Email automation is one area set for explosive growth in the coming years as new technologies deploy and marketers take advantage of tools that make their jobs easier, more efficient, and more effective.

Toward that end, email automation platforms have emerged, lightening their loads and improving their return on investment. One study found that automated emails have an average open rate of over 45%, compared to about 18% for non-automated messages. Moreover, automated emails drive 320% more revenue than their non-automated counterparts.

So, what does automation entail? And what is the best email automation platform to use in 2024? This article explores our top 10 platform picks to help you choose the best technology for your needs and set your business up for success in the new year.

What to look for in an email automation platform

Choosing the right email automation platform is crucial for maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Here are the essential factors to look for when evaluating different platforms and software tools.

Automation capabilities

Ensure the platform supports a wide variety of automation features to tailor your campaigns to individual customer journeys. Drip campaigns, welcome emails, behavioral triggers such as abandoned carts, post-purchase follow-ups, and personalized messaging are just a few of the possible automations that might be important to your campaigns.

Ease of use

All the automation in the world won’t help you if you have to spend hours in onboarding and training sessions. An intuitive, user-friendly interface is essential for getting up and running quickly and streamlining your workflow. Look for platforms that offer easy navigation and a straightforward setup process.

Segmentation and targeting

Targeting the right audience at the right time is fundamental to successful email campaigns. Choose a platform that allows for granular audience segmentation, enabling you to send highly relevant content to specific groups of subscribers.

Integrations

If you have other apps and tools in your existing tech stack, you may want to integrate them with your email automation platform — your customer relationship management (CRM) platform and ecommerce tools, for example. On the other hand, if you’re not attached to any tech tools, having a robust, all-in-one email automation platform might be ideal.

Personalization tools

Personalized emails significantly enhance engagement — with personalized calls to action (CTAs) performing 202% better than basic CTAs, according to HubSpot. Personalization isn’t exclusively for CTAs, either; look for platforms that tailor the customer experience to user preferences, behaviors, and demographics.

Analytics and reporting

If you can measure it, you can improve it. In other words, you need to know how your campaigns are performing so you can make any necessary adjustments. Choose a platform that offers detailed insights into metrics such as open rates, click-throughs, and conversions.

Scalability

Consider your future growth when selecting a platform. Ensure it can scale with your business, accommodating an expanding subscriber list and increasing campaign complexity.

Responsive design

With the prevalence of mobile device usage, responsive email design is a must. Look for a platform with responsive templates so your emails will render properly on any device.

Customizable templates

Select an email automation platform that provides a range of customizable templates. Having the flexibility to design visually appealing emails aligned with your brand is essential for leaving a lasting impression on your audience.

Compliance and security

Prioritize platforms that adhere to data protection regulations and offer robust security measures. Ensure that the platform complies with GDPR, CCPA, and other relevant standards to safeguard your subscribers’ privacy and protect your reputation.

Customer support

Evaluate the level of customer support provided by the platform. Opt for a provider with responsive customer service, comprehensive help documentation, and possibly, a user community. Access to reliable support ensures you can address any issues promptly.

A/B testing capabilities

Enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns by choosing a platform with A/B testing features. This functionality allows you to experiment with different email elements and refine your strategies based on real-time insights.

Innovative features

Look for platforms that go beyond basic automation. Innovative features such as AI-driven insights, predictive analytics, and dynamic content generation can give your campaigns a competitive edge, improve productivity, and optimize resources.

User reviews and recommendations

Explore user reviews and testimonials to understand other businesses' experiences with the platform. Real-world feedback can provide valuable insights into the platform's performance, reliability, and user satisfaction. For each automation platform below, we’ve included pros and cons gleaned from real user feedback and links to reviews on Capterra and G2.

Taking the time to thoroughly evaluate the factors above ensures that your chosen email automation platform aligns with your business objectives. Ultimately, the best email automation platform for you is the one that best meets your needs, goals, and budget without eating up your time with onboarding, training, setup, and implementation.

The best email automation platforms in 2024

The number of global email users continues to grow worldwide, with over 4.7 billion users expected by 2026 — more than half of the projected world population. Savvy marketers know they need to keep up with the surge in users, and 65% of marketers are leveraging email automation to gain and maintain a competitive edge.

Count yourself among the forward-thinking marketers of 2024 by choosing the best email marketing software for your needs.

Here are our top picks for the best email automation platforms:

1. Customer.io
2. Ortto
3. Iterable
4. Braze
5. Vero
6. Brevo
7. Klaviyo
8. CleverTap
9. Keap
10. ActiveCampaign

Okay, let’s take a look at each platform.

