As someone who has used many email marketing tools over the past decade — from simple newsletter tools to full-blown automation + CRM suites — I consider Brevo one of the strongest all‑around platforms in its class today. But like any tool, it has trade‑offs. In this review I’ll walk you through exactly what works, what doesn’t, and who should (or should not) use it.
✅ What is Brevo — Quick Overview
Brevo is a marketing platform that combines email marketing, automation workflows, SMS/WhatsApp/push‑notification support, transactional emails, and a built-in CRM — all in a single dashboard.
That makes it more than just an email-sender: it aims to be a full marketing hub for small-to-medium businesses, freelancers, e‑commerce stores, and even growing teams needing CRM + marketing integration.
In 2025, Brevo continues to be popular because of its affordable (and even free) entry point + flexible pricing model.
🔧 Key Features (What Brevo Does Well)
Here are the main features that stand out — and why they matter based on long-term use.
• Drag & Drop Email Builder + Templates
Brevo provides a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, with pre-designed templates that make building email campaigns easy and quick — even if you don’t code.
For basic newsletters, promotions, or even transactional emails, this reduces a lot of friction.
• Automation & Workflow Builder
One of Brevo’s biggest strengths: you can create automation flows triggered by behavior (signup, purchase, click, inactivity, etc.), which lets you set up welcome sequences, cart recovery, re-engagement campaigns, and other lifecycle‑based messaging.
This transforms email from “one-off blast” to “evergreen revenue engine.”
• Multichannel Messaging (Email + SMS + Chat + Transactional)
Unlike many tools that focus only on email, Brevo supports SMS and transactional emails as well. Some plans also offer WhatsApp campaigns or push notifications. This makes it versatile — especially useful for small businesses that want an all-in-one platform, without juggling multiple services.
• Built‑in CRM & Contact Management
Brevo includes a lightweight CRM where you can store unlimited contacts, tag and segment them, manage deals/pipelines, and track interactions.
This is a major plus if you want marketing + sales operations in a single tool — great for service‑businesses, small agencies, or e‑commerce.
• Flexible Pricing & Free Tier (Good for Startups/Small Businesses)
Brevo’s pricing is based on number of emails sent, not number of contacts — a model that can save money if you have a large but mostly inactive list.
Their Free plan remains generous: up to 300 emails/day (≈9,000 emails/month), unlimited contacts — enough to test and build a small list.
For a startup or small business, that’s huge value.
• Analytics, Tracking & Insights
Brevo gives you reasonable reporting: opens, clicks, delivery reports, and behavioral tracking. For many small-to-medium businesses, that’s sufficient to measure performance and optimize campaigns.
• Ease of Use & Onboarding — Good for Beginners
Based on my own and many users’ experience, Brevo is fairly intuitive. A typical email campaign or automation can be set up in 15–30 minutes.
💲 Pricing & Plan Breakdown (2025)
Below is a simplified breakdown of Brevo’s pricing tiers (as of 2025) and what each offers — very relevant if you’re evaluating cost vs benefit.
| Plan | Price / Volume | What You Get (Highlights) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 — up to 300 emails/day (~9,000/month) | Drag-and-drop editor, email templates, unlimited contacts, basic automation, transactional email/SMS credits, CRM & contact management. |
| Starter / Lite | From ≈ €7–$9/month (for ~5,000–20,000 emails, no daily limit) | Removes sending limit, adds basic reporting & analytics, support, some additional features. |
| Business / Standard | ~$18–$65/month depending on volume | Full automation workflows, A/B testing, landing pages, better stats, remove Brevo branding, multi‑user access, send-time optimization, more robust support. |
| Enterprise / BrevoPlus | Custom pricing (for large volume, advanced needs) | Advanced features: dedicated IP/sub-account management/priority support/SSO/enterprise-grade integrations — for large teams or big senders. |
| Pay-As‑You‑Go / Email‑Credit Model | For occasional bulk sends without monthly subscription | Useful if you send sporadically; you pay only for what you send. |
Why this pricing model matters: Because you pay per email instead of per contact, Brevo can be much more cost-effective than traditional ESPs if you have a large list but send infrequently. It also lowers the barrier for small businesses to grow and experiment without huge recurring costs.
✅ Pros — What Brevo Does Very Well
Based on long-term use and many deployments across clients, these are the strongest advantages of using Brevo:
- All-in-one platform: Email + CRM + SMS/ transactional + automation in one dashboard — reduces tool fatigue and simplifies workflow.
- Generous free tier & affordable scaling: Great for small businesses, new lists, or budget-conscious startups.
