Why I Switched to Brevo for All My Marketing Needs
1. The Breaking Point: Juggling Too Many Apps
Until late 2024 my stack looked like a game of Tetris— Mailchimp for newsletters, a separate SMTP relay for receipts, Zapier zapping everything together, and a small SMS gateway for flash sales. Costs crept up, data lived in silos, and every new campaign meant another workflow to debug. The moment I crossed 50 000 subscribers and still faced a per‑contact bill, I knew it was time to consolidate.
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2. The Shortlist and the Stand‑Out
I tested four platforms over eight weeks. Brevo (rebranded from Sendinblue) won because it met each of my “must‑have” checkpoints:
| Requirement | Legacy Stack | Brevo Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Paid per subscriber, rising to $279/mo | Pay only for emails sent—Starter $9 for 5 k sends; Business $18 for automation & A/B tests |
| Transactional email | Separate SMTP at $15/mo | Native API & SMTP on every plan |
| SMS + WhatsApp | Third‑party gateway, no analytics | Built‑in SMS and WhatsApp campaigns, pay‑as‑you‑go credits |
| Visual automation | Limited; rule‑based only | Drag‑and‑drop workflows, unlimited on Business plan |
| CRM sync | None (spreadsheets) | Free Sales Platform with pipelines and deal tracking |
| Deliverability tools | Shared IP only | Dedicated IP optional; 89 % inbox rate in 2025 tests |
3. Deep Dive Into the Features That Sold Me
3.1 Volume‑Based Pricing That Doesn’t Punish Growth
Most creators hit a wall when subscriber‑based pricing climbs faster than revenue. Brevo flips the model: contacts are unlimited, you pay for messages sent. For my list—75 000 names but roughly 35 000 monthly sends—that works out to $39 instead of the $300 I was facing elsewhere. Annual billing shaves off ~10 %.
3.2 Automation Workflows Worthy of a Mid‑Market Suite
Brevo’s workflow builder lets me stack triggers (page visits, link clicks, purchase events) with if/then branches, wait steps, and channel swaps. One flagship flow:
- Visitor downloads a guide →
- Wait three days →
- If “no purchase” send a discount email, else send onboarding SMS →
- Tag “warm lead” in CRM.
That single sequence lifted my conversion on first‑time buyers by 14 % in Q1‑2025.
3.3 Omnichannel Reach Without Extra Log‑ins
Email remains the backbone, but flash sales via SMS outperform by 3× on revenue per send. Inside the same dashboard I schedule both, then add a WhatsApp reminder for VIP segments. Analytics merge across channels, so reporting stays cohesive rather than pieced together in spreadsheets.
3.4 Built‑In Sales CRM for a Zero‑Cost Pipeline
Brevo’s Sales Platform (Free for unlimited users) handles up to fifty open deals—ample for my boutique service arm. Upgrading to Pro at $12 per user unlocked unlimited pipelines plus workflow automations that nudge reps when deals stall. No more shuttling data between Airtable and Slack threads.
3.5 Deliverability and Peace of Mind
Independent tests peg Brevo’s inbox placement at about 89 % for 2025—competitive with big names costing triple. Dedicated IP rental is $29/mo; I accepted because it isolates my reputation from other senders. A/B testing helped me prune low‑performing subject lines and bump open rates from 23 % to 27 % in two months.
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4. Real‑World Results After 180 Days
| Metric (Nov 2024 → May 2025) | Old Stack | Brevo | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform cost | $316 | $68 | ↓ 78 % |
| Average open rate | 23 % | 27 % | +4 pp |
| Click‑through rate | 2.9 % | 4.1 % | +1.2 pp |
| Cart‑recovery revenue | $4 120 | $6 880 | +67 % |
| Hours spent in Zapier | 12/mo | 1/mo | – 92 % |
Savings alone justified the switch, but the bigger win was time—time to refine strategy instead of wrangling integrations.
5. Pain Points to Keep in Mind
- Learning curve: The sheer breadth of tools means a busier interface. Expect a week to acclimate.
- Template variety: Brevo’s library is improving but still smaller than specialist design platforms; heavy brand customisation may need external HTML work.
- Support tiers: Chat is fast on Business, but Free users rely on email tickets.
6. How to Evaluate if Brevo Fits Your Stack
- Audit your send volume vs. list size. If the ratio is low, volume‑based pricing wins.
- List every extra app you pay for (SMS gateway, CRM, transactional relay). Brevo may bundle them.
- Map critical automations—if they require visual branching, Brevo’s workflow builder is a good fit.
- Check compliance needs—Brevo is GDPR‑ready and hosts EU data centres for peace of mind.
- Run the free plan for a fortnight with a sandbox list to test deliverability and UI comfort.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Why did you switch to Brevo from your previous email marketing tools?
A: I switched to Brevo because it offered a more affordable, all-in-one solution. It replaced multiple tools I was using—email marketing, transactional email, SMS, and CRM—at a fraction of the cost while improving automation, deliverability, and ease of use.
Q2. Is Brevo better than Mailchimp or ConvertKit?
A: For my needs, yes. Brevo’s pricing model based on email volume (not subscriber count) makes it far more cost-effective. It also includes SMS, WhatsApp, a CRM, and powerful automation features, which most alternatives charge extra for or lack entirely.
Q3. How much does Brevo cost?
A: Brevo’s pricing starts at $9/month for the Starter Plan (5,000 emails/month) and $18/month for the Business Plan with automation and A/B testing. It also offers a free plan with 300 emails/day and unlimited contacts.
Q4. Is Brevo easy to use for beginners?
A: Brevo has a slight learning curve due to its wide feature set, but its dashboard is intuitive, and its automation builder is visual and user-friendly. Within a few days, I was comfortable building complex workflows without needing extra tools.
Q5. Does Brevo include SMS or WhatsApp marketing?
A: Yes, Brevo includes native support for SMS and WhatsApp campaigns. You can manage email, SMS, WhatsApp, push notifications, and chat all from the same platform, which helped me centralize my communications.
Q6. Can I send transactional emails with Brevo?
A: Absolutely. Brevo includes SMTP and transactional email APIs, even on the free plan. I use it for order confirmations, password resets, and other system-generated messages.
Q7. How is Brevo’s deliverability compared to other platforms?
A: Brevo has excellent deliverability. My open rates increased from 23% to 27% after switching. You can also use a dedicated IP address for better control over your sender reputation.
Q8. What features stood out the most after switching to Brevo?
A: For me, the most impressive features were the visual automation workflows, multi-channel marketing (email, SMS, WhatsApp), built-in CRM, and transparent volume-based pricing. All of these were bundled in one tool, saving me both time and money.
Q9. Is Brevo suitable for small businesses or just large teams?
A: It’s great for both. I run a small content-driven business, and Brevo’s flexible pricing and included tools scaled with me. Even solo entrepreneurs can benefit from its free plan or Starter plan.
Q10. What are the downsides of using Brevo?
A: While Brevo is feature-rich, it does have a learning curve for beginners. Also, its email templates are fewer compared to some other platforms, and customer support priority depends on your plan tier.
7. Conclusion
Switching to Brevo trimmed my tech bill, unified customer data, and gave me enterprise‑grade automation without the enterprise price tag. My campaigns hit inboxes, my SMS drives urgency, and my CRM stays synced—all under one login.
If you’re tired of stitching tools together or watching subscriber‑based pricing chew into profit, give Brevo a trial. You might find, as I did, that doing more with less isn’t just a slogan—it’s a sustainable way to scale.
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