Email remains one of the highest ROI marketing channels, generating an average return of over $36 for every $1 spent. However, manually sending emails, managing subscribers, and following up with leads quickly becomes impossible as your business grows.

That’s where email automation software comes in.

Modern email automation platforms allow businesses to automatically send personalized emails based on customer behavior, trigger marketing campaigns, nurture leads, recover abandoned carts, and build long-term customer relationships—all without manual effort.

In this guide, we’ll compare the best email automation software available in 2026 to help you choose the right platform for your business.

If you’re looking for broader workflow automation solutions, read our Best Workflow Automation Software guide.

How We Evaluated These Tools

We evaluated each platