Why people look for Braze alternatives

Braze is excellent enterprise mobile engagement, but it's not right for most companies. Here's why teams look elsewhere.

The enterprise-only pricing

Braze typically starts around $60k/year (~$5,000/month) with $10-50k+ implementation costs on top. That's $70-110k in year one before you fully utilize the platform. Most companies under $50M ARR can't justify this investment, regardless of how sophisticated the features are. Read our Braze comparison page for a detailed breakdown.

You're not mobile-first

Braze's crown jewels are push notifications, in-app messaging, and mobile SDKs. If your product is primarily web-based - like most B2B SaaS - you're paying premium prices for mobile capabilities you won't fully use. Email-focused platforms are 50-100x cheaper.

Email is your primary channel

If you primarily send email campaigns and marketing sequences, Braze is massive overkill. Dedicated email platforms like Sequenzy, Customer.io, or ActiveCampaign do email better for most use cases, at dramatically lower cost.

No self-serve option

You can't sign up and try Braze. The process: request demo → sales qualification → contract negotiation → SDK integration → implementation project → months later, finally go live. For teams wanting to move fast, this is significant friction.

The alternatives, honestly

For SaaS email marketing: Sequenzy

If you're a B2B SaaS founder who primarily needs email, why pay $5,000/month for mobile capabilities you won't use? Sequenzy is purpose-built for SaaS email marketing with AI-generated sequences and native Stripe integration. At $19/mo vs Braze's $5,000+/mo, it's 100x cheaper.

The catch: email only. No push notifications, no in-app messaging, no mobile SDKs. If you're building a mobile-first consumer app, Sequenzy isn't the answer.

For enterprise multi-channel: Iterable

If you actually need Braze-level capabilities, Iterable is the main competitor. Similar enterprise features: email, push, SMS, in-app, WhatsApp. Starting around $20k/year (vs Braze's $60k+), it's somewhat more accessible while still being enterprise-grade.

The difference: Iterable is stronger on email and cross-channel journeys. Braze is more mobile-first. Both require significant investment.

For mid-market multi-channel: Customer.io

Customer.io offers multi-channel capabilities (email, push, SMS, in-app) at a fraction of Braze's price. Starting at $100/mo for 5k profiles, it's accessible for mid-market companies without enterprise budgets.

Trade-off: less sophisticated than Braze's real-time personalization and mobile SDKs. But for companies that don't need billions-of-messages scale, it's often the right choice.

For push-focused mobile apps: OneSignal

If push notifications are your primary need, OneSignal delivers excellent push at a fraction of Braze's cost. Free tier up to 10k subscribers, then affordable usage-based pricing. Good mobile SDKs without enterprise complexity.

Trade-off: less sophisticated marketing automation, simpler workflows, basic personalization. But for straightforward mobile push needs, it's dramatically more accessible.

The pricing comparison

At 10,000 contacts/MAU:

• Braze: ~$5,000/mo (estimated, custom quotes only)
• Iterable: ~$4,000/mo (estimated)
• Customer.io: ~$150/mo (Essentials)
• Knock: $250/mo
• OneSignal: ~$9+/mo (usage-based)
• Sequenzy: $19/mo (email only)

Note: Braze and Iterable prices are estimates since they don't publish pricing. Actual quotes vary significantly. Check our pricing page for Sequenzy's transparent pricing.

When Braze is still the right choice

Braze wins if:

• Mobile engagement is core to your business (consumer app with mobile-first UX)
• You're enterprise scale with millions of users
• You have the budget and team to fully utilize the platform
• Real-time personalization at massive scale justifies the ROI

Don't switch just to save money if you genuinely need enterprise mobile engagement. The time to rebuild sophisticated mobile journeys elsewhere isn't worth it. But if you're paying Braze prices primarily for email marketing, the alternatives are 50-100x cheaper. Use our email validator tool to ensure list quality when evaluating any platform.