Campaign Monitor, now part of Marigold, built its reputation on beautifully designed, on-brand emails and agency-friendly client management. For brands and agencies that care deeply about how emails look, it remains a polished, capable sender.
But Campaign Monitor can feel expensive as volume grows, its automation (Customer Journeys) is fairly basic, and there is no free plan. Changes under the Marigold umbrella have also left some users looking for more actively developed or better-value tools. These alternatives cover both fronts.
TL;DR
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign | $15/mo | ★ 4.5 | Best for teams that need serious automation, not just campaigns. |
| MailerLite | $12/mo | ★ 4.6 | Best for small teams that want polished email affordably. |
| Brevo | $9/mo | ★ 4.6 | Best for teams wanting SMS and a free entry point. |
| Mailchimp | $13/mo | ★ 4.4 | Best for teams that want broad integrations and a free start. |
| Moosend | $9/mo | ★ 4.7 | Best for budget teams that value automation over premium design. |
| Constant Contact | $12/mo | ★ 4.3 | Best for local businesses and nonprofits. |
| Flodesk | Flat ~$38/mo for unlimited subscribers and emails | — | Best for solo creatives and small brands who want stunning emails at a fixed price. |
| Beehiiv | Free up to 2,500 subscribers; paid plans from ~$39/mo | — | Best for media brands and publishers focused on newsletters. |
Best for advanced automation
What it does better than Campaign Monitor
ActiveCampaign offers dramatically deeper automation and a built-in CRM, with branching logic and behavior triggers well beyond Customer Journeys.
Where Campaign Monitor still wins
Campaign Monitor wins on template-design polish and simplicity.
Best for: Best for teams that need serious automation, not just campaigns.
Best for value with clean design
What it does better than Campaign Monitor
MailerLite offers equally clean design at a much lower price, includes a generous free plan, and adds free landing pages and websites.
Where Campaign Monitor still wins
Campaign Monitor wins on agency client management and its premium template gallery.
Best for: Best for small teams that want polished email affordably.
Best for multichannel and free sending
What it does better than Campaign Monitor
Brevo adds SMS and a CRM, offers a free plan, and prices by emails sent rather than contacts stored.
Where Campaign Monitor still wins
Campaign Monitor wins on design-forward templates and brand-oriented analytics.
Best for: Best for teams wanting SMS and a free entry point.
Best for ecosystem and free tier
What it does better than Campaign Monitor
Mailchimp offers a comparable design experience with a far larger integration ecosystem and a free plan.
Where Campaign Monitor still wins
Campaign Monitor wins on agency and client account management.
Best for: Best for teams that want broad integrations and a free start.
Best for cheap automation
What it does better than Campaign Monitor
Moosend is much cheaper than Campaign Monitor while offering stronger automation.
Where Campaign Monitor still wins
Campaign Monitor wins on template design and brand-focused reporting.
Best for: Best for budget teams that value automation over premium design.
Best for SMB support and events
What it does better than Campaign Monitor
Constant Contact offers strong small-business support plus event and survey tools.
Where Campaign Monitor still wins
Campaign Monitor wins on design polish and agency features.
Best for: Best for local businesses and nonprofits.
Best for flat-rate beautiful email
What it does better than Campaign Monitor
Flodesk rivals Campaign Monitor on template beauty but charges one flat price for unlimited subscribers and emails.
Where Campaign Monitor still wins
Its automation, segmentation, and agency client management are limited.
Best for: Best for solo creatives and small brands who want stunning emails at a fixed price.
Best for newsletters
What it does better than Campaign Monitor
Beehiiv is newsletter-first with strong growth and monetization tools that Campaign Monitor does not offer.
Where Campaign Monitor still wins
It is not designed for brand-campaign design workflows or transactional email.
Best for: Best for media brands and publishers focused on newsletters.
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