Campaign Monitor vs EmailOctopus
We give Campaign Monitor a 2.4 GPA and EmailOctopus a 2.8, out of 4.0. EmailOctopus grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Campaign Monitor
Email marketing for small businesses, nonprofits and agencies
EmailOctopus
Simple, low-cost email marketing with a free plan for 2,500
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACampaign MonitorFair | 2.8GPAEmailOctopusGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CLite is $11.70 a month for 500 contacts on yearly billing, or $13 monthly, right around the middle of what email tools charge. It's $117 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts, and unlimited sends need Essentials at $27.90. | 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 | CNo free plan, but there's a 30-day trial for up to 500 contacts and 500 emails. Long enough to build and send a couple of campaigns, but it's a trial, not a plan you can stay on. | 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 | BA drag-and-drop builder with over 100 templates, templates made from your website, journeys, RSS and transactional emails, engagement segments, dynamic content and reports that drop bot clicks. That's the whole job, plus proper agency sub-accounts. | 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. Marketing Studio can draft a branded email from your site, which helps, but there are still lists, journeys and segments to set up. | 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 only, with Salesforce, Shopify, WordPress, Unbounce, Intercom, OptinMonster, AdRoll and Zapier, and an API. No desktop or phone app keeps it at a B. | 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 | agencies sending polished emails for clients | 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: Campaign Monitor and EmailOctopus. How we grade
Price against what you get
Campaign Monitor starts at $11.70 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. EmailOctopus starts at $9 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and EmailOctopus starts $2.70 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Campaign Monitor 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
- Campaign Monitor starts at $11.70 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually. EmailOctopus starts at $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly.
- EmailOctopus has a free plan. Campaign Monitor does not, though it has a free trial.
At a glance
| Campaign Monitor | EmailOctopus | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $11.70 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually | $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly |
| Free plan | None | 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 | 30-day free trial for up to 500 contacts and 500 emails | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Marigold | Three Hearts Digital Ltd |
| Price read from | campaignmonitor.com | emailoctopus.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Campaign Monitor
- Agencies sending email for several clients under their own brand
- Small businesses and nonprofits with polished newsletter designs
- Teams that want unlimited users on every plan
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
Campaign Monitor
- Lite caps sends at 5 times the contact tier each month; Essentials and above have no cap.
- Phone support, send time optimization and section locking need Premier, from $153.90 a month billed annually.
- The drag-and-drop website builder costs $10 a month on Lite and Essentials.
- Lists over 50,000 contacts are priced through sales.
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
Campaign Monitor
- Email builder and templates
- A drag-and-drop builder with over 100 templates, custom-coded HTML imports and branded templates generated from your website's URL.
- Marketing Studio and AI tools
- Marketing Studio drafts a branded email from your site and a goal. AI Writer, AI Email Booster and AI Segment Mapper help with copy, review and segments.
- Automated journeys
- Pre-built journeys, date-based Campaign Series, RSS-triggered emails and transactional emails, with volume tied to the plan's limits.
- Segments and personalization
- Engagement segments, dynamic content, custom fields, a preference center and countdown timers; send time optimization comes with Premier.
- Agency accounts
- Client sub-accounts under one admin account, private labeling, a markup on the base price billed through Campaign Monitor, and shared templates.
- Reporting
- Marketing Monitor benchmarks, campaign scores, real-time world-map reporting and a filter that drops bot clicks from results.
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
Campaign Monitor
Lite$11.70
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($13 monthly)
Sends 5 times the list a month, unlimited users, AI Writer, automations and transactional email. Price rises with the list: $117 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts.
Essentials$27.90
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($31 monthly)
Unlimited sends, automated emails and AI features, priority support, inbox preview and Marketing Studio. $182 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts.
Premier$153.90
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($171 monthly)
Phone support, send time optimization, engagement segments, section locking, team templates and the website builder. $300 a month billed monthly at 10,000.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom annual contract, a dedicated account manager, multi-brand accounts, deliverability monitoring and invoice or PO billing.
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
Campaign Monitor
- Annual discount
10% off with annual billing
Campaign Monitor's pricing page takes 10% off Lite, Essentials and Premier billed yearly: Lite at 500 contacts is $11.70 a month instead of $13.
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.
