Brevo is the cheapest sensible platform for anyone holding a large list they do not mail constantly, and the pricing model is the whole argument.
Where it wins. Send-based pricing means storing 100,000 contacts costs nothing until you email them — the opposite of Mailchimp, and decisive for large but low-frequency lists. Unlimited contacts on every plan, including free, follows from that. The bundle is unusually broad: email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, landing pages, and a genuinely free CRM, so a small business can run its whole front office here. Being French, its GDPR posture and EU data handling are a real selling point for European businesses.
Where it falls short. The interface is functional rather than pleasant, and the polish gap against the market leaders is obvious the moment you build a campaign. Template design is dated. Deliverability on shared IPs is inconsistent — acceptable, occasionally worse than that, and dedicated IPs cost extra. Support quality on lower tiers is uneven. The automation builder handles the basics well and gets awkward at real complexity.
Our call. The value pick, particularly for large infrequently-mailed lists and EU businesses. Buy the polish elsewhere if that matters more than the bill.
Best for
Businesses with large lists they mail occasionally, and EU teams wanting email, SMS, and CRM in one place.
Key takeaways
- 1Priced on emails sent, not contacts stored — unlimited contacts on every plan
- 2Email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat, and a free CRM in one platform
- 3Strong GDPR and EU data-handling posture
- 4Interface and templates are noticeably less polished than rivals
- 5Shared-IP deliverability is inconsistent
- 6Automation gets awkward beyond the basics
Brevo's structural advantage is its pricing model. Almost everyone else charges for contacts you store; Brevo charges for emails you send. If you have a large list you mail occasionally — a seasonal business, a community, a publisher — that difference can be an order of magnitude on the invoice.
What we like
- Send-based pricing is dramatically cheaper for big lists
- Unlimited contacts even on free
- Very broad channel bundle
- Free CRM included
- EU hosting and GDPR focus
Worth noting
- Dated interface and templates
- Inconsistent deliverability
- Uneven support on lower tiers
- Limited automation depth
Plans
Pricing
Free
- Unlimited contacts
- 300 emails per day
- Free CRM
- Transactional email
- Brevo branding
Starter
per month, from
- Unlimited contacts
- 5,000 emails per month
- No daily sending limit
- Basic reporting
- Branding removal available
Business
per month, from
- Marketing automation
- A/B testing
- Send-time optimisation
- Advanced statistics
- Multi-user access
Pricing verified Aug 13, 2026. Prices shown are billed annually where available and may change — always confirm on the vendor site.
From real users
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Frequently asked questions
How is Brevo's pricing different?＋
It charges for emails sent rather than contacts stored, and contacts are unlimited on every plan. For a large list you mail occasionally, that can be an order of magnitude cheaper than contact-based rivals.
Was Brevo previously called something else?＋
Yes — Sendinblue until 2023. The product, accounts, and pricing model carried over; only the branding changed.
Is the free CRM any good?＋
It is genuinely free and genuinely basic: contacts, deals, and simple pipelines. Adequate for a small business, and no substitute for a real CRM once sales gets complicated.
How is deliverability?＋
Inconsistent on shared IPs — acceptable most of the time, occasionally worse. A dedicated IP is available at extra cost and is worth it if email drives revenue.
Brevo
From $8.08/mo