad addresses before sending.
EmailOctopus
- Drag-and-drop editor and templates
- Over 100 mobile-friendly templates that adapt to your brand's colors, a drag-and-drop editor, and the option to write or import your own HTML.
- Automated sequences
- Build sequences that send emails to subscribers automatically after they join or take an action.
- Fields, tags and segments
- Collect custom fields, tag subscribers and target emails by data and behavior, then schedule sends for later.
- Forms and landing pages
- Pop-up forms and landing pages to collect subscribers. Starter allows one of each; Pro has no limit.
- Reports
- Opens, clicks and other campaign stats in real time. Starter keeps reports for 30 days; Pro keeps them indefinitely.
Plans
Benchmark Email
Free$0
500 contacts, 2,500 emails a month, 1 user, 1 domain, 2 API keys and 150 AI credits, with Benchmark branding.
Pro$16
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($19 monthly)
Sends 10 times the list, 1 user, 10 domains, 1,000 AI credits, list verification, no branding. $93 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts.
EnterpriseCustom
For more than 100,000 contacts, with premium support for large senders.
EmailOctopus
Starter$0
2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails a month, 1 user, 1 landing page and 1 form, with EmailOctopus branding and 30-day reports.
Pro$9
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly ($10 monthly)
10,000 emails a month, unlimited users, forms and landing pages, no branding, reports kept for good. $44.50 a month billed monthly at 10,000 subscribers.
CustomCustom
Quoted plans for lists of more than 500,000 subscribers.
Ways to pay less
Benchmark Email
- Annual discount
Lower monthly price with annual billing
Benchmark's pricing page shows Pro at 1,000 contacts for $16 a month billed annually against $19 billed monthly.
EmailOctopus
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
EmailOctopus's pricing page shows Pro at 500 subscribers for $9 a month billed yearly instead of $10 billed monthly, a $12 saving.
- Nonprofit
20% lifetime discount for nonprofits
All nonprofits using EmailOctopus get a 20% lifetime discount.
