Choosing an email marketing platform is a decision you live with for years. Your flows, segments, templates and customer data all end up there. For online stores, three names come up most often: Klaviyo, Mailchimp and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue).
All three can send newsletters and automated flows. The differences are in e-commerce data, segmentation depth, pricing model and how they fit your store and market.
Quick summary
- Klaviyo: built for e-commerce. Deepest store data integration and segmentation. Best for stores that want to grow revenue from email and SMS seriously.
- Mailchimp: easy to use, broad audience. Good for smaller stores and businesses that are not only e-commerce.
- Brevo: good value, strong on transactional email and multi-channel. Popular with European businesses and stores with large contact lists but moderate sending.
Comparison table
| Klaviyo | Mailchimp | Brevo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | E-commerce | General SMB marketing | Multi-channel, value |
| Store integrations | Very deep (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento and more) | Good for major platforms | Good for major platforms |
| Segmentation | Very advanced, event-based | Good | Good |
| Automation flows | Advanced, e-commerce templates | Good, simpler | Good |
| Predictive analytics | Yes (e.g. predicted value and churn) | Some, plan-dependent | Limited |
| SMS | Yes | Yes, region-dependent | Yes |
| Transactional email | Possible | Via add-on (Mandrill) | Strong, built in |
| Pricing model | Mainly by number of profiles | Mainly by number of contacts | Mainly by email volume |
Pricing changes often, so check current plans. The pricing model is what decides your long-term costs:
- If you have many contacts but send relatively little, a volume-based model (Brevo) can be cheaper
- If you have fewer contacts but send many targeted emails, a profile-based model can work well
- Clean up inactive contacts regularly on any platform, it saves money and improves deliverability
Klaviyo in detail
Strengths:
- Collects detailed store events (viewed product, added to cart, placed order, fulfilled) out of the box with major platforms
- Segment on anything: purchase history, product categories, predicted value, engagement
- Strong pre-built e-commerce flows and reporting on revenue per flow
- Email and SMS in one platform
Watch out for: costs grow with your profile count, and the depth can be overwhelming without a clear strategy.
Mailchimp in detail
Strengths:
- Easy editor and quick start
- Well known, with many integrations
- Suitable when you also do content newsletters and non-e-commerce marketing
Watch out for: e-commerce segmentation and flows are less deep than Klaviyo’s; check how well the integration with your platform works (some platform integrations have changed over the years, for example on Shopify).
Brevo in detail
Strengths:
- Pricing based on email volume rather than contacts on many plans
- Transactional email (order confirmations, password resets) built in
- Email, SMS, WhatsApp and chat in one platform
- European company, which some EU businesses prefer for data processing
Watch out for: advanced e-commerce segmentation and reporting are less extensive than Klaviyo’s.
Which one for which store?
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Shopify store focused on growth via email/SMS | Klaviyo |
| Small store starting with email | Mailchimp or Brevo |
| Large contact list, moderate sending, cost-sensitive | Brevo |
| Need transactional + marketing in one tool | Brevo |
| Magento or WooCommerce with complex segmentation | Klaviyo (or custom data integration) |
| B2B with long sales cycles and CRM | Consider a marketing automation platform connected to your CRM |
Data and integrations matter more than the tool
Whatever platform you choose, the results depend on:
- Correct events from your store: viewed product, added to cart, placed order with product details
- Clean customer data: no duplicates, correct consent status
- Good flows: see 10 email flows every online store needs
- Deliverability: SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your sending domain
For custom data (for example B2B customer groups, loyalty points or ERP data), you may need a custom integration or automation tool such as n8n to push data to your email platform.
GDPR considerations
- Check where data is stored and which subprocessors are used
- Sign the data processing agreement
- Store consent status and source per contact
- Make unsubscribing and data deletion work across your systems
Switching platforms
Moving from one platform to another is very doable:
- Export contacts with consent status and key properties
- Rebuild your most important flows (do not copy blindly, improve them)
- Warm up your sending domain on the new platform gradually
- Run both in parallel for a short time if needed
- Check that store events are coming in correctly
Frequently asked questions
Is Klaviyo worth the price?
For stores that actively use segmentation and flows, it often pays for itself through revenue from email and SMS. For a basic monthly newsletter, it may be more than you need.
Can I use Mailchimp with WooCommerce or Magento?
Yes, through integrations. Check the current integration for your platform and what data it syncs.
Which platform has the best deliverability?
Deliverability depends mostly on your own practices: authentication, list hygiene and relevant content. All three can deliver well when used correctly.
Need help choosing or setting up?
I help online stores choose, integrate and set up email platforms with the right data and flows, including migrations between platforms. See my marketing automation service or request a consultation.