1. Customer.io

• Pricing: Starts at $100 USD per month

Catering primarily to marketing teams, Customer.io taps into real-time customer data to create data-driven campaigns across channels. The platform’s Journeys product is an automation software that allows you to segment customers using detailed customer profiles. Combined with Data Pipelines, a customer data platform that links your entire tech stack, the Customer.io product suite enables personalized messaging that resonates with your target audience.

Customer.io notable features

• Automated and personalized messaging: Enhance your marketing strategy by automating and tailoring messages for distinct customer segments, delivering targeted offers and personalized content.
• Multi-channel connectivity: Connect with your audience on their terms, using their preferred communication channels. Improve engagement by meeting your customers where they are.
• Integrations: Sync with popular tools such as Buffer, Calendly, ClickFunnels, Facebook Ads, and Eventbrite to meet your campaign goals.
• Visual workflows: Build campaigns visually, integrating automated or API-triggered workflows, broadcasts, and transactional messages.

Customer.io use cases

Businesses worldwide use Customer.io to automate email campaigns and strengthen customer relationships. Youth sports and live-streaming company BallerTV used Customer.io to segment audiences and personalize campaigns, resulting in a 30% increase in click-through rates. Thermostat manufacturer Mysa grew revenue by over 592% by creating a more targeted email marketing strategy through Customer.io. Read more case studies here.

Customer.io reviews

Pros:

• Automated or API-triggered workflows
• Integrations with dozens of apps (and the ability to request integrations)
• Stellar campaign creation and management tools

Cons:

• Costlier than other options
• Might not work well for independent entrepreneurs on a budget
• Some users report poor analytics

Read more reviews at Capterra and G2.

2. Ortto

• Pricing: After a free trial, plans start at $509 monthly (paid annually)

Ortto (formerly Autopilot) is an all-in-one marketing automation solution combining customer journeys, customer data, integrated AI marketing tools, and campaign analytics. From email marketing to live chat, Ortto helps you tailor campaigns to your audience, facilitating better audience engagement.

Ortto notable features

• Journeys: Create engaging campaigns that resonate across the entire customer lifecycle, personalizing interactions based on specific events and customer behaviors.
• Talk: Leverage AI-powered live chat and an omnichannel inbox to deliver excellent customer experiences.
• Ortto AI: Optimize your messaging and save time with integrated AI tools, offering capabilities such as an AI subject line writer to enhance email open rates.
• Integrated campaigns: Leverage multiple channels, including emails, SMS marketing, and push notifications, to improve your reach and audience engagement.

Ortto use cases

From startups to enterprises, Ortto serves customers around the world seeking marketing automation, omnichannel marketing, and personalization. Photography company Shoott used Ortto’s journey builder to recover abandoned carts and re-engage lost customers. Resource management SaaS company Mosaic has streamlined its webinar workflow, saving time, increasing sign-ups, and driving conversions. Read more case studies here.

Ortto reviews

Pros:

• Excels at drip campaigns
• Effective AI-suggested replies
• Visual workflows

Cons:

• May be too pricey for a small or solo business
• Poor integration with Salesforce
• Slow customer support

Read more reviews at Capterra and G2.

3. Iterable

• Pricing: Request a demo for pricing information

Iterable is an all-in-one customer communication platform featuring AI-powered cross-channel communications. Built for user-friendliness, Iterable empowers non-technical teams to create personalized communications with smart templates, spanning various channels like mobile, email, SMS, and web. They also have a great blog for those working in lifecycle marketing.

Iterable notable features

• AI capabilities: Leverage AI features like customizable predictive goals and generative AI to optimize marketing campaigns at scale.
• Real-time data activation: Activate your customers and make informed decisions with real-time behavioral data, driving more value to your bottom line.
• User-friendly tools: Simplify your workflow with easy-to-use tools and automation — no prior technical knowledge required.
• Open and flexible integration: Collaborate across platforms with Iterable’s open architecture and network of 100+ partner integrations.

Iterable use cases

Iterable targets growth marketers at companies spanning ecommerce, retail, media, entertainment, enterprise software, consumer apps, education, delivery, and recruiting. Multiplayer game company Kabam Games used Iterable to automate the campaign creation process. With email and push reactivation campaigns, they saw a 17% lift in click-through rates, increasing daily active players. Read more case studies here.

Iterable reviews

Pros:

• All-in-one platform for growth marketers
• Easy to use but packed with advanced features
• Exceptional customer support

Cons:

• Occasional API downtime
• Integration issues
• Reporting tools need work

Read more reviews at Capterra and G2.

