Segmentation is the difference between blasting the same email to everyone and sending the right message to the right people. For SaaS companies, the basics (active vs. inactive, paid vs. free) are table stakes. Real segmentation means filtering by plan type, feature usage, engagement recency, lifecycle stage, and combinations of all of these.

Not all email tools handle segmentation equally. Some give you basic list-based groups. Others give you real-time, behavior-driven segments that update automatically. Here's which tools do it best.

Types of Segmentation

Attribute-based: Filter by subscriber properties. Plan, signup date, company size, location. Static data that doesn't change often.

Behavioral: Filter by what subscribers have done. Opened last 3 emails, clicked a pricing link, used Feature X, logged in this week.

Engagement-based: Filter by email engagement level. Active (opened in last 30 days), disengaged (no opens in 90 days), at-risk (declining engagement).

Event-based: Filter by specific events. Completed onboarding, made a purchase, reached a usage limit, triggered a custom event.

Combination: AND/OR logic across multiple segment types. "On Pro plan AND hasn't used Feature X AND opened last email." This is where the real power is.

The 7 Best Options

1. Sequenzy

Best for: SaaS segmentation by subscription status and product behavior

Sequenzy's segmentation is designed for SaaS. Filter by subscription status (trial, customer, cancelled, churned), plan type, MRR, tags, custom attributes, and events. The Stripe integration automatically applies subscription-related tags and attributes, making SaaS segmentation work without manual data entry.

Segments update dynamically and can target campaigns to specific groups: "Pro plan customers with MRR over $100 who haven't logged in for 14 days." For SaaS companies, having subscription data natively in the segmentation engine saves the effort of syncing this data from external sources.

Segmentation depth: Good for SaaS. Subscription status, MRR, tags, attributes, events Pricing: From $29/month Pros: SaaS-native segmentation, Stripe data automatic, subscription-aware, tag-based Cons: Less flexible than Customer.io for complex logic, newer platform

2. Customer.io

Best for: The most powerful segmentation engine for event-driven data

Customer.io's segmentation handles attributes, events, engagement data, and page views with full AND/OR/NOT logic. Segments are dynamic (real-time membership based on current data) and can trigger automations when users enter or exit.

The event-based segmentation is where Customer.io stands out. "Users who triggered 'project.created' more than 5 times in the last 30 days but have NOT triggered 'team.invited' ever." This level of specificity lets you target precisely the users who need a specific message.

Segmentation depth: Excellent. Events, attributes, engagement, page views, nested logic, real-time Pricing: From $100/month Pros: Most powerful segments, event-based, real-time, dynamic, automation triggers Cons: Expensive, complex to set up, steep learning curve

3. Klaviyo

Best for: E-commerce segmentation with purchase behavior

Klaviyo's segmentation is built for e-commerce. Filter by purchase history (bought product X, spent over $100, last purchase date), browse behavior (viewed product category), email engagement, and predicted behavior (likely to churn, high predicted CLV).

Segments update in real-time, and the segment builder supports complex conditions with AND/OR logic. The predictive segments (based on Klaviyo's AI) are particularly valuable. They identify customers likely to buy again, likely to churn, or at specific CLV levels without manual rule creation.

Segmentation depth: Excellent for e-commerce. Purchase behavior, predictive segments, real-time Pricing: Free up to 250 contacts, from $20/month Pros: E-commerce-optimized, predictive segments, real-time updates, purchase history Cons: E-commerce-centric, less useful for SaaS, pricing scales with contacts

4. ActiveCampaign

Best for: Segmentation across email, CRM, and engagement data

ActiveCampaign's segmentation combines email engagement, CRM data, automation history, site tracking, and custom fields. You can segment by tags, deal stage, lead score, automation status, and custom field values with complex nested conditions.

The CRM integration means you can segment by sales pipeline data, which is unique. "Contacts with an open deal worth over $5,000 who haven't received email in 14 days" combines marketing and sales data in one segment.

