Discover powerful marketing automation platforms that offer better value, easier setup, and more flexibility than Klaviyo for your e-commerce business.
Klaviyo is a marketing automation platform designed for e-commerce and DTC brands, offering robust email and SMS capabilities. It’s popular for its integrations with Shopify, segmentation tools, and data-driven personalization.
Expensive pricing as contact list size grows
Complex UI for beginners
Limited support on lower tiers
Overkill for simpler automation needs
Poor SMS pricing in certain geographies
Rich integrations with Shopify
Fast setup, intuitive workflows
Pre-built automation templates
Huge template library
Deep automation & CRM
AI-led personalization
Multi-channel suite in one
Reviews + loyalty + SMS
ZEPIC is a modern email, WhatsApp, and marketing automation platform purpose-built for e-commerce and DTC brands. With an intuitive UI and seamless setup, ZEPIC offers all the essential tools for personalized messaging—without the bloated complexity of legacy platforms.
Unlike Klaviyo, which often requires time-consuming configurations and developer involvement, ZEPIC empowers lean marketing teams to launch high-converting campaigns in minutes, not hours.
Easy-to-use drag-and-drop email builder with real-time previews.
Integrated workflows with regional compliance and performance insights.
Visual workflows for abandoned carts, post-purchase journeys, re-engagement.
Behavioral and demographic targeting with dynamic audience syncing.
Conversion tracking, performance dashboards, and growth insights.
Seamless plug-and-play with Shopify, WooCommerce, and more.
Fast-moving DTC brands that need to launch multi-channel campaigns in minutes rather than days, especially Shopify and WooCommerce stores that can't afford to wait for results
Growth-focused e-commerce teams looking for predictable, credit-based pricing that scales with actual engagement rather than stored contacts.
Marketing teams seeking AI assistance to create campaigns, build segments, and design customer journeys without technical expertise.
Businesses wanting true omnichannel reach through integrated Email and WhatsApp marketing in a single platform.
Digital marketers who value data flexibility and need custom data mapping, transformation, and advanced filtering capabilities
Agencies managing multiple clients who need a unified platform with priority support and enterprise-grade features at mid-market pricing
Teams frustrated by Klaviyo's complexity and rising costs who want all features available from day one without price penalties for growth
Set up high-performing abandoned cart and welcome series instantly.
Deliver hyper-relevant content based on real-time behavior from 50+ integrated tools.
Email, WhatsApp, Automation, and Analytics in a single workspace
Ensure segments are always up-to-date with customer behavior
Create branded emails without writing code
Pre-tested templates for e-commerce use cases
Purpose-built for e-commerce and DTC workflows
Easy to use—even for non-technical marketers
Affordable, scalable pricing tiers
Native Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento integrations
Fast setup—get started within 30 minutes
Strong onboarding and customer support
Not yet as widely integrated as Klaviyo (less legacy platform support)
Growing enterprise adoption—still building case studies with larger brands
Fewer third-party plugins or community-built extensions
Metric
ZEPIC offers transparent, growth-friendly pricing with no hidden costs.
Plan
Email + WhatsApp
Automation
Segmentation
Support
Monthly price (Starting)
Free Trial :Yes—14-day full-featured trial available
WhatsApp Pricing :Regional rates applicable as per Meta policies
"ZEPIC stands out with its flexibility and intuitive designs, offering impressive customization and data capture abilities. It's great for hyper-personalizing eDMs thanks to its powerful CRM features."
At Tourism Fiji, our mission is to be the central source of information for all things Fiji. The ZEPIC platform empowers us with consolidated and readily available customer data that unlocks insights for a deeper level of personalization in our marketing. What's unique with ZEPIC is that from the same platform, we can then reach out to our audience in real-time with personalized experiences in their preferred channels of communication.
Omnisend is an e-commerce-focused email and SMS marketing automation platform designed to help Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce stores grow with multichannel marketing. With pre-built workflows, native SMS, and plug-and-play e-commerce integrations, it offers a simpler, more approachable alternative to Klaviyo—especially for small to mid-sized teams.
While Klaviyo offers more granular data segmentation and advanced features, Omnisend shines with ease of use, built-in templates, and strong support for omnichannel messaging.
Drag-and-drop editor with e-commerce templates
Built-in SMS and web push notifications
Pre-built and customizable flows for cart recovery, welcome, upsell, etc.
One-click sync with Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce
Easy-to-read performance metrics and testing tools.
Rule-based dynamic segments based on shopping behavior.
Shopify & WooCommerce merchants
Founders or solo marketers who want to launch fast
SMBs and mid-market DTC brands
Brands testing multichannel (email + SMS + push) automation
Marketers looking for ease and affordability in one platform
E-commerce stores with less complex segmentation needs
Get started with welcome, cart recovery, and post-purchase flows fast.
