Best Email Marketing Software with Automation Features

Email remains the highest-ROI marketing channel, but manually sending emails doesn’t scale. Email marketing software with automation features lets you build personalized customer journeys that run automatically, nurturing leads, recovering carts, and driving sales while you focus on growing your business.

The best email automation platforms combine powerful workflow builders with deliverability, analytics, and integrations. We’ve evaluated the top email marketing solutions to help you find software that turns subscribers into customers automatically.

Top Email Marketing Software with Automation

1. GetResponse – Best Balance of Power and Simplicity

GetResponse delivers enterprise-level email automation without the enterprise learning curve. Its visual workflow builder makes creating complex automated sequences intuitive, while AI-powered features optimize send times and content for maximum engagement.

What sets GetResponse apart is how it extends beyond email. Automation workflows can trigger landing pages, webinar registrations, SMS messages, and web push notifications, all from one platform. For marketers who want automation that spans the entire customer journey, GetResponse provides complete coverage without requiring multiple integrations.

Key Features:

• Visual automation workflow builder
• AI-powered send time optimization
• Behavior-triggered email sequences
• Dynamic content personalization
• Lead scoring and tagging
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Transactional email support
• Advanced segmentation and targeting

Pricing: Free plan for up to 500 contacts. Email Marketing at $19/month, Marketing Automation at $59/month with full automation features.

Best For: Marketers who want powerful automation capabilities with an intuitive interface and multi-channel reach beyond just email.

2. ActiveCampaign – Best for Complex Automation

ActiveCampaign is the automation powerhouse for marketers with sophisticated workflow needs. Its visual builder handles complex branching logic, and the CRM integration enables true sales and marketing alignment.

Key Features:

• Advanced visual automation builder
• CRM with sales automation
• Predictive sending AI
• Site and event tracking
• Machine learning features

Pricing: Lite at $29/month, Plus at $49/month, Professional at $149/month.

Best For: Marketers with complex automation requirements and technical comfort.

3. Mailchimp – Best for Getting Started

Mailchimp offers accessible automation for email marketing beginners. Pre-built customer journey templates make it easy to set up welcome series, abandoned cart emails, and re-engagement campaigns without building from scratch.

Key Features:

• Customer journey builder
• Pre-built automation templates
• Behavioral targeting
• Send time optimization
• A/B testing

Pricing: Free up to 500 contacts. Essentials at $13/month, Standard at $20/month.

Best For: Beginners who want automation templates without complexity.

4. Klaviyo – Best for E-commerce

Klaviyo dominates e-commerce email automation with deep Shopify integration and predictive analytics. It understands shopping behavior and automates personalized product recommendations based on purchase history.

Key Features:

• Deep e-commerce integrations
• Predictive analytics
• Product recommendations
• Browse abandonment flows
• Customer lifetime value tracking

Pricing: Free up to 250 contacts. Email at $20/month, Email + SMS at $35/month.

Best For: E-commerce stores wanting advanced product-based automation.

5. Drip – Best for DTC Brands

Drip focuses on direct-to-consumer brands with visual automation workflows and e-commerce-specific triggers. It excels at post-purchase flows and customer win-back campaigns for online stores.

Key Features:

• E-commerce automation focus
• Visual workflow builder
• Revenue attribution
• Dynamic segmentation
• Multi-channel (email + SMS)

Pricing: Starts at $39/month for up to 2,500 contacts.

Best For: DTC brands wanting specialized e-commerce automation.

6. ConvertKit – Best for Creators

ConvertKit provides creator-friendly automation with simple visual sequences. It’s designed for bloggers, podcasters, and course creators who want effective automation without marketing complexity.

Key Features:

• Visual automation builder
• Tag-based subscriber management
• Digital product delivery
• Creator Network for growth
• Sponsor opportunities

Pricing: Free up to 1,000 subscribers. Creator at $15/month, Creator Pro at $29/month.

Best For: Content creators wanting simple, effective automation.

7. Omnisend – Best for Omnichannel Automation

Omnisend unifies email, SMS, push notifications, and more into single automation workflows. For marketers who want true omnichannel customer journeys, Omnisend removes the silos between channels.

Key Features:

• Omnichannel automation
• Email + SMS + push in one workflow
• E-commerce focus
• Pre-built workflows
• Product picker

Pricing: Free up to 250 contacts. Standard at $16/month, Pro at $59/month.

Best For: E-commerce brands wanting unified multi-channel automation.

8. Brevo – Best Value Automation

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) delivers solid automation at competitive pricing. The workflow builder handles common automation scenarios well, and unlimited contacts on all plans make it cost-effective for growing lists.

Key Features:

• Visual automation workflow
• Unlimited contacts
• Email + SMS automation
• Transactional email
• CRM integration

Pricing: Free plan available. Starter at $9/month, Business at $18/month.

