Overview
MailUp and Brevo both offer unlimited contacts, making them attractive for businesses with large lists. For our take on each, see our MailUp comparison and Brevo comparison.
Two Unlimited Models
Both have unlimited contacts but with different limits. MailUp limits sending speed (2K emails/hour standard). Brevo limits monthly email volume (50K emails on Business plan). Brevo is nearly half the price. For most businesses, Brevo's model offers better value.
MailUp's Editor Advantage
MailUp's BEE editor (Beefree) is one of the best email editors available. More design flexibility, better templates, and email previews across 76 clients. If email design quality is a priority, MailUp's editor is worth the premium.
The Sequenzy Alternative
For SaaS founders who don't need unlimited contacts, Sequenzy combines transactional email and marketing campaigns with Stripe integration at $49/month.
Transactional Email Capabilities
This is where Brevo has a decisive advantage. Transactional email is included on every Brevo plan, even the free tier. You get API and SMTP access for order confirmations, password resets, and other triggered emails. MailUp only offers basic SMTP relay, which is not comparable to a proper transactional email service.
For businesses that need both marketing campaigns and transactional email, Brevo eliminates the need for a second provider like SendGrid or Mailgun. MailUp users typically need to add a separate transactional email service, which adds cost and complexity. If you are building a SaaS product, Sequenzy's transactional email is built specifically for that use case with event-driven triggers.
Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy
Brevo stands out as a true multi-channel platform. Beyond email, you get native WhatsApp campaigns, SMS marketing, and a live chat widget for your website. MailUp offers email and SMS but nothing else. For businesses targeting international audiences, Brevo's WhatsApp integration can be particularly valuable since WhatsApp is the dominant messaging platform in many markets.
MailUp's approach is more focused: do email and SMS very well rather than spreading across channels. This can be an advantage if your marketing is primarily email-driven and you want the best possible email editing experience. The BEE editor and 76-client previews are hard to match.
Scaling and Long-Term Costs
Both platforms offer unlimited contacts, but their pricing models diverge on what they limit. MailUp limits sending speed (2K emails per hour on Starter). Brevo limits monthly email volume (50K emails on the Business plan). Understanding which limit matters more for your use case is critical.
If you send infrequent large campaigns to a massive list, MailUp's speed limit may frustrate you on send day but won't cost extra. If you send frequent smaller campaigns, Brevo's volume limit may be reached before month-end. Calculate your actual sending patterns before committing. For most small-to-medium businesses, Brevo's $25/month delivers more value than MailUp's $47/month.
Use-case matchups
| Need | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flat-rate unlimited contacts with a stronger email editor | MailUp | MailUp is cited for unlimited contacts, unlimited emails, BEE editor, client previews, SMS, and A/B testing. |
| Lower-cost multichannel marketing with transactional email | Brevo | Brevo is cited for free tier, transactional email, WhatsApp, live chat, modern UI, and automation. |
| Frequent campaigns to large lists | MailUp | MailUp has unlimited contacts and emails, while Brevo is volume-based at 50k emails/month on the cited plan. |
| SaaS email with Stripe-aware lifecycle automation | Sequenzy | Sequenzy is listed at $49/month with transactional plus marketing and Stripe integration. |
Best Fit by Send Volume and Channel Mix
Best email marketing tool for frequent campaigns to large lists
MailUp fits teams that want unlimited contacts, unlimited emails, strong email design, SMS, and client previews on a flat-rate model.
Best budget multichannel platform for email, chat, and transactionals
Brevo is the better fit when transactional email, WhatsApp, live chat, modern automation, and broader multichannel communication matter more than unlimited sends.
Best email platform for Stripe-aware lifecycle automation
Sequenzy fits when SaaS email, transactional messages, and Stripe lifecycle events should share one email-first workflow.
Pricing reality
MailUp is listed at about $47/month for Starter with unlimited contacts and emails, speed-limited to 2k/hour. Brevo is listed at $25/month for Business with 50k emails/month, unlimited contacts, and transactional email included. Sequenzy is listed at $49/month for 60k emails (unlimited subscribers), with transactional plus marketing email and Stripe integration.
Brevo is cheaper at the cited level and includes more channels. MailUp is easier to justify when send volume and email design quality matter more than WhatsApp, live chat, or transactional breadth.
Review signals
MailUp reviews cited here praise the BEE editor, 76-client previews, and email design quality. The cautions are a dated interface and narrower platform scope.
Brevo reviews cited here praise replacing multiple tools, free-plan testing, WhatsApp campaigns, and multichannel value. The cautions are free-plan daily limits and support speed on lower tiers.
Migration checklist
- Export contacts, lists, segments, templates, automations, SMS settings, WhatsApp settings, chat settings, transactional templates, and suppressions.
- If moving to Brevo, rebuild transactional email, WhatsApp, chat, and volume-based sending controls.
- If moving to MailUp, decide how transactional email, WhatsApp, and chat will be replaced.
- Reconfigure SPF, DKIM, DMARC, sender identities, tracking domains, SMS/WhatsApp compliance, and unsubscribe handling.
- Test design rendering, campaign throttling, transactional sends, automations, and suppressions before cutover.
Decision checklist
- Choose MailUp if unlimited campaign sending and the BEE editor are the priority.
- Choose Brevo if lower price, transactional email, WhatsApp, chat, and multichannel breadth matter more.
- Avoid MailUp if you need modern all-in-one messaging.
- Avoid Brevo if volume caps conflict with your campaign frequency.
- Choose Sequenzy if SaaS lifecycle automation should connect directly to Stripe.
