SendPulsevsCustomer.io

SendPulse vs Customer.io

Multi-channel marketing vs event-driven messaging

TL;DR

Customer.io is a developer-friendly, event-driven messaging platform for SaaS and apps. SendPulse is a budget multi-channel marketing tool with chatbots. Customer.io wins on SaaS fit and behavioral messaging. SendPulse wins on price and chatbots.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Data Model
Customer.io wins

Customer.io is built around events and user behavior. Track what users do in your app and send messages based on those actions. SendPulse uses a traditional contact-based model. For product-led companies, Customer.io's approach is more natural.

Chatbots
SendPulse wins

SendPulse has chatbot builders for WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, and Viber. Customer.io doesn't offer chatbots. For messaging platform automation, SendPulse is the only option.

SaaS Fit
Customer.io wins

Customer.io is used by SaaS companies for onboarding flows, feature adoption, churn prevention, and behavioral messaging. SendPulse is a general marketing tool. For SaaS, Customer.io is a much better fit.

Price

Similar at this tier ($96 vs $100). But SendPulse includes chatbots while Customer.io includes in-app messages and transactional email. The value depends on which features you need.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 profiles

SendPulse
$96/month

Standard plan. SMS, chatbots billed separately.

Visit SendPulse
Customer.io
$100/month

Essentials plan. Email + push + in-app messages.

Visit Customer.io
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k subscribers, unlimited emails, transactional + marketing, Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
SendPulse
Customer.io
Sequenzy
Messaging
Event-Driven
Basic trigger automation
Full behavioral messaging (core focus)
Stripe event-driven
Transactional Email
Separate product
Built-in
Built-in
In-App Messages
Built-in
Push Notifications
Web push only
Mobile + web push
Multi-Channel
Chatbots
5 messaging platforms
SMS
Extra cost
Built-in
Webhooks
Basic
Advanced (workflow actions)
Delivery events
CRM
Built-in
Customer profiles (event-based)
Stripe-based
Developer Experience
API
Standard API
Developer-first API
Developer-friendly API
Data Model
Contact-based
Event and attribute-based
Subscriber-based
Segmentation
Basic segments
Behavioral segments (event-based)
Tags and attributes
Price
$96/month
$100/month
$49/month

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose SendPulse if you...
  • General businesses wanting affordable multi-channel
  • Teams needing chatbots for messaging platforms
  • Marketing-first companies
Choose Customer.io if you...
  • SaaS and app companies wanting behavioral messaging
  • Developer teams wanting event-driven automation
  • Product-led companies with complex user journeys
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders wanting Stripe-integrated email at half the cost
  • Teams wanting simpler SaaS automation

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS at Half the Price

Customer.io is $100/month. Sequenzy offers SaaS email with Stripe integration at $49/month. Less powerful but significantly cheaper.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

SendPulse and Customer.io serve different audiences. For our take on each, see our SendPulse comparison and Customer.io comparison.

Customer.io's Behavioral Approach

Customer.io is event-driven. Track what users do in your app, then send messages based on those behaviors. Onboarding flows triggered by feature usage, churn prevention based on inactivity, upgrade prompts based on usage patterns. SendPulse can't match this level of product awareness.

SendPulse's Chatbot Value

If your audience is on WhatsApp, Telegram, or other messaging platforms, SendPulse's chatbot builders are genuinely useful. Build automated conversation flows without code across five platforms. Customer.io doesn't touch this space at all.

The Sequenzy Alternative

For SaaS founders wanting email with Stripe integration without Customer.io's complexity or cost, Sequenzy offers transactional email and marketing campaigns at $49/month.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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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) - 3k 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 (2,500 emails/month)

  • 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