I’ve been hands-on with Brevo for several weeks while testing real campaigns, automation flows, and transactional delivery for client sites. Below is a deep, practical review based on direct use, documentation and current pricing/feature details — everything you need to decide if Brevo is the right platform for your business in 2025.
Quick Review
Brevo (the rebranded Sendinblue) is an affordable, all-in-one customer engagement platform that combines email, SMS, WhatsApp, automation, a light CRM, and transactional sending. It’s ideal for small and medium businesses that want multi-channel capabilities without enterprise pricing. Strong points: pricing model (pay-per-email credits or monthly tiers), robust transactional API, and useful automation templates. Downsides: advanced marketing power users may find some creative and reporting features less polished than top-tier competitors.
What is Brevo?
Brevo is an all-in-one customer engagement platform: email marketing, SMS/WhatsApp, marketing automation, lightweight CRM, live chat, transactional email (API & SMTP), landing pages, and more. In short: it’s designed to manage marketing + basic sales workflows from one dashboard. The company markets Brevo as beginner-friendly while offering developer APIs for transactional and programmatic sending.
My testing setup (how I tested Brevo)
To evaluate Brevo I:
Built and sent a 5,000-recipient marketing campaign (segmented list).
Created a 4-step automation: welcome → onboarding → cross-sell → re-engagement.
Integrated Brevo with a WooCommerce test store to trigger transactional order confirmations via SMTP and API.
Verified deliverability after adding DKIM/SPF and tracking opens/clicks.
Tested SMS send and WhatsApp transactional messaging (where available in account region).
This hands-on testing helped assess usability, speed, and real deliverability behavior.
Key features (what you actually get)
1. Email builder & templates
Brevo provides a drag-and-drop email editor plus a library of prebuilt templates and HTML option for developers. The editor is easy to use and good for marketers who need fast campaigns. In my tests the editor handled personalization and dynamic content reliably.
2. Marketing Automation (Visual Workflows)
Brevo’s workflow builder supports triggers (sign-up, purchase, link click), conditional splits, delays, and multi-channel actions (email, SMS, WhatsApp). I found it intuitive to set up welcome/onboarding sequences and e-commerce flows. Automation is available on paid plans and in some cases on credit-based plans.
3. Transactional email & SMTP
Full transactional API (REST) and SMTP relay — suitable for password resets, order receipts, and notifications. The developer docs are comprehensive and the API supports batch sending, templates, and event tracking. During testing, SMTP setup and API templating were straightforward with clear logs for diagnostics.
4. CRM & Sales tools
A basic CRM is included for contact management, deals, and pipeline tracking — not as deep as HubSpot, but useful for small teams that want records in the same platform as marketing.
5. SMS, WhatsApp, & additional channels
Brevo supports SMS campaigns and WhatsApp messaging in supported countries which lets you run multi-channel customer journeys. I recommend checking channel availability/pricing for your target countries before relying on WhatsApp at scale.
6. Landing pages, forms & chat
Landing pages and forms are built-in (convertible into automation triggers). Live chat and chatbots are available which let you capture leads and route them into automation flows.
7. Integrations & Marketplace
Brevo integrates with major e-commerce and martech tools via native connectors and third-party platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Zapier, etc.). The integrations marketplace helps you connect your stack quickly.
Pricing & plans (summary)
Brevo uses a flexible pricing model: a Free plan (limits apply), monthly plans based on email volume, and credits option that’s useful for occasional senders. Pricing can change, so check the official pricing page for the most current numbers. I’ll summarize the commonly available tiers:
| Plan | What you get (high level) | Typical starting price* |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 300 emails/day, core features, Brevo branding | Free. |
| Starter / Pay-As-You-Go | Higher monthly email allowance or email credits; remove daily limit | Starts around $9/month (varies by volume) — also credit packs available. |
| Standard / Business | Automation, landing pages, A/B testing, more support | Standard often starts around $18/month for low volumes. |
| Enterprise | Custom limits, SLAs, dedicated support | Contact Sales (custom pricing). |
*Prices reflect typical 2025 published tiers and may vary by billing frequency and email volume. Always confirm on the official pricing page.
Practical note from testing: the free plan is generous for low-volume senders (300/day). If you need higher deliverability and want to remove Brevo branding or unlock certain features (like advanced automation), budget for at least the Standard/Business tier.
Deliverability & authentication (real tests)
Deliverability is heavily dependent on domain authentication and list hygiene. Brevo supports:
DKIM & SPF setup (domain authentication guides are clear).
Sending domain verification and DMARC monitoring.