Combine email, SMS, and push in a single automation flow.
Built-in personalized discount codes for promotions.
Insert products directly from your store with real-time sync.
Automatically resend unopened campaigns with new subject lines.
On-site popups for lead capture, exit intent, and product announcements.
Simple UI with quick onboarding
Native multichannel support (email + SMS + push)
Strong Shopify and WooCommerce integrations
Affordable entry pricing
Fast-growing ecosystem and support team
Built-in discount code generator and product picker
Less powerful segmentation compared to Klaviyo
Limited third-party integrations beyond core e-commerce platforms
Reporting can be basic for data-heavy marketers
Lacks enterprise-grade customization
SMS not available in all countries
The automation editor is not as flexible as Klaviyo’s advanced logic
Metric
ZEPIC offers transparent, growth-friendly pricing with no hidden costs.
Plan
Email + WhatsApp
Automation
Segmentation
Support
Monthly price (Starting)
Free Trial :Free forever plan with limited email sends
SMS Pricing :Pay-as-you-go credits, region-based rates
If you’re just starting out and want a free plan with room to grow
If you need multichannel automation (email + SMS + push) without piecing together multiple tools
If Klaviyo’s pricing and complexity feel like overkill for your business stage
Mailchimp is one of the most well-known email marketing platforms globally, originally built to help small businesses send newsletters and simple campaigns. Over the years, it has evolved into a broader marketing platform, offering landing pages, basic automation, customer journey builders, and even basic CRM capabilities.
However, unlike Klaviyo—which is purpose-built for e-commerce and offers deep integrations with platforms like Shopify—Mailchimp remains a more generalist tool with limited e-commerce-first automation. For DTC brands, this often means extra setup and reduced personalization compared to Klaviyo or newer e-commerce-native tools like ZEPIC.
Easy-to-use editor with a wide range of templates.
Customer journeys for onboarding, follow-ups, and limited e-commerce events.
Audience tags, customer profiles, and behavioral triggers.
Manage brand assets and creative across campaigns.
Capture leads via custom forms and landing pages.
Facebook/Instagram ad campaigns from within Mailchimp.
Small businesses or startups just beginning email marketing
General marketers focused on email newsletters and landing pages
Brands focused more on general marketing than
e-commerce personalization
Those seeking a single tool for basic CRM + email + creative support
Non-e-commerce companies or service-based businesses
Get started with welcome, cart recovery, and post-purchase flows fast.
Basic contact management with tags, activity timelines.
Create branching logic for simple automation sequences.
Generate custom designs and content suggestions with AI.
Run emails, landing pages, and social posts from one dashboard.
Build simple web pages and monitor campaign success.
Intuitive for beginners with a shallow learning curve
Huge variety of email templates and drag-and-drop design tools
Affordable/free for small lists
Helpful for general B2C and service-oriented marketing
Offers features beyond email—CRM, ads, landing pages, social
Extensive documentation and tutorials
E-commerce features are limited or require integrations
(Shopify support is restricted)
Automation builder lacks the power and depth of Klaviyo
Audience segmentation is basic
No native SMS functionality (requires integrations)
Limited multichannel journey capabilities
Slower customer support, especially on free plans
Metric
Mailchimp is known for its accessible pricing and generous free plan, but key automation and e-commerce features are locked behind higher tiers.
Plan
Contacts included
Key features
Monthly price (Starting)
Free Trial :Free forever plan
SMS Support: Not available natively
If you’re just starting out and want a free plan with room to grow
If you need multichannel automation (email + SMS + push) without piecing together multiple tools
If Klaviyo’s pricing and complexity feel like overkill for your business stage
ActiveCampaign is a robust marketing automation platform that blends email marketing with advanced CRM capabilities, making it a favorite among B2B and B2C businesses alike. It’s known for its powerful automation engine, deep conditional logic, and integrations with over 900 apps.
While Klaviyo focuses almost exclusively on e-commerce and DTC brands, ActiveCampaign provides broader support across industries. For e-commerce use cases, it does offer Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce integrations, but lacks some of the native commerce-specific features and pre-built flows that Klaviyo excels in.
Advanced drag-and-drop builder with personalization options.
Complex workflows with branching logic, goals, and conditions.
Pipeline management, lead scoring, deal tracking.
Behavior-based automation from site visits and in-app activity.
Built-in SMS, site messages, and conversations.
Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Square, and more.
Businesses looking to combine sales and marketing in one platform
Hybrid B2C/DTC brands with long customer journeys + sales automation
Teams that want deep customization and logic in automation
Create detailed automation with conditions, splits, and delays.
Align marketing with sales through pipelines and automated deal flows.
Show different content to different segments within the same email.
Prioritize contacts based on custom engagement scoring.
Combine messaging channels for lead nurturing.
Trigger automation based on behaviors and custom event tags.
