Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) Review: The Best Value CRM for Growing Businesses?
The Verdict
Buy if you want to manage an unlimited contact list without paying a fortune, as Brevo’s unique "pay-per-email" pricing model is the most budget-friendly option for scaling SMBs. Pass if you require enterprise-level reporting or immediate phone support, as their lower tiers prioritize self-service and ticket-based help.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unlimited Contacts: Unlike most competitors, you are not charged based on the size of your subscriber list, only the volume of emails sent.
- All-in-One Toolkit: Seamlessly integrates Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Chat, and a Sales CRM in one dashboard.
- Powerful Free Tier: Allows for 300 emails per day and unlimited contacts, making it perfect for startups.
- Transactional Email King: Includes a robust SMTP server for sending automated password resets and order confirmations alongside marketing blasts.
Cons
- Strict Account Validation: The anti-spam verification process for new accounts can be aggressive and occasionally delays setup.
- Template Builder Quirks: While functional, the drag-and-drop editor can occasionally feel sluggish compared to Mailchimp.
- Limited Integrations: The native integration library is growing but still smaller than the massive ecosystems of Hubspot or Salesforce.
Deep Dive: Features, Value, and Usability
The Feature Ecosystem Brevo has successfully pivoted from a simple bulk-email tool to a full-fledged Customer Relationship Management (CRM) suite. While the email marketing automation remains its core strength—featuring an intuitive workflow builder that handles "if/then" logic beautifully—the addition of "Brevo Conversations" (chat) and multi-channel marketing (SMS and WhatsApp) elevates the platform. For e-commerce users, the standout feature is the unified ability to handle marketing emails (newsletters) and transactional emails (invoices, shipping notifications) from the same platform, ensuring your branding stays consistent across every touchpoint.
Pricing Value This is where Brevo effectively crushes the competition. Most legacy platforms (like Mailchimp or AWeber) charge you based on how many contacts you store. If you have 10,000 subscribers but only email them once a month, you are still paying a premium for the storage. Brevo flips this model: you pay based on the number of emails you send. This makes it incredibly cost-effective for businesses with large, slowly growing lists or seasonal senders. The Free plan is genuinely usable for small shops, and the "Starter" plan removes the daily sending limit for a fraction of what competitors charge.
Ease of Use The interface is clean, modern, and utilitarian. If you are migrating from another platform, the learning curve is minimal. The dashboard is divided logically into Campaigns, Automation, and Contacts. Setting up a campaign is a linear, step-by-step process that prevents you from missing critical elements like subject lines or pre-headers. However, users should be aware that Brevo takes deliverability very seriously; you will need to spend time setting up your SPF/DKIM records and verifying your domain. While this adds initial friction, it ultimately ensures your emails actually land in the primary inbox rather than the spam folder.
The Competition
Brevo vs. Mailchimp Mailchimp is the household name with a more polished template designer and arguably better analytics. However, Mailchimp gets expensive fast as your list grows. If you are a content creator prioritizing aesthetics and easy integrations, Mailchimp wins. If you are a business prioritizing ROI and keeping overhead low, Brevo is the superior choice.
Brevo vs. ActiveCampaign ActiveCampaign is the gold standard for complex automation and tagging logic. If you are a power user running intricate funnels based on granular user behavior, Brevo might feel too simple. However, for 90% of SMBs, Brevo’s automation covers all necessary bases (abandoned cart, welcome series, birthdays) at a significantly lower price point than ActiveCampaign.
Conclusion: Who is this EXACTLY for?
Brevo is the ideal solution for Small to Medium Businesses (SMBs) and E-commerce stores looking to consolidate their marketing stack. If you are tired of paying for "dormant" subscribers on other platforms and need a tool that handles Email, SMS, and Chat without breaking the bank, Brevo is currently the best value proposition on the market.