The 7 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Agencies (And Clients)

By now, it’s abundantly clear that email is not only one of the most popular marketing channels but also one that is worth investing in (no matter what industry you work in).

Here are a few statistics for you.

According to a recent consumer trends report, 52% of consumers made a purchase directly from an email in 2023. Plus, email outperforms social media posts by 13% and social media ads by 11%.

Clearly the decision to invest in an email marketing platform, and subsequently develop a strong email marketing strategy, is worthwhile if you’re looking to drive leads and revenue. You’ve heard the age-old sayings about email. For every $1 spent on email marketing, $36 is made in return. That’s a 3600% ROI and a very overused stat but one you can’t really argue with. 

Choosing a platform can be somewhat daunting. No matter which platform you go with, it’s essential to first assess your agency’s baseline, how fast you’re growing, the needs of your clients, and the goals you hope to achieve with an email marketing tool. After all, this is the tool that will help you save time, automate processes, and increase client retention.

With a lot of options to choose from, we’ve put together a list of the best email marketing platforms for agencies and broke each down to their pros, cons, and what each will cost.

Why should agencies invest in email marketing?

First off, email marketing is like that trusty Swiss Army knife in your digital marketing toolkit. It’s versatile, reliable, and incredibly effective. Here’s the lowdown on why it’s worth the investment:

• Direct line to your audience: Email marketing gives you a direct line to your audience’s inbox. Unlike social media, where algorithms decide who sees your posts, emails land straight into your subscribers’ inboxes. It’s like having a VIP pass to your customers’ attention.
  
• High ROI: We touched on this above but the return on investment for email marketing is massive. For every dollar spent, you can expect an average return of $36. That’s a mind-blowing ROI compared to other channels. Why? Because you’re reaching people who’ve already shown interest in what you offer.
  
• Personalization: With email marketing, you can get super personal. Segmentation and personalized content mean you can tailor your messages to different audience segments, making your communication more relevant and engaging. It’s like sending a handwritten note instead of a generic flyer.
  
• Measurable results: One of the best parts of email marketing is that you can track everything. Open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates—you name it, you can measure it. This means you can constantly refine your strategy based on what’s working and what’s not.
  
• Builds relationships: Emails aren’t just about selling; they’re about building relationships. Consistent, valuable emails help nurture leads and maintain connections with your audience. Over time, this builds trust and loyalty, which are gold for any business.
  
• Cost-effective: Compared to other marketing channels, email marketing is relatively cheap. There are no big ad buys or production costs. With a solid strategy and a bit of creativity, you can achieve great results without breaking the bank.
  
• Scalable: Whether you’re a small agency or a big player, email marketing scales with your business. You can start small and ramp up your efforts as you grow. Plus, there are tons of automation tools out there to help you manage email marketing campaigns efficiently.
  
• Great for content distribution: If you’re creating awesome content (blogs, videos, case studies), email is a fantastic way to distribute it. You can drive traffic to your website and keep your audience engaged with your latest and greatest.

Email marketing is a no-brainer for agencies. It’s powerful, cost-effective, and builds lasting relationships with your audience. So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to invest. Your future self (and your bottom line) will thank you.

What to look for when searching for an email marketing platform

Let’s talk about what you should look out for when hunting for the perfect email marketing platform for your agency. There’s a lot to consider to make sure it’s a good fit. Here’s a handy checklist to guide you:

• Ease of use: Let’s be real—you don’t want to spend hours figuring out how to send a simple email. Look for a platform that’s user-friendly with a clean, intuitive interface. Drag-and-drop builders are a big plus here.
  
• Automation capabilities: You want a platform that can handle automated sequences like welcome emails, drip campaigns, and follow-ups without you having to babysit the process. It’s all about working smarter, not harder.
  
• Segmentation and personalization: Make sure the platform allows for easy segmentation and personalization. You want to be able to tailor your messages to different audience groups to make them as relevant as possible.
  
• Integration options: Your email marketing platform should play nicely with the other tools in your tech stack. Whether it’s your CRM, e-commerce platform, or social media tools, seamless integration is key to keeping your workflow smooth.
  
• Analytics and reporting: Look for a platform that provides robust analytics and reporting. You want detailed insights into open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and more so you can constantly refine and improve your strategy.
  
• Deliverability rates: All the fancy features in the world won’t matter if your emails aren’t making it to inboxes. Research the platform’s deliverability rates to ensure your emails will actually reach your audience.

• Customer support: When you hit a snag (and you will), good customer support is crucial. Look for platforms with strong support teams that offer live chat, email, or phone support. Bonus points for a comprehensive knowledge base and community forums.
  