- Flexibility: Send-based pricing, pay-as-you-go credits, and optional channel add-ons give control over spending.
- Automation-ready: Good automation features even in mid-tier plans — huge time-saver and revenue driver.
- Usability: Easy to learn, deploy, and manage — doesn’t require advanced technical knowledge.
- Decent deliverability (when configured correctly): Many users, including myself, see good inbox placement when SPF/DKIM are configured and list hygiene maintained.
- CRM + contact segmentation: Good for businesses that need to manage leads/customers without a separate CRM tool.
For many small-to-medium businesses, these pros make Brevo “one of the best value-for-money ESPs on the market.”
⚠️ Cons & Limitations — Where Brevo Falls Short
No tool is perfect. Here are the drawbacks and limitations that I’ve seen over years of testing — and which you should be aware of before committing long-term.
• Template Library & Design Customization Is Basic
Compared to design-focused platforms (or in-house custom HTML), Brevo’s templates and design flexibility are somewhat limited. If you have complex HTML emails or highly customized designs, you may run into constraints.
• Automation & Segmentation Still Simpler Than Enterprise‑grade Tools
While good for most workflows, Brevo’s automation builder and segmentation logic are not as advanced as some higher‑tier tools (e.g. branching logic, complex CRM workflows, deeply conditional triggers).
If your business needs heavy segmentation + personalization + complex flows, you might hit limits.
• Mixed Reviews on Deliverability & IP Reputation (Especially Over Shared IPs)
Some independent reviews claim deliverability issues can occur — especially when using shared IP pools or sending high volumes.
That means you still need to follow best practices (list hygiene, warming up IPs, clean lists) — otherwise deliverability can suffer.
• Advanced Features Locked Behind Paid Plans / Add‑Ons
Features like A/B testing, landing pages, multi-user support, removal of Brevo branding, dedicated IPs, etc., often require upgrading — which can increase cost for growing businesses.
For small users relying on free or starter tier, you may find yourself limited eventually.
• Support & Reporting Less Powerful Than Some Competitors
Reporting dashboards are okay for basic metrics. But compared to enterprise tools, detailed funnel analytics, revenue attribution, advanced reporting are lacking.
Also, support response and availability may depend on your plan — free/small plans get minimal support, which can be frustrating if you face deliverability or setup issues.
• For Very Large/Complex Businesses — Might Outgrow Quickly
If you need deep CRM, advanced automation logic, large-scale enterprise features or very precise reporting + integrations, Brevo may not suffice. Many users outgrow it and switch to more advanced tools.
🎯 Who Should Use Brevo — and Who Might Want to Look Elsewhere
Based on my experience, here’s a breakdown of who gets the most value from Brevo — and who should consider alternatives:
Best fit for Brevo
- Small businesses / startups / solopreneurs — with smaller budgets, small-to-medium contact lists, moderate sending frequency.
- Bloggers, content creators, service providers — who need email + basic CRM + occasional SMS or transactional email without high costs.
- E-commerce stores with modest volume — newsletters, promos, abandoned‑cart, welcome flows — all manageable within Brevo.
- Companies wanting an all-in-one marketing stack (email + SMS + CRM + automation) without juggling multiple tools.
- Businesses that value cost-efficiency and flexibility — large contact database but limited sending frequency (pay-per-send is cost-effective).
Might need something more advanced
- Large e-commerce stores or high-volume senders — risking deliverability issues or needing advanced automation/funnel analytics.
- Enterprise-level businesses needing deep CRM, complex segmentation, multi-channel orchestration, and advanced reporting.
- Teams requiring collaboration, multi-user access, advanced support, or heavy customization of templates/workflows.
- Businesses requiring strict reliability, dedicated IP, high deliverability, or robust deliverability support — especially with large sends.
🔍 My Verdict (Based on Real Use & Testing)
Having run multiple campaigns across 2023–2025 for clients using Brevo — from solo solopreneurs to small e-commerce stores — my conclusion is:
- Brevo is among the best “bang for buck” email marketing platforms available in 2025. For small to medium businesses, it hits the sweet spot: affordability, core features, flexibility.
- It’s especially useful when you want an all-in-one stack: email marketing + CRM + SMS/transactional in one place. For many use cases, this simplicity outweighs the need for advanced enterprise‑grade features.
- But it’s not perfect — if you anticipate scaling significantly (large lists, complex automations, enterprise-level needs), you should evaluate its limitations carefully before fully committing.
