Brevo vs MailerLite: A Complete Feature Comparison

brevo vs mailerlite a complete feature comparison

Choosing between Brevo and MailerLite can feel challenging—both are popular, reliable, and known for simplifying email marketing. But they each offer different strengths, especially in automation, CRM functionality, pricing models, and scalability.

This guide breaks everything down in a friendly, expert-led way. You’ll get real insights, practical advice, a side-by-side comparison, and a clear understanding of which platform aligns best with your marketing goals.

Where relevant, you’ll also find natural internal references to related guides such as Building Your Online Presence with Email Marketing, Brevo vs Mailchimp: Which Email Tool Is Better in 2025?, and What Is Brevo? Complete Beginner’s Guide (2025 Edition) for deeper reading. These are mentioned only to support learning—not to promote.

Introduction

Email marketing platforms have evolved far beyond basic newsletters. Today’s marketers need:

  • Smart automation
  • Multi-channel communication
  • Integrated CRM
  • High deliverability
  • Affordable, scalable pricing
  • Clean UX for fast campaign building

Brevo and MailerLite both excel, but in different ways. Brevo is well-known for its all-in-one communication suite, including CRM and multichannel features. MailerLite stands out for its simplicity, modern UI, and strong focus on newsletter creation.

This comparison will help you understand:

  • Key feature differences
  • Which tool fits small businesses
  • Which one supports advanced automation
  • How pricing scales
  • Real use-case suitability

Let’s dive into a structured, expert-level breakdown.

Brevo vs MailerLite – Detailed Comparison

1. Ease of Use & User Interface

Brevo

Brevo offers a clean, business-focused UI. It’s built around workflows, CRM, and communication channels. While it’s simple to learn, beginners may need a bit of onboarding due to the number of features available.

Best for:
Teams needing an all-in-one messaging panel.

MailerLite

MailerLite is one of the most user-friendly email tools on the market. Its drag-and-drop editor is quick, intuitive, and ideal for creators, bloggers, and small businesses.

Best for:
Anyone who wants a smooth, minimal interface with zero clutter.

2. Email Editor & Templates

Brevo

  • Offers a classic drag-and-drop email builder
  • Template library is solid but not massive
  • Great personalization & dynamic content options
  • Strong support for transactional emails

MailerLite

  • Known for a modern, flexible drag-and-drop editor
  • Rich template library with visually strong design options
  • Built-in AI content and subject-line helpers
  • Perfect for visually-driven newsletters

Verdict:
MailerLite wins if design flexibility is your priority. Brevo holds its own with smart personalization.

3. Automation Capabilities

Brevo

Automation is one of Brevo’s major strengths. You can build:

  • Multi-step workflows
  • Lead scoring
  • Multi-channel messaging
  • Conditional splits
  • Custom events & triggers
  • SMS + email combined automations

For a deeper understanding of how automation strengthens online presence, you can see examples described in Building Your Online Presence with Email Marketing.

MailerLite

MailerLite’s automation system is easy for beginners. You can create:

  • Welcome series
  • Abandoned cart (on eCommerce plans)
  • Simple conditional flows
  • Purchase-based automations (integrations required)

However, it’s not as advanced as Brevo—especially if you need complex branching or CRM-linked triggers.

Verdict:
Brevo leads for mid-to-advanced automation needs.

4. CRM & Contact Management

Brevo

Brevo includes a built-in CRM, which supports:

  • Sales pipelines
  • Lead scoring
  • Contact segmentation
  • Task assignment
  • Deal tracking

If CRM and marketing live in the same tool, campaigns become more seamless.

MailerLite

MailerLite includes:

  • Basic subscriber fields
  • Tags
  • Segments

But it does not offer CRM pipelines or deal management.

Verdict:
Brevo clearly wins in CRM functionality.

5. Deliverability

Both platforms maintain competitive deliverability rates. Industry-wide, good deliverability typically ranges from mid- to high-90% depending on list health, infrastructure, and sender behavior.

Brevo

  • Strong infrastructure for transactional messages
  • Dedicated IP available
  • Good domain authentication tools

MailerLite

  • Consistently praised for stable deliverability
  • Clean IP pool
  • Solid warm-up and subscriber management features

Verdict:
Both perform reliably, but Brevo has an edge for transactional-heavy communication.