• Customization options: You want your emails to stand out, right? Look for platforms that offer plenty of customization options for your email templates. Being able to match your branding and create visually appealing emails is a must.
  
• A/B testing: A platform with A/B testing capabilities allows you to test different subject lines, content, and send times to see what resonates best with your audience.
  
• Pricing: Last but definitely not least, pricing matters. Make sure the platform fits within your budget. Many platforms offer tiered pricing based on the number of subscribers or emails sent, so choose one that offers good value for your specific needs.
  

At the end of the day, it’s all about finding the right balance between functionality and ease of use.

The top email marketing platforms for agencies

Although there are dozens of incredible email marketing platforms, a handful stand out above the rest. Here’s our shortlist:

• ActiveCampaign
• Constant Contact
• Mailchimp
• HubSpot
• Brevo
• Drip
• Campaign Monitor

G2 Rank: 4.5/5

ActiveCampaign is a great choice for agencies looking for a powerful, all-in-one email marketing platform. It stands out because it doesn’t just stop at email marketing; it combines automation, CRM, and messaging into a seamless experience.

This makes it a great fit for agencies wanting to streamline their workflows and provide a cohesive customer journey from start to finish. Plus, the platform’s ease of use and robust support make it accessible even for those who aren’t tech-savvy.

Where ActiveCampaign shines

• Advanced automation: The automation builder is top-notch, allowing for intricate workflows that can be customized to the nth degree.
  
• CRM integration: The built-in CRM helps manage leads and track interactions across multiple channels.
  
• Personalization and segmentation: Easy-to-use tools for personalizing emails and segmenting audiences, making your messages more relevant.
  
• Comprehensive analytics: Detailed reports on everything from open rates to ROI, helping agencies make data-driven decisions.
  
• Multi-channel communication: Beyond email, you can connect with your audience via SMS, landing pages, and even chat.
  
• Integrations galore: ActiveCampaign integrates with over 900 different apps, giving you the power to integrate existing tools with your ActiveCampaign account and streamline workflows.
  
• White labeling: With an Enterprise plan, you have access to white labeling which allows you to add your agency’s or your client’s branding to the platform and use a custom domain name. You can also join their Agency Reseller program and earn commissions if you sell the platform to clients. 

“Made my life and my marketing so much easier” — Sarah P., Naturopath

“It’s so easy to create not just email automations but also automations that can track who reads certain emails, clicks certain links and simply apply tags so I end up with a really well-organized list of people who are semi-warm, super warm, and hot clientele ready to buy.

Plus it’s been amazing to have a campaign that can have various leads going into the same automation so I don’t have to set up duplicate campaigns all over the place (and have people sign up again and again to receive the same lead magnet in case they deleted the email – something MailChimp couldn’t do)!”

Where ActiveCampaign can improve

• Learning curve: While powerful, some features, particularly advanced automation, can be complex to master.
  Email template flexibility: Although there are plenty of templates, they could offer more customization options without needing coding skills.

ActiveCampaign pricing

Although pricing will depend on how much functionality you need, ActiveCampaign has a Starter plan that starts at $15/month. With this plan, you get multi-step automation, email sends 10x your contact limit, site and event tracking, basic reporting and analytics, access to 900+ integrations, A/B testing, hundreds of beautifully designed email templates, and more.

If you’re looking for additional features like landing pages, unlimited automation triggers and actions, and generative AI, the Plus plan runs at $49/month.

No matter what plan you choose, you’ll enjoy features like:

• Accelerated onboarding
  
• Contact migration
  
• Chat and ticket support
  
• Customer enablement workshops
  
• And video tutorials
  

Find all plans on the ActiveCampaign pricing page.

G2 Rank: 4/5

Constant Contact is a go-to email marketing platform for agencies looking for simplicity and reliability. It’s a fantastic choice for those who want to get up and running quickly without a steep learning curve.

With a user-friendly interface and straightforward tools, agencies can easily create and manage email campaigns, making it perfect for small to medium-sized businesses. Plus, Constant Contact offers excellent customer support, which is a lifesaver when you need a helping hand.

Where Constant Contact shines

• Ease of use: The intuitive drag-and-drop editor makes designing emails a breeze, even for beginners.
  
• Excellent customer support: Access to live chat, phone support, and a comprehensive knowledge base make problem-solving easier.
  
• Event management tools: Unique feature set for managing events, including RSVPs and online registration, which is a bonus for agencies handling event planning.
  
• Template variety: A wide range of templates that can be easily customized to match your brand.
  
