Klaviyo Vs Competitors: Compare Email Marketing Platforms for Ecommerce

Did you know that for every $1 spent, e-commerce businesses make an estimated $42 return on investment (ROI)? 

Based on this statistic, it’s no surprise that business owners are searching for the best email marketing platform to maximize their revenue.

Email marketing remains one of the best tools for e-commerce brands. It drives customer engagement, repeat purchases, and long-term brand loyalty. 

Among the top email marketing platforms in the industry, Klaviyo has positioned itself as a leading choice for Shopify stores. The platform offers advanced automation, deep segmentation, and data-driven marketing insights. 

But how well does it compare to its competitors?

In this guide, we’ll extensively discuss Klaviyo vs. its top competitors. We’ll evaluate their pros and cons and tell you which platform is best for your Shopify store.

Let’s get right in.
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Pros

• Advanced Automation & Segmentation: Klaviyo allows brands to set up hyper-targeted workflows using customer behaviour, browsing history, and predictive analytics
• Seamless Shopify Integration: Klaviyo directly integrates with Shopify, enabling one-click product imports, abandoned cart recovery, and purchase-based triggers. The platform has over 350+ pre-built integrations
• Data-Driven Marketing & AI Features: Klaviyo predicts customer lifetime value (LTV), optimal send times, and personalized product recommendations, giving brands a competitive edge

Cons

• Higher Pricing for Growing Brands: Klaviyo’s pricing is based on email list size, which can become expensive for businesses with large subscriber bases
• Steeper Learning Curve for Beginners: While incredibly powerful, Klaviyo’s interface can feel overwhelming compared to Mailchimp’s plug-and-play simplicity

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Several email marketing platforms cater to different business needs. For this article, we’ve researched Klaviyo’s biggest competitors. Here’s a brief look at them:

1. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is an email marketing company known for its easy-to-use interface and broad appeal to e-commerce stores. The platform offers basic automation, integration, and segmentation.

It is best suited for small businesses and startups looking for an affordable entry into email marketing.

Find out why ecommerce owners are moving from Mailchimp to Klaviyo —->

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2. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign has advanced automation, CRM functionality, and predictive customer behaviour analytics.

The platform offers a steep learning curve, making it better suited for businesses willing to invest time in learning the platform. 

It’s a solid choice for brands needing both email marketing and CRM features.

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3. HubSpot

‍Hubspot is part of a larger CRM and inbound marketing system. The platform contains strong automation and email tools, but pricing is often higher than competitors.

It is best for companies needing integrated marketing, sales, and customer service solutions.

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4. Omnisend

Omnisend is designed for online stores. They offer automation workflows and SMS marketing features.

It has similar Shopify integrations with Klaviyo and is ideal for Shopify users who want an e-commerce-focused email platform.

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To determine the best platform for Shopify store owners, we’ll compare Klaviyo and its competitors using the following criteria:

1. Ease of Use: How intuitive and beginner-friendly is each platform?
2. Automation & Personalization: What is the depth of workflow customization and AI-driven segmentation?
3. Integration with Shopify & Other E-Commerce Tools: How well does each platform connect with Shopify and other business apps?
4. Pricing & Affordability: What are the costs of each platform across different business sizes?
5. Analytics & Reporting: Which platform provides the most actionable insights?‍
6. Customer Support & User Experience: What are each platform’s availability, response times, and overall user support rating?

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Below is a breakdown of how Klaviyo stacks up against its competitors in the key areas above:

1. Ease of Use

If you’re new to email marketing, you should look for a simple, user-friendly interface. 

Some platforms offer drag-and-drop builders and pre-built templates, while others focus on customization and control, which can come with a learning curve.

• Klaviyo: While not the most beginner-friendly option, Klaviyo provides a customizable interface for e-commerce businesses. Its dashboard is packed with data insights, automation workflows, and deep segmentation tools, but it can be overwhelming for first-time users
• Mailchimp: Known for its simplicity and ease of use, Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop editor is perfect for beginners. However, its automation capabilities are relatively basic compared to Klaviyo
• ActiveCampaign: It has a complex interface, ideal for marketers who want advanced automation and CRM integration but are willing to spend time learning the system
• HubSpot: Since it’s part of a comprehensive marketing suite, its interface can feel cluttered. However, the tools are well-designed and work seamlessly if you use HubSpot’s full ecosystem
• Omnisend: Built for e-commerce, Omnisend provides an intuitive user experience with pre-built automation workflows and templates designed for online stores. It strikes a balance between ease of use and advanced features

Summary: Mailchimp and Omnisend are the best choices if you prioritize ease of use. For users who need advanced capabilities, Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign offer more customization.

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2. Automation & Personalization

With today’s customers expecting personalized experiences, your email marketing platform should segment audiences, trigger automated workflows, and predict customer behaviour based on real-time data.

• Klaviyo: Offers industry-leading automation and segmentation. You can build workflows based on customer activity, such as abandoned carts, past purchases, and browsing history. Its AI-driven predictive analytics suggest when customers are most likely to buy again, optimizing your marketing efforts
• Mailchimp: Provides automation like welcome emails and simple customer journeys but lacks the depth and flexibility of Klaviyo
• ActiveCampaign: Contains CRM-based workflows, dynamic segmentation, and behavior-triggered emails
• HubSpot: Offers powerful automation but is best suited for lead nurturing and sales funnels rather than direct-to-consumer e-commerce
• Omnisend: Comes with pre-built automation workflows for e-commerce, such as cart recovery, product recommendations, and order follow-ups

Summary: Klaviyo and Omnisend are the best choices for Shopify users. If you need CRM-driven automation, ActiveCampaign is a good alternative.

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3. Integrations with Shopify & Other E-Commerce Compatibility

A great email marketing platform should integrate seamlessly with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and other e-commerce platforms to automatically sync customer data and product catalogues.

• Klaviyo: Offers deep, native integration with over 350+ prebuilt integrations and flexible APIs. Examples include Shopify, Google Ads, WooCommerce, Magento, Meta, Stripe, etc. 
• Mailchimp: Mailchimp has 250+ pre-built integrations available. Examples include Shopify, Google Analytics, WordPress, Salesforce, Woocommerce, etc.
• ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign has 950+ integrations. Examples include Shopify, Slack, Postmark, WordPress, etc. However, these integrations require manual setup and lack the depth of Klaviyo’s native features
• HubSpot: HubSpot has 1000+ native integrations. It connects with platforms like Shopify but is more focused on B2B marketing and CRM rather than e-commerce-specific tools
• Omnisend: Omnisend has 130+ integrations. Examples include Shopify, Wix, WordPress, Woo, BigCommerce, ShopifyPlus, etc. 

Summary: Klaviyo and Omnisend are the best platforms for ecommerce Shopify integration. 

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4. Prices and Affordability

Pricing plays a huge role in your decision, especially as your email list grows. Some platforms charge based on subscribers, while others charge based on email volume or additional features.

• Klaviyo: More expensive but justified by its advanced automation and e-commerce features
• Mailchimp: Cheaper but limited in automation, integrations, and analytics
• HubSpot: Most expensive, but perfect for large organizations that want to combine B2B marketing and CRM
• ActiveCampaign: Affordable but best for businesses needing CRM features
• Omnisend: A good middle-ground for Shopify users who need e-commerce features without sacrificing cost

Summary: If you prioritize affordability, Mailchimp or Omnisend are great options. However, Klaviyo is the best for high-growth e-commerce and Shopify brands.

Learn how to optimize your Klaviyo pricing plan here —->

5. Analytics and Reporting

The ability to track email performance, customer behaviour, and revenue attribution helps businesses optimize campaigns, increase engagement, and maximize ROI. 

Here’s a comparison of how each platform approaches analytics, reporting, and AI-driven insights. 

• Klaviyo: Provides deep analytics, predictive AI, and real-time customer behaviour tracking. Reports include revenue attribution, optimal send times, and purchase likelihood
• Mailchimp: Offers reporting like open rates, click-through rates, and campaign performance, and also offers basic predictive insights
• ActiveCampaign: Offers attribution and conversion tracking and behaviour-based analytics, showing how emails impact customer journeys
• HubSpot: Offers comprehensive reporting tools that are geared towards B2B and lead nurturing rather than e-commerce sales
• Omnisend: Offers e-commerce analytics, including SMS tracking and customer lifecycle insights

Summary: Klaviyo and Omnisend are top choices for e-commerce analytics, while HubSpot and ActiveCampaign excel in B2B reporting.

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6. Customer Support and User Experience

Customer support is often overlooked, but it’s one of the most important departments in e-commerce. 

Having reliable customer support can save time and money when setting up an automation, troubleshooting an issue, or optimizing your strategy.

• Klaviyo: Klaviyo provides strong support tailored for e-commerce brands. They offer live chat & email support, phone support, a community forum & help center, free webinars, and training
• Mailchimp: Mailchimp offers email support, live chat, phone support, assisted and dedicated onboarding support
• ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign offers email support, live chat, training support, and a community forum
• HubSpot: HubSpot offers community support, phone support, live chat, and email support
• Omnisend: Omnisend offers live chat support, email support, academy support, and resources

Summary: 

HubSpot: Best for Large Businesses

Mailchimp & ActiveCampaign: Best for Self-Service Learning

Klaviyo & ActiveCampaign: Best for Fast, 24/7 Support

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Klaviyo is best for:

• E-commerce brands, especially Shopify users, looking for deep integrations and advanced automation
• Businesses prioritizing data-driven marketing, AI predictions, and customer segmentation
• Brands that need a scalable platform for long-term growth

Who might prefer an alternative?

• Small businesses on a budget: Mailchimp is a cheaper alternative with basic features
• B2B and CRM-focused businesses: ActiveCampaign and HubSpot provide better CRM functionality
• E-commerce stores looking for Klaviyo-like features at a lower price: Omnisend is a strong alternative

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Conclusion: Which Platform Should You Choose?

If you’re running an eCommerce or Shopify store and want the best automation, analytics, and integrations, Klaviyo is the top choice. However, Mailchimp or Omnisend may be better options if you’re on a tight budget.

Businesses looking for CRM-powered email marketing should consider ActiveCampaign or HubSpot.

Well, now that you know all about Klaviyo and its competitors, we recommend you try out free trials of these platforms and see which fits your business best!

Need help scaling your ecommerce business with Klaviyo? Simply contact us, and we’ll help you maximize the potential of your business.

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