Pricing overview
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) provides a pricing structure primarily centered around the volume of emails sent, complemented by features available across different subscription tiers. The model aims to accommodate various user needs, from individuals and small businesses utilizing the free tier to larger enterprises requiring extensive email volumes and advanced marketing automation capabilities. Beyond email, Brevo offers additional services such as SMS campaigns, WhatsApp messaging, and dedicated IP addresses, which are typically priced on a pay-as-you-go basis or as add-ons to core plans. Understanding the specific limits and inclusions of each tier is critical for estimating total operational costs, as features like A/B testing, landing page builders, and multi-user access are gated by plan level. Brevo also offers discounts for annual billing cycles compared to monthly subscriptions.
The pricing methodology for email volumes focuses on a pooled approach, meaning the monthly email allowance can be distributed across transactional emails, marketing campaigns, and automation workflows without distinction. This simplifies cost calculation for users integrating various email types into their operations. For other communication channels, such as SMS, charges are typically per message sent, with rates varying by recipient country. The platform's transparent pricing details are available on the official Brevo pricing page, which provides a detailed breakdown of costs and feature allocations for each plan.
Plans and tiers
Brevo offers several distinct plans: Free, Starter, Business, and Enterprise. Each tier builds upon the previous one by increasing email volume allowances and unlocking more advanced features. The primary difference across paid plans revolves around the monthly email send limit and access to premium functionalities.
Free Plan
- Cost: $0
- Email Limit: Up to 300 emails per day (approximately 9,000 emails per month).
- Key Features: Access to email campaigns, customizable email templates, transactional emails, SMS & WhatsApp campaigns (pay-as-you-go), chat, and a CRM for unlimited contacts.
- Best For: Individuals and small businesses beginning their email marketing efforts or those with low transactional email volumes. It provides a foundational set of tools without financial commitment.
Starter Plan
- Cost: Starts at $9 per month (billed annually, slightly higher monthly)
- Email Limit: Begins at 20,000 emails per month, with options to increase volume.
- Key Features: All Free plan features, plus no daily sending limit, basic reporting, email support, and an ad-free experience.
- Best For: Small to medium businesses needing a higher email volume and more reliable sending without daily constraints, suitable for growing subscriber lists and regular campaigns.
Business Plan
- Cost: Starts at $49 per month (billed annually, slightly higher monthly)
- Email Limit: Begins at 20,000 emails per month, with options for higher volumes.
- Key Features: All Starter plan features, plus marketing automation, A/B testing, landing page builder, multi-user access, phone support, and advanced statistics.
- Best For: Medium businesses and growing enterprises that require comprehensive marketing automation, advanced testing capabilities, and collaborative features for larger teams.
Enterprise Plan
- Cost: Custom pricing
- Email Limit: Custom volume, designed for very high send rates.
- Key Features: All Business plan features, along with a dedicated account manager, priority support, dedicated IP, advanced security features, and Single Sign-On (SSO).
- Best For: Large organizations and enterprises with extensive email needs, requiring robust infrastructure, personalized support, and enhanced security and compliance features.
Here's a comparison table summarizing the core plans:
| Plan | Starting Price (monthly, annual billing) | Email Limit (per month) | Key Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 300/day (~9,000/month) | Email campaigns, transactional emails, CRM, Chat | Small businesses, testing, low volume senders |
| Starter | $9 | 20,000 | No daily sending limit, basic reporting, email support | Growing businesses, regular campaigns, higher volume |
| Business | $49 | 20,000 | Marketing automation, A/B testing, landing page builder, multi-user access, phone support | Medium businesses, advanced automation, team collaboration |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Dedicated account manager, priority support, dedicated IP, SSO, advanced security | Large enterprises, high volume, custom needs, enhanced security |
It is important to note that all prices for Starter and Business plans increase with higher email volumes. For instance, a Starter plan for 40,000 emails per month would cost more than the base 20,000 email plan, and the pricing tiers for SMS and WhatsApp messages are separate and based on usage, with rates varying by destination country Brevo SMS pricing details.
Free tier and limits
Brevo's free tier allows users to send up to 300 emails per day. This translates to approximately 9,000 emails per month, making it a suitable option for new businesses or individuals testing communication strategies. The free plan includes access to fundamental features such as email campaign creation, customizable templates, transactional email functionalities (like order confirmations or password resets), and the ability to manage an unlimited number of contacts within the CRM. Users can also utilize SMS and WhatsApp campaign features, though messages sent via these channels are subject to separate pay-as-you-go charges, even on the free plan.
A key limitation of the free tier is the daily sending cap, which resets every 24 hours. While the total monthly volume may seem generous, high-volume senders or those executing large, time-sensitive campaigns may find this daily limit restrictive. Furthermore, free accounts typically include Brevo branding in the email footer, which is removed in paid plans. The free tier does not include advanced features such as A/B testing, marketing automation workflows, or access to phone support, which are reserved for paid subscriptions. Nonetheless, for basic email communication and initial experimentation, the free tier provides a comprehensive starting point.
