The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and its amendment, the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), give California residents specific rights over their personal data. If you have subscribers in California (and if you do business in the US, you almost certainly do), your email marketing practices need to comply.

CCPA is less prescriptive than GDPR about specific technical requirements, but the core obligations are clear: tell consumers what data you collect, let them opt out of data sales/sharing, and delete their data when asked. Your email tool needs to support these operations.

Unlike GDPR, CCPA doesn't require opt-in consent for marketing email (CAN-SPAM's opt-out model still applies). But it does require transparency about what data you collect and how you use it, plus the ability to honor consumer rights requests efficiently.

What CCPA Requires From Your Email Tool

Right to know: Consumers can request what personal information you've collected about them. Your email tool needs to support data export that includes subscriber profiles, engagement history, custom attributes, and any other personal information stored.
Right to delete: Consumers can request deletion of their personal information. Your email tool needs to support permanent data deletion, not just unsubscribing. This means removing the subscriber record, engagement data, and custom attributes entirely.
Right to opt out: Consumers can opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal information. If you share subscriber data with third parties (ad platforms, data enrichment services, partner companies), you need opt-out mechanisms.
Right to correct: Under CPRA, consumers can request correction of inaccurate personal information. Your email tool should support editing subscriber profiles.
Non-discrimination: You can't treat consumers differently for exercising their CCPA rights (no penalizing unsubscribers with degraded service).
Data minimization (CPRA): Collect only the personal information reasonably necessary for your purpose. Don't hoard subscriber data you have no business use for.

Who CCPA Applies To

Not every business is covered. CCPA applies to for-profit businesses that collect California consumers' personal information and meet at least one of these thresholds:

Annual gross revenue over $25 million
Buy, sell, or share personal information of 100,000+ California consumers, households, or devices
Derive 50% or more of annual revenue from selling or sharing personal information

Even if you don't meet these thresholds today, preparing for compliance is smart. The thresholds can change, your business can grow, and other states are passing similar laws. Building privacy-respecting practices now is easier than retrofitting them later.

The 6 Best Options

1. Sequenzy

Best for: SaaS companies handling CCPA subscriber requests

Sequenzy supports CCPA compliance through subscriber data management. Subscriber data can be exported for right-to-know requests and permanently deleted for right-to-delete requests. The platform handles deletion across email history, events, and subscriber profiles, ensuring no personal data lingers in the system after a deletion request.

For SaaS companies with California users, Sequenzy's subscriber management includes the tools needed to respond to consumer requests within CCPA's 45-day response window. The deletion workflow is comprehensive, covering subscriber profiles, engagement metrics, event data, and custom attributes.

If your SaaS also needs to handle Stripe integration alongside CCPA compliance, Sequenzy manages payment-related subscriber data with the same privacy controls. When a deletion request comes in, subscription attributes synced from Stripe are included in the wipe.

The platform also supports subscriber segmentation that respects privacy preferences, so you can segment your audience without including consumers who have opted out of data sharing.

CCPA features: Data export, permanent deletion, subscriber data management, comprehensive data wipe Pricing: From $29/month Pros: Full subscriber deletion, data export, SaaS-focused, handles deletion across all data types

2. Mailchimp

Best for: CCPA compliance tools integrated into a widely-used platform

Mailchimp includes CCPA-specific features: a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" option in audience settings, data export capabilities for right-to-know requests, and permanent deletion for right-to-delete requests. The platform's data processing addendum covers CCPA requirements.

Mailchimp's widespread use means its CCPA features are well-tested. The audience management tools make it straightforward to handle individual consumer requests, and the export format is standard enough for most compliance needs.

The export function generates a comprehensive file that includes the subscriber's profile information, engagement history (opens, clicks, bounces), custom field values, and consent records. For right-to-know requests, this gives you everything you need to provide a complete response to the consumer.

Mailchimp also lets you manage audience preferences at a granular level. Subscribers can update their own information through preference centers, which helps with the right to correct under CPRA. The self-service approach reduces the manual work of processing correction requests.

CCPA features: Data export, permanent deletion, opt-out mechanisms, data processing addendum, preference center Pricing: Free up to 500 contacts, from $13/month Pros: Well-established CCPA tools, widely used, good documentation, data export, self-service preference management

3. ActiveCampaign

Best for: CCPA compliance within a marketing automation suite

ActiveCampaign supports CCPA compliance through its data management features. Contacts can be exported (right to know), permanently deleted (right to delete), and flagged with custom fields for opt-out preferences. The automation builder can incorporate CCPA-related workflows like processing opt-out requests automatically.

The CRM integration means CCPA requests affect both marketing and sales data in one action. When a consumer requests deletion, their contact record, deal history, and automation history are all removed. This is important because CCPA covers all personal information you hold, not just email marketing data.

