The Klaviyo Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Klaviyo 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.
Klaviyo
The Insider’s Guide
Email, text and push marketing built on online-store customer data
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email marketing and newsletter tools, read from Klaviyo’s own pages.
Made by Klaviyo · 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 Klaviyo’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Klaviyo’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
2.4
GPA, above 5 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade
Klaviyo is a marketing platform for online stores and other consumer brands that sends email, text messages and mobile push from one customer database. It records what shoppers browse and buy, then uses that data for segments, automated flows and revenue reports. Paid email plans are priced by active profiles, meaning the contacts you can market to.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Klaviyo, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Connecting your store and building flows and segments takes real setup in the web app, though the templates on every plan help.
- 1
Best for online stores that market from order data
The price climbs quickly with your list, and every text message costs extra.
- 2
Paid plans start at $20 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $20 per month for up to 500 active profiles, billed monthly.
- 3
There is a free plan
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.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
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.
- 6
Flows and campaigns
Email and flow templates, web sign-up forms and personalized product recommendations are on every plan, including Free.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 5 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 Klaviyo 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.
Klaviyo at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $20 per month for up to 500 active profiles, billed monthly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Klaviyo, since 2012
- Category
- Email Marketing & Newsletters
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for online stores that market from order data
Klaviyo is the email and text tool online shops reach for, because it knows what each customer browsed and bought and builds segments and flows from that. It's free for 250 profiles and starts at $20 a month after that. The price climbs quickly with your list, and every text message costs extra.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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 | C | Free for 250 active profiles and 500 email sends a month, with $5 of mobile messages and $5 of Composer AI each month. Fine for setting up a new shop. Go over and sending stops until the next cycle or an upgrade. |
| Features | B | Shopper 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 | C | No App Store rating on record. Connecting your store and building flows and segments takes real setup in the web app, though the templates on every plan help. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web only, but 350+ integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix, plus ChatGPT and Claude, and an API. No desktop 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 Klaviyo is for
- Great if you run a Shopify shop and want emails driven by what people buy
- Handy when you want email and text messages in the same automated flows
- Good for brands that want to see the revenue each campaign brought in
Who it is not for
- Pricey if your list grows fast, at $150 a month for 10,000 profiles
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Online stores, especially on Shopify, that market from order data
- Brands sending email and text messages from the same flows
- Teams that want segments and reports built on purchase history
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$20
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Klaviyo has a free plan. Paid plans start at $20 per month for up to 500 active profiles, billed monthly.
Texts and other mobile messages are billed per send on top, and the plan moves up by itself as your list grows.
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.
Enterprise
Custom
Standard and Advanced packages priced by active profiles through sales, with sends bought separately by usage.
The free plan
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.
Read from klaviyo.com on Oct 17, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on klaviyo.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, text and push marketing built on online-store customer data. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, marketing automation, forms, reports, email campaigns.
Funnels and cohort reports need the Personalization add-on.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Wix
- ChatGPT
- Claude
Klaviyo is made by Klaviyo, 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
5/24
Other email marketing and newsletter tools it is graded above
Klaviyo's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 5 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on features (B, above 3 of 24) and worst on ease of use (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $13 for the category: 17 of the 22 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 25 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Klaviyo’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 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. Klaviyo 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 Klaviyo 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.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 10 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools grade higher. It costs $240 a year.
What you could make
- Forms and reports: 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.
- It plugs into other products, Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix 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. Klaviyo’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, Omnisend, Drip, Brevo and ActiveCampaign
The 5 tools Klaviyo 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.
- 2.4GPA
Omnisend
Free plan · from $16/mo
Email, SMS and push marketing for online stores, priced by contacts.
- 2.0GPA
Drip
Free trial · from $39/mo
Email automation and pop-ups for online stores.
- Klaviyo has a free plan. Drip does not, though it has a free trial.
- Klaviyo also covers reports.
- 2.6GPA
Brevo
Free plan · from $9/mo
Email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing priced by emails sent, with a CRM.
- Klaviyo also covers reports.
- Brevo also covers sales pipeline and live chat.
- 2.4GPA
ActiveCampaign
Free trial · from $15/mo
Email marketing and multi-step automation priced by contacts.
- Klaviyo has a free plan. ActiveCampaign does not, though it has a free trial.
- ActiveCampaign also covers sales pipeline.
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 Klaviyo free?
Klaviyo has a free plan. 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.
How much does Klaviyo cost?
Klaviyo lists 3 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Klaviyo work on?
Klaviyo is available on Web.
Does Klaviyo offer any discounts?
Klaviyo publicly lists the following: $19 off the first month of the Email plan.
Does Klaviyo have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Klaviyo is listed for Web.
Does Klaviyo have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Klaviyo is listed for Web.
Is Klaviyo open source?
Klaviyo is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does Klaviyo have an API?
Yes. Klaviyo offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Klaviyo integrate with?
Klaviyo's listing names Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, ChatGPT and Claude.
Who makes Klaviyo?
Klaviyo is made by Klaviyo. It dates from 2012.
What are the alternatives to Klaviyo?
The closest alternatives to Klaviyo in our directory are Mailchimp, Omnisend, Drip, Brevo and ActiveCampaign.
How does Klaviyo compare with other email marketing and newsletter tools?
Klaviyo's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 5 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 9.
Is Klaviyo good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Klaviyo C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $13 for the category: 17 of the 22 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Klaviyo?
To replace Klaviyo 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 Klaviyo’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 Klaviyo'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 Klaviyo. Prices change, so check klaviyo.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
1,880
Tools graded, in 47 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.
1,880
tools graded
47
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Klaviyo, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/klaviyo
- 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, "Klaviyo: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/klaviyo
Know someone choosing between email marketing and newsletter tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/klaviyo/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email marketing and newsletter tools after Klaviyo, 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 Klaviyo’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. Klaviyo is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Klaviyo. Prices and plans change: check klaviyo.com before you buy.