The 7 Best Automated Email Software Tools Revealed for 2024

The value of marketing automation lies in its ability to streamline processes, reduce human error, and provide comprehensive metrics. When running email campaigns for your business, automated email software does all this, freeing up your time to focus on other important tasks.

We’ll survey seven email automation tools offering technical sophistication, well-vetted reviews, and a good company track record.

While many are beginner-friendly, they’re also powerful enough to support more seasoned organizations looking to use automation to scale. Let’s jump right in and find the right fit for your email marketing strategy.

When picking out email marketing automation software, you want something easy to use, so you don’t need to be a genius to figure it out. It should also play nicely with the other tools you already use.

The cost should be clear and fit your budget, and if you have questions, you’ll want quick answers from their customer service.

As you review our recommendations, find the middle line between industry standards and personal preferences. You might need to try a few to find the perfect one.

1. ActiveCampaign: Best Overall Tool

We won’t bury the lead; the best email marketing software is ActiveCampaign. This powerful program has been around since 2003 and has over 145,000 customers who regularly deliver positive reviews.

ActiveCampaign stands out for its detailed focus on the customer journey, offering tools that attract and retain customers through personalized experiences. It’s an all-in-one platform that integrates email marketing, CRM, and automation to streamline your marketing efforts.

This makes it easy for email marketers to automate and scale their campaigns while maintaining a high level of personalization. ActiveCampaign offers advanced email automation tools such as split testing, A/B testing, and predictive sending to help boost your conversion rates.

Other features include:

• Welcome Email Series: Automatically greet new subscribers with a personalized series of emails.
• Product Update Emails: Keep your audience informed with automated updates.
• Newsletters: Schedule regular updates that keep your audience engaged.
• Onboarding Automation: Guide new customers through your product or service seamlessly.
• Repeat Customer Automations: Reward loyalty with special offers or content.
• Re-engagement Emails: Rekindle interest among subscribers who have disengaged.
• Cart Abandonment Emails: Recover lost sales with targeted messages to remind customers of what they’ve left behind.

The platform’s user-friendly interface simplifies the creation of complex automation workflows, enabling businesses to set up sequences that trigger based on specific actions, such as website visits, email opens, or e-commerce activities.

It’s not the cheapest option, but it’s a great value for its robust features and integrations with other tools like Shopify, Zapier, and WordPress.

2. Zoho: Comprehensive CRM Solution

Zoho‘s CRM is an all-in-one solution for businesses eager to enhance their sales and marketing efforts. It turns leads into loyal customers by offering personalized, data-driven engagement plans. With Zoho, you can design unique customer journeys, automate email campaigns, and analyze visitor behavior without manual hassles.

This tool is perfect for sales and marketing teams looking to streamline their operations and foster strong customer relationships with minimal effort with:

• Automated Email Campaigns: Schedule targeted emails based on actions or intervals.
• Workflow Automation: Send email sequences and manage tasks automatically.
• Lead Management: Automate lead tracking and nurturing for efficient sales funnel progression.
• Visitor Behavior Analysis: Gain insights into how visitors interact with your site.
• Template Automation: Quickly deploy consistent, branded communications.

Entrepreneurs appreciate Zoho’s comprehensive marketing strategy tools. This automated email software lets you set up drip campaigns, send transactional emails, and push notifications. Effortlessly send targeted messages to nudge leads down the sales funnel or use advanced features to customize every touchpoint of the customer journey.

In addition to email marketing services, Zoho is a compelling choice for its comprehensive CRM capabilities that support SMS marketing, sales automation, and contact management.

This distills countless spreadsheets, sticky notes, and admin errors into a well-organized, reliable system.

3. BREVO: An Affordable Yet Powerful Choice

BREVO (previously known as SendinBlue) changes the game for folks eyeing top-notch email automation without the eye-watering price. Imagine sending emails that hit the mark every time, thanks to BREVO’s knack for segmentation and automated charm. While you’re juggling other tasks, BREVO keeps the customer conversation flowing.

It’s perfect for the hustle and bustle of small businesses and the dynamic needs of sales and marketing teams and offers:

• Welcome Aboard Emails: Automatically roll out the red carpet for new contacts with friendly intros whenever you get a new subscriber.
• Behavior-Based Targeting: Send emails that resonate based on actual user actions and interests.
• Cross-Channel Campaigns: Unify your message, stretching from email to SMS, with just a few clicks.
• Re-Engagement Magic: Wake up those silent inboxes with messages they can’t ignore.
• Abandoned Cart Nudges: Give a gentle reminder to those who left without checking out.
• Live Chat & Chatbots: Engage in real-time, offering that personal touch without the wait.
• High-Speed Transactional Emails: Ensure those critical emails land swiftly and surely.

With a drag-and-drop editor, email marketing newbies can set up attractive professional email templates quickly. Starting with BREVO’s free plan, you can scale your outreach without scaling your expenses.

4. Drip: Powerful Ecommerce Email Marketing

Drip shines as an email marketing tool ideal for e-commerce sites, tailored to meet the unique needs of online shops. Analytics that displays helpful information a step deeper than other tools to help your e-commerce store succeed.

