EmailOctopusvsBrevo

EmailOctopus vs Brevo

Contact-based vs email-based pricing

TL;DR

EmailOctopus uses contact-based pricing at $36/month for 10k subscribers. Brevo uses email-based pricing starting at $9/month for 5k emails. Choose EmailOctopus for unlimited emails to your list, Brevo if you send fewer emails and want CRM features.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Pricing Model

EmailOctopus charges by contacts ($36/month for 10k). Brevo charges by email volume ($9 for 5k emails to $66 for 100k emails). High-frequency senders save with EmailOctopus; low-frequency senders save with Brevo.

Feature Breadth
Brevo wins

Brevo includes CRM, SMS, live chat, and transactional email. EmailOctopus focuses purely on email marketing. Brevo is more of an all-in-one platform.

Simplicity
EmailOctopus wins

EmailOctopus is simpler with fewer features. Brevo has more features but can feel cluttered. If you just need email, EmailOctopus is cleaner.

Free Plan

EmailOctopus offers 2,500 contacts with 10,000 emails/month. Brevo offers unlimited contacts but only 300 emails/day (9,000/month). Different trade-offs based on your needs.

Transactional Email
Brevo wins

Brevo handles transactional email natively. EmailOctopus is marketing-only. If you need password resets and receipts, Brevo can handle both.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

EmailOctopus
$36/month

Pro plan. Unlimited emails to your list.

Visit EmailOctopus
Brevo
$9-66/month

Depends on email volume. $9 for 5k emails, $66 for 100k emails.

Visit Brevo
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, native Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
EmailOctopus
Brevo
Sequenzy
Pricing & Value
Pricing Model
Per contact
Per email volume
Per contact
10k Contacts Cost
$36/month
Varies by sends
$49/month
Free Plan
2,500 subscribers
300 emails/day
None
Unlimited Emails
Yes (on paid)
No (volume based)
Email Features
Email Builder
Good, simple
Good
Good
Templates
Basic selection
Good variety
Clean
Personalization
Basic merge tags
Advanced
Event-based
A/B Testing
Additional Features
CRM Features
Basic CRM
SMS Marketing
Live Chat
Landing Pages
Automation
Visual Workflows
Basic
Good
Good
Automation Triggers
Basic
More options
Event-based
Segmentation
Basic
Better
Event-based
Transactional Email
SaaS Features
Stripe Integration
Via Zapier
Native OAuth
Behavioral Events
Limited
Basic
Native
API Quality
Basic
Good
Good

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose EmailOctopus if you...
  • High-frequency email senders
  • Simple newsletter operations
  • Budget-conscious users wanting simplicity
  • Those who only need email marketing
Choose Brevo if you...
  • Low-frequency senders
  • Users needing CRM and SMS
  • Those wanting transactional + marketing
  • Businesses wanting an all-in-one platform
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies needing behavioral automation
  • Stripe-integrated subscription businesses
  • Teams wanting unified marketing + transactional
  • Companies needing native payment integration

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Focused Features

Neither EmailOctopus nor Brevo offers native Stripe integration or SaaS-specific automation. Sequenzy is built for subscription businesses with payment-based triggers.

Simpler Than Brevo

If you want transactional + marketing like Brevo but without the CRM/SMS complexity, Sequenzy provides a focused platform for SaaS email.

Better Developer Experience

Sequenzy offers a more modern API and developer experience compared to both platforms.

Overview

EmailOctopus and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) are both affordable email marketing options, but with fundamentally different pricing models. EmailOctopus charges by contacts with unlimited emails. Brevo charges by email volume with unlimited contacts.

Pricing Model Comparison

This is the key decision point. EmailOctopus costs $36/month for 10k contacts with unlimited sends. Brevo costs $9/month for 5k emails, $25 for 20k, $66 for 100k. If you email your list frequently, EmailOctopus is cheaper. If you send sporadically, Brevo might win.

Feature Breadth

Brevo is more than email marketing. It includes basic CRM, SMS marketing, live chat, and transactional email. EmailOctopus focuses purely on email marketing. If you want an all-in-one platform, Brevo offers more. If you just need email, EmailOctopus is cleaner.

Transactional Email

Brevo handles both marketing and transactional email. Password resets, order confirmations, and marketing campaigns can all go through one platform. EmailOctopus is marketing-only. You'd need a separate service for transactional email.

Automation Capabilities

Brevo has more sophisticated automation with more triggers and conditions. EmailOctopus automation is basic but works for simple drip campaigns. For complex multi-step workflows, Brevo is more capable.

Free Plans

EmailOctopus offers 2,500 contacts with 10,000 emails/month free. Brevo offers unlimited contacts but only 300 emails/day (about 9,000/month). Choose EmailOctopus for list size, Brevo for contact flexibility.

For SaaS Companies

Neither platform is built for SaaS. Both lack native Stripe integration and behavioral event tracking. For SaaS companies, consider Sequenzy which offers SaaS-specific features at a competitive price.

Making the Choice

Choose EmailOctopus for simple, high-frequency email marketing at a predictable price. Choose Brevo for an all-in-one platform with SMS and CRM, or if you send emails infrequently. For SaaS, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on your sending frequency. EmailOctopus charges $36/month for 10k contacts with unlimited emails. Brevo charges by email volume. If you send frequently, EmailOctopus is cheaper. If you send rarely, Brevo might be cheaper.

On paid plans, Brevo has unlimited contacts. You pay by email volume instead. The free plan has unlimited contacts but only 300 emails/day.

Brevo has better automation with more triggers and conditions. EmailOctopus automation is basic but functional for simple workflows.

Brevo supports transactional email natively. EmailOctopus is marketing-only. For password resets and receipts, you'd need a separate service with EmailOctopus.

Different trade-offs. EmailOctopus offers 2,500 contacts with 10,000 emails/month. Brevo offers unlimited contacts but only 300 emails/day. Choose based on list size vs send volume needs.

Yes. Brevo includes SMS marketing and even live chat. EmailOctopus is email-only. Brevo is more of an all-in-one marketing platform.

EmailOctopus is simpler because it does less. Brevo has more features which means more to learn. Both are user-friendly, but EmailOctopus has a gentler learning curve.

Both have good deliverability. Brevo has been around longer and has more infrastructure. EmailOctopus deliverability is solid. Neither should be a concern for most users.

Export contacts from Brevo. Import into EmailOctopus. Recreate automations (they'll be simpler). You'll lose CRM, SMS, and transactional email capabilities.

Export subscribers from EmailOctopus. Import into Brevo. Take advantage of CRM, SMS, and transactional email features. Pricing will depend on your send volume.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Related Comparisons

Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com