4. Braze

• Pricing: Connect with Braze for pricing information

Braze (formerly Appboy) helps brands in various industries humanize their customer connections through technology, improving customer experiences, retention, lifetime value, and ROI. The platform enables personalized messaging across channels, platforms, and devices.

Braze notable features

• Cross-channel messaging: Create impactful customer experiences spanning multiple channels in a single interface.
• Segmentation and journeys: Understand your audience with real-time data, A/B testing tools, and real-world context through Braze's dynamic segmentation.
• Personalization tools: Customize messages by channel, send time, copy, and more, ensuring each interaction resonates with your audience.
• AI-enabled optimization: Optimize in real time with AI-powered insights that continuously generate data, new ideas, and audiences.

Braze use cases

Companies of all sizes use Braze to optimize customer relationships and build customer loyalty through cross-channel campaigns. Overstock boosted engagement with Braze’s real-time, personalized messaging tools. Canva increased its platform engagement by 2.5% via strategic email campaigns. Read more case studies here.

Braze reviews

Pros:

• Responsive customer support
• Segmentation and targeting
• Intuitive UI

Cons:

• Limited reporting and analysis
• Drag-and-drop editor limitations
• Complex setup and implementation

Read more reviews at Capterra and G2.

5. Vero

• Pricing: After a 30-day trial, plans start at $54 monthly or $583 annually

Vero is a customer engagement platform empowering marketers to send perfectly timed push notifications and emails to users, including those at risk of churning. The platform excels in delivering personalized messages during user onboarding and tailoring messages based on customers’ actual product usage.

Vero notable features

• Real-time automated messaging: Vero automates proactive customer engagement through multi-channel messaging, helping prevent potential customer loss.
• Advanced segmentation and integration: The platform integrates with product data through APIs or SQL data warehouses, helping marketers set up audiences quickly and deliver personalized messages.
• AI-driven optimization: Vero leverages AI-enabled insights for continuous optimization and well-timed messages, maximizing impact.
• Multi-channel messaging: The platform supports multi-channel messaging and personalization, reaching customers through various channels such as email and push notifications.

Vero use cases

Vero works best for B2C brands. Social media scheduling app Plann uses Vero’s flexible APIs to incorporate top-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel data in one platform. Dribbble, a design community, uses Vero to leverage customer data and improve personalization. Read more case studies here.

Vero reviews

Pros:

• Excellent support
• Behavior-based automation and segmentation
• API access enabling a high level of customizations

Cons:

• Not ideal for non-technical users
• Drag-and-drop editor could benefit from blocks
• May lack integrations

Read more reviews at Capterra and G2.

6. Brevo

• Pricing: The free plan includes up to 300 daily email sends. Paid plans start at $25 monthly for up to 20K emails.

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a user-friendly email marketing platform that makes it easy to craft visually appealing emails with a drag-and-drop editor. The platform ties its pricing to email sending volume rather than the number of contacts, making it ideal for startups and small businesses just getting started.

Brevo notable features

• List growth: Grow your email list via landing pages and signup forms.
• Customizations: Align your transaction emails with your brand’s unique style via integrations and customizations.
• Personalized targeting: Personalize the user experience with timely, relevant communications via advanced workflows and automation.
• Excellent deliverability: Send emails reliably, and leverage campaign insights to improve future campaigns.

Brevo use cases

Businesses of all sizes use Brevo to create seamless customer experiences. Video game designer Hi-Rez Studios used Brevo to boost player engagement by 10%. Read more case studies here.

Brevo reviews

Pros:

• Stunning templates
• Flexible pricing
• Reliable deliverability

Cons:

• Potential downtime
• Lack of templates
• Can be difficult to learn

Read more reviews at Capterra and G2.

7. Klaviyo

• Pricing: Get started for free. Paid plans start at $45 per month.

Klaviyo enables ecommerce brands, particularly those in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) space, to follow up on leads, abandoned carts, and other opportunities. It leverages shoppers’ behavior to help e-tailers improve customer engagement through automated, personalized campaigns.

Klaviyo notable features

• Multi-channel marketing: Create a flow of timely email and SMS messages, and segment within the flow based on customer behaviors — sending a text if someone doesn’t open an email, for instance.
• All-in-one platform: Klaviyo keeps everything in one platform, from email and SMS to mobile pushes and customer review collection.
• Integrations: Easily sync with Shopify, Magento Commerce, Wix, and other applications.
• Segmentation: Reach the right customer at the right time, using real-time data to enhance customer engagement with relevant messages.

Klaviyo use cases

Klaviyo is well-suited for online retailers, restaurants, wellness businesses, and agency and tech partners. Every Man Jack uses Klaviyo’s predictive analytics to make 12.4% of Klaviyo revenue. Balsam replaced four different SaaS tools with Klaviyo, simplifying its tech stack and boosting year-over-year revenue from flows by 41.6%. Read more case studies here.

Klaviyo reviews

Pros:

• No coding
• Easy setup
• Great support

Cons:

• Can get pricey when scaling
• Steep learning curve for users
• Slow performance at times

Read more reviews at Capterra and G2.

8. CleverTap

• Pricing: After a 30-day free trial, plans start at $75 monthly.

Over 2,000 brands use CleverTap to maximize customer value via an all-in-one engagement platform. Offering personalized experiences, CleverTap unifies insights, experimentation, and tailored engagement, ensuring brand loyalty and advocacy.

CleverTap notable features

• Omnichannel engagement: Create unified customer experiences through a user-friendly dashboard, integrating emails with numerous other channels.
• Easy integration and delivery: Set up email campaigns quickly with CleverTap's easy-to-use HTML editor, pre-built templates, and no-code integration.
• Email service provider flexibility: Use CleverTap's email service provider (ESP), or continue using your ESP.
• Personalization and automation: Leverage CleverTap’s email capabilities for hyper-personalization, automation, and omnichannel customer experiences.

CleverTap use cases

CleverTap works well for B2C brands and teams charged with retention, growth, and engagement. Financial management app Kippa used CleverTap to boost user activations by 6%. Checkout payment network Simpl improved operational efficiency and reduced errors by automating engagement. Read more case studies here.

CleverTap reviews

Pros:

• Great customer service
• Appealing UI
• Integrations

Cons:

• Technical issues
• Learning curve
• Pricier than other options

Read more reviews at Capterra and G2.

9. Keap

• Pricing: Try Keap for free; plans start at $159 monthly (paid annually)

Keap is an all-in-one CRM and sales and digital marketing tool that keeps your customer information and daily tasks in one central location. Built for email marketing automations, the platform enables seamless outreach to engage customers and prospects.

Keap notable features

• Lead capture: Leverage landing pages, forms, and lead management tools to capitalize on every opportunity.
• Multi-channel marketing: Set up SMS marketing campaigns alongside email marketing automations to expand your reach.
• Integrations: Connect your favorite apps already in your tech stack.
• CRM tools: Manage and grow your email list, and utilize sales automations to increase revenue.

Keap use cases

Freelancers, agencies, small businesses, and large enterprises use Keap for sales and marketing, automation, and CRM. One B&B owner used Keap to scale her business by 900%. Small-business consultancy Business Made Simple increased revenue from $250K to $16.5 million. Read more case studies here.

Keap reviews

Pros:

• Opt-ins
• Segmentation
• Powerful email automations

Cons:

• Potentially too many features
• Suboptimal landing page builder
• Some users complain of poor customer support

Read more reviews at Capterra and G2.

10. ActiveCampaign

• Pricing: After a free trial, plans start at $29 monthly, paid annually, for up to 1,000 contacts.

ActiveCampaign offers various tools for creating personalized, targeted emails. Its user-friendly drag-and-drop email designer, over 250 templates, and segmentation tools make it easy to create impactful campaigns.

ActiveCampaign notable features

• Mobile optimization: Content appears responsively across devices.
• Multi-user editing: Collaborate on campaigns with other team members.
• Reporting tools: Learn what’s working and what needs improvement, and incorporate split testing and segmentation to amplify campaign success.
• Integrations: Continue using the tools in your tech stack, from payment processors to ecommerce apps.

ActiveCampaign use cases

From small teams to large enterprises, ActiveCampaign serves a variety of users needing to reach audiences at different stages in the funnel using automation. By leveraging ActiveCampaign, sales support firm Palmetto Fortis increased sales by 20%, while Pit Boss Grills achieved over $76K from a single email campaign. Read more case studies here.

A close contender to ActiveCampaign is also Mailchimp — both of these email platforms use their own sending infrastructure which makes them a popular choice for larger companies.

ActiveCampaign reviews

Pros:

• Deliverability
• Integrations
• Automations

Cons:

• Pricier than other options
• Steep learning curve
• Lackluster editor and templates

Read more reviews at Capterra and G2.

The future of automation is here

Selecting the best email automation platform is not a decision to take lightly. Experimenting with different email marketing tools and services will help you determine which platform works best for your needs and budget. Take advantage of free trials, decide how much you’re willing to spend, and don’t be afraid to change things up if your current automation tools aren’t working for you. Don't rush the process — invest time in choosing the perfect email automation tool for your business — and prepare to thrive in 2024.