The Brevo Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Brevo in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Brevo
The Insider’s Guide
Email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing priced by emails sent, with a CRM
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email marketing and newsletter tools, read from Brevo’s own pages.
Made by Brevo · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Brevo’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Brevo’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 15 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade
Brevo is a marketing and sales platform that sends email campaigns, transactional email, SMS and WhatsApp messages from one contact database, with a sales CRM alongside. Its paid plans are priced mainly by how many emails you send each month rather than by how many contacts you store. A free plan allows 300 emails a day.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Brevo, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It also does transactional email, SMS and a sales CRM from the same account.
- 1
Best for big lists you only email now and then
Brevo charges by emails sent rather than contacts kept, which makes it cheap if you have a big list and email it now and then.
- 2
Paid plans start at $9 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $9 per month for 5,000 emails and up to 500 contacts, billed monthly.
- 3
There is a free plan
Up to 300 emails a day (campaigns and transactional), 1 marketing seat and transactional email by API and SMTP. No credit card needed.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Email campaigns and transactional email
A drag-and-drop editor and templates for campaigns, plus transactional email over an API and SMTP relay on every plan, Free included.
- 6
Marketing automation
Standard and above allow unlimited multi-step workflows triggered by sign-ups, website activity and custom events.
- 7
SMS and WhatsApp
SMS campaigns are sold as credits priced by volume and destination on every plan. WhatsApp, popups and web and mobile push come with Professional.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 15 of 24
That is against the other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Brevo you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Brevo at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $9 per month for 5,000 emails and up to 500 contacts, billed monthly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Brevo, since 2012
- Category
- Email Marketing & Newsletters
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for big lists you only email now and then
Brevo charges by emails sent rather than contacts kept, which makes it cheap if you have a big list and email it now and then. It also does transactional email, SMS and a sales CRM from the same account. The catch is the cheap plan: automations need Standard, and the free plan stops at 300 emails a day.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Starter is $9 a month for 5,000 emails, inside the cheaper quarter of email tools, and from 20,000 emails the contact cap jumps to 500,000. Automations and A/B tests need Standard at $18, and taking the Brevo logo off Starter is $12 a month more. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Free for good with no card: 300 emails a day, campaigns and transactional email by API. Once your list passes 300 people, though, a single newsletter can't all go out on the same day. |
| Features | B | Campaigns, transactional email, automations, SMS, segments, forms, AI writing and a sales CRM, all from one contact list. That covers the whole job and then some. WhatsApp, popups and push wait for the $499 Professional plan. |
| Ease of use | C | No App Store rating on record. It's a big web app with campaigns, automations, a CRM and SMS in it, so you'll be setting things up before it earns its keep. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web only, with Shopify, WordPress, Stripe, Zapier, ChatGPT and Claude connections and an API. No desktop or phone app is listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Brevo is for
- Great if you have thousands of contacts but only email them a few times a month
- Handy when your app or shop needs receipt and password emails as well as newsletters
- Good for small teams adding SMS to their email campaigns
Who it is not for
- Tight if you stay on Starter, which has 1 seat, the Brevo logo and no automations
- Pricey if you want WhatsApp, which starts on the $499 Professional plan
- Skip it if you mail a growing list every day, since the price follows the emails you send
Good to know
Good for
- Senders with a large list who email it only now and then
- Businesses that want marketing and transactional email in one account
- Small teams adding SMS or WhatsApp to email campaigns
Worth knowing
- Starter and Standard cap contacts by email volume: 500 contacts at 5,000 emails a month, 2,500 at 15,000, and 500,000 from 20,000.
- The Free plan is limited to 300 emails a day.
- Starter has a single seat and shows the Brevo logo unless you pay $12 a month; extra seats on Standard cost $12 a month each, up to 3.
- SMS credits are bought separately and priced by volume and destination; WhatsApp campaigns start at the $499 Professional plan.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$9
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Brevo has a free plan. Paid plans start at $9 per month for 5,000 emails and up to 500 contacts, billed monthly.
Free
$0
300 emails a day, 1 seat, campaigns and transactional email. Upgrading removes the daily sending limit.
Starter
$9
per month for 5,000 emails and up to 500 contacts, billed monthly
1 seat, forms, segmentation and AI writing help; removing the Brevo logo costs $12 a month. Price rises with volume: $17 a month at 10,000 emails.
Standard
$18
per month for 5,000 emails and up to 500 contacts, billed monthly
Automation workflows, A/B testing, send-time optimization, no Brevo logo, up to 3 seats. $69 a month at 20,000 emails, where the contact cap rises to 500,000.
Professional
$499
per month for 150,000 emails, billed monthly
10 seats, WhatsApp, popups and push, contact scoring, AI segmentation, phone support and up to 2 million contacts.
Enterprise
Custom
For 1 million or more contacts: multiple brands under one account, dedicated IP, SSO and SAML, custom data integrations.
The free plan
Up to 300 emails a day (campaigns and transactional), 1 marketing seat and transactional email by API and SMTP. No credit card needed.