Best For: Budget-conscious marketers wanting solid automation value.

9. MailerLite – Best Simple Automation

MailerLite offers clean, straightforward automation for those who find other platforms overwhelming. The interface is uncluttered, and automation setup follows logical steps without marketing jargon.

Key Features:

• Simple automation workflows
• Clean interface
• Website builder
• Digital product sales
• Newsletter monetization

Pricing: Free up to 1,000 subscribers. Growing Business at $10/month.

Best For: Those who want simple automation without complexity.

10. AWeber – Best for Small Business

AWeber provides reliable email automation for small businesses. It’s been around for decades with strong deliverability and includes automation features that handle common small business email sequences effectively.

Key Features:

• Email automation campaigns
• Drag-and-drop builder
• AMP for email
• Smart designer AI
• Landing pages

Pricing: Free up to 500 subscribers. Lite at $15/month, Plus at $30/month.

Best For: Small businesses wanting reliable, proven automation.

Email Automation Software Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

What is email marketing automation?

Email marketing automation sends personalized emails automatically based on triggers and conditions. Instead of manually sending each email, you create workflows that respond to subscriber actions, like sending a welcome series when someone joins your list or a reminder when they abandon a cart.

How does GetResponse automation compare to competitors?

GetResponse offers more accessible automation than ActiveCampaign while being more powerful than Mailchimp. Its visual workflow builder handles sophisticated sequences without the steep learning curve. The multi-channel capability (email, SMS, webinars, landing pages) provides broader automation reach than email-only platforms.

What automations should I set up first?

Start with high-impact basics: welcome series (for new subscribers), abandoned cart recovery (for e-commerce), and re-engagement campaigns (for inactive subscribers). These three automations typically generate the highest ROI and establish your automation foundation before adding complexity.

How many emails should be in a welcome series?

Most effective welcome series contain 3-7 emails over 1-2 weeks. The first email should arrive immediately (confirmation and expectation setting). Subsequent emails introduce your brand, provide value, and gently guide toward your primary conversion goal. Test to find your optimal sequence length.

Does automation hurt email deliverability?

No, good automation actually improves deliverability. Automated emails are typically more relevant and timely, leading to higher engagement. Higher engagement signals to email providers that your messages are wanted. Choose established platforms like GetResponse that invest in deliverability infrastructure.

Can automation feel personal to subscribers?

Yes, when done well. Use personalization tokens (name, company), segment by behavior and preferences, trigger emails based on specific actions, and write in a conversational tone. The best automation feels like personal communication at scale, not mass messaging.

What metrics should I track for automated emails?

Track open rates (subject line effectiveness), click rates (content relevance), conversion rates (campaign success), and unsubscribe rates (audience fit). For revenue-generating sequences, also track revenue per email and overall sequence ROI. GetResponse provides comprehensive analytics for all these metrics.

How often should I review and update automations?

Review automation performance monthly and update content quarterly. Check for outdated references, broken links, and declining metrics. Major product or brand changes should trigger immediate automation reviews. Set calendar reminders, it’s easy to “set and forget” automations that become stale.

Can I A/B test automated emails?

Yes, most platforms support A/B testing within automations. Test subject lines, send times, content variations, and even different workflow paths. GetResponse allows testing at multiple workflow points. Start with high-volume automations where tests reach statistical significance faster.

What’s the difference between triggers and conditions?

Triggers start an automation (subscriber joins list, makes purchase, clicks link). Conditions determine what happens within the automation (if subscriber opened email, send X; if not, send Y). Together, they enable personalized automated sequences that respond to individual subscriber behavior.

How do I avoid automation fatigue?

Set frequency caps limiting how many automated emails subscribers receive. Use suppression lists to exclude recent purchasers or engaged subscribers from aggressive sequences. Monitor unsubscribe rates within automations, rising rates indicate fatigue. Quality matters more than quantity.

Should I use the same platform for marketing and transactional emails?

Using one platform simplifies management and keeps subscriber data unified. GetResponse and Brevo handle both marketing and transactional emails well. However, some businesses prefer dedicated transactional services for reliability. Consider your volume and technical requirements when deciding.

Final Thoughts

Email automation transforms marketing from a manual, time-intensive effort into a scalable system that works around the clock. The right platform makes building these systems accessible regardless of your technical background, while providing the power to create sophisticated customer journeys.

GetResponse delivers the ideal balance for most marketers, powerful automation capabilities without the steep learning curve of enterprise solutions. The visual workflow builder makes complex sequences intuitive, while multi-channel reach extends automation beyond email to landing pages, webinars, and SMS.

Related: Explore our guides on all-in-one marketing platforms and email deliverability tools to maximize your email marketing success.