The CleverTap Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about CleverTap 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.
CleverTap
The Insider’s Guide
Customer engagement platform for push, email, SMS and WhatsApp
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email marketing and newsletter tools, read from CleverTap’s own pages.
Made by CleverTap · checked Nov 13, 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 CleverTap’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on CleverTap’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 25 of the 102 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade
CleverTap is a customer engagement and retention platform for consumer apps and websites. It combines customer data, analytics, segmentation and campaign orchestration with messaging over push, email, WhatsApp, in-app, web, RCS and SMS. Plans are priced by monthly active users, with an AI token allowance included.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about CleverTap, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You connect your app and data first, and build your own campaigns.
- 1
Best for retention messaging for apps and sites, from $85 a month
CleverTap handles push, email, WhatsApp, in-app, web, RCS and SMS with analytics and segmentation, from $85 a month for 5,000 monthly active users.
- 2
Paid plans start at $85 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $85 per month for up to 5,000 monthly active users.
- 3
You can try it first
30-day free trial on the Core plan; billing starts after the trial
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Omnichannel messaging
Push notifications, email, WhatsApp, in-app messages, web messaging, RCS and SMS from one platform.
- 6
Segmentation and analytics
Real-time behavioral segments plus analytics; Pro adds automated segmentation and in-depth insights.
- 7
Campaign orchestration
Builds omnichannel journeys; Pro adds send-time and channel optimization.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 25 of 102
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 CleverTap you would be making email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
CleverTap at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $85 per month for up to 5,000 monthly active users
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial on the Core plan; billing starts after the trial
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- CleverTap, since 2013
- Category
- Email Marketing & Newsletters
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for retention messaging for apps and sites, from $85 a month
CleverTap handles push, email, WhatsApp, in-app, web, RCS and SMS with analytics and segmentation, from $85 a month for 5,000 monthly active users. Pro and Ultimate have no published price, and the trial bills you after 30 days.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Core is $85 a month for up to 5,000 monthly active users, $275 at 20,000 and $550 at 40,000, which is above what most email tools charge. Pro and Ultimate are sold through a demo. |
| Free plan and trial | D | A 30-day trial on Core with billing starting after it, so it is a D and no free plan. |
| Features | B | Omnichannel messaging, segmentation, analytics, experiments and orchestration. Automated segmentation and send-time optimisation are on Pro. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. You connect your app and data first, and build your own campaigns. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only. The listing names WhatsApp as the one integration. |
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 CleverTap is for
- Fits if you run an app and want retention messaging across several channels
- Works for teams that price by monthly active users
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you grow: $85 at 5,000 users becomes $550 at 40,000
- Skip it if you need Pro features, whose price is only given on a demo
- Watch out: Core excludes add-ons and taxes, which are charged on top
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there is only a 30-day trial
- Watch out: AI features draw on a token allowance
Good to know
Good for
- Mobile app and subscription businesses that message users on several channels
- E-commerce, financial services and gaming teams, the industries the site highlights
Worth knowing
- Pro and Ultimate have no published price; they are reached through a demo request.
- Core is priced by monthly active users, with steps to 100,000 and a 100,000+ option that shows no price.
- Core excludes add-ons and taxes, which are charged on top.
- AI features draw on tokens; each plan includes a starting allowance.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$85
A month to start
CleverTap is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $85 per month for up to 5,000 monthly active users.
Pro and Ultimate are sold through a demo.
Core
$85
per month for up to 5,000 monthly active users
Omnichannel engagement, behavioral segmentation, experimentation and analytics. $275 a month at 20,000 users, $550 at 40,000. A sale is shown.
Pro
Custom
Everything in Core plus automated segmentation, in-depth insights, send time and channel optimization and personalization across touchpoints. Sold through a demo.
Ultimate
Custom
Everything in Pro plus agentic orchestration, predictions and recommendations, and up to 10 years of data retention. Sold through a demo.
Trying it first
30-day free trial on the Core plan; billing starts after the trial
Read from clevertap.com on Nov 13, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Other savings
Sale on the Core plan
At the time of reading, the pricing page advertised 75% off the Core plan for 12 months, or 50% off for 6 months; the price afterwards reverts to the regular monthly price. No end date was stated beyond a countdown.
Stated on clevertap.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
Customer engagement platform for push, email, SMS and WhatsApp. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, marketing automation, reports, email campaigns, sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging, a/B testing.
Omnichannel messaging, segmentation, analytics, experiments and orchestration.
