Best Email Marketing for Shopify in 2026: Tested by a Shopify Agency

Picking the wrong email platform costs more than the monthly subscription. It costs you the revenue you never earn from broken automations, shallow integrations, and segments that can't see what your customers actually do in your store.

The Shopify App Store has 50+ email marketing apps. Most "best of" lists ranking for this keyword are written by the tools themselves. MailerLite ranks MailerLite #1. Omnisend ranks Omnisend #1. The rest are affiliate sites earning commissions on every click. You deserve better.

We're a Shopify consultancy. We've implemented email platforms for stores ranging from first-sale startups to brands doing $2M+ per month. We don't sell email software. We don't use affiliate links. We just help Shopify stores pick the right tools and set them up properly.

This guide gives you real pricing at scale (not the $9/mo starter bait), honest Shopify integration depth for each platform, the 5 automations that actually drive revenue, and clear recommendations by store stage. By the end, you'll know exactly which email platform fits your store.

Table of Contents

1. The Short Version: Best Email Marketing for Shopify at a Glance
2. Which Email Platform Fits Your Shopify Store?
3. What Actually Matters for Shopify Email Marketing
4. The 5 Email Automations Every Shopify Store Needs
5. Klaviyo
6. Omnisend
7. Shopify Email
8. MailerLite
9. ActiveCampaign
10. Brevo
11. Mailchimp
12. Drip
13. Sender
14. Privy
15. Constant Contact
16. Pricing at Scale: What These Tools Actually Cost
17. Best Email Marketing by Store Stage
18. Best Free Email Marketing for Shopify
19. Shopify Integration Depth: What Each Platform Actually Tracks
20. How to Switch Email Marketing Apps on Shopify
21. Frequently Asked Questions

The Short Version: Best Email Marketing for Shopify at a Glance

If you want an answer in 30 seconds, here it is.

Note: All pricing is approximate and based on published rates as of February 2026. Actual costs vary by plan tier and feature set.

Which Email Platform Fits Your Shopify Store?

You don't need to read reviews for all 11 tools. Find your situation below.

"I just launched my Shopify store and have almost no contacts."

→ Start with Shopify Email. It's free, native, and handles the basics. Upgrade when you outgrow it. Jump to the Shopify Email review →

"I have 1K-10K contacts and need real email automation."

→ Omnisend or MailerLite. Omnisend if you want SMS bundled. MailerLite if budget is the priority. Jump to Omnisend review →

"I'm scaling fast (10K-50K contacts) and need the most powerful platform."

→ Klaviyo. Deepest Shopify integration. Predictive analytics. SMS. Worth the premium at this stage. Jump to Klaviyo review →

"I'm on a tight budget and want the cheapest option that actually works."

→ Sender (most generous free plan) or Brevo (per-email pricing, unlimited contacts). Jump to Best Free section →

"I need email + SMS in one platform."

→ Klaviyo or Omnisend. Both bundle SMS with email automations. Brevo also offers SMS in 200+ countries. Jump to SMS comparison →

"I'm a dropshipping store with longer shipping times."

→ Prioritize post-purchase automation. You need to keep customers informed during extended fulfillment windows. Omnisend or Sender offer strong order notification flows at budget-friendly prices.

What Actually Matters for Shopify Email Marketing

Before you compare 11 tools, you need to know what to compare them on. Here's the framework we use when helping clients evaluate platforms.

1. Shopify Integration Depth (Not Just "Connects to Shopify")

Every tool "integrates with Shopify." That means nothing. What matters: does it track product views? Cart events? Checkout stages? Does it sync your product catalog for dynamic recommendations? Does it work with Shopify Flow?

This is the single biggest differentiator between platforms. A tool that only syncs contact lists and order history can't power browse abandonment emails. A tool that tracks 40+ Shopify events can.

2. Ecommerce Automations That Actually Drive Revenue

The 5 essential flows: welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase, browse abandonment, and win-back. Some tools handle all 5 with behavioral triggers and conditional splits. Others can't do browse abandonment because they don't track product views. We break these down in the next section.