Read from brevo.com on Oct 17, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
Brevo's pricing page takes 10% off Starter, Standard and Professional when billed yearly: Starter at 5,000 emails is $97 a year instead of $108.
Stated on brevo.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing priced by emails sent, with a CRM. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, sales pipeline, marketing automation, forms, email campaigns, live chat.
Campaigns, transactional email, automations, SMS, segments, forms, AI writing and a sales CRM, all from one contact list.
- Email campaigns and transactional email
- A drag-and-drop editor and templates for campaigns, plus transactional email over an API and SMTP relay on every plan, Free included.
- Marketing automation
- Standard and above allow unlimited multi-step workflows triggered by sign-ups, website activity and custom events.
- SMS and WhatsApp
- SMS campaigns are sold as credits priced by volume and destination on every plan. WhatsApp, popups and web and mobile push come with Professional.
- Sales CRM
- Sales seats add pipelines, deals and sales automation to the same contact database, sold as a separate monthly charge per seat.
- Segments and forms
- Paid plans can save unlimited segments filtered by website activity, campaign engagement and custom events, and build branded sign-up forms.
- AI tools
- An AI writer drafts subject lines and copy from Starter, send-time optimization comes with Standard, and Aura AI segmentation and data questions come with Professional.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Shopify
- WordPress
- Stripe
- Zapier
- ChatGPT
- Claude
Brevo is made by Brevo, and has been around since 2012.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
15/24
Other email marketing and newsletter tools it is graded above
Brevo's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 15 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 18 of 24) and worst on ease of use (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $9 a month, against a middle price of $13 for the category: 2 of the 22 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 25 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Brevo’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 18 of 24
- CFree plan and trialAbove 2 of 24
- BFeaturesAbove 3 of 24
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 24
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 24
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 23 email marketing and newsletter tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Brevo is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Brevo you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $108 a year.
What you could make
- Forms and sales pipeline: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- Email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox.
- A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types.
- It plugs into other products, Shopify, WordPress and Stripe among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Brevo’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Mailchimp, MailerLite, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign and Omnisend
The 5 tools Brevo is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Mailchimp
Free plan · from $13/mo
Email and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count.
- Only Mailchimp lists iOS and Android apps.
- Brevo also covers sales pipeline and live chat.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
- 2.6GPA
MailerLite
Free plan · from $12/mo
Email newsletters, automations, sites and paid subscriptions.
- Only MailerLite lists an iOS app.
- Brevo also covers sales pipeline and live chat.
- MailerLite also covers paid newsletters.
- 2.4GPA
GetResponse
Free plan · from $19/mo
Email marketing with automation, webinars, courses and landing pages.
- Only GetResponse lists iOS and Android apps.
- Brevo also covers sales pipeline.
- GetResponse also covers paid newsletters.
- 2.4GPA
ActiveCampaign
Free trial · from $15/mo
Email marketing and multi-step automation priced by contacts.
- Brevo has a free plan. ActiveCampaign does not, though it has a free trial.
- Brevo also covers live chat.
- ActiveCampaign also covers reports.
- 2.4GPA
Omnisend
Free plan · from $16/mo
Email, SMS and push marketing for online stores, priced by contacts.
- Brevo also covers sales pipeline and live chat.
- Omnisend also covers reports.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Brevo free?
Brevo has a free plan. Up to 300 emails a day (campaigns and transactional), 1 marketing seat and transactional email by API and SMTP.
How much does Brevo cost?
Brevo lists 5 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Brevo work on?
Brevo is available on Web.
Does Brevo offer any discounts?
Brevo publicly lists the following: Save 10% with yearly billing.
Does Brevo have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Brevo is listed for Web.
Does Brevo have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Brevo is listed for Web.
Is Brevo open source?
Brevo is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does Brevo have an API?
Yes. Brevo offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Brevo integrate with?
Brevo's listing names Shopify, WordPress, Stripe, Zapier, ChatGPT and Claude.
Who makes Brevo?
Brevo is made by Brevo. It dates from 2012.
What are the alternatives to Brevo?
The closest alternatives to Brevo in our directory are Mailchimp, MailerLite, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign and Omnisend.
How does Brevo compare with other email marketing and newsletter tools?
Brevo's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 15 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 5.
Is Brevo good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Brevo B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $9 a month, against a middle price of $13 for the category: 2 of the 22 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Brevo?
To replace Brevo you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Brevo’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Brevo's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Brevo. Prices change, so check brevo.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
1,858
Tools graded, in 46 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
1,858
tools graded
46
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Brevo, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/brevo
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Brevo: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/brevo
Know someone choosing between email marketing and newsletter tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/brevo/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email marketing and newsletter tools after Brevo, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Marketing & Newsletters Insider's GuideEvery one of the 25 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, compared
- Zoho Campaigns Insider's GuideEmail, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns that tie into Zoho's apps3.0 GPA
- EmailOctopus Insider's GuideSimple, low-cost email marketing with a free plan for 2,5002.8 GPA
- Mailchimp Insider's GuideEmail and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Brevo’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Brevo is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Brevo. Prices and plans change: check brevo.com before you buy.