Industry-leading automation builder
Powerful segmentation and tagging system
Built-in CRM for full customer lifecycle management
Versatile for both e-commerce and non-e-commerce businesses
An active marketplace of 900+ integrations
Excellent customer support and onboarding
Learning curve—can be overwhelming for beginners
Less e-commerce-native than Klaviyo
SMS not available in all plans or geos
Pricing scales quickly with contacts and features
Lacks e-commerce-specific templates and flows out-of-the-box
Requires manual setup for most e-commerce automation
Metric
ActiveCampaign offers four tiers, with pricing based on the number of contacts and feature access.
Plan
Key features
Monthly price (Starting)
Free Trial :14-day free trial with all features
SMS Support :Add-on feature available on Plus plan and above
You need advanced automation logic and CRM under one roof
You need advanced automation logic and CRM under one roof
You want to track leads across their entire lifecycle, not just post-purchase
You need multi-touch campaigns that include SMS, email, and site messaging
Insider is a powerful customer experience and personalization platform built for enterprise-grade marketing teams. While Klaviyo focuses on email and SMS automation for e-commerce, Insider offers a broader omnichannel personalization suite—spanning web, mobile, app, messaging, and email—with an emphasis on AI-driven customer journeys and predictive segmentation.
Insider is ideal for fast-growing or enterprise-level e-commerce and DTC brands that want more than just email/SMS. It’s especially compelling for brands with large customer datasets and multiple touchpoints, who need to drive consistent personalized experiences across every digital surface.
Build and manage campaigns across web, app, email, push, SMS, WhatsApp, etc.
Behavioral and predictive segmentation using real-time data.
Dynamic banners, product recommendations, and pop-ups.
Built-in capabilities with advanced automation features.
Forecast intent, churn, LTV, and more with ML-powered insights.
Visual builder to map touchpoints across the full lifecycle.
Large DTC e-commerce brands looking for unified personalization across channels
Multi-region brands managing complex customer lifecycles
Enterprise marketing teams needing AI-based orchestration for personalization and customer lifecycle
Brands that want to go beyond email/SMS into web/app personalization
Build seamless, multi-channel customer journeys.
AI determines what each customer is most likely to respond to.
Personalized recommendations based on user behavior and affinity.
Engage customers through mobile channels.
Deliver personalized overlays, banners, and on-site messages.
Test journeys, messages, and creatives at scale.
Powerful AI and machine learning capabilities
True omnichannel execution—including WhatsApp, push, app, and more
Highly customizable and scalable for large teams
Deep segmentation based on real-time behavior
Strong focus on on-site and in-app personalization
Enterprise-level onboarding and support
Overkill for small or mid-sized brands
Higher price point with a minimum commitment
Complex to set up—requires support or onboarding team
Less intuitive than Klaviyo for solo marketers
Fewer e-commerce-native plug-and-play templates
No free plan—enterprise contracts only
Metric
Brevo stands out with usage-based pricing—you pay for the volume of emails/SMS sent, not the size of your contact list.
Plan Type
Features included
Starting price
Free Trial: No
SMS/WhatsApp Pricing: Volume-based, included in the contract
You’re looking for enterprise-grade orchestration across more than just email/SMS
You want predictive analytics like churn risk, LTV, and product affinity
You need on-site or in-app personalization beyond email-based campaigns
Your team can handle more complex setups with a dedicated onboarding/support model
Brevo, formerly known as Sendinblue, is a multichannel marketing platform that combines email, SMS, live chat, WhatsApp, and CRM into a single, affordable solution. Designed with small to mid-sized businesses in mind, Brevo’s core appeal lies in its simplicity, value for money and broad channel coverage.
While Klaviyo is built with a sharp focus on e-commerce and advanced segmentation, Brevo offers a more accessible all-in-one toolkit for businesses that want to communicate with customers across multiple channels—without breaking the bank.
Drag-and-drop builder, responsive templates, and A/B testing.
Native SMS and WhatsApp with automation support.
Visual workflow builder with conditional logic.
Built-in lightweight CRM to manage sales pipelines.
On-site chat tools to connect with visitors in real-time.
SMTP API and workflows for order confirmation, password resets, etc.
Startups and small e-commerce brands with limited budget
Businesses looking for a centralized communication platform
DTC teams that want multichannel capabilities on a budget
Service businesses or B2C brands that rely on conversational marketing
Create welcome flows, drip campaigns, and follow-ups across channels.
Run mobile-first campaigns to boost engagement.
Capture leads in real-time and sync them to your CRM.
Send receipts, password resets, shipping updates, etc.
Create branded email templates without design help.
Monitor open rates, click-throughs, bounce, and conversions.
Excellent value for price—great for small budgets
Multichannel (email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat) out of the box
Lightweight CRM included in all plans
Easy to use—minimal learning curve
Flexible pricing based on usage, not contacts
Reliable transactional email and SMS performance
Limited e-commerce-native features (e.g., no deep Shopify flows)
Less advanced segmentation and automation vs Klaviyo
Basic templates and designs compared to Klaviyo or Mailchimp
Not built specifically for DTC use cases—more generalist
Revenue attribution reports accessible only via APIs
Automation builder has fewer e-commerce triggers
Metric
Brevo stands out with usage-based pricing—you pay for the volume of emails/SMS sent, not the size of your contact list.
Plan
Contacts included
Key features
Monthly price (Starting)
Free Trial :Yes—free forever plan available
SMS Support :Volume-based rates per country
You want one tool for email, SMS, chat, and CRM
You’re a budget-conscious brand looking for flexibility
You don’t need advanced e-commerce automation or predictive analytics
You value conversational channels (WhatsApp, live chat) alongside email
Yotpo is an e-commerce marketing platform best known for its user-generated content (UGC) tools—like product reviews, ratings, loyalty programs, and referrals. In recent years, it has expanded to include SMS marketing, making it a competitive alternative to Klaviyo for brands that want to focus on community-driven growth and mobile-first campaigns.
While Klaviyo is centered around email/SMS automation and e-commerce analytics, Yotpo’s strength lies in combining social proof, loyalty, and retention tools with SMS to drive repeat purchases and brand advocacy.
Targeted campaigns, flows, and automation using SMS and MMS.
Collect and showcase verified customer reviews and star ratings.
Points-based rewards programs and referral tracking.
Curated Instagram feeds, customer photo reviews, and on-site widgets.
Works well with subscription platforms like Magento.
Deep integration with Shopify and Shopify Plus.
E-commerce and DTC brands focused on building trust and loyalty
Mobile-first businesses prioritizing SMS engagement
Brands looking to unify reviews, referrals, and SMS in one tool
Shopify and Shopify Plus stores with a focus on retention
Recover abandoned carts, send drops, launch promos.
Automatically collect reviews post-purchase.
Create VIP tiers and reward points for purchases/referrals.
Sync UGC data with your email/SMS tools.
Let customers upload media for social proof.
Add trust-building visuals like star ratings and reviews across the site.
Best-in-class UGC (reviews, photos, ratings) tools
Integrated SMS marketing with strong Shopify support
Seamless loyalty, reviews, and referral workflows
High impact for conversion rates and repeat purchase behavior
Mobile-first design for modern e-commerce brands
Plays well with Shopify, Magento, Gorgias, and more
Email marketing not included—needs additional add-on
High pricing for bundled features (UGC + SMS + loyalty)
Limited standalone marketing automation (compared to Klaviyo)
Advanced features gated behind higher tiers
More focused on post-purchase retention than top-funnel acquisition
Can be overkill for newer or smaller stores
Metric
Yotpo’s pricing depends on which modules you use (Reviews, Loyalty, SMS, etc.). Many key features are only available on paid bundles, with some custom enterprise pricing.
Plan
Contacts included
Monthly price (Starting)
Free Trial: Available on most modules
SMS Support: Usage-based per message, regional rates apply
You want one tool for email, SMS, chat, and CRM
You’re a budget-conscious brand looking for flexibility
You don’t need advanced e-commerce automation or predictive analytics
You value conversational channels (WhatsApp, live chat) alongside email
It isn’t just about features—it’s about finding the right fit for your team’s workflow, your budget, and your customer journey. While Klaviyo offers strong capabilities for mid-sized e-commerce brands, it often comes with a steep learning curve, rising costs, and complexity that may not suit all businesses—especially growing DTC teams that prioritize speed and simplicity.
Fast setup, intuitive workflows
ZEPIC stands out as the most balanced and intuitive option for DTC brands that want fast setup, affordable pricing, and performance-focused email + WhatsApp automation.
Pre-built automation templates
Omnisend is ideal for SMBs seeking multichannel engagement (email, SMS, push) with minimal setup.
Huge template library
Mailchimp remains a go-to for general-purpose email marketing—best for service businesses and beginners, not e-commerce-focused use cases.
Deep automation & CRM
ActiveCampaign is a powerhouse for those needing deep automation and CRM, particularly in hybrid B2B/B2C environments.
AI-led personalization
Insider is built for large enterprises needing cross-channel personalization, predictive analytics, and on-site optimization.
Multi-channel suite in one
Brevo offers multichannel tools at unbeatable value—perfect for early-stage businesses that need flexibility.
Reviews + loyalty + SMS
Yotpo is the pick for brands doubling down on UGC, loyalty, and mobile-first SMS engagement.
Ultimately, your ideal platform depends on your brand’s size, tech stack, and campaign goals. But if you’re a DTC brand looking to move fast, grow efficiently, and simplify your marketing stack—ZEPIC might be exactly what you’re looking for.