EmailOctopus Review: Features, Pricing, & Alternatives

EmailOctopus is a cost-effective email marketing tool best for small to medium businesses needing simplicity and affordability. However, its advanced features are limited.

Read our full review to discover if it suits your needs.

SMB Guide’s Verdict for EmailOctopus

EmailOctopus has earned an overall rating of 7.1 out of 10

EmailOctopus is a strong contender for those seeking an affordable and user-friendly email marketing platform, though it may fall short in areas requiring advanced features and real-time support.

It receives a lower score in customer support for the lack of phone or live chat support. It receives a lower score in Campaign Performance Tracking because of the limited report storage on the free plan.

Factor	Rating (out of 10)
Pricing & Plans	9
Marketing Automation Capabilities	6
Email Builder	7
Personalization & Customization	7
Campaign Performance Tracking	6
User Interface and User Experience	8
Integrations and Compatibility	7
Customer Support	6
SMB Guide Rating	7.1

In this review of EmailOctopus, I’ve followed SMB Guide’s detailed criteria for evaluating the email marketing software.

Pricing & Plans

There are two plans to choose from, with the Pro plan offering more features and control over your email.

The Pro plan scales with your subscriber growth, so as you earn more subscribers (and hopefully revenue), you can afford to stay with the service and expand your email limit accordingly.

Free

The free plan allows you to have up to 2,500 subscribers and send up to 10,000 emails a month.

Price

• $0 per month
• $0 per year

Features

• EmailOctopus branding on all emails
• Reports available for 30 days
• Create up to 3 landing pages and forms
• Access for 1 user

Who it’s for: Small businesses just getting started

Pro

The Pro plan scales based on the number of subscribers and emails.

Price

• $9 to $1330/month (500 to 500,000 subscribers and 10,000 to 5 million emails)
• $108 to $15,960/year

Features

• Full control over your email design
• Reports available forever
• Unlimited landing pages and forms
• Unlimited users
• Cancel any time

Who it’s for: Growing businesses that want more control

Marketing Automation Capabilities

EmailOctopus offers robust marketing automation capabilities that allow users to create and manage automated email sequences effortlessly.

You can set up drip campaigns, schedule messages based on subscriber behavior, and customize workflows to target specific audience segments.

EmailOctopus supports conditional logic and actions such as updating fields, adding and removing tags, unsubscribing, or triggering another automation.

If integrated with other platforms (more on that below) you can work actions from those apps into the workflows.

Email Builder

EmailOctopus’s user-friendly email builder offers a drag-and-drop interface that simplifies the design process. It includes customizable templates, allowing users to create professional-looking emails quickly.

While it covers essential design features, it may not offer the extensive customization options of more advanced builders. That said, you also have the option to code your own.

Personalization & Customization

EmailOctopus offers strong personalization and customization options. You can tailor emails with dynamic content, merge tags, and segmentation to address individual subscriber preferences. This helps in crafting targeted, relevant messages.

However, its customization scope may be limited compared to more advanced platforms, particularly in complex segmentation and dynamic content scenarios.

If you’ve got it integrated with Shopify or other apps, you’ll have a bit more personalization and customization options available to you.

Campaign Performance Tracking

Since I just did a free trial and didn’t actually have a list, I wasn’t able to personally test the campaign performance tracking. It stands to reason you’d see things like subscriber growth, open rate, and bounce rate since those are pretty standard metrics across all email marketing platforms. 

One thing to note, though, is that reports are only stored for 30 days on the free plan.

User Interface and User Experience

EmailOctopus boasts an intuitive user interface designed for ease of use. The dashboard is clean and straightforward, allowing you to navigate and manage their email campaigns efficiently.

Its simplicity makes it ideal for beginners, although advanced users might find the lack of in-depth features a drawback.

There’s plenty of in-dashboard guidance to show you how to leverage the platform, such as a video showing you how to create and send your first email campaign.