3. Pricing at YOUR Scale (Not the Starter Price)

Most articles show the $9/mo starting price. But at 10,000 contacts, that same tool costs $130/mo. We compare pricing at 500, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, and 25,000 contacts. Jump to the full pricing comparison →

4. SMS Capabilities

SMS abandoned cart recovery has 3-5x higher recovery rates than email alone. Whether a platform bundles SMS, charges extra, or doesn't offer it at all matters more than most articles acknowledge.

5. When You'll Outgrow It

Every platform has a ceiling. Knowing where that ceiling is before you commit saves you a painful migration later. We note this for every tool in our reviews.

The 5 Email Automations Every Shopify Store Needs

This is what Shopify store owners actually need to evaluate. Not abstract "automation features." Whether you can set up abandoned cart emails that pull the actual products someone left behind.

Browse abandonment is the dividing line. If that automation matters to your revenue strategy, your options narrow to platforms that actually track product views in your Shopify store: Klaviyo, Omnisend, and Drip. Everything else gives you the basics.

The real power comes from multi-step flows with conditional splits. "If customer bought in last 30 days, send cross-sell. If not, send discount." Klaviyo and Omnisend handle this natively. Platforms with email + SMS in the same flow (Klaviyo, Omnisend) can send an email first, wait 24 hours, then fire an SMS if the email wasn't opened. That combination consistently outperforms single-channel flows.

Here's a practical example. A well-structured abandoned cart sequence looks like this:

1. Hour 1: Email with cart contents and product images (pulled automatically from Shopify)
2. Hour 24: Check if purchased. If not, send a reminder with social proof or reviews.
3. Hour 48: SMS with a time-limited discount code. This final touchpoint recovers an additional 3-5% on top of email-only recovery.
4. Hour 72: Final email. Last chance framing. Then stop.

Klaviyo and Omnisend can run that entire sequence in one flow. On Shopify Email, you get step 1. On MailerLite, you get steps 1 and 2. The revenue difference between a 4-step multichannel sequence and a single abandoned cart email is substantial.

According to Klaviyo's ecommerce benchmark data, automated flows generate 30-50% of total email revenue for the average Shopify store. Getting these 5 right matters more than which template library looks prettier.

Reddit's r/shopify community echoes this consistently. The most common advice: "Set up your abandoned cart flow first. It pays for your email platform by itself."

Klaviyo

The most powerful email platform for Shopify. Deepest integration, predictive analytics, native SMS. You pay for that power.

Best for: Shopify stores doing $100K+/month with a dedicated email person (or agency) who will use the advanced features.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Shopify invested in Klaviyo before its IPO. That relationship shows. Klaviyo tracks 40+ Shopify event types: product views, add-to-cart, checkout stages, order updates, fulfillment, refunds. It syncs your full product catalog for dynamic recommendations. Shopify Flow integration. Shopify Markets support. POS sync.

No other platform matches this level of Shopify data access.

Pricing at Scale

See Klaviyo's pricing page for the latest rates. Note: Klaviyo charges for ALL active profiles, including contacts you haven't emailed. Clean your list regularly.

What it does well:

• Predictive analytics (predicted CLV, churn risk, next order date) that no competitor matches
• A/B testing within flows: test subject lines, content, timing, even entire paths
• AI features: subject line generator, product recommendations, smart send times
• Browse abandonment, cart recovery, post-purchase flows with full Shopify event data
• The deepest segmentation engine in ecommerce email

What you'll miss:

• It's expensive at scale. $400/mo at 25K contacts is $4,800/year.
• Learning curve is real. Budget 15-20 hours to get comfortable.
• Support is email + chat only (weekdays). No phone support except enterprise.
• Active profile billing means you pay for contacts you don't email

Choose this if:

• You're doing $100K+/month and email drives a meaningful percentage of revenue
• You need predictive analytics and AI-powered personalization
• You want email + SMS in one platform with deep Shopify data

We've compared Klaviyo vs Mailchimp in detail. See our Shopify Email vs Klaviyo comparison if you're deciding between the free option and Klaviyo. Looking for cheaper options? Read our Klaviyo alternatives guide. For a head-to-head with Omnisend, see our Klaviyo vs Omnisend comparison. And for a direct comparison with Drip, read Drip vs Klaviyo.