- Omnichannel messaging
- Push notifications, email, WhatsApp, in-app messages, web messaging, RCS and SMS from one platform.
- Segmentation and analytics
- Real-time behavioral segments plus analytics; Pro adds automated segmentation and in-depth insights.
- Campaign orchestration
- Builds omnichannel journeys; Pro adds send-time and channel optimization.
- Experimentation
- Built-in experimentation on Core, with AI-driven optimization named on higher plans.
- CleverAI tokens
- AI features such as content and image creation draw on tokens, with a starting allowance included in each plan.
- Promos and loyalty
- A rewards management product for promotions and loyalty programs.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
CleverTap is made by CleverTap, and has been around since 2013.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
25/102
Other email marketing and newsletter tools it is graded above
CleverTap's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 25 of the 102 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 16.
It stands best on features (B, above 47 of 102) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 28).
Its paid plans start at $85 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 64 of the 78 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 31 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 103 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. CleverTap’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 21 of 102
- DFree plan and trialAbove 28 of 102
- BFeaturesAbove 47 of 102
- CEase of useAbove 11 of 102
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 102
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 82 email marketing and newsletter tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. CleverTap 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 CleverTap you would be making email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 61 of the 102 other email marketing and newsletter tools grade higher. It costs $1,020 a year.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox.
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- Texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers.
- The WhatsApp Business API, which Meta opens only through approved partners.
- Splitting visitors between versions and telling you which won.
- 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. CleverTap’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
MoEngage, WebEngage, Braze, Iterable and Customer.io
The 5 tools CleverTap is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.6GPA
MoEngage
Paid
Customer engagement platform for push, email, SMS and in-app.
- CleverTap also covers a/B testing.
- MoEngage also covers popups.
- 1.8GPA
WebEngage
Paid
Customer data and engagement platform across fifteen channels.
- CleverTap also covers a/B testing.
- 2.0GPA
Braze
Free trial
Customer engagement platform for email, push, SMS and in-app.
- CleverTap also covers reports.
- 1.8GPA
Iterable
Paid
Cross-channel customer engagement platform for large brands.
- CleverTap also covers reports, whatsApp messaging and a/B testing.
- 2.2GPA
Customer.io
Free trial · from $100/mo
Data-driven email, SMS, push and in-app messaging for product teams.
- CleverTap also covers reports, sMS marketing, whatsApp messaging and a/B testing.
- Customer.io also covers business texting.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
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 CleverTap free?
No, CleverTap is a paid product, but you can try it first. 30-day free trial on the Core plan; billing starts after the trial.
How much does CleverTap cost?
CleverTap lists 3 plans. Core: $85 per month for up to 5,000 monthly active users.
What platforms does CleverTap work on?
CleverTap is available on Web.
Does CleverTap offer any discounts?
CleverTap publicly lists the following: Sale on the Core plan.
Does CleverTap have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. CleverTap is listed for Web.
Does CleverTap have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. CleverTap is listed for Web.
Is CleverTap open source?
CleverTap is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
What does CleverTap integrate with?
CleverTap's listing names WhatsApp. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes CleverTap?
CleverTap is made by a company of the same name. It dates from 2013.
What are the alternatives to CleverTap?
The closest alternatives to CleverTap in our directory are MoEngage, WebEngage, Braze, Iterable and Customer.io.
How does CleverTap compare with other email marketing and newsletter tools?
CleverTap's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 25 of the 102 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 16.
Is CleverTap good value for money?
ToolGPA grades CleverTap C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $85 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 64 of the 78 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of CleverTap?
To replace CleverTap you would be making email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from CleverTap’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from CleverTap's own pages on 13 November 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 CleverTap. Prices change, so check clevertap.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 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.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- CleverTap, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/clevertap
- 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, "CleverTap: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/clevertap
Know someone choosing between email marketing and newsletter tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/clevertap/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email marketing and newsletter tools after CleverTap, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Marketing & Newsletters Insider's GuideEvery one of the 103 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, compared
- Substack Insider's GuideNewsletter, podcast and video publishing with paid subscriptions3.2 GPA
- Mailrelay Insider's GuideEmail marketing with a large free plan and SMS and WhatsApp add-ons3.0 GPA
- SendFox Insider's GuideEmail newsletters and list building for creators on a budget3.0 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 CleverTap’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. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. CleverTap is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by CleverTap. Prices and plans change: check clevertap.com before you buy.