Email Marketing & CRM: our picks for busy owners
⏱ In about 3 minutes
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In this article
Our verdict
Short answer
Our top pick is Kit: a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers covers newsletters, forms and landing pages. Choose HubSpot if you want customer records and email together. Brevo is the budget option for email plus SMS; read the security note in its section first.
Guides on this topic
Plain-English problem-and-fix guides, each with a short answer first.
Email & CRMMailchimp alternatives for small business: 4 options and how to switch safely
Outgrown Mailchimp's free plan? Compare Kit, Brevo, ActiveCampaign and HubSpot from their official pages, plus a safe 6-step switching plan.
12 min readEmail & CRMBest CRM for small business: HubSpot vs Zoho CRM vs Pipedrive
HubSpot, Zoho CRM or Pipedrive? A plain-English comparison of free plans, prices and follow-up features from official pages, checked October 2026.
10 min readEmail & CRMLeads go cold because I forget to follow up: how to fix it in 30 minutes
Losing leads because follow-ups slip? Set up a simple pipeline with stages, reminders and automated emails in about 30 minutes. Here's how, and which CRMs to look at.
9 min readEmail & CRMWhich email tool is easiest when I have no time?
Short on time? Here's what 'easy' really means in email marketing software, a side-by-side of Kit, Brevo, ActiveCampaign and HubSpot from their official pages, and who each suits.
10 min readEmail & CRMI've got customer emails but never send anything: how to start email marketing
Sitting on a list of customer emails? Here's how to start email marketing properly in an afternoon: pick a tool, get consent, send a welcome email, then one useful newsletter a month.
9 min readEmail & CRMI want emails to send themselves after someone buys or enquires: how to set up automated welcome emails
Set up emails that send themselves when someone signs up, enquires or buys. Pick the trigger, copy our 3-email sequence, test it, and measure what matters. Plus which tools make it easy.
8 min readEmail & CRMMy emails land in spam: why business emails go to junk, and how to fix it
Business emails going to spam? Start with domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, explained in plain English), then list hygiene and content. Here's the fix, step by step.
10 min readEmail & CRMCustomers buy once and never come back: how to get repeat customers with email
One-time buyers? Use four simple emails: a thank-you, an honest review request, a well-timed reminder and a seasonal offer, sent to simple segments with proper consent. Here's how.
8 min readAt a glance
| Product | What it is | Best for | Free plan or trial |
|---|---|---|---|
 Kit | Our top pick: newsletter, forms and landing pages | A simple newsletter and sign-up forms, set up quickly | Free plan; 14-day trial |
| HubSpot | Customer records, email and sales in one place | A small team that wants customer records, email and sales tracking in one place | Free CRM |
 ActiveCampaign | Automation-first email with CRM options | Automated follow-up sequences once the basics are in place | See vendor page |
| Brevo | Budget option: email and SMS in one place | A budget option for email plus SMS | Free plan |
Email lets you reach customers directly, without paying for each message to be seen. These tools collect sign-ups, send follow-ups for you and keep track of who is interested, so you spend less time on it.
Best for your situation
- You want a free newsletter tool to start: Kit
- You want customer records and email together: HubSpot
- You want automated follow-ups: ActiveCampaign
- Budget option: you want email and SMS for less: Brevo
The options, one by one
Kit
Best for a simple newsletter and sign-up forms, set up quickly
Bottom line: A straightforward email tool built for creators and online businesses. The free plan is generous, but automated sequences need a paid plan.
Pros
- A free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages, forms and email broadcasts.
- A 14-day free trial of paid plans with no credit card, and free migrations from another provider.
Cons
- Automations and email sequences are on the paid Creator plan, not the free one.
- Built for creators, per Kit's own pages, so it is not a full sales CRM.
Who it's for: Owners who want a newsletter, landing pages and sign-up forms without much setup.
Who it's not for: Teams that need sales pipelines or customer records alongside email.
Source: Vendor page. Checked 18 October 2026.
HubSpot
Best for a small team that wants customer records, email and sales tracking in one place
Bottom line: A broad customer platform with a free CRM to start on. It covers marketing, sales and service, so there is room to grow, but also more to choose from.
Pros
- A free CRM is available, per HubSpot's product page.
- Marketing, sales, customer service and content tools sit on one platform.
- A Small Business Bundle packages the Starter edition of each product.
Cons
- Each product ("Hub") has its own free and premium plans, so the cost depends on which ones you combine.
- The wide product range means more to learn and set up than a simple newsletter tool.
Who it's for: Small teams that want email and customer tracking together, and expect to add sales or support tools later.
Who it's not for: Owners who only need to send a simple newsletter. A lighter tool such as Kit or Brevo may be easier.
Source: Vendor page. Checked 18 October 2026.
ActiveCampaign
Best for automated follow-up sequences once the basics are in place
Bottom line: An automation-first email platform with CRM options. It suits owners ready to build follow-up flows, and costs depend on your contact count.
Pros
- Email marketing, marketing automation and landing pages across its plans.
- Unlimited automation actions on its Plus plan and above.
Cons
- The Starter plan has limited segmentation and allows 5 actions per automation.
- Prices are shown after you set your contact numbers, so there is no single headline price.
Who it's for: Owners who want customers to receive timed follow-ups automatically.
Who it's not for: Owners who only need to send an occasional newsletter.
Source: Vendor page. Checked 18 October 2026.
Brevo
Best for a budget option for email plus SMS
Bottom line: An email and SMS platform with a free plan to start. The automation features begin on its Standard plan.
Pros
- A free plan is offered with no credit card needed.
- Email and SMS in one platform, with forms that can trigger a follow-up email on sign-up.
Cons
- Marketing automation, A/B testing and landing pages start on the Standard plan.
- Contact limits are tied to your monthly email volume on the Starter and Standard plans, per Brevo's pricing reference.
- Security note: in September 2026 Brevo disclosed two incidents. A sign-in (SSO) flaw let an attacker into 138 customer accounts (Brevo write-up), and a stolen key let fake “verify you are human” malware prompts run on Brevo's website and embeddable scripts for about five and a half hours (Brevo post-mortem). Brevo says both are fixed. Whatever tool you use, turn on two-step sign-in and review who has access.
Who it's for: Owners who want a low-cost start and may add SMS later.
Who it's not for: Owners who want a large all-in-one customer platform.
Source: Vendor page. Checked 18 October 2026.
How we reviewed this
Our method
We read each vendor's own published pages and note what they say. We have not tested these products hands-on, and we give no ratings or scores. Pros and cons are facts from those pages. "Who it's for" and "who it's not for" are our reading of them. We may earn a commission if you buy through some links, at no extra cost to you. Commissions may influence which products we choose to cover, but not our assessment of them. See how we work and our affiliate disclosure.
What to check before you choose
- Does the price suit your team size?
- Is there a free trial or free plan, and what are its limits?
- Does it work with the tools you already use?
- Is support easy to reach if you get stuck?
- Check the vendor's own site for current pricing and features.
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Frequently asked questions
Which email marketing option should I pick first?
See our quick picks for a suggested starting point. It is a starting suggestion, not a test result. Check the vendor's site to confirm it suits your business.
Are the links on this page affiliate links?
Some may be, once approved by the program. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.
Where do I find current pricing?
On each vendor's own website. Prices and plans change, so we don't list them here.