Real-world cost examples
To illustrate Brevo's pricing, consider a few common scenarios:
Scenario 1: Small Business with Basic Needs
- Client Profile: A small online store sending monthly newsletters and transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping updates).
- Email Volume: Approximately 15,000 emails per month (mix of marketing and transactional).
- Brevo Solution: The Starter plan for 20,000 emails per month.
- Estimated Cost: $9 per month (when billed annually). This plan covers the email volume and removes the daily sending limit present in the free tier, allowing for more flexible campaign scheduling.
Scenario 2: Growing Startup with Automation
- Client Profile: A SaaS startup that uses email for lead nurturing, onboarding sequences, and weekly product updates.
- Email Volume: Approximately 45,000 emails per month, requiring advanced automation.
- Brevo Solution: The Business plan, which includes marketing automation. The base Business plan starts at 20,000 emails per month for $49. For 45,000 emails, an upgrade to a higher volume tier within the Business plan would be necessary.
- Estimated Cost: For 50,000 emails per month on the Business plan, the cost would be approximately $65 per month (billed annually). This includes marketing automation, A/B testing, and multi-user access, which are critical for their growth strategy.
Scenario 3: Enterprise with High Volume and Custom Requirements
- Client Profile: A large e-commerce platform with millions of customers, sending daily promotional emails, transactional notifications, and personalized recommendations.
- Email Volume: Exceeds 500,000 emails per month and requires dedicated infrastructure.
- Brevo Solution: The Enterprise plan.
- Estimated Cost: Custom pricing. This plan would include a dedicated IP, priority support, a dedicated account manager, and advanced security features tailored to their specific scale and compliance needs. The cost would be negotiated directly with Brevo, reflecting the bespoke nature of the services provided.
Additional Costs
Beyond the core plan, users might incur additional costs for:
- SMS and WhatsApp Messages: Billed per message sent, varying by country. For example, sending 1,000 SMS messages to recipients in the US might cost around $15, while the same volume to a different country could vary significantly Brevo SMS pricing details.
- Dedicated IP: Available as an add-on or included in the Enterprise plan. A dedicated IP can enhance email deliverability, especially for high-volume senders, and typically costs around $100 annually for Starter or Business plans.
- More Emails: All plans allow purchasing additional email volume blocks beyond the base allowance, with prices scaling proportionally.
How the pricing compares
Brevo's pricing model is generally competitive within the email marketing and transactional email service provider (ESP) market, particularly for its bundled approach that includes CRM and chat features even in the free tier. When comparing Brevo to alternatives like Mailchimp, SendGrid, and ActiveCampaign, several distinctions emerge.
Compared to Mailchimp: Mailchimp traditionally prices based on the number of contacts in a user's audience, whereas Brevo focuses on email volume. For users with large contact lists but low sending frequency, Brevo might offer a more cost-effective solution. Conversely, if a user has a smaller list but sends very frequently, Mailchimp's contact-based pricing could be more advantageous. Mailchimp's free plan is also contact-based, allowing up to 500 contacts with a lower email limit than Brevo's 300 emails/day, as detailed in Mailchimp's official pricing documentation.
Compared to SendGrid: SendGrid, owned by Twilio, is often perceived as more developer-centric and primarily focuses on transactional email and API-driven sending. Its pricing is also volume-based, with a free tier allowing up to 100 emails per day. SendGrid's paid plans, such as the Essentials plan for 50,000 emails, start around $19.95 per month. While cheaper for higher volumes, SendGrid's marketing automation and CRM features are not as integrated or comprehensive as Brevo's, making Brevo potentially more appealing for businesses seeking an all-in-one marketing platform. For specific SendGrid pricing, refer to the SendGrid pricing page.
Compared to ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign is known for its advanced marketing automation capabilities and CRM integration. Its pricing is contact-based and scales significantly with list size and features. While ActiveCampaign offers powerful automation, its entry-level plans can be more expensive than Brevo's for comparable features, especially for businesses with larger contact lists but moderate email volumes. For instance, ActiveCampaign's 'Lite' plan starts around $29 per month for 1,000 contacts, which can quickly increase. Businesses prioritizing deep CRM and sophisticated automation might favor ActiveCampaign, while those balancing cost and a range of marketing tools might find Brevo more suitable.
Brevo's integrated approach, combining email, SMS, chat, and CRM functionalities into a single platform with volume-based email pricing, distinguishes it from alternatives that might specialize in one area or employ different pricing metrics. For businesses that value simplicity and a consolidated toolset, Brevo often presents a competitive option, particularly when leveraging its free and lower-tier paid plans for controlled email volumes. The availability of developer SDKs for various languages, as noted in the Brevo developer documentation, further supports its use for both marketing and programmatic transactional email needs.