- Finally: treat it as a “starter to mid-level” tool. For early to mid‑growth stages, it’s excellent; for large-scale or advanced marketing operations, plan a future migration if needed.
📌 Tips to Get the Most Out of Brevo (Based on 10+ Years’ Experience)
From my hands-on work, these practical tips maximize Brevo’s impact:
- Always authenticate your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) — improves deliverability significantly.
- Start with the free plan or low tier, build list + good segmentation + clean contacts, then upgrade as needed — don’t overpay early.
- Use automation workflows from day one — welcome series, abandoned‑cart reminders, behavioral triggers — automation drives better ROI than one-off broadcasts.
- Keep your templates simple and mobile‑friendly — simpler designs tend to have better deliverability and open rates.
- Segment aggressively — don’t send same content to everyone. Use tags, behaviors, interests.
- Monitor deliverability & engagement metrics carefully — especially if using shared IPs; prune inactive users.
- Use SMS/ transactional email features if needed — consolidating multiple communications channels under Brevo reduces overhead.
- Plan for growth — if you foresee heavy usage or advanced needs, ensure you have export backups and an exit plan (in case you outgrow Brevo’s capabilities).
🚩 Final Thoughts — Is Brevo Worth It in 2025?
Yes — for most small to medium businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs — I consider Brevo one of the most balanced and cost-effective email marketing & CRM platforms available right now.
It blends usability, affordability, flexibility and core marketing features in a package that suits real-world needs. The free tier lowers risk for beginners; paid tiers scale reasonably as needs grow.
That said, expect trade‑offs: design flexibility is limited, automation logic is simpler than enterprise-grade platforms, and reporting/analytics are not state‑of-the-art. But if you know what you need — a solid, dependable, all-in-one marketing system — Brevo delivers excellent value.
For many businesses, starting with Brevo is a smart move. And if your business outgrows it later, migrating while you still have clean lists and good deliverability is much easier than starting from scratch.
Common Questions:
1. What is Brevo and how does it work?
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is an all-in-one marketing platform that combines email marketing, automation, SMS campaigns, transactional emails, and CRM. Businesses can use it to create campaigns, manage contacts, automate workflows, and track performance — all in one dashboard.
2. Is Brevo good for small businesses?
Yes. Brevo is ideal for small businesses because it offers a free plan with unlimited contacts, affordable paid tiers, easy-to-use email automation, and multi-channel messaging. It’s perfect for startups, bloggers, and e-commerce stores.
3. How much does Brevo cost in 2025?
Brevo offers several pricing plans:
- Free: 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts
- Starter/Lite: ~$9/month, no daily sending limit
- Business/Standard: ~$18–$65/month, advanced automation, landing pages, A/B testing
- Enterprise: Custom pricing, priority support, dedicated IP, advanced features
4. What features make Brevo stand out?
Key features include:
- Drag-and-drop email editor with templates
- Marketing automation workflows
- CRM and contact segmentation
- SMS and transactional email support
- Analytics and campaign reporting
- Multi-channel marketing from a single platform
5. Can Brevo handle large email lists?
Yes, especially with its send-based pricing model, which charges per email sent rather than per contact. This makes it cost-effective for businesses with large contact lists but moderate email frequency. However, very high-volume senders should monitor deliverability carefully.
6. How good is Brevo’s email deliverability?
Brevo has decent deliverability when SPF/DKIM are configured correctly, and list hygiene is maintained. Using shared IPs or sending high volumes without warming up can affect inbox placement, so following best practices is essential.
7. Does Brevo offer marketing automation?
Yes. Brevo provides automation workflows triggered by subscriber behavior, purchases, website activity, or inactivity. Common automations include welcome sequences, abandoned-cart reminders, re-engagement campaigns, and transactional notifications.
8. Is Brevo better than other email marketing platforms?
Brevo is competitive for small-to-medium businesses, offering affordability, ease of use, and multi-channel marketing. While it may not have the advanced automation and analytics of enterprise tools like ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo, it offers excellent value for startups and mid-sized businesses.
9. Can Brevo integrate with other tools?
Yes. Brevo integrates with WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier, and more, allowing seamless syncing of contacts, automation triggers, and e-commerce workflows. These integrations enhance workflow efficiency and reporting.
10. Who should use Brevo and who should look elsewhere?
- Best fit: Small businesses, startups, bloggers, solopreneurs, and medium e-commerce stores looking for an all-in-one marketing platform.
- Might need alternatives: Large enterprises, high-volume senders, or businesses needing advanced CRM and complex automation workflows.