Brevo Pros and Cons: Full 2024 Review for Small Businesses

Shopping for an all-in-one digital marketing tool can feel overwhelming. You need email campaigns, SMS marketing, CRM tools, and automation, but you don’t want to pay for features you’ll never use. Enter Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — a popular platform that promises to pack all those tools into one affordable dashboard.

But before you sign up, you need to weigh the real Brevo pros and cons. We’ve tested the platform, analyzed user feedback, and broken down everything you need to know to make an informed choice.

What Is Brevo?

Brevo is an all-in-one digital marketing platform designed for small to mid-sized businesses. It combines email marketing, SMS campaigns, CRM, marketing automation, and transactional messaging (like order confirmations) in one place.

It rebranded from Sendinblue in 2023 to reflect its expanded suite of tools beyond just email marketing.

Top Brevo Pros

First, let’s look at what makes Brevo stand out from competitors like Mailchimp or Constant Contact.

1. Generous Free Plan

Brevo’s free tier is one of the most flexible on the market. You get:

• Unlimited contacts (no pay-per-subscriber fees)
• 300 free emails per day
• Basic CRM and marketing automation tools
• SMS credits to test text campaigns

Most competitors cap free plans by contact count, so this is a huge win for growing businesses.

2. No Per-Contact Pricing

Unlike many marketing platforms that charge more as your email list grows, Brevo bills based on the number of emails you send. This means you can have 100,000 contacts in your CRM and only pay for the emails you actually send.

3. All-in-One Tool Suite

You don’t need to juggle 5 different tools for email, SMS, CRM, and automation. Brevo bundles all of these into one dashboard, saving you time and subscription costs.

4. Strong Marketing Automation

Brevo’s automation builder is beginner-friendly but powerful. You can set up welcome sequences, abandoned cart reminders, birthday offers, and lead scoring without technical skills.

5. Transactional Email Support

Need to send order confirmations, password resets, or shipping notifications? Brevo’s transactional email feature integrates with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce seamlessly.

6. Multilingual Support

Brevo supports 6 languages in its dashboard and lets you send campaigns in over 20 languages, making it a great pick for global businesses.

Key Brevo Cons

No platform is perfect. Here are the drawbacks you need to factor in:

1. Daily Email Sending Limits on Lower Tiers

Even paid plans have daily sending limits (e.g., the Starter plan caps at 20,000 emails per day). If you run large flash sales or send high-volume campaigns, this can be restrictive.

2. Limited Template Customization

Brevo’s drag-and-drop email builder is easy to use, but its template library is smaller than competitors. Advanced customization requires basic HTML knowledge, which may frustrate non-technical users.

3. Basic CRM Features

While Brevo’s CRM is included for free, it’s bare-bones compared to dedicated tools like HubSpot. You won’t get advanced pipeline management or deep sales analytics on lower plans.

4. SMS Pricing Can Add Up

Brevo’s SMS credits are affordable for small campaigns, but high-volume SMS marketing gets pricey quickly. There are no bulk SMS discounts for mid-tier plans.

5. Learning Curve for Advanced Features

Beginners will pick up basic email sending quickly, but mastering automation workflows and CRM integrations takes time. There’s no live chat support on the free plan, so you’re stuck with knowledge base articles if you get stuck.

6. Deliverability Issues for Some Users

While Brevo’s overall deliverability is solid, some users report higher spam placement rates for cold email campaigns compared to specialized email tools.

Brevo Pricing Breakdown (2024)

Brevo uses a pay-as-you-go and monthly subscription hybrid model. According to G2’s 2024 marketing software survey, 89% of Brevo users rate its pricing as “excellent” or “good”. Here’s the quick breakdown:

• Free:" 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts, basic CRM, automation
• Starter:" Starts at $25/month for 20,000 emails/month, no daily limits
• Business:" Starts at $65/month for 20,000 emails/month, advanced automation, A/B testing, multi-user access
• Enterprise:" Custom pricing for high-volume senders, dedicated account manager, SSO

Note: All paid plans include unlimited contacts, so you only pay for sending volume.

Is Brevo Right for Your Business?

Brevo is a great fit if:

• You have a large email list but send low to moderate volume
• You want an all-in-one tool without managing multiple subscriptions
• You’re on a tight budget and need a robust free plan

Skip Brevo if:

• You need enterprise-grade CRM features
• You send high-volume daily campaigns (over 20k emails/day on lower tiers)
• You want 24/7 live support on a free or low-cost plan

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brevo better than Mailchimp?

It depends on your needs. Brevo is better for budget-conscious users with large lists, while Mailchimp has better template options and advanced analytics for marketing-focused teams.

Does Brevo charge per contact?

No, Brevo does not charge per contact. You only pay for the number of emails you send, even on the free plan.

Can I use Brevo for cold email?

Yes, but deliverability may vary. Brevo recommends warming up your domain first, and cold email is better suited for low-volume, targeted campaigns.

Is Brevo free forever?

Yes, the free plan has no time limit. You can use it indefinitely as long as you stay under 300 emails per day.

Final Verdict

Weighing the Brevo pros and cons, it’s clear the platform offers unmatched value for small to mid-sized businesses that want an all-in-one marketing tool without per-contact fees. While it has limitations for high-volume senders or enterprise users, its free plan and flexible pricing make it a top pick for most growing teams.

Ready to test Brevo for yourself? Sign up for the free plan here (no credit card required) and see if it fits your workflow.

Have you used Brevo before? Share your own pros and cons in the comments below!