You can preview and send a test email to ensure it looks like you expect it to. And there’s even a merge tag cheat sheet available to make sure you’re taking advantage of all available options.

Integrations and Compatibility

EmailOctopus supports a range of integrations and compatibility with various third-party applications. It seamlessly connects with popular tools like Zapier, which enables integration with over 2,000 apps, including CRMs, e-commerce platforms, and social media.

This flexibility enhances workflow automation, although some users may find it lacking in direct native integrations compared to other platforms.

Depending on what you need and how often you need the zaps to run, you may need to invest in a paid Zapier plan to get things to operate how you want. Native integrations are limited, but you can access the API and use Webhooks.

Customer Support

EmailOctopus offers responsive customer support primarily through email. Their support team is known for providing helpful and timely assistance, making it easier for users to resolve issues.

There’s an extensive knowledge base you can search instantly to find the answers yourself. There’s also an informative blog and a guide to email marketing to help you.

It would be nice to see live chat in place of the knowledge base search – I was a little flustered when I thought I was getting live chat and just prompted to get instant answers from the knowledgebase.

EmailOctopus — Unique Features

• Amazon SES Integration: By integrating with Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), EmailOctopus ensures high deliverability rates while keeping costs low, making it a unique feature among email marketing tools.
• Unlimited Emails: All paid plans allow you to send unlimited emails, which is particularly advantageous for those managing large campaigns who don’t want to worry about hitting limits.

What the Experts Say About EmailOctopus

EmailOctopus has the following ratings:

• G2 rating: 4.2/5 (29 reviews)
• Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (450 reviews)
• GetApp rating:  4.8/5 (449 reviews)

The cost to value with EmailOctopus has been incredible. Reaching out when you need help is easy, and the response is fast. I am glad we made the switch and would recommend more small companies to give them a try.

Jasmine P., Marketing Coordinator – Verified Capterra review

Overall EmailOctpus has done a good job handling what I throw at them and they fit my budget pretty well. Service has been better here than in the other more well know places tried in the past. They seem to be more service-orientated and willing to go the extra mile to help if needed. I’d say I have been pretty happy with most of what they have to offer.

Donald M., Owner – Verified Capterra review

EmailOctopus Alternatives

Are you not entirely convinced that EmailOctopus is the answer for your business? Consider these other options:

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is renowned for its comprehensive, advanced features, including sophisticated automation tools, detailed analytics, and extensive third-party integrations.

This makes it a versatile option suitable for businesses of all sizes that require robust marketing solutions. However, its pricing tiers can become quite expensive as your contact list grows, and the complex interface might require a steeper learning curve for beginners.

Start your free trial of Mailchimp

MailerLite

MailerLite is celebrated for its robust set of features at competitive prices. It provides a versatile email builder, advanced automation capabilities, and comprehensive reporting tools.

This makes it particularly appealing to small and medium-sized businesses that need a balance of advanced functionality and cost-effectiveness. MailerLite’s intuitive interface and strong customer support channels, including live chat, make it accessible even for those new to email marketing.

Sign up to MailerLite for free

Brevo

Brevo, formerly known as SendinBlue, is renowned for its extensive suite of features beyond just email marketing. It includes SMS marketing, CRM tools, and marketing automation, making it a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to manage multiple aspects of their marketing efforts in one place.

Brevo’s pricing is competitive, with a free tier available and scalable plans that cater to growing businesses. The intuitive drag-and-drop email editor and detailed analytics further enhance its appeal.

Sign up to Brevo for free today!

Getting Started with EmailOctopus

EmailOctopus is a reliable and cost-effective email marketing platform particularly suited for startups, small businesses, and nonprofits. Its integration with Amazon SES ensures high deliverability, and its user-friendly interface makes it accessible to users of all experience levels.

While it may not offer the advanced features of some competitors, its straightforward approach and affordability make it a compelling choice for those seeking essential email marketing tools.

Get started with EmailOctopus for free

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