• List management: Simple and effective tools for managing and segmenting email lists, making targeting specific audiences straightforward.

“Helping my small business” — Blake M., Enterprise Sales Development Representative

“I appreciate its user-friendly interface, offering a drag-and-drop editor and a variety of customizable templates for easy email creation. The platform excels in list management, allowing users to segment their audience effectively. Automation features enable the setup of triggered campaigns, while robust analytics provide insights into campaign performance.”

Where Constant Contact can improve

• Limited automation: While easy to use, the automation features are more basic compared to some competitors, making it less ideal for complex workflows.
  
• Customization limitations: Some users may find the customization options for templates and landing pages a bit restrictive.
  
• Pricing: The cost can be higher than expected, especially as your contact list grows.

Constant Contact pricing

Speaking of pricing, Constant Contact’s Lite plan starts at $12/month and offers features like drag-and-drop email templates, BrandKit, AI content recommendations, polls and surveys, reach and engagement reporting, contact management, and more. Although there are limited automation capabilities, the Lite plan will do a good job of meeting basic email marketing needs. 

For additional functionality like scheduled email sends, subject line A/B testing, personalization, segmentation, and more advanced automation, the Standard plan runs $35/month. 

Visit the Constant Contact pricing page for more information.

G2 Rank: 4.3/5

Mailchimp is a great pick for agencies looking for a versatile and user-friendly email marketing platform. It’s like the jack-of-all-trades in the email world, offering a blend of powerful features and intuitive design.

Whether you’re just starting out or handling large-scale campaigns, Mailchimp’s flexibility and ease of use make it a popular choice. Plus, with a generous free tier, it’s accessible to agencies of all sizes. The platform’s creative tools and extensive integrations also help agencies create engaging campaigns and connect with other tools in their tech stack.

Where Mailchimp shines

• User-friendly interface: The drag-and-drop email builder and pre-designed templates make it easy to craft professional-looking emails quickly.
  
• Comprehensive analytics: Detailed reports on campaign performance help agencies understand what’s working and where to improve.
  
• Automation: Offers robust automation features, including welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and more, to streamline your workflow.
  
• Audience segmentation: Advanced segmentation capabilities allow you to target specific groups with tailored messages.
  
• Wide range of integrations: Connects seamlessly with various tools like e-commerce platforms, CRM systems, and social media channels.

“An easy way to do email and SMS marketing” — Emmanuel C., Marketing Director

“I love the preview to see the user’s point of view because it is precise. This way I can edit the templates as many times as I want and always observe the result before sending it to the email list or phone numbers. Nowadays it is more than important to generate a good first impression and I like Mailchimp because it helps me generate it with its editing tools and also guarantees a good opening rate.”

Where Mailchimp can improve

• Pricing: While the free plan is great, the costs can climb steeply with advanced features or as your list grows.
  
• Learning curve for advanced features: While easy to start, mastering more advanced features and automations can take time.
  
• Limited design flexibility: Some users find the design tools a bit restrictive, especially if they want highly customized layouts.

Mailchimp pricing

Mailchimp offers four plan tiers starting with their free plan that gives you email support for the first 30 days, limited reporting and analytics, 1,000 email sends, and landing pages. Alternatively, they offer a one-month trial of their Standard plan for just $1 which will then update to the recurring price of $20/month.

This plan gives you access to additional features like enhanced automations, custom-coded email templates, generative AI features, advanced segmentation, A/B testing, and more.

Visit the Mailchimp pricing page for more information.

G2 Rank: 4.4/5

HubSpot is an excellent choice for agencies and enterprise-level companies looking for a robust and integrated email marketing platform. It combines email marketing, CRM, automation, and a suite of other marketing and sales tools all in one place making it perfect for large organizations needing to streamline operations and get a complete view of their customer interactions.

With its powerful analytics and reporting features, HubSpot helps agencies not only reach their audience but understand and optimize every part of the customer journey. It’s packed with features that can streamline marketing efforts and provide deep insights, though it can be a bit pricey and complex for those just starting out.

Where HubSpot shines

• All-in-one platform: HubSpot offers an integrated solution with CRM, marketing automation, and email marketing, eliminating the need to juggle multiple tools.
  
• Advanced automation: Highly sophisticated automation capabilities allow for complex workflows and personalized marketing at scale.
  
• Detailed analytics and reporting: Provides deep insights into campaign performance and customer behavior, helping to fine-tune strategies.
  
• Customizable templates and personalization: Easy to create and customize emails with a variety of templates, plus robust personalization options to tailor messages.
  
