BrevoBrevo review 2026: our full test (ex-Sendinblue)
Verdict: the best features-to-price ratio for small teams
Brevo ticks almost every box for a small business: a genuinely useful free plan, billing based on emails sent (not on your contact count), built-in SMS and CRM, EU data hosting and GDPR tooling. Two reservations keep it from a 4.7: deliverability that can be uneven on large sends, and advanced reporting locked behind the higher tiers.
What to remember
- Billing based on emails sent rather than contact count, rare in this market.
- Built-in SMS and CRM, EU data hosting, GDPR tooling.
- Deliverability can be uneven on large sends and reporting is locked behind the higher tiers.
What we liked
- +
European vendor, data hosted in the EU (France, Belgium, Ireland).
- +
A real free plan: 300 emails/day and unlimited stored contacts.
- +
Billing based on emails sent, not on your number of contacts.
- +
Genuine all-in-one: email, SMS, WhatsApp, CRM and automation.
What could be better
- –
Deliverability can be uneven on large sends, per independent tests.
- –
Advanced reporting and A/B testing are reserved for higher paid tiers.
- –
SMS and WhatsApp credits are billed separately, on top of the plan.
- –
The Brevo logo in the email footer costs an add-on to remove.
At a glance
- Vendor
- Brevo (France, ex-Sendinblue)
- Hosting
- European Union
- Free plan
- 300 emails/day
- Stored contacts
- Unlimited (free)
- Channels
- Email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat
- Built-in CRM
- Yes
- Support
- Email, chat (phone on higher tiers)
- Price from
- $9/mo
Starter price (5,000 emails/month), recorded July 2026.
Go for it if
- ✓
Your list is large but you send infrequently.
- ✓
You want email, SMS and CRM in one place.
- ✓
EU data hosting is a criterion for you.
Look elsewhere if
- ✕
You send very large volumes and deliverability is critical.
- ✕
You need advanced reporting without moving up a tier.
- ✕
You are after very advanced automation.
What is Brevo?
Brevo is a digital marketing platform founded in 2012 as Sendinblue and rebranded to Brevo in 2023. The tool goes well beyond sending newsletters: it combines email campaigns, SMS, WhatsApp, a lightweight CRM, marketing automation and live chat, all in a single interface. It is this all-in-one positioning, at an accessible price, that made it a go-to for small businesses, growing teams and non-profits.
Its standout argument against the big US players: data is hosted in the European Union (France, Belgium and Ireland), with GDPR compliance tooling built in. For a European business, or any company that cares about where its customer data lives, that is a genuine differentiator.
Is Brevo’s free plan actually worth it?
Yes, and it is one of its strongest assets. The free plan allows 300 emails per day (up to roughly 9,000 emails per month if you spread your sends) and, crucially, lets you store an unlimited number of contacts. Where Mailchimp starts charging as your list grows, Brevo only bills the volume sent. A non-profit or small business emailing a monthly newsletter to a few thousand subscribers can therefore stay on Brevo for free for a very long time.
The free limits are real, though: the Brevo logo appears in your email footer, automation is capped at 2,000 contacts, and sending is throttled to 300 messages a day. For an online store that wants to blast 10,000 customers at once on a sale day, you will need a paid plan.
How much does Brevo cost in 2026?
Brevo’s model is easy to grasp: you pay based on the number of emails sent per month, regardless of how many contacts you store. Here are the entry tiers, in USD.
| Plan | From | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Getting started, 300 emails/day |
| Starter | $9/mo | Small teams, regular newsletters |
| Business (Standard) | $18/mo | SMBs: automation + A/B testing |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | High volume, advanced reporting |
Indicative pricing recorded July 2026. Starter and Standard prices shown at the 5,000 emails/month tier; they rise with volume (Starter reaches ~$29 at 20,000 emails, ~$69 at 100,000). SMS and WhatsApp credits are billed separately, and removing the Brevo logo is a ~$9/month add-on. The former Business plan is now split into Standard and Professional tiers, and transactional emails are included across all plans.
At this level, Brevo is one of the most affordable email marketing tools on the market for what it offers. Just watch the extras: the tiers climb quickly with volume, and features you might expect (removing the branding, granular reporting) can inflate the real bill.
What is Brevo like to use?
The drag-and-drop email editor is clean and quick to pick up, with around 40 templates. The marketing automation lets you build multi-step flows (welcome, abandoned cart, re-engagement) without writing a line of code, though the richest workflows unlock as you move up the tiers. The built-in CRM stays basic next to a HubSpot or a Pipedrive, but it is enough for a small team to track contacts and deals without paying for a second tool.
Our main reservation is deliverability: several independent tests report uneven results on large sends, with emails sometimes landing in the Promotions tab or spam. It is not a dealbreaker for moderate volumes and a well-maintained list, but it is worth watching if email is critical to your revenue. Careful IP warm-up and a clean list remain essential.
Who is Brevo for?
Brevo is the obvious choice for a small business, growing team or non-profit that wants to centralize email, SMS and a lightweight CRM without blowing the budget, while keeping data in Europe. It is also an excellent free starting point for an ecommerce store just getting going and looking to automate its follow-ups.
On the other hand, if your business relies on high-volume, high-stakes sends (media, large retailers), the deliverability question deserves a real-world test before you commit. And if you mainly want an ultra-simple, lightweight newsletter tool, an alternative like MailerLite may suit you better.
Ready to try
Create a free Brevo account300 emails/day and unlimited contacts, no credit card required.
What are the alternatives to Brevo?
If Brevo does not fit your needs, two names come up most often. MailerLite bets on simplicity and a generous free plan (up to 1,000 subscribers): perfect for a content creator or a small newsletter, with a solid deliverability reputation. Mailchimp, the US pioneer, offers the most complete ecosystem and countless integrations, but bills per contact (the total climbs fast) and hosts data outside the EU, a point to weigh for GDPR. ActiveCampaign is the pick if automation depth is your priority.
To compare these tools side by side on price, deliverability and compliance, see our best email marketing software 2026 roundup. If you are just starting out, our email marketing hub will help you scope your project before you choose.
Still on the fence
Brevo, MailerLite or Mailchimp?Our email marketing comparison ranks them on price, deliverability and GDPR.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brevo really free?
Yes, Brevo offers a free plan with no time limit: 300 emails per day and an unlimited number of stored contacts. The Brevo logo appears in the email footer and automation is capped at 2,000 contacts, but it is one of the most generous free plans on the market.
Is Brevo the same as Sendinblue?
Yes. Sendinblue, a French vendor founded in 2012, was renamed Brevo in 2023. The platform, accounts and features stayed the same: only the name changed.
How much does Brevo cost per month?
The paid Starter plan begins at around $9/month for 5,000 monthly emails, and the Business (Standard) plan at around $18/month. The price rises with the volume of emails sent, and SMS credits are billed separately. Indicative pricing, July 2026.
Is Brevo data hosted in Europe?
Yes. Brevo hosts data in the European Union (France, Belgium and Ireland) and includes GDPR compliance tooling. That is a strong argument against US-based platforms like Mailchimp.