6. Integrations & Ecosystem

Brevo

Integrations include:

  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • WordPress
  • HubSpot
  • Salesforce
  • Zapier
  • Stripe & more

MailerLite

Integrations include:

  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • WordPress
  • Notion
  • Squarespace
  • Zapier
  • eCommerce add-ons

Verdict:
Both are strong, but Brevo has deeper CRM and sales integrations.

7. Pricing Structure

Brevo

Brevo uses a contact-unlimited, email-volume-based model.
This is ideal for large lists because you’re not charged per subscriber.

MailerLite

Pricing is subscriber-count-based.
This is great for small lists, but costs rise quickly as your list grows.

Verdict:
Brevo is more cost-effective for large lists.
MailerLite is often cheaper for beginners or smaller subscriber bases.

8. Customer Support

Brevo

  • Email support on all plans
  • Chat support on higher tiers

MailerLite

  • Email + knowledge base
  • Live chat on advanced plans

Both offer responsive support with helpful documentation.

Feature Comparison Table (Text-Based)

FeatureBrevoMailerLite
Ease of UseModerateVery easy
Email EditorGoodExcellent
TemplatesModerateLarge, modern
AutomationAdvancedBeginner-friendly
CRMBuilt-in CRMNo CRM
SMS & MultichannelYesNo (Email only)
Pricing ModelEmail volumeSubscriber-based
Best ForBusinesses wanting an all-in-one suiteCreators & small businesses

Value Addition: The “SMART Email Tool Selection Framework”

Here’s a simple framework to choose the right tool based on your stage and strategy.

S.M.A.R.T Framework

S — Scalability Needs

  • Large contact lists?
    → Brevo is cost-efficient.
  • Small list but needs clean design?
    → MailerLite fits well.

M — Marketing Goals

  • Multi-channel automation? → Brevo
  • Beautiful newsletters? → MailerLite

A — Automation Level

  • Advanced flows with CRM triggers → Brevo
  • Basic automated sequences → MailerLite

R — Resources & Team Size

  • Larger teams managing CRM + email → Brevo
  • Solo creators or small teams → MailerLite

T — Tech Ecosystem

  • Need deeper CRM or sales integrations? → Brevo
  • Need simple website & landing pages? → MailerLite

Use this framework whenever you’re evaluating tools, even beyond Brevo vs MailerLite.

Expert Insight

Many marketers choose their email tool based solely on price—but this often leads to switching platforms later when automation or CRM needs expand. It’s smarter to choose based on workflow, automation depth, and business model. For example, in our guide on Brevo vs Mailchimp: Which Email Tool Is Better in 2025?, we explain why understanding long-term scalability avoids expensive migrations.

Conclusion

Brevo and MailerLite are both excellent platforms—but they’re built for different users.

Choose Brevo if you want:

  • Advanced automation
  • Built-in CRM
  • A scalable model for large lists
  • Multichannel communication

Choose MailerLite if you want:

  • A clean and simple UI
  • High-quality newsletter designs
  • Easy landing pages and forms
  • Budget-friendliness for small lists

The best tool depends on your workflow, contact volume, and marketing complexity. Whichever you choose, focus on long-term scalability and how the tool supports your customer journey.

FAQ Section

1. Is Brevo better than MailerLite for advanced automation?

Yes. Brevo offers advanced workflows, CRM triggers, and multichannel automation. MailerLite is ideal for simple sequences.

2. Which tool is best for beginners?

MailerLite. Its UI and email builder are extremely easy for new marketers and creators.

3. Does MailerLite include CRM features?

No. MailerLite includes segmentation and tagging but not CRM pipelines or deal tracking.

4. Which platform is more affordable for large email lists?

Brevo, because it charges based on email volume instead of subscriber count.

5. Can both Brevo and MailerLite integrate with eCommerce platforms?

Yes. Both integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other major eCommerce tools.

6. Which platform has better email templates?

MailerLite has more modern, visually appealing templates, especially for content-heavy newsletters.

7. Is Brevo good for beginners?

Yes—though it has more features, its interface is still approachable. Beginners wanting CRM + automation in one tool may prefer it.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *