In this buying guide, we compare the Emma & Brevo email marketing platforms on automation, features, and pricing. Spoiler alert: we’re pretty fond of Emma, but we’ll call out where each platform actually wins—even when it stings a little 🤍
Disclaimer: The features, pricing, and details mentioned for each product are as of September 2025 and may have changed since then.
| Category | Emma | Brevo |
| Pricing | Starts $99/mo; Emma Lite for 10k contacts, annual contract | Free plan (300 emails/day), paid plans start at $9/mo |
| User sentiment | 4/5 average rating (500+ reviews) | 4.5/5 (2,000+ reviews) |
| Automation & journeys | Multi-step journeys with branching, welcome and drip, API and date triggers | Time-based and behavior-based triggers with if/then branching |
| AI features | AI Assistant for writing and edits, A/B and subject tests, reporting insights | Aura AI suite for copywriting, segmentation, smart send-time |
| Deliverability & reliability | High deliverability (99.53% as of a 2022 review), SPF/DKIM/DMARC guidance, SFTP sync | High delivery rates with spam trap detection |
| Segmentation & personalization | Dynamic segments with real-time updates, dynamic content, opt-down center | Dynamic segments with 50+ custom fields |
| Integration ecosystem | Hundreds of integrations and open API, deep CRM syncs (Salesforce, Blackbaud, EverTrue), Shopify app, Eventbrite | 150+ integrations |
| Conversion & list-building tools | Landing pages included on Essentials plan, brand controls for consistent capture | Forms with multi-step options |
| Support & resources | Email and phone support, live tech support Mon–Fri 7am–7pm CT, onboarding services | Email support on free/starter, phone on business+ |
“Emma is our top-of-the-line and favorite email marketing tool”
Anna L., Senior Vice President Marketing (G2)“We have never faced failure since day one. I can say that it helps generate a positive turnover. Emma has been our favorite since the start. I decided to choose Emma as our email marketing tool and beyond any doubt it has proved itself over and over again…”
| Feature | Emma | Brevo |
| Average Rating | 4/5 (500+ reviews) | 4.5/5 (2,000+ reviews) |
| Setup Experience | Quick and easy setup — from minutes to hours for SPF authentication. | A few minutes – 48 hrs for validating domain authentication. |
| Learning Curve | Intuitive interface with guide to getting started, and Quick Start training. | Easy multichannel setup with intuitive interface |
| Best for: | Franchises & multi-location teams needing centralized brand control | SMBs needing affordable multichannel marketing |
Emma is best for franchises and multi-location teams that need centralized brand control. It helps keep every location consistent while still giving them flexibility to connect with their audience.
Brevo is ideal for SMBs wanting affordable multichannel marketing. It delivers strong value for budget-conscious brands while making it simple to expand into SMS and other channels.
“Emma is very user friendly and insight oriented”
“The navigations to Emma are very simple and self explanatory. There is a very short learning curve and a very clean UI to use.”
| Feature | Emma | Brevo |
| Email Editor | Drag-and-drop editor with mobile design mode | Drag-and-drop editor with responsive templates; Developer Mode for advanced customization |
| Template Library | Hundreds of pre-designed, mobile-optimized templates | 40+ free responsive templates for newsletters, promos, and welcomes |
| Design Flexibility | Style locking, asset sharing, template approval workflows | Brand Library auto-applies logo, colors, and fonts |
| Branding Consistency | Professional templates with brand locking capabilities for consistent branding | Brand assets sync automatically across templates |
| Best for: | Teams requiring consistent branding across locations | Businesses needing simple, responsive design with built-in brand control |
Emma is built for teams that need consistent branding across multiple locations. With its professional templates and brand-locking tools, it ensures every message looks polished and on-brand, no matter who’s creating it.
Brevo is designed for businesses that want simple, responsive design with built-in brand control. Its brand library keeps assets aligned automatically, making it easy for smaller teams to send professional-looking campaigns without extra design work.
Car Talk simplified templates and optimized for mobile with clear CTAs using Emma, sustaining ~40% opens and up to 50% clicks on The Puzzler and lifting overall click rates by nearly 20%.
| Feature | Emma | Brevo |
| Trigger Options | Signup, date-based, field change, contact import, and custom API events | Time, date, behavior, and custom events |
| Conditional Logic | Branching on opens/clicks; dynamic-content rules from contact fields; up to 20 branches | If/then branching with multiple conditions |
| Prebuilt Journeys | Common workflows: welcome series, re-engagement/drip, abandoned cart | Welcome, abandoned cart, birthdays, re-engagement |
| Journey Complexity | Multi-step workflows with Wait/Send steps and branching; automate from activity inside or outside the inbox | Cross-channel: email, SMS, WhatsApp + send-time optimization |
Emma is ideal for brands that need structured, multi-step automation. With branching, wait/send steps, and detailed workflows, it helps marketing teams manage re-engagement, abandoned carts, and complex nurturing at scale.
Brevo suits businesses that want cross-channel automation without complexity. Its workflows span email, SMS, and WhatsApp, with send-time optimization that makes campaigns smarter and easier to manage.
Dogfish Head activated automated welcomes and a web-series send with Emma, with welcome emails averaging ~78% opens and 27% clicks and the series pulling ~58% opens and 33% clicks.
| Feature | Emma | Brevo |
| AI Content Creation | AI Assistant writes/rewrites email copy, fixes grammar, and adjusts tone/length to speed up campaign creation | AI Writing Assistant creates or improves subject lines, emails, and campaigns |
| Design Intelligence | Drag-and-drop editor with mobile design mode; brand controls lock styles and manage shared templates | AI Assistant adapts tone and refines draft content |
| Optimization Tools | Subject line split testing, A/B content testing, click-map visualization, and detailed analytics/compare reports | Send-time optimization and subject line testing |
| Predictive Features | Response Dashboard shows robust analytics that reveal subscriber insights so you can double down on what works. | Real-time engagement insights with recommendations |
| Best For | Small businesses needing all-in-one AI help for content, design, and reporting. | Marketers wanting practical AI tools for faster campaign creation |
Emma is best for small businesses that want AI to simplify everything in one place. From fixing grammar and rewriting copy to running split tests and analyzing subscriber behavior, Emma helps teams double down on what works without extra guesswork.
Brevo is built for marketers who want fast, practical AI support. Its Writing Assistant creates or improves campaigns in real time, with send-time optimization and engagement insights that make it easy to launch smarter campaigns quickly.
“Very smooth email marketing experience with Emma”
“I liked using the platform a lot, it was very smooth to use and AI suggestions were cherry on a cake truly.”
— Nirmalya N., WhatsApp Chatbots and Automation Information Technology and Services (G2)
| Feature | Emma | Brevo |
| Delivery Rate | High deliverability (99.53% deliverability as of 2022 review) | High delivery rates (No stated overall percentage specified) |
| Inbox Placement | Strong reputation management across multiple accounts | High inbox placement supported |
| Deliverability Tools | Supports SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication with best-practice guidance to improve inboxing | Domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), shared/dedicated IPs with warm-up, list hygiene best practices |
| Sending Reliability | Automated SFTP Connect for steady contact syncs. | Real-time performance dashboards; delivery rate monitoring by IP or campaign and set alerts for drops. |
| Best for: | Multi-location brands needing to monitor delivery and manage authentication across sub-accounts | Businesses needing consistently high inbox placement with dedicated support |
Emma is ideal for multi-location brands that can’t afford delivery issues. With 99.53% deliverability and strong reputation management across accounts, Emma helps large organizations maintain trust and consistency at scale, backed by steady authentication and sync reliability.
Brevo fits businesses that rely on consistently reaching the inbox. With real-time dashboards, dedicated IPs, and monitoring tools, Brevo ensures high deliverability with proactive issue alerts, giving teams more control over performance and campaign health.
“Emma is an excellent product for SMEs for email & SMS marketing”
“The deliverability rate of Emma was the highest we ever saw for any of our Email campaigns and we could send numerous campaigns at once that was the highlight.”
| Feature | Emma | Brevo |
| Segmentation Capabilities | Dynamic segments with real-time updates based on behavior, demographics | Real-time auto-updating segments based on custom fields |
| Dynamic Content | Dynamic blocks that personalize per subscriber using fields or custom API events. | Dynamic blocks with if/else and data feeds |
| Personalization Tags | Personalization/merge tags from contact fields (e.g., name, custom fields) in the editor. | Attributes like name, email, birthday for subject/body personalization |
| Subscriber Preferences | Customizable subscription center with opt-down options | Profile update forms + multi-list subscription options |
| Best for | Complex audience management across multiple accounts | SMBs needing simple personalization and dynamic targeting |
Emma is built for organizations managing large, complex audiences. With real-time updates and customizable subscription centers, it helps brands deliver precise, personalized messaging across multiple accounts without losing control.
Brevo works best for SMBs that want straightforward personalization and targeting. Its simple update forms and dynamic tags make it easy to tailor campaigns quickly without heavy setup.
Convince & Convert used Emma’s audience-choice segmentation and sponsor-friendly newsletter format to grow and engage the daily “Definitive” readership while preserving trust and giving partners credible visibility.
| Feature | Emma | Brevo |
| Number of Integrations | Hundreds of integrations + open API | 150+ native integrations across CRM, ecommerce, and productivity apps |
| CRM Integrations | Salesforce, Blackbaud, EverTrue with deep sync capabilities | Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Pipedrive |
| E-commerce Integrations | Shopify app; SFTP Connect for automated data sync | Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, PrestaShop |
| API Flexibility | Ecommerce, landing pages, events (Eventbrite) | Open API with full documentation, webhooks, SDKs for custom use |
| Best for | Distributed brands (franchises, universities) needing centralized control with deep CRM integrations. | Teams needing reliable access to key ecommerce and CRM tools |
Emma is ideal for distributed organizations that need centralized control with deep CRM syncs. Its wide integration network ensures smooth connectivity across franchises, universities, or multi-location brands.
Brevo fits teams that rely on key e-commerce and CRM tools. With 150+ native integrations and strong API support, it gives businesses flexibility to connect and customize without complexity.
“Emma is the best ever multi-channel email marketing software”
“Emma is the best ever email marketing software used by me with various features. The ease of use in analytics of campaigns makes my life easier… Integration of this software to my CRM is soo easy and if I get any query, their customer support is ready to help me in the quickest way.”
| Feature | Emma | Brevo |
| Starter Offer | $99/mo; Emma Lite (10,000 contacts, annual contract) | Free plan (300 emails/day, custom email templates, drag-and-drop editor, SMS & WhatsApp campaigns) |
| Most Popular | Emma Essentials — $159/mo (10,000 contacts, annual contract; adds landing pages, unlimited automation, SMS*) | Business: $18/mo (5,000 emails, automation, AI, A/B testing, phone support) |
| Pricing Model | Contact-based tiers with flat monthly/annual billing; per-contact overages if you exceed your limit; custom quotes for >10k contacts; annual discounts available | Tiered plans: Free → Starter ($9/mo) → Business ($18/mo) → Enterprise (custom); pricing based on email volume, with annual plans offering ~10% discount |
| Best for | Large organizations who want to scale | SMBs seeking affordable entry and unlimited contact storage |
Emma is built for large organizations ready to scale, offering predictable pricing with discounts for bigger contact volumes. Its structured plans suit enterprises that need long-term stability and bulk management.
Brevo works best for SMBs wanting budget-friendly entry and flexibility. With free and low-cost tiers, it gives smaller teams room to grow without overspending, making it appealing for startups and cost-conscious marketers.
| Feature | Emma | Brevo |
| Support Availability | Email & phone support, plus Support Hub; live tech support Mon–Fri, 7am–7pm CT. | Email support on Free & Starter; Business adds chat; Premium includes phone support. |
| Support Response Time | Business-hours live support; priority phone support available on Corporate plan | Well-regarded; Priority response for Business & Premium tiers. |
| Knowledge Resources | Support Hub, Emma 101 resource hub & webinar , and video library | Help center, courses, and community |
| Onboarding Assistance | Professional Services onboarding packages (strategic kickoff, list import, custom training). | Tailored onboarding on Enterprise plan |
| Best for | Teams wanting business-hours live help + self-serve resources; larger orgs needing priority phone support & services. | Businesses needing email support and rich self-help resources |
Emma is ideal for larger organizations needing hands-on guidance and priority support. Best for franchises, universities, and enterprises that rely on expert onboarding to keep campaigns running smoothly.
Brevo suits SMBs and lean teams who value self-service resources with scalable support. Best for cost-conscious businesses that want confidence their growth won’t outpace available help.
“Emma has made my job communicating to my customers so valuable!”
“Emma’s customer support is extremely superior to many other development tools I have used in the past. By using Emma to send my emails, newsletters and landing pages, I am able to get metrics that are so valuable.”
“Emma email marketing – a multi-tasker email marketing tool”
Angelika E., Marketing & Sales Lead, Retail (Brick and Mortar) Gift Cards (G2)“Emma provides ease to the users for creating and summarizing results. It is easy to update and add new contacts on this platform. It allows people to manage their list of emails. It has great integration with other applications. Users can also edit them for a long time as well. There are certain different features in this regard.”
“We have been using Emma for a few years now”
Sarah D., Senior E-commerce Strategy Manager (G2)“We use Emma for marketing our campaigns, target our specific customers and audience as well as send targeted emails for subscriptions and promotions to our targeted customers. Sending mass emails is not a big deal now…Honestly, it works so well for us.”
“Emma captures any type of campaign solution”
Hanna L., Head Of Solutions Media Production (G2)“Emma has supported the creation of a content distribution resolution component; for us, it has been invaluable because it has been able to automate the marketing and sending of mass emails to promote our services… It has helped us improve the quality of our service through customer interaction.”