ActiveCampaign's automation features add a practical layer to CCPA compliance. You can build automations that:

Automatically process opt-out requests and update contact preferences
Trigger confirmation emails when deletion requests are fulfilled
Route CCPA requests to the right team member based on request type
Track response times to ensure you meet the 45-day deadline

For teams managing a high volume of consumer requests, these automations reduce the risk of missed deadlines and incomplete processing.

CCPA features: Data export, permanent deletion, custom opt-out fields, CRM-wide deletion, automation for request processing Pricing: From $29/month Pros: CRM + email CCPA compliance, automation for opt-outs, comprehensive deletion, request workflow automation

4. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Best for: Affordable CCPA compliance with EU-grade privacy standards

Brevo, being EU-headquartered and GDPR-compliant by design, exceeds CCPA requirements in most areas. The data management features include export, deletion, and consent tracking that satisfy both GDPR and CCPA. If you're already GDPR-compliant with Brevo, CCPA compliance is essentially automatic.

The affordable pricing means even small businesses can maintain privacy compliance without significant cost. Brevo's free tier includes the same privacy features as paid plans, so you don't need to upgrade just for compliance capabilities.

The data handling practices baked into Brevo's architecture, including consent logging, clear data retention controls, and privacy-first design, cover CCPA's requirements with room to spare. The main consideration is that if you're only US-focused and don't need GDPR-level compliance, some of Brevo's privacy features may feel like overkill. But given the direction privacy regulations are moving (more states adopting CCPA-like laws), having stronger protections in place is a reasonable investment.

CCPA features: Data export, permanent deletion, consent tracking, privacy-first design, comprehensive data controls Pricing: Free for 300 emails/day, from $9/month Pros: Exceeds CCPA via GDPR compliance, affordable, consent tracking, EU-based, privacy features on all plans

5. Klaviyo

Best for: E-commerce CCPA compliance with customer data visibility

Klaviyo includes CCPA compliance features for e-commerce businesses. Customer profiles can be exported and deleted. The platform tracks what data is collected about each customer and supports opt-out of data sharing with integrated services.

For e-commerce businesses that collect purchase data, browsing data, and engagement data through Klaviyo, having centralized CCPA tools simplifies responding to consumer requests. The customer profile view shows all data held about an individual in one place, making right-to-know requests straightforward to fulfill.

Klaviyo's data collection is extensive by design, since e-commerce email marketing relies on behavioral and purchase data. This makes CCPA compliance especially important because you're holding more personal information than a basic newsletter tool would. The platform lets you review exactly what data points are collected for each customer: purchase history, browsing behavior, email engagement, SMS interactions, and custom properties.

The opt-out management handles data sharing with integrated platforms. If you're using Klaviyo alongside Facebook Custom Audiences or Google Ads, consumers can opt out of having their data shared with those third parties, which is a core CCPA requirement.

CCPA features: Profile export, permanent deletion, data collection visibility, opt-out support, third-party sharing controls Pricing: Free up to 250 contacts, from $20/month Pros: E-commerce data visibility, profile-level export and deletion, opt-out mechanisms, third-party sharing management

6. Customer.io

Best for: Technical teams building custom CCPA workflows

Customer.io's API supports CCPA compliance programmatically. Delete customer data via API, export customer profiles and event history, and manage opt-out preferences as customer attributes. For technical teams that want to build CCPA compliance into their application (rather than handling it manually in the email tool), the API approach is flexible.

You can build automated workflows that process CCPA requests: receive a deletion request, suppress the customer in Customer.io, delete their data via API, and confirm completion. This systematic approach scales better than manual processing. For companies receiving dozens or hundreds of CCPA requests monthly, API-driven processing is the only practical approach.

Customer.io's webhook support extends this further. You can set up webhooks to propagate deletion requests across your entire tool stack. When a customer is deleted in Customer.io, webhooks can trigger corresponding deletions in your analytics platform, CRM, and other data stores.

The flexibility also means you can build a unified privacy request portal that handles CCPA, GDPR, and other privacy frameworks through a single interface, with Customer.io's API handling the email-specific operations.

CCPA features: API-driven deletion, data export, programmable opt-out, custom workflows, webhook-based propagation Pricing: From $100/month Pros: API-driven compliance, programmable workflows, flexible implementation, scalable request processing

CCPA vs. GDPR for Email Marketing

Requirement	CCPA	GDPR
Consent for marketing email	Not required (CAN-SPAM still applies)	Required (opt-in)
Right to delete	Yes (45 days)	Yes (30 days)
Right to know/access	Yes	Yes
Right to correct	Yes (CPRA)	Yes
Opt-out of data sale/sharing	Yes	N/A (consent required for processing)
Applies to	California residents	EU residents
Penalties	$2,500-$7,500 per violation	Up to 4% of annual revenue
Private right of action	Yes (for data breaches)	Varies by member state
Double opt-in required	No	No (but recommended)
Data minimization	Yes (CPRA)	Yes

Key difference for email marketing: GDPR requires opt-in consent before sending marketing email. CCPA does not (CAN-SPAM's opt-out model still applies in the US). However, CCPA requires opt-out of data sharing, which can affect how you use subscriber data with third parties.

Practical implication: If you're already GDPR compliant, you're likely meeting CCPA requirements. But the reverse isn't true. CCPA compliance alone doesn't satisfy GDPR. If you have both California and EU subscribers, build for GDPR and you'll cover both.

Practical CCPA Compliance Steps

For Right-to-Know Requests

Receive the consumer request (verify identity using reasonable methods)
Export their data from your email tool (subscriber profile, engagement history, custom attributes)
Compile data from other systems if applicable (CRM, analytics, support)
Provide the data in a portable, readily usable format
Deliver within 45 days (one 45-day extension available if needed)
Document the request and your response

For Right-to-Delete Requests

Receive and verify the consumer request
Delete the subscriber from your email tool (permanent deletion, not just unsubscribe)
Delete from other systems that hold their data
Notify any service providers who received the data to delete as well
Confirm deletion with the consumer
Document the request and action
Complete within 45 days

For Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing

If you share subscriber data with third parties (ad platforms, data brokers, partners), provide an opt-out mechanism
Add a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link where required
Honor opt-outs within 15 business days
Implement a process to ensure opted-out consumers' data isn't shared going forward
Consider using Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal recognition, which CPRA requires you to honor

For Right-to-Correct Requests

Receive and verify the consumer request
Update the subscriber's information in your email tool
Update in other systems if applicable
Confirm the correction with the consumer
Complete within 45 days

Building a CCPA-Compliant Email Program

Data Mapping

Before you can comply with CCPA, you need to understand what personal information you collect through your email marketing. Map out:

What data your email tool collects (email addresses, names, engagement data, device info)
What custom attributes you store on subscriber profiles
What third-party integrations access subscriber data
Where subscriber data flows (analytics, ad platforms, CRM)
How long you retain data

Privacy Policy Updates

Your privacy policy needs to cover your email marketing practices specifically:

What personal information you collect through email signups
How you use that information (marketing, product updates, transactional)
What third parties receive subscriber data
How consumers can exercise their CCPA rights
Contact information for privacy requests

Request Handling Process

Build a documented process for handling CCPA requests. If you're a SaaS company, this process should integrate with your broader customer support workflow:

Intake channel (email, web form, phone)
Identity verification procedures
Internal routing and assignment
Response templates
Completion tracking
Documentation and retention of request records

FAQ

Does CCPA apply to my SaaS business? CCPA applies to for-profit businesses that collect California consumers' personal information AND meet one of: annual gross revenue over $25 million, buy/sell/share personal information of 100,000+ consumers/households/devices, or derive 50% or more of annual revenue from selling/sharing personal information. Even if you don't currently meet these thresholds, other states have similar laws with different thresholds, so privacy-respecting practices are worth building now.

Is unsubscribing from email the same as a CCPA deletion request? No. Unsubscribing stops future marketing emails but doesn't delete the subscriber's data. A CCPA deletion request requires removing all personal information, including email address, engagement history, and custom attributes. Your email tool needs to support both operations separately. Make sure your team understands the distinction.

Do I need a "Do Not Sell My Information" button on my email signup forms? If you sell or share personal information (including with advertising partners), you need this option accessible to California consumers. If you don't sell or share data, you don't technically need it, but many businesses add it proactively. Having it signals respect for consumer privacy and prepares you for broader privacy regulations.

What personal information does email marketing collect under CCPA? Email addresses, names, engagement data (opens, clicks), device information, location data, purchase history (if tracked), and any custom attributes you store. All of this is "personal information" under CCPA. If you use tracking pixels, those collect IP addresses and device identifiers, which also count.

How does CCPA interact with CAN-SPAM? They're complementary, not conflicting. CAN-SPAM governs the mechanics of commercial email (opt-out requirements, honest subject lines, physical address). CCPA governs the broader handling of personal information. You need to comply with both. CAN-SPAM requires an opt-out for marketing email. CCPA requires the ability to delete personal data entirely and opt out of data sales.

What if I use multiple email tools? Do I need CCPA compliance for each? Yes. Each tool that processes California consumers' personal information needs to support CCPA operations. If you use one tool for transactional email and another for marketing, both need to support data export and deletion. This is why some teams prefer a unified platform.

Do I need to verify consumer identity before fulfilling CCPA requests? Yes. CCPA requires reasonable verification of identity before fulfilling requests. For existing customers, you can verify using existing account credentials. For non-customers, you may need to match at least two pieces of personal information. Don't over-verify (that creates friction and may discourage legitimate requests), but do enough to prevent fraudulent requests.

Are there other state privacy laws I should know about? Yes. As of 2026, multiple states have comprehensive privacy laws: Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), Connecticut (CTDPA), Utah (UCPA), and others. Most follow a similar framework to CCPA. Building CCPA compliance now prepares you for these other state laws. If you're also serving EU customers, GDPR compliance covers the most ground.