Omnisend

The best overall value for most Shopify stores. 90% of Klaviyo's capability at a lower price. Built specifically for ecommerce.

Best for: Shopify stores between 1K and 50K contacts that want strong ecommerce automation, SMS, and good Shopify integration without Klaviyo's price tag.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Strong native Shopify integration. Tracks product views, cart events, checkout events, and orders. Product catalog sync for dynamic content. Pre-built Shopify automation templates. Rated 4.7 stars on the Shopify App Store with over 6,000 reviews. Not quite Klaviyo-level on Shopify Flow integration, but close on everything else.

Pricing at Scale

See Omnisend's pricing page for the latest rates.

What it does well:

• Pre-built ecommerce workflows that work out of the box: abandoned cart, browse abandonment, post-purchase, welcome series
• SMS bundled into automation flows. Email → wait → SMS in the same sequence. That multichannel approach drives higher recovery rates.
• Product recommendation blocks with behavioral targeting
• Generous free plan with access to all features (capped at 250 reachable contacts)
• Easier to learn than Klaviyo. Most stores are running flows within a day.

What you'll miss:

• No predictive CLV or churn scoring. This is Klaviyo's biggest advantage.
• Fewer Shopify event types tracked vs Klaviyo
• SMS limited to US, UK, CA, AU. Klaviyo covers roughly 17 countries.
• Deliverability has tested lower than some competitors in independent tests. List hygiene helps.

Choose this if:

• You want Klaviyo-like features at a lower price
• You need email + SMS in one platform
• You're a growing Shopify store (1K-50K contacts) that doesn't need predictive analytics yet

See our full Klaviyo vs Omnisend comparison. We've also compared Omnisend vs Mailchimp in detail.

Shopify Email

The free native option. Zero integration hassle. Good enough for stores that don't need advanced automation yet.

Best for: New Shopify stores under 2,500 contacts that need basic campaigns and a simple abandoned cart flow.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (native)

It IS Shopify. No app to install. Customer data, order data, product catalog are all native. Discount codes built in. Checkout data flows automatically. You can't get deeper Shopify integration than the platform itself.

Pricing

Free for 10,000 emails/month. $1 per additional 1,000 emails after that. No contact-based pricing. For most small stores, it's completely free. See Shopify's email pricing for details.

What it does well:

• Completely free for most small stores (10K emails/month covers a lot)
• Zero integration hassle. It's already inside your Shopify admin.
• Basic automations available: welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase
• Template library with Shopify-native product blocks
• Discount code integration built right in

What you'll miss:

• Limited automation. No browse abandonment, no conditional splits, no A/B testing in flows.
• Basic segmentation. No behavioral targeting, no RFM, no predictive.
• No SMS
• No advanced personalization or dynamic product recommendations
• No visual flow builder. Automations are template-based.
• Reporting is basic

When Shopify Email is enough:

• You have fewer than 2,500 contacts
• You send 2-4 campaigns per month
• You only need a basic abandoned cart flow
• You're in your first 6-12 months of business

When it's time to upgrade:

• You need browse abandonment or win-back automations
• You want conditional logic in your flows
• You're ready for SMS marketing
• Your list is growing past 5K contacts and you need real segmentation

Most Shopify store owners start here. That's the right call. Move to Omnisend or Klaviyo when you hit the limitations. Not before.

The Reddit consensus backs this up. The most frequent advice in r/shopify threads about email marketing: "Start with Shopify Email. It's free, it works, and you'll know when you need more." That's solid advice.

See our detailed Shopify Email vs Klaviyo comparison for a deeper breakdown.

MailerLite

The best budget option under 10K contacts. Clean, simple, surprisingly capable.

Best for: Budget-conscious Shopify stores under 10K contacts that want a capable tool without complexity.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐⭐

Syncs purchase data and customer profiles. No product view tracking. No browse abandonment. Basic Shopify automation triggers. It integrates with Shopify, but it's a shallow connection compared to Klaviyo or Omnisend.

Pricing at Scale

See MailerLite's pricing page for the latest rates.

What it does well:

• Generous free plan: 1,000 contacts, 12,000 emails/month
• Clean, intuitive interface. Genuinely pleasant to use.
• Solid automation builder for the price
• Landing page builder included
• Good deliverability reputation

What you'll miss:

• No SMS
• Shallow Shopify integration. No browse behavior, no deep event tracking.
• No predictive analytics
• You'll outgrow it quickly if your ecommerce email strategy gets sophisticated

Choose this if: Budget is the top priority, you're under 10K contacts, and you don't need SMS or deep Shopify data.

ActiveCampaign

The best automation builder outside Klaviyo. Strong CRM. Less Shopify-specific than ecommerce-native tools.

Best for: Stores that need complex automation and CRM capability, especially if you sell both online and offline, or have a sales team.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐⭐½

Good Shopify integration via app. Syncs customers, orders, and products. Less granular on ecommerce events than Klaviyo or Omnisend. Deep Sync available for Shopify Plus stores.

Pricing at Scale

See ActiveCampaign's pricing page for the latest rates.

What it does well:

• Most powerful automation builder in this list. Conditional splits, A/B branching, wait conditions, goal tracking, webhook triggers. If you've ever felt constrained by another platform's flow builder, ActiveCampaign will feel liberating.
• CRM included: deal pipelines, lead scoring, sales automation
• 900+ integrations
• Good for complex multi-step customer journeys

What you'll miss:

• Ecommerce-native features are weaker. Product recommendations and catalog sync aren't as deep as Klaviyo or Omnisend.
• No native SMS (requires add-on or third-party)
• Dashboard can feel overwhelming for simple email needs
• Pricier at scale than Omnisend or MailerLite

Choose this if: You need the most powerful automation possible, or you need CRM + email in one platform. Not the first choice for pure ecommerce.

Brevo

The budget champion for large lists. Charges per email sent, not per contact. That changes the math completely.

Best for: Stores with large subscriber lists (10K+) that don't email daily. Also strong for stores needing multi-channel: email + SMS + WhatsApp.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐⭐

Basic Shopify integration. Syncs contacts and orders. Less ecommerce depth than Klaviyo or Omnisend. Transactional email capability is strong.

Pricing at Scale (Per-Email Model)

See Brevo's pricing page for the latest rates.

The key insight: With Brevo, a store with 25,000 contacts sending 4 campaigns/month (100K emails) pays roughly $99/mo. On Klaviyo, the same store pays ~$400/mo. That's $3,600/year in savings.

What it does well:

• Unlimited contacts on all plans
• Per-email pricing model saves money for stores that don't blast daily
• Multi-channel: email + SMS (200+ countries) + WhatsApp + chat. If you sell internationally and need SMS beyond the US/UK/CA/AU, Brevo covers more countries than any other tool here.
• Strong transactional email and API
• Free plan: 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts

What you'll miss:

• Shallow ecommerce event tracking
• No product recommendation engine
• Simpler automation builder. Not as visual as Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign.
• No predictive analytics

Choose this if: You have a large list and don't email every day. Or you need SMS in countries outside the US/UK/CA/AU.

Mailchimp

The name everyone knows. Decent for basics. Not cheaper than Klaviyo at scale, and weaker on ecommerce automation.

Best for: Small stores that want a familiar brand and simple campaigns. Not ideal for growing ecommerce stores.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐⭐

Mailchimp and Shopify had a public breakup in 2019 over data-sharing disagreements. The integration returned but has never fully recovered. Syncs contacts, orders, and products. Some users still report sync issues. Less native-feeling than Omnisend or Klaviyo.

Pricing at Scale

What it does well:

• Recognizable brand. Your team may already know how to use it.
• AI content tools (Creative Assistant)
• Good template library
• Decent analytics and reporting
• Solid deliverability reputation

What you'll miss:

• Automation is limited. Classic automations were retired in June 2025. Customer Journeys are less powerful than Klaviyo's or Omnisend's flows.
• Not cheaper than Klaviyo at scale. $310/mo vs Klaviyo's $400/mo at 25K contacts is not the savings most people expect.
• SMS costs extra
• Shopify integration history makes some merchants nervous

Choose this if: Your team already knows Mailchimp and you only need basic campaigns. Otherwise, Omnisend gives you more ecommerce capability at a similar or lower price.

