Overview
Mautic and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) both aim to make marketing automation accessible, but through different approaches. Mautic is open-source software you host yourself. Brevo is affordable SaaS with email, SMS, and CRM built in. See our detailed Brevo comparison for more alternatives.
The Multi-Channel Question
Brevo includes email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat in one platform. Mautic focuses on email and marketing automation, requiring plugins for other channels. If you need multi-channel marketing from day one, Brevo delivers without extra setup.
Cost Comparison
Brevo's Starter plan is $25/month for 20,000 emails with unlimited contacts. Mautic is "free" but requires hosting ($30-100+/month), email delivery service, and technical maintenance. For small businesses without technical staff, Brevo is often cheaper in total cost.
Automation Capabilities
Mautic has more sophisticated automation features, including advanced lead scoring and complex campaign logic. Brevo's automation is good for standard workflows but simpler. If you need enterprise-level marketing automation, Mautic has more depth.
Setup and Maintenance
Brevo takes minutes to set up. You verify your domain and start sending. Mautic requires server provisioning, PHP configuration, database setup, and email infrastructure. This is a significant difference in time-to-value.
For SaaS Companies
Neither platform has native Stripe integration. Brevo connects via Zapier; Mautic requires custom development. Sequenzy was built specifically for SaaS companies with Stripe integration and subscription-aware automation. Check our pricing page for comparison.
Infrastructure Ownership and Control
The most significant difference between Mautic and Brevo is who controls the email infrastructure. Mautic gives you complete ownership of your data and sending infrastructure. Brevo manages everything on your behalf.
Self-hosting provides data sovereignty, complete customization, and freedom from vendor pricing changes. Managed platforms provide convenience, managed deliverability, and professional support. Your choice depends on whether your team has the technical resources to manage infrastructure or prefers to focus entirely on marketing.
Deliverability and Sender Reputation
Email deliverability depends more on your sending practices than your platform choice. Proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication, clean subscriber lists, and consistent sending patterns matter more than which tool you use. Both Mautic and Brevo can achieve good deliverability when configured correctly.
That said, managed platforms typically handle deliverability infrastructure automatically, while self-hosted or API-based solutions require more manual attention. Use an email validator to clean your lists before sending, regardless of which platform you choose.
Migration Path and Switching Costs
If you are considering switching between Mautic and Brevo, plan for a transition period. Contact lists can be exported and imported via CSV, but automations, templates, and integrations will need to be rebuilt. Domain authentication records need to be updated, and your sender reputation may temporarily dip during the transition.
Budget at least two to four weeks for a full migration, including parallel running of both platforms to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Use the email warmup calculator to plan your sending ramp-up on the new platform and maintain deliverability throughout the transition.
Use-case matchups
| Situation | Best first look | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Technical team that wants open-source automation and infrastructure control | Mautic | Mautic fits teams that can maintain hosting, email sending, and custom automation. |
| Team that wants managed email, SMS, WhatsApp, CRM, and transactional email | Brevo | Brevo is the easier fit when multi-channel managed infrastructure matters more than source-code control. |
| SaaS team that needs Stripe lifecycle and transactional email | Sequenzy | Sequenzy is simpler when the requirement is email automation rather than multi-channel campaigns or self-hosting. |
Pricing reality
Mautic's $0+ self-hosted price excludes hosting, email sending, maintenance, and deliverability work; Mautic Cloud is noted from $500/month. Brevo is listed at $25/month for the Starter plan with 20k emails/month, with higher plans for more features. Sequenzy is listed at $49/month for 10k contacts and unlimited emails.
Review signals
The review snippets include Mautic feedback from G2 and Trustpilot, and Brevo feedback from Capterra and G2. Mautic's signal is value for technical teams. Brevo's signal is practical value and managed multi-channel coverage, which should be validated against volume limits and needed features.
Best Fit by Automation Ownership
Best open-source marketing automation platform for technical teams
Mautic fits teams that want self-hosted control, deep customization, and open-source marketing automation they can adapt to their own processes. It is strongest when technical ownership is an advantage, not a burden.
Best hosted multi-channel platform for small businesses
Brevo is the better fit when marketers need campaigns, transactional email, SMS, WhatsApp, CRM basics, and deliverability support without maintaining infrastructure. It works better when speed and affordability matter more than source-level control.
Best SaaS lifecycle platform for product-led revenue journeys
Sequenzy fits SaaS teams that need lifecycle email tied to product usage, trials, subscriptions, invoices, and failed payments. It is more focused when revenue events should drive email and the team does not want to self-host.
Migration checklist
| Workstream | Moving toward Mautic | Moving toward Brevo | Simplifying to Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Prepare hosting, database, queues or cron jobs, email transport, backups, and updates. | Map contacts, lists, SMS consent, transactional streams, forms, and CRM fields. | Map subscribers, tags, Stripe events, and transactional triggers. |
| Deliverability | Own authentication, bounce processing, warmup, suppression handling, and monitoring. | Validate sender authentication, volume limits, transactional setup, and managed deliverability. | Validate sender authentication and lifecycle/transactional paths. |
| Automation rebuild | Rebuild campaigns, lead scoring, landing pages, and dynamic content. | Rebuild email, SMS, WhatsApp, transactional, and CRM workflows. | Rebuild email lifecycle and transactional messages. |
Decision checklist
- Is open-source control more important than managed multi-channel convenience?
- Do you have the technical owner for Mautic maintenance and deliverability?
- Are Brevo's email-volume limits and channel features a better fit?
- Would focused SaaS email automation be enough without SMS or WhatsApp?