Braze vs Klaviyo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Klaviyo grades higher than Braze: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Klaviyo grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Klaviyo
Email, text and push marketing built on online-store customer data
Free plan · from $20/mo
Which one is for you
Pick Braze if
- Fits if you message many people across email, push and SMS and have a team to run it
- Makes sense if you want one contract covering channels, data and AI
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as Braze says it has none
- Skip it if you want a price before a sales call, since none is published
- Watch out: Action Credits are one pool, so a WhatsApp message costs 5 credits against 1 for an SMS
- Skip it if you run a small list, as the pages are written for big programs
- Watch out: which editions include single sign-on provisioning is not itemized
Pick Klaviyo if
- Fits if you run a Shopify shop and want emails driven by what people buy
- Works for brands that want email and texts in the same flows, with revenue shown per campaign
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if your list grows fast, at $150 a month for 10,000 profiles, and the plan moves up by itself
- Skip it if you just want a newsletter, as that's a lot of store tool to pay for
- Tight if you stay free, since 500 sends a month is two emails to a 250-person list, and sending halts past it
- Watch out: texts cost extra per send, Composer AI past the allowance is $10 per 1,000 credits, and support packages start at $500
- Not for you if you want funnel and cohort reports without paying for the Personalization add-on
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABrazeFair | 2.4GPAKlaviyoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published. A contract combines an edition, monthly active users, Action Credits and services, so there is no figure to set against what the category charges. | C$20 a month for 500 active profiles, at the dearer end of what email tools start at, and $150 a month at 10,000. Texts and other mobile messages are billed per send on top, and the plan moves up by itself as your list grows. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free plan. A free trial is offered, but its length and whether it needs a card are not stated on the page. | CFree for 250 active profiles and 500 email sends a month, with $5 of mobile messages and $5 of Composer AI each month. That's room to set up a new shop. Go over and sending stops until the next cycle or an upgrade. |
| Features | BEmail, push, SMS, WhatsApp and more, with journeys, a data platform and AI tools, across four editions. The listing shows no gap in the core job. | BShopper profiles fed by 350+ integrations, flows, campaigns, forms, product picks, SMS, WhatsApp and push, revenue reports and benchmarks. It covers the whole job for a store. Funnels and cohort reports need the Personalization add-on. |
| Ease of use | CWeb, sold through sales, with journeys and data to set up. No rating on record. | CNo App Store rating on record. Connecting your store and building flows and segments takes real setup in the web app, with templates on every plan. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integration list on record on the pages read, though SAML single sign-on is listed under trust. | BWeb only, but 350+ integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix, plus ChatGPT and Claude, and an API. No desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | large brands sending across many channels | online stores that market from order data |
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: Braze and Klaviyo. How we grade
Where they differ
- Braze also covers sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging and a/B testing.
- Klaviyo also covers forms and reports.
In commonWebMarketing automationEmail campaigns
At a glance
| Braze | Klaviyo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $20 per month for up to 500 active profiles, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | Up to 250 active profiles and 500 email sends a month, $5 of mobile messages and $5 of Composer usage a month, and email support for the first 60 days. |
| Free trial | Free trial offered; its terms are not stated on the pricing page | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Braze | Klaviyo |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | klaviyo.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Braze
- No prices are published; the contract combines an edition, monthly active users, Action Credits and services.
- Braze says it has no free plan, though trials, startup programs and entry plans exist through its team.
- Action Credits are one pool across channels; the page's example is 1 credit for an SMS and 5 for a WhatsApp message.
- SAML and single sign-on are listed under trust and infrastructure; which editions have provisioning is not itemized.
Klaviyo
- The Free plan stops at 250 active profiles and 500 sends a month; sending halts until the next cycle or an upgrade.
- Price follows active profiles, and accounts move automatically to a higher plan as the list grows.
- Text and other mobile messages cost extra per send, priced by destination with carrier fees included.
- Composer usage beyond the plan allowance is billed at $10 per 1,000 credits; paid support packages start at $500 a month.
Key features
Braze
- Cross-channel messaging
- Email, push, SMS, MMS and RCS, WhatsApp, KakaoTalk, LINE, in-app messages, banners and content cards are all listed in every edition.
- Journey orchestration
- Campaigns and Canvases build multi-step journeys, with engagement testing and experimentation and frequency capping.
- Data platform
- Cloud data ingestion, custom data and catalogs, data transformation and zero-copy segmentation feed messaging from one customer profile.
- BrazeAI tools
- BrazeAI Operator, Agent Console, generative AI and a content optimizer are in every edition; predictive AI starts at Pro.
- Four Platform Editions
- Braze Go, Select, Pro and Enterprise add orchestration, security and provisioning, advanced AI and enterprise infrastructure.
Klaviyo
- Unified customer profiles
- Each shopper's browsing, order and engagement history sits in one profile, synced from more than 350 integrations and used for real-time segments.
- Flows and campaigns
- Email and flow templates, web sign-up forms and personalized product recommendations are on every plan, including Free.
- Mobile messaging
- SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, RCS and mobile push sit alongside email in the same flows, billed per message on top of the email plan.
- Composer AI agent
- Composer reviews flows, segments and forms and drafts campaigns from a prompt. Free accounts get $5 of usage a month; a $20 monthly add-on gives four times as much.
- Reports and benchmarks
- Dashboards, campaign revenue attribution and peer benchmarks on every plan. Funnels, cohort reports and custom attribution need the Personalization add-on.
- Customer service tools
- Customer Agent answers shopper questions with AI (first 50 resolutions free) and Helpdesk handles tickets, with a 30-day free trial.
Plans
Braze
Pricing could not be confirmed. See braze.com.
Klaviyo
Free$0
250 active profiles, 500 email sends a month, $5 of mobile messages a month. Emails carry the Klaviyo logo.
Email$20
per month for up to 500 active profiles, billed monthly
5,000 sends a month, logo removed, generative AI and predictive analytics. Price rises with the list: $150 a month at 10,000 profiles.
EnterpriseCustom
Standard and Advanced packages priced by active profiles through sales, with sends bought separately by usage.
Ways to pay less
Braze
No public discounts listed.
Klaviyo
- Other savings
$19 off the first month of the Email plan
A one-time $19 credit on the first month of the $20 Email plan for accounts with no paid Klaviyo plan in the past 12 months. Valid through November 30, 2026.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Braze or Klaviyo?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Braze has no price we could confirm, and Klaviyo starts at $20 per month for up to 500 active profiles, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Braze or Klaviyo?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Klaviyo has a free plan. Braze does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.