We've compared Klaviyo vs Mailchimp and Omnisend vs Mailchimp in detail.

Drip

Built for DTC ecommerce. Smaller than Klaviyo, but laser-focused on the same use case. Great support.

Best for: DTC brands that want strong ecommerce automation, excellent customer support, and don't need SMS.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Good Shopify integration. Syncs customers, orders, and products. Revenue attribution. Behavioral tracking for browse abandonment. Less depth than Klaviyo on raw event types, but covers the ecommerce essentials well.

Pricing at Scale

What it does well:

• Ecommerce-focused automation: abandoned cart, post-purchase, browse abandonment
• All features included at every tier. No feature gates.
• Visual automation builder that's easier to learn than Klaviyo
• Onsite engagement tools: pop-ups, slide-ins, forms
• 90-day free onboarding + free migration service

What you'll miss:

• No SMS. Drip discontinued SMS for new customers. This is a dealbreaker for many.
• No predictive CLV or churn scoring
• Smaller integration ecosystem
• No free plan. 14-day trial only.

Choose this if: You want ecommerce-focused email, value great customer support, and either don't need SMS or will pair with a dedicated SMS tool.

Read our full Drip vs Klaviyo comparison for a deeper look.

Sender

The most generous free plan in email marketing. Good starter platform for budget-conscious stores.

Best for: New or small Shopify stores wanting maximum features for minimum spend.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐½

Basic Shopify integration. Contact and order sync. Limited ecommerce event tracking. Less depth than dedicated ecommerce tools.

Pricing at Scale

What it does well:

• Free plan includes 2,500 contacts + 15,000 emails/month + automation. The most generous free tier in this list.
• SMS available on paid plans
• Simple, clean interface
• All core automations: welcome, cart recovery, post-purchase

What you'll miss:

• Shallow ecommerce integration
• Less proven deliverability at scale
• Limited template library
• You'll likely outgrow it as your email strategy matures

Choose this if: You want the cheapest possible start with real automation features.

Privy

The list growth specialist. Best pop-ups, forms, and onsite conversion tools in the Shopify ecosystem. Email is a bonus.

Best for: Stores focused on building their email list first, with email marketing as a secondary need.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐⭐½

Good Shopify integration for forms and cart data. Built specifically for Shopify. Ecommerce-focused pop-ups tie into store events like exit intent and cart value thresholds.

Pricing at Scale

What it does well:

• Best-in-class pop-ups, banners, spin-to-win, and cart savers
• Conversion-focused: exit intent, cart value triggers, scroll percentage
• Simple email campaigns and automations
• Tight Shopify integration for onsite behavior

What you'll miss:

• Email is not the core product. Less depth than Klaviyo, Omnisend, or even MailerLite for email campaigns.
• Limited automation builder
• No SMS on lower tiers
• Not a replacement for a full email platform at scale

Choose this if: List growth is your primary goal. Consider pairing Privy with a dedicated email platform (Klaviyo, Omnisend) for serious automation.

Constant Contact

Simple and reliable. Phone support is rare. But not built for ecommerce.

Best for: Small businesses that want phone support and simple newsletter campaigns. Not recommended for serious Shopify ecommerce.

Shopify integration depth: ⭐⭐½

Basic integration. Contact and order sync. Limited ecommerce-specific features. It's built for small businesses broadly, not Shopify stores specifically.

Pricing at Scale

What it does well:

• Phone support. Rare in this space and genuinely useful for non-technical users.
• Simple drag-and-drop builder
• Good deliverability reputation
• Event marketing features

What you'll miss:

• Limited automation. Nowhere close to Klaviyo, Omnisend, or ActiveCampaign.
• No real ecommerce depth
• Expensive for what you get at scale
• No SMS on base plans

Choose this if: You need phone support and only send simple campaigns. Not recommended for Shopify stores that take email marketing seriously.

Pricing at Scale: What These Tools Actually Cost

This is the table every other article is missing. Not what tools cost at 500 contacts. What they cost at the sizes that matter.

