Brevo Review
Email, SMS, and chat marketing — formerly Sendinblue
Last reviewed: 2026-03-21 · By GBBR Editorial Team
Affiliate disclosure: We earn a commission on qualifying purchases. Rankings are never for sale.
Our Top Pick · Silver Tier
Brevo
Free plan available
The Bottom Line
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is the best value email marketing platform for businesses with large contact lists and tight budgets. It earned a Silver tier rating because its contact-unlimited free plan, transactional email inclusion, and send-volume pricing model offer significantly better value than Mailchimp at scale — but its automation sophistication and template library don't quite match ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo. It's a smart choice for European businesses and budget-conscious teams.
What is Brevo?
Founded in 2012 in Paris, France and rebranded from Sendinblue to Brevo in 2023, the platform now serves over 500,000 businesses worldwide. Brevo was built with a GDPR-first infrastructure mindset and targets small to mid-market businesses, European companies, and teams that need transactional and marketing email in one tool without paying extra for either.
What does Brevo offer?
Brevo's free plan allows unlimited contacts with 300 emails per day (9,000/month) — a uniquely generous offer in the market. Paid plans start at $25/month (Starter) for higher volume, and the Business plan at $65/month adds marketing automation, heat maps, and multi-user access. Unlike competitors, Brevo prices by email sends rather than contact count, which makes it dramatically cheaper for businesses with large inactive lists.
Free
$0
/month
Starter
$25
/month
Business
$65
/month
Enterprise
Custom
/month
Is Brevo worth the price?
Free forever with unlimited contacts — paid plans from $25/mo based on send volume, not contacts
Brevo's send-based pricing saves businesses with 50,000+ contacts up to 70% compared to Mailchimp's contact-based tiers
Best-in-class dealHow we scored it
Overall score: 80/100
Above-average deliverability with dedicated IP options on paid plans; GDPR-compliant EU infrastructure
Solid automation builder but fewer trigger types and less branching complexity than ActiveCampaign
Clean, modern interface — easier than ActiveCampaign, less polished than Mailchimp
150+ integrations covering core e-commerce and CRM tools; fewer native connections than HubSpot
Unlimited contacts on free plan and send-based pricing make it the most affordable option at scale
Email support on all plans; phone and priority support on Business+ tier
Why Brevo is Silver Tier
Brevo earns Silver because its pricing model and free tier are genuinely category-leading — unlimited contacts for free is a standout advantage over every major competitor. However, its automation builder is less sophisticated than ActiveCampaign, its template library is smaller than Mailchimp, and its overall feature breadth doesn't match the Gold tier tools. Strong GDPR compliance (EU-based infrastructure) and solid deliverability keep it firmly in Silver with a positive trajectory.
How We Test Email Marketing Software
We test each platform by building an actual campaign from scratch in a fresh account — not by reading documentation or inspecting marketing copy. Deliverability is measured by sending test campaigns to a seed list covering Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and Apple Mail inboxes and recording inbox vs. spam placement rate. We build a 5-step automated welcome sequence on each platform and time configuration from start to first test execution. List import is tested with a 1,000-contact CSV, documenting error handling and field mapping quality. Automation accuracy is verified by triggering every branch condition and logging failures. Support is tested by submitting a technical question and measuring first response time and resolution quality. Pricing is captured at checkout — including list size limits and feature restrictions that apply at the stated plan price.
Last tested: 2026-03-21 · Reviewed by GBBR Editorial Team
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓Most generous free tier in email marketing (unlimited contacts)
- ✓Transactional email included without extra fees
- ✓Built-in SMS marketing
- ✓Live chat widget included
- ✓Pricing by sends, not contacts — scales better
Cons
- ✗Automation is less sophisticated than ActiveCampaign
- ✗Template library is smaller than Mailchimp
- ✗Free plan has Brevo branding on emails
- ✗Landing page builder is basic
Ready to try Brevo? Free plan available — no credit card required.
Get Brevo →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brevo worth it in 2026?
Free forever with unlimited contacts — paid plans from $25/mo based on send volume, not contacts Overall verdict: Best-in-class deal.
What is Brevo best for?
Brevo is best for: Businesses with large contact lists on tight budgets, Companies needing transactional + marketing email together, E-commerce stores wanting Mailchimp alternative.
Does Brevo have a free plan?
Yes — Brevo offers a free tier: Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day, 9,000/month.
Who should NOT use Brevo?
Brevo is not the right fit for: Businesses needing advanced CRM functionality; E-commerce needing deep purchase-behavior automation (use Klaviyo).
What are the best Brevo alternatives?
Top alternatives to Brevo include mailchimp, activecampaign, mailerlite.
Brevo earns Silver because its pricing model and free tier are genuinely category-leading — unlimited contacts for free is a standout advantage over every major competitor. However, its automation builder is less sophisticated than ActiveCampaign, its template library is smaller than Mailchimp, and its overall feature breadth doesn't match the Gold tier tools. Strong GDPR compliance (EU-based infrastructure) and solid deliverability keep it firmly in Silver with a positive trajectory.
Get Brevo →Free tier available — no credit card required
Community Reviews
Loading reviews...