If you’ve been researching email marketing platforms, you’ve likely come across Brevo. Formerly known as Sendinblue, Brevo has evolved from a basic email tool into a broader marketing and CRM platform designed for small and mid-sized businesses.
Even if you’ve checked the features on the website and reviewed the pricing, they don’t always reveal how the product performs in real-world use. In this in-depth Brevo review, we’ll look closely at how the platform actually performs, what it does well, where it falls short, and whether it’s the right fit for your business.
This review is based on hands-on usage, platform testing, and a realistic understanding of how this tool works—without marketing fluff or exaggerated promises.
What Is Brevo?
Brevo is an all-in-one marketing platform that combines email marketing, SMS, WhatsApp campaigns, automation, and a built-in CRM. The company positions itself as a tool for businesses that want powerful features without paying enterprise-level prices or managing multiple tools.
Unlike many email platforms that charge based on subscriber count, Brevo pricing is mainly based on email volume. This makes it especially appealing to businesses that have large contact lists but don’t email them frequently.
First Impressions and Ease of Use
One of Brevo’s strongest points is its interface. The dashboard is clean and logically organized, making it easy to find campaigns, contacts, automation workflows, and CRM features without digging through menus.
For new users, Brevo offers guided onboarding and subtle prompts that help you get started without forcing tutorials. Most actions—creating campaigns, importing contacts, or building automations—follow a step-by-step flow that feels intuitive.
There are occasional delays when switching between sections, but overall navigation remains straightforward, especially compared to more complex platforms.
Email Campaign Creation
Email creation is where Brevo performs consistently well. The drag-and-drop editor is responsive and simple to use, even for non-designers. You can start from a blank layout, a simple text-based email, or choose from one of Brevo’s pre-designed templates.
Email Templates
Brevo offers around 45+ responsive templates organized by purpose—welcome emails, promotions, re-engagement, and announcements. This approach makes more sense than industry-based templates, as the layouts are already optimized for specific actions.
Once you select a template, customization is flexible. You can adjust fonts, colors, spacing, buttons, and images without touching code. You can also save reusable blocks like headers or footers, which is useful for maintaining consistent branding.
One limitation worth noting: once you choose a template, you can’t switch to another without restarting the design.
Personalization and Segmentation
Personalization in Brevo goes beyond just adding a first name. You can insert contact attributes into subject lines, preview text, and email content. Conditional content allows you to show different sections of an email to different segments—for example, offering special discounts only to returning customers.
Segmentation is handled through filters rather than tags. You can create dynamic segments based on:
- Contact attributes
- Email engagement
- Website behavior
- Purchase data (for ecommerce users)
While there’s no traditional tagging system, most tagging use cases can be recreated using attributes and filters.
Marketing Automation Capabilities
Automation is one of the main reasons businesses choose Brevo, especially at its price point.
The workflow builder allows you to create automated sequences based on:
- Email opens or clicks
- Website visits
- Form submissions
- Purchase activity
- Contact data changes
You can build welcome sequences, abandoned cart flows, re-engagement campaigns, and internal workflows like lead scoring or contact cleanup.
The editor is visual and easy to follow. You can test workflows before activating them, which reduces errors. While it may not match the complexity of high-end platforms like ActiveCampaign, Brevo’s automation is more than sufficient for most small and mid-sized teams.
SMS and WhatsApp Marketing
Brevo stands out by offering SMS and WhatsApp campaigns alongside email, even on lower-tier plans.
SMS campaigns are easy to create and support personalization. Pricing depends on country-specific credits, and test messages count toward usage. Compliance tools, such as opt-in management and sender registration, are built into the workflow.
WhatsApp campaigns allow richer messaging with images, videos, and call-to-action buttons. Contacts can be segmented across channels, making it easier to run coordinated campaigns without switching tools.
This multi-channel capability is one of the strongest reasons businesses choose Brevo over simpler email-only platforms.
Built-In CRM and Sales Tools
Brevo includes a free CRM, even on the free plan. You can manage contacts, track conversations, create deals, and visualize pipelines.
The CRM is intentionally lightweight. It won’t replace dedicated platforms like HubSpot or Salesforce, but it works well for:
- Tracking leads
- Managing basic sales pipelines
- Viewing customer communication history
For businesses that want email marketing and basic CRM functionality in one place, this integration is genuinely useful.
AI Features in Brevo
Brevo’s AI tools are practical rather than experimental.
The AI assistant can help with:
- Writing and refining email copy
- Generating subject lines
- Adjusting tone and phrasing
- Predictive send-time optimization
- Product recommendations (for ecommerce)
Send-time optimization is particularly useful. Instead of guessing when to send campaigns, Brevo analyzes past performance and broader engagement data to choose optimal delivery times automatically.
AI tools are available even on lower-tier plans, though some advanced features require upgrades.
Reporting and Analytics
Brevo provides all essential email metrics, including:
- Opens
- Clicks
- Bounce rates
- Unsubscribes
- Device and location data
- Heatmaps (on higher plans)
However, reporting depth depends heavily on your plan. Starter plans offer basic insights, while more advanced analytics are reserved for higher tiers. Custom reports and advanced revenue attribution are limited.
For most small businesses, the available data is sufficient. Data-heavy marketing teams may find it restrictive.
Brevo Pricing: What to Expect
Brevo pricing is one of its biggest advantages.
Brevo’s pricing structure is clearly designed to scale with business needs while staying accessible for smaller teams. The Starter plan, priced at around ₹562 per month, is ideal for solo users or early-stage businesses getting started with email and SMS marketing. It covers essential tools like a drag-and-drop editor, templates, basic analytics, and AI content generation without overwhelming users.
The Standard plan, the most popular option at approximately ₹1,210 per month, adds meaningful value with marketing automation, A/B testing, advanced reporting, send-time optimization, and landing pages. This tier suits growing businesses that want to test, optimize, and automate campaigns efficiently.
For data-driven teams, the Professional plan jumps significantly in price but offers advanced AI features, multi-channel marketing (including WhatsApp and push notifications), deeper ecommerce tools, and priority support.
Finally, the Enterprise plan is fully customizable, aimed at large organizations needing dedicated infrastructure, security, and support.
Overall, Brevo pricing is flexible, transparent, and competitive—especially for businesses that want strong automation without enterprise-level complexity.
Brevo Pros and Cons
Pros
- Competitive pricing for advanced features
- Strong automation for small businesses
- Email, SMS, WhatsApp, and CRM in one platform
- Useful AI tools
- Generous free plan
- Good WordPress and ecommerce integrations
Cons
- Limited reporting on lower plans
- Landing page builder feels less polished
- No live chat support
- Deliverability can vary depending on use case
- Fewer native integrations than some competitors
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GetResponse Review: Comprehensive Email Marketing Tool
Brevo Alternatives
If Brevo doesn’t fully meet your needs, here are a few Brevo alternatives worth considering:
- MailerLite – MailerLite is easier to use, good for beginners, fewer advanced automations
- GetResponse – GetResponse is a strong automation and webinars, with higher pricing.
- ActiveCampaign – Advanced automation and CRM, more complex and expensive
- Mailchimp – Popular and polished, but pricing increases quickly
Each alternative has strengths, but Brevo remains one of the strongest value options.
Final Verdict: Is Brevo Worth It?
This Brevo review shows that the platform delivers solid functionality without unnecessary complexity. It’s particularly well-suited for small businesses, ecommerce brands, and teams that want automation, CRM, and multi-channel marketing without managing multiple tools.
Brevo isn’t perfect. Reporting depth, landing pages, and support options could improve. Still, when you consider its pricing, feature set, and usability, it offers genuine value.
If you’re looking for a cost-effective marketing platform that grows with your business, Brevo is worth trying—especially on the free plan before committing.