Segmentation depth: Very good. Email + CRM, tags, scoring, site tracking, automation status Pricing: From $29/month Pros: CRM + email segmentation, lead scoring, tags, automation-based segments Cons: Some advanced segmentation on higher tiers, can feel complex

5. Mailchimp

Best for: Accessible segmentation for small businesses

Mailchimp's segmentation covers the basics well: subscriber data (location, signup source), email engagement (opened/clicked recent campaigns), purchase behavior (with e-commerce integration), and custom fields. The segment builder is visual and accessible.

Advanced segmentation (predicted demographics, purchase likelihood) is available on higher tiers. For small businesses that need "send to subscribers who opened my last 3 emails" or "send to subscribers in California who signed up this month," Mailchimp handles it without complexity.

Segmentation depth: Good for basics. Engagement, attributes, e-commerce, accessible Pricing: Free up to 500 contacts, from $13/month Pros: Easy to use, accessible for non-technical users, visual builder, audience insights Cons: Limited advanced segmentation on free/low tiers, basic event-based options

6. Braze

Best for: Enterprise real-time segmentation across channels

Braze's segmentation operates in real-time across millions of users. Filter by user attributes, events (including frequency and recency), channel engagement, location, and custom data. Segments update in real-time as users take actions, ensuring targeting is always current.

Braze also supports SQL-based segmentation for advanced use cases, letting data teams build complex segments using direct queries. The Segment extensions feature lets you include data from your data warehouse in segment definitions.

Segmentation depth: Excellent. Real-time, events with frequency/recency, SQL, data warehouse integration Pricing: Custom (typically $50K+/year) Pros: Real-time at scale, SQL segmentation, data warehouse integration, multi-channel Cons: Enterprise pricing, complex, requires technical expertise

7. Loops

Best for: Simple tag-based segmentation for startups

Loops uses tags and properties for segmentation. Apply tags based on user actions (via API) and use those tags to target email sequences and campaigns. The model is simple: tag users based on behavior, send to users with specific tags.

For early-stage products with 5-10 key segments (trial users, paying customers, churned users, power users), tag-based segmentation is sufficient. The limitation shows when you need complex combinations or real-time behavioral segments.

Segmentation depth: Basic. Tags, properties, simple filtering Pricing: Free for 1,000 contacts, from $49/month Pros: Simple, tag-based, developer-friendly, good free tier Cons: Basic segmentation, no complex conditions, limited real-time behavior

Segmentation Strategies for SaaS

By Lifecycle Stage

The most important segmentation for SaaS:

Leads: Signed up but not converted (nurture sequences)
Trial users: On free trial (conversion sequences)
New customers: Recently converted (onboarding sequences)
Active customers: Regular product usage (engagement, upsell)
At-risk: Declining usage (retention sequences)
Churned: Cancelled (win-back sequences)

By Plan and Usage

Combine plan data with usage data:

Free plan, high usage: Upgrade candidates
Pro plan, low usage: Churn risk (paying but not getting value)
Team plan, single user: Team expansion opportunity
Any plan, approaching limits: Upgrade prompt timing

By Engagement

Segment by email engagement to optimize deliverability:

Highly engaged: Send all campaigns (your best audience)
Moderately engaged: Send important campaigns only
Disengaged: Send re-engagement sequence or suppress
Never engaged: Investigate and clean

By Feature Usage

Target emails based on what users do (or don't do) in your product:

Uses Feature A but not B: Educate about Feature B
Power users: Ask for referrals, testimonials
Stuck users: Offer help, resources, guided setup

FAQ

How many segments should I have? Start with 5-10 core segments based on lifecycle stage and plan type. Add behavioral segments as you identify specific targeting needs. Too many segments become unmanageable. Too few means you're still batch-sending to overly broad groups.

Should segments be static or dynamic? Dynamic (automatically updated based on current data). Static segments go stale immediately. When a trial user converts to a customer, they should automatically move out of the "trial" segment and into the "customer" segment.

Can I segment by data that's not in my email tool? Yes, if you sync the data. Send custom attributes from your app to your email tool (via API or integration). Most tools accept custom fields/attributes that you can then use in segmentation rules.

How do I handle subscribers who fit multiple segments? Most tools let you set priority rules or exclusion conditions. "If subscriber is in Segment A AND Segment B, only include in Segment A for this campaign." This prevents duplicate sends and conflicting messages.