* Shopify Email is free for 10K emails/month. ** At 25K contacts sending 4x/month (100K emails), roughly $90/mo. *** Depends entirely on send volume. † Brevo price depends on email volume, not contacts. Shown at the most common tier for each size.

What the Numbers Tell You

Per-contact vs per-email pricing changes everything. Brevo and Shopify Email charge per email sent. Everyone else charges per contact stored. If you have a big list but don't email daily, per-email pricing saves a fortune. If you email frequently to a smaller list, per-contact is fine.

Mailchimp is NOT cheaper than Klaviyo at scale. At 25K contacts, Mailchimp Essentials costs $310/mo. Klaviyo costs $400/mo. That $90 difference is not the dramatic savings most people expect, especially when Klaviyo gives you significantly more powerful ecommerce tools.

Best value at 10K contacts: Sender ($47/mo) and MailerLite ($73/mo) for email-only. Omnisend ($132/mo) for email + SMS. Brevo ($29/mo) if you send fewer than 20K emails per month.

The active profiles gotcha: Klaviyo and some other platforms charge for ALL profiles, not just those you email. Unengaged contacts sitting on your list still cost you money. List hygiene matters. Clean your list before comparing prices.

The annual cost difference is visceral. At 10K contacts, the gap between Sender ($564/yr) and Klaviyo ($1,800/yr) is $1,236. That's money you could spend on ads, inventory, or product development. But Sender can't do browse abandonment or predictive analytics. You're paying for capability, not just a sending tool. The question is whether you'll use that capability.

Per-email pricing explained. Brevo and Shopify Email don't care how many contacts you have. They charge per email sent. If you have 25,000 contacts but only send 2 campaigns per month (50,000 emails), Brevo charges roughly $39/mo. Klaviyo charges $400/mo for those same contacts whether you email them twice or twenty times. If you send infrequently to a large list, per-email pricing is dramatically cheaper.

Best Email Marketing by Store Stage

Just Starting (Under 1K Contacts, Under $10K/month Revenue)

Recommendation: Shopify Email (free) or Sender (generous free plan)

Focus on building your list first. Not paying for automation you won't use yet. Set up a basic welcome series and abandoned cart flow. That's enough for now.

Upgrade when you hit 2,500 contacts or need browse abandonment. Until then, save your money for ads, inventory, or product development.

Growing (1K-10K Contacts, $10K-$100K/month Revenue)

Recommendation: Omnisend (best value) or MailerLite (lowest cost)

This is where automation starts driving real revenue. You need: abandoned cart, welcome series, post-purchase, and browse abandonment (if supported).

Omnisend gives you SMS bundled and strong Shopify integration. MailerLite is cheaper but has no SMS and shallower Shopify data. See our Klaviyo vs Omnisend comparison if you're weighing a bigger investment.

Scaling (10K-50K Contacts, $100K-$500K/month Revenue)

Recommendation: Klaviyo or Omnisend (Pro)

At this stage, email should drive 25-40% of your revenue. You need predictive analytics, deep segmentation, A/B testing in flows, and SMS.

Klaviyo's predictive CLV and churn scoring start justifying the premium here. The data depth compounds over time: smarter segments, better personalization, higher revenue per email. See our Klaviyo alternatives guide if you want to evaluate all your options at this scale.

Enterprise (50K+ Contacts, $500K+/month Revenue)

Recommendation: Klaviyo

At this scale, you need: dedicated IP, custom reporting, API access, multi-store support. Klaviyo handles all of these.

If you've outgrown Klaviyo (rare, but it happens), consider Braze or Iterable. But for 95% of Shopify stores at this level, Klaviyo is the right call. A dedicated email team is recommended at this tier.

Best Free Email Marketing for Shopify

"Best free email marketing for shopify" is one of the most searched variants of this keyword, and no competitor has a dedicated section for it. Here's the honest breakdown.

Our Ranking of Free Plans

1. Sender. Best free plan overall. 2,500 contacts, 15K emails, automation included. Hard to beat for $0.
2. Shopify Email. Best for simplicity. 10K emails, no app needed, zero setup friction.
3. MailerLite. Best interface on free tier. 1K contacts, 12K emails, clean design.
4. Brevo. Best for large lists. Unlimited contacts, 300/day cap. Good if you send infrequently.