• Ecommerce-Centric Dashboard & Metrics: Showcases key stats like subscriber trends and ecommerce-specific metrics (first-time visitors, cohort subscription/conversion rates), aiding in real-time marketing strategy adjustments.
• Prebuilt Email Sequences (Blueprints): Offers 12 ready-to-use email sequences for e-commerce scenarios (cart abandonment, sales, welcome emails), streamlining campaign setup and targeting.
• Advanced Subscriber Segmentation: Enables detailed audience segmentation with tags and custom fields (interests, purchase history), allowing for highly personalized email campaigns.
• Automation & Workflow Customization: Features a visual workflow builder for complex, automated email sequences based on customer behaviors, optimizing engagement for various customer segments.
• Integration with E-commerce Platforms: Facilitates direct linkage with e-commerce platforms for automated email triggers (purchases, cart abandonment), enhancing timely and relevant communication.

Drip’s email automation tools are more advanced than their counterparts, which could overwhelm a beginner. But if you’re hitting a wall with free or limited automated email software while running an e-commerce store, Drip may be a solid fit.

5. AWeber: Easy to Use Drag and Drop Builder

Navigating the world of email marketing can often feel overwhelming for beginners, but AWeber simplifies the journey. Founded by Tom Kulzer in 1998, the pioneer of the first autoresponder, AWeber ensures your emails reach their destination even if you’re new to email deliverability.

This platform is a haven for small businesses and marketing teams looking to craft targeted email campaigns without the usual stress.

Here’s a quick look at what sets AWeber apart and makes it one of the best automated email software options:

• Drag and Drop Editor: Simplify email creation and add your brand elements easily with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor
• Over 600 Email Templates: Kickstart your campaigns instantly with plenty of unique options.
• Integration with Canva: Enhance your emails with high-quality visuals with the Canva app directly embedded into AWeber
• A/B Testing: Fine-tune your messages for maximum engagement by sending different versions to a portion of your audience.
• Free Plan: Begin without financial commitment, including basic automation.
• Integration with 750+ Services: Broaden your marketing capabilities by connecting with programs like WordPress and Shopify.

With AWeber, you can create professional-looking emails with these features and others as covered in our AWeber review.

As you may expect with a more straightforward tool, the automation options aren’t as robust as a tool like Drip mentioned above. But this may be a good thing for those just starting and looking for a more straightforward approach to email marketing.

6. MailerLite: Great For Startups

MailerLite is a cost-effective option for startups looking to make an impact with their email marketing. It has a user-friendly interface and robust email automation features tailored for businesses of all sizes.

This email marketing automation tool offers a few unique features in addition to the usual automated workflows and segmentation:

• RSS to Email: Automatically send updates to your subscribers whenever you post something new on your blog or website using the RSS to email feature. This keeps your audience engaged with the latest content without manual intervention.
• Time Zone Delivery: Ensure that your emails land in your subscribers’ inboxes at the optimal time, no matter where they are, with time zone-specific delivery.
• Click Maps: Understand what works in your emails with click maps showing where subscribers click, helping you design more effective emails.
• Built-in Photo Editing: Edit photos directly in the MailerLite editor, allowing for seamless integration of visuals into your email campaigns.
• Landing Pages and Embedded Forms: Create landing pages and embed forms that integrate with your email campaigns, helping in lead generation and subscriber growth.
• Deliver by Time Zone: Send your email blasts at the optimal local time across different time zones to maximize open rates.
• Custom HTML Editor: MailerLite provides a custom HTML editor alongside its drag-and-drop interface for those who want more control over their email design.

So, what about tracking user behavior and customer interactions? MailerLite covers your bases with analytic features like real-time subscriber activity, product purchase tracking, and email campaign performance.

Although MailerLite may not have as many advanced automation options as Drip or AWeber, it’s still a powerful tool for startups looking to establish their email marketing presence without breaking the bank.

7. GetResponse: A Simple Interface for Beginners

GetResponse stands out as an intuitive email marketing automation tool, ideal for those just stepping into the digital marketing realm. The company is reputable and has been around for a whopping 27 years, established in 1997.

Designed with small business owners and entrepreneurs in mind, it offers a seamless way to engage customers through automated, strategic email communications.

You can expect the following marketing automation features:

• Automated Contact Points: Trigger emails based on actions like website visits, cart abandonment, newsletter sign-ups, purchases, or special dates
• Pre-built Workflows: Get a head start with ready-to-use campaign paths or tailor them to fit your needs with automated design features
• Analytics: Gain insights into your campaign’s performance and fine-tune for better engagement
• Customization: Leverage the drag-and-drop editor to craft unique campaign messages

With these features, an e-commerce store owner could automatically offer discounts to visitors who leave your site with items in their cart or send a special offer to celebrate a customer’s anniversary. This maintains a personal touch while taking the manual tasks off your hands.

Compared to other platforms with similar features, GetResponse often comes in as a more affordable option, especially for small to medium-sized businesses. Read our full GetResponse review for even more information.

Final Thoughts: 7 Automated Email Software Tools For Successful Campaigns

Choosing the perfect automated email software is key to campaign success. Each tool offers distinct advantages, so prioritize your needs and goals when deciding.

Remember, it’s not just about the technicalities; it’s about connecting with your audience. Consider how the features will benefit your email list, foster audience growth, and achieve your marketing goals.