Tools and help docs to warm IPs or track sending health.
I authenticated domains for my tests (DKIM/SPF) and saw consistent inbox placement on major providers — but as always, reputation depends on recipient engagement and list quality. Documentation: Brevo’s domain auth & deliverability help pages.
Developer & API experience
Brevo’s developer docs include full transactional API references, SDKs, and SMTP instructions. In my Node.js test the API supported templating and event webhooks for opens/clicks and bounce handling; logs were adequate for debugging. If you build product notifications or SaaS email flows, Brevo’s transactional tools are among the strongest features for the price.
Strengths (why you might choose Brevo)
Price/performance: Very competitive for small businesses and agencies; free plan adequate for testing.
All-in-one capabilities: Email + SMS + WhatsApp + CRM + transactional — fewer tools to stitch together.
Strong transactional API & SMTP: Great for developers and e-commerce notifications.
Simple automation: Visual builder and prebuilt templates speed up campaign creation.
Weaknesses (what to watch for)
Design polish vs. top competitors: Some reviewers and users find templates and creative controls less modern than, say, Mailchimp or Klaviyo. If design nuance is critical, that’s worth testing.
Add-ons & complexity: Certain features (removing branding, advanced reports, or higher deliverability controls) may require paid tiers or additional credits — check total cost for your sending volume.
Enterprise feature gaps: For deep CRM automation or multi-team enterprise needs, dedicated CRMs or marketing automation platforms may offer richer functionality.
Comparison snapshot — Brevo vs Mailchimp (short)
| Feature | Brevo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Email volume & credit based; free 300/day | Contact-based pricing; free tier with contact limits |
| Transactional API | Yes, robust | Limited via Mandrill (Mailchimp product) |
| SMS & WhatsApp | Yes (in supported regions) | SMS via add-ons/partners |
| CRM | Basic built-in CRM | Marketing CRM (stronger integrations) |
| Best for | Budget-conscious SMBs, transactional use | Creatives/brands wanting advanced design tools |
(Comparison sources and deeper comparisons available from Brevo docs and third-party reviews).
SEO & deliverability tips when you use Brevo (practical takeaways)
Authenticate domain before big sends (DKIM + SPF + optional DMARC). Brevo docs walk you through this.
Warm your sending if moving large lists—start small and scale up.
Segment by engagement (open/click recency) to protect reputation.
Use transactional API for critical emails (order confirmations, password resets) to separate marketing and transactional reputation.
Monitor metrics in Brevo’s reports and tie performance to revenue (UTM tagging for campaigns).
Who should use Brevo?
Small-to-medium businesses that want an affordable, single platform for email, SMS, and transactional messaging.
Developers who need a reliable transactional API without enterprise price tags.
Agencies and consultants managing multiple SMB clients who prefer a contained stack.
Who should consider alternatives: enterprises needing advanced CRM and complex multi-touch attribution, or brands that rely on cutting-edge creative email design features and advanced analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Is Brevo good for beginners in email marketing?
Yes. Brevo is one of the easiest platforms for beginners because the email editor is drag-and-drop, automation templates are prebuilt, and the free plan lets new users test campaigns without paying. Its interface is straightforward, and you don’t need technical skills to launch your first campaign.
2. What makes Brevo different from Mailchimp or other email marketing tools?
The biggest difference is Brevo’s pricing model. Instead of charging you per contact like Mailchimp, Brevo charges based on emails sent, which is more cost-effective for growing lists. Brevo also includes built-in CRM, SMS, WhatsApp messaging, and transactional email — giving it a multi-channel advantage at a lower cost.
3. Does Brevo offer a free plan and what are its limitations?
Yes, Brevo offers a free plan that allows up to 300 emails per day, access to the email editor, basic templates, and contact management. The limitations include Brevo branding on emails, no advanced automation, and daily sending caps. It’s ideal for testing the platform or very small lists.
4. How reliable is Brevo’s deliverability for marketing and transactional emails?
Brevo has a strong deliverability track record, especially when domains are authenticated with DKIM, SPF, and DMARC. For transactional email, Brevo’s SMTP and API infrastructure is stable and designed for high-speed delivery. Results depend on your domain reputation, list hygiene, and engagement.
5. Who is Brevo best suited for — and who should consider alternatives?
Brevo is best for small to medium businesses, e-commerce stores, SaaS companies, and creators who need affordable email + SMS + transactional capabilities.
However, brands needing advanced analytics, enterprise-level CRM automation, or highly polished template design may prefer tools like Klaviyo or HubSpot.