Start free. Upgrade when revenue justifies it. There's no reason to pay $100+/month before you have 2,500 contacts and a real automation strategy.

Shopify Integration Depth: What Each Platform Actually Tracks

This is the section that separates a Shopify-focused article from a generic email marketing comparison. "Integrates with Shopify" is a checkbox. What data each platform actually uses determines what automations you can run.

✅ = Full support | ⚠️ = Partial/basic | ❌ = Not supported

What This Means in Practice

The integration depth divides platforms into three tiers:

• Deep (Klaviyo, Omnisend): Full behavioral tracking, product views, cart events, dynamic recommendations, checkout data. These platforms know what your customers browse, what they add to cart, and when they abandon checkout. That data powers browse abandonment, smart product recommendations, and predictive analytics.
• Medium (Drip, ActiveCampaign): Good order and customer data. Some behavioral tracking. Can handle most ecommerce automations but miss the finer details.
• Basic (everyone else): Contact profiles and order history. Enough for welcome series and simple abandoned cart. Not enough for browse abandonment or behavioral segmentation.

If browse abandonment is critical to your strategy, your realistic options are Klaviyo, Omnisend, and Drip. Everything else can't see what products your customers viewed.

A quick note on the Shopify ecosystem: Shopify Flow lets you create automated workflows within Shopify itself, including tagging customers and triggering actions based on order data, inventory levels, or customer behavior. Klaviyo has the deepest Flow integration, allowing you to trigger email flows from Flow automations and vice versa. Omnisend has partial support.

If you're on Shopify Plus, Shopify Audiences gives you lookalike audiences for ads that complement your email marketing. Customer metafields let you store custom data (VIP status, preferences, loyalty tier) that platforms like Klaviyo can pull into segmentation. These ecosystem features add real value on top of your email platform, but only if your email tool can actually read the data.

For most stores, the practical takeaway is simple: if you want to use Shopify's native automation features alongside your email platform, Klaviyo gives you the most overlap. Omnisend covers the basics. Everyone else largely ignores Flow and metafields.

How to Switch Email Marketing Apps on Shopify

Fear of switching keeps stores on the wrong platform for months. Here's what the process actually looks like.

What You Can Move

• Contact lists and segments (CSV export from any platform)
• Email templates (HTML export, some platforms offer direct import)
• Campaign performance data (CSV reports)

What You'll Need to Rebuild

• Automations and flows. Must be rebuilt from scratch on every platform. No exceptions.
• Segments with platform-specific logic
• Signup forms and pop-ups
• Integrations with other apps (reviews, loyalty, etc.)

The 5-Step Migration Checklist

1. Document everything. Screenshot every active flow. Note every trigger, condition, and time delay. You'll need this reference when rebuilding.
2. Export and clean your list. Remove unengaged contacts before importing to your new platform. Fresh start, lower bill.
3. Set up the new platform and connect Shopify. Test that data syncs correctly before building anything else.
4. Rebuild your top 3 flows first. Abandoned cart, welcome series, post-purchase. These drive the most revenue. The rest can wait.
5. Warm up your new sending domain. Start with your most engaged contacts. Ramp volume over 2-4 weeks. Run platforms in parallel during the transition so you don't go dark on subscribers.

Common Mistakes

• Going dark on subscribers. No emails for weeks during migration kills engagement and deliverability.
• Migrating during peak season. Never switch platforms in November or December. BFCM is not the time.
• Assuming automations transfer. They never do. Budget the rebuild time.

Budget 2-4 weeks for a straightforward migration. 4-8 weeks if you have 20+ active flows.

Tools That Help With Migration

Some platforms make switching easier. Drip offers free migration service and 90-day onboarding. Omnisend has an import wizard that maps fields from Klaviyo and Mailchimp. ActiveCampaign offers migration services on higher-tier plans.

Regardless of which platform offers help, you still need to rebuild your automations. No tool can import another platform's flows. Screenshot everything, document every trigger and condition, and rebuild the flows that drive the most revenue first.

Need help with a migration? We've handled dozens.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best email marketing platform for Shopify?