• Scalability: Designed to grow with your business, making it ideal for enterprise-level companies with expanding needs.

“Great solution for startups [till a level]” — Divesh S., Senior Product Marketer

“I find that HubSpot Marketing Hub really streamlines my marketing efforts. I benefit from its automation tools, lead management, and analytics. The platform integrates seamlessly with other HubSpot products and third-party tools, which enhances my workflow efficiency. Managing email campaigns, landing pages, and social media has become so much more manageable for me. I’ve noticed improved lead generation and better ROI tracking.”

Where HubSpot can improve

• Pricing: HubSpot can be quite expensive, especially for smaller agencies or companies not fully utilizing its extensive feature set.
  
• Complexity: The platform’s depth can be overwhelming, requiring a steep learning curve to master all its capabilities.
  
• Customization limitations: While powerful, some users find the customization options for certain features somewhat limited without technical know-how.

HubSpot pricing

After their free plan, HubSpot’s entry-level pricing starts out at $15/month per seat, paid annually. They advertise this plan, the Marketing Hub Starter, as the plan that will help you to engage and convert leads but for the same price you can choose the Starter Customer Platform which will give you additional advanced features. 

This plan offers all the features of the Marketing Hub Starter plus up to 10 automated actions, white labeling, 5x marketing contact tier email send limit per calendar month, basic SEO recommendations, 10 dashboards and 10 reports per dashboard, simple marketing automation, and more.

Visit the HubSpot pricing page for all plan details.

G2 Rank: 4.5/5

Brevo (formerly SendinBlue) is a fantastic choice for agencies looking for a versatile and cost-effective email marketing platform. It’s known for offering a lot of bang for your buck, providing robust features without breaking the bank. Brevo’s strong focus on simplicity and accessibility makes it easy for agencies to create, automate, and track email campaigns.

It’s especially great for small to medium-sized businesses that want to scale their marketing efforts without getting overwhelmed by complexity. Plus, Brevo’s pay-as-you-go pricing model is a breath of fresh air, allowing agencies to pay for what they use and nothing more.

Where Brevo shines

• Affordable pricing: Offers competitive pricing with a flexible pay-as-you-go model, making it accessible for agencies of all sizes.
  
• User-friendly interface: An intuitive design with drag-and-drop email builder and pre-designed templates make it easy to get started.
  
• Multi-channel marketing: Not just email, Brevo also supports SMS marketing, chat, and marketing automation, providing a well-rounded digital marketing toolkit.
  
• Advanced segmentation and personalization: Allows for detailed audience segmentation and personalized messaging, helping to tailor communications to specific groups.
  
• Comprehensive analytics: Offers insightful analytics and reporting features, giving a clear view of campaign performance and areas for improvement.

“Best email marketing platform for small business” — Christian O., Small Business Leader

“Brevo is easy to use and intuitive. We switched from another leading platform and the implementation wasn’t difficult and there was support when required. It is easy to build contact lists and create automation to tag certain users for future targeted campaigns. We use the platform weekly and the visual campaign builder makes it very easy to create emails, customize the look, test, and schedule the optimal send time.”

Where Brevo can improve

• Limited advanced automation: While good for basic automation, it lacks some of the more advanced features found in other platforms.
  
• Template customization: Some users may find the customization options for email templates a bit limited compared to competitors.
  
• Deliverability rates: Occasionally, users report concerns about email deliverability rates, which can be crucial for campaign success.

Brevo pricing

After their free plan, Brevo’s entry-level pricing starts with their Starter plan at $9/month paid annually. You get everything in the free plan plus 5,000 emails a month, no daily sending limit, no Brevo branding, basic reporting and analytics, and 24/7 email support.

If you’d like a bit more sophistication, their Business plan is the most popular and will cost you $18/month paid annually. It’s built for marketing managers and e-commerce businesses, giving you access to everything in the Starter plan plus marketing automation, predictive sending, landing pages, A/B testing, and more. 

Visit the Brevo pricing page for all plan details.

G2 Rank: 4.2/5

Drip is a stellar choice for agencies looking to deliver personalized, data-driven email marketing campaigns. It’s especially suited for e-commerce businesses, with a sharp focus on customer behavior and segmentation.

Drip stands out because it goes beyond just sending emails; it’s all about creating meaningful connections with customers through tailored messaging and automated workflows. Its user-friendly interface and powerful integrations make it easy for agencies to craft highly targeted campaigns that resonate with audiences.

Where Drip shines

• E-commerce focus: Designed with e-commerce in mind, offering features like personalized product recommendations and dynamic content based on customer behavior.
  
• Advanced segmentation: Provides deep segmentation options, allowing agencies to tailor messages to very specific customer groups.
  
• Behavioral tracking: Tracks customer actions and triggers automated responses, helping to create highly relevant and timely communications.
  
• User-friendly automation: Easy-to-use workflow builder that simplifies the process of setting up complex automations.
  
• Comprehensive integrations: Seamlessly integrates with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, as well as other marketing tools.

“More possibilities than I expected!” — Salvatore A., M1 Valve Builder

“Drip’s ability to segment consumers automatically is incredible if you sell various types of products and clients. When things changed for us, we migrated to Drip, but we also needed something substantial for our click and brick as our business grew. I appreciate that you can set up events depending on specific behaviors, such as when a subscriber visits a particular page on your website.”

Where Drip can improve

• Pricing: Drip can be on the pricier side, particularly as your subscriber list grows.
  
• Learning curve: While the interface is user-friendly, mastering the more advanced features and automations can take some time.
  
• Template variety: Could offer more variety and flexibility in email templates, especially for those wanting more customization.

Drip pricing

Drip’s pricing is on a sliding scale starting with a minimum of 2,500 contacts at $39/month. For this price, you’ll get unlimited email sends, email support, 50 workflows, open API access, dynamic segments, onsite campaigns, and more. 

Drip is particularly attractive because it offers the same features across all plans but the price you pay will depend on your list size and send volume. This means even if you have a small email list, you will still have access to powerful features like deep behavior customer segmentation and personalization, one-click integrations, and smart A/B testing that will help you drive business. 

Visit the Drip pricing page for all plan details.

G2 Rank: 4.1/5

Campaign Monitor is an excellent choice for agencies that value beautiful design and ease of use in their email marketing platform. It’s perfect for agencies that want to impress clients with sleek, professional-looking campaigns without spending hours on design.

Campaign Monitor offers a simple, intuitive interface that makes creating, sending, and tracking emails a breeze. It’s especially well-suited for agencies focused on branding and design, thanks to its top-notch email templates and customization options. Plus, with strong reporting features, agencies can easily show clients the impact of their campaigns.

Where Campaign Monitor shines

• Beautiful email templates: Offers a range of visually stunning templates that can be easily customized to match any brand’s look and feel.
  
• Drag-and-drop editor: A user-friendly editor that allows for quick and easy email creation, even for those without design skills.
  
• Powerful analytics: Detailed reporting on campaign performance, including insights into open rates, click-through rates, and more.
  
• Dynamic content: Allows for personalization and dynamic content to tailor messages to different segments of your audience.
  
• Easy client management: Features like client sub-accounts make it simple for agencies to manage multiple client campaigns in one place.

“Beginner-friendly email marketing” — Aadeeb S., Brand Manager

“Campaign Monitor has given a significant boost to our email marketing process. Right from managing the mailing list to uploading the customer database & sending HTML email newsletters in a customized way, every part of the process is upgraded dynamically in the Campaign Monitor. The template library is unbounded and offers us a variety of options to choose from for marketing and sales-y mailers.”

Where Campaign Monitor can improve

• Limited automation: While it has essential automation features, it may lack the depth and complexity of automations offered by some competitors.
• Integrations: Although it supports many popular tools, there’s room for more integrations to expand its functionality further.

Campaign Monitor pricing

Campaign Monitor’s pricing starts with their Lite plan at $12/month. This plan allows 2,500 email contacts and offers features like a drag-and-drop builder, a customizable template library, A/B testing, a free image gallery, segmentation tools, signup forms, real-time reporting analytics, subject line recommendations, dynamic content, and more.

For agencies in particular, the Lite plan offers a tiered account setup, a client dashboard, user roles and permissions, private labeling, markup options, in-app billing management, automation sharing, unique API keys by subaccount, and more. 

If you want a more substantial feature set, the Essentials plan costs $29/month and offers everything in Lite plus two-factor authentication, prebuilt journeys, time zone sending, advanced link tracking, extensive support, and more.

Visit the Campaign Monitor pricing page for all plan details.

The choice is yours

Now that we’ve laid out the front-runners of email marketing, you have the information and resources you need to make an informed decision on the platform that will work best for your agency. The one you choose will depend on the unique needs and goals of your clients or the scale of your own agency.

If you’re looking for a platform with incredible support and advanced automation, ActiveCampaign is the one for you. Enjoy features like personalization and segmentation, detailed reporting to track engagement, a built-in CRM to manage your leads, over 900 integrations, and white labeling for consistent branding across all content.

Ready to give it a try? Sign up for a free trial today.