It depends on your store stage. For most growing stores (1K-50K contacts), Omnisend offers the best balance of features, Shopify integration, and price. For stores needing the deepest data and AI, Klaviyo is the most powerful option. For brand-new stores, start with Shopify Email (free). See our store stage recommendations for specific guidance.

Can you do email marketing through Shopify?

Yes. Shopify Email is built into every Shopify plan. You can create campaigns, set up basic automations (welcome series, abandoned cart), and send up to 10,000 emails per month for free. No extra app needed. It's sufficient for new stores with basic needs.

Is Shopify Email free?

Yes. Shopify Email includes 10,000 emails per month for free on all Shopify plans. After that, it costs $1 per additional 1,000 emails. There's no contact-based pricing. For most small stores sending a few campaigns per month, it's completely free.

What are the disadvantages of using Shopify Email?

Limited automation (no browse abandonment, no conditional splits, no A/B testing in flows), basic segmentation (no behavioral targeting, no RFM, no predictive), no SMS, no advanced personalization or dynamic product recommendations, and minimal reporting. It works for basic campaigns but not for stores that need sophisticated ecommerce automation.

How do I set up email marketing on Shopify?

Start with Shopify Email (free, built into your admin) for basic campaigns. Set up a welcome series and abandoned cart automation first. As you grow past 2,500 contacts, upgrade to Omnisend or Klaviyo for advanced automation, segmentation, and SMS. Focus on the 5 essential flows: welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase, browse abandonment, and win-back.

What email marketing tool should I use for my Shopify store?

It depends on your size and needs. Under 2,500 contacts: Shopify Email (free). Growing to 10K contacts: Omnisend or MailerLite. Scaling past 10K: Klaviyo. On a tight budget with a large list: Brevo. See our Quick Match section for scenario-based recommendations.

What is the alternative to Mailchimp for Shopify?

Omnisend is the most popular Mailchimp alternative for Shopify stores. It offers stronger ecommerce automation, bundled SMS, and better Shopify integration at a similar or lower price. We've compared Omnisend vs Mailchimp and Klaviyo vs Mailchimp in detail.

Shopify Email vs Klaviyo: which is better?

Shopify Email is free and sufficient for new stores with basic needs. Klaviyo is dramatically more powerful: deep Shopify integration, predictive analytics, SMS, and advanced automation. Most stores eventually outgrow Shopify Email and move to Klaviyo or Omnisend. See our full Shopify Email vs Klaviyo comparison for the complete breakdown.

The Bottom Line

There's no single best email marketing platform for every Shopify store. The right tool depends on your stage, your budget, and how seriously you take email as a revenue channel.

Best overall for most stores: Omnisend. Strong ecommerce automation, bundled SMS, good Shopify integration, and reasonable pricing. Covers 90% of what Klaviyo does at a lower price.

Most powerful: Klaviyo. Deepest Shopify integration, predictive analytics, and the most advanced segmentation. Worth the premium for stores doing $100K+/month.

Best free option: Shopify Email for simplicity (zero setup). Sender for the most generous free tier (2,500 contacts, 15K emails).

Best budget: MailerLite under 10K contacts. Brevo for large lists with infrequent sends.

Best automation: Klaviyo for ecommerce. ActiveCampaign for general marketing automation.

Start where you are. Upgrade when you outgrow it. The platforms aren't going anywhere, and switching is always an option.

This guide is maintained by Aesymmetric, a Shopify agency with no affiliate relationships with any email platform mentioned. Explore more: Klaviyo vs Omnisend · Drip vs Klaviyo · Klaviyo vs Mailchimp · Omnisend vs Mailchimp · Klaviyo Alternatives · Shopify Email vs Klaviyo

Last updated: February 19, 2026. Pricing and features reflect publicly available information at the time of writing. We update this guide quarterly.

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Written by

Alex Espinoza

Alex is the founder of AESYMMETRIC, a Shopify agency specializing in conversion rate optimization, custom app development, and theme customizations. With eight years of experience in the Shopify ecosystem and e-commerce industry, he helps brands maximize sales and reduce costs through data-driven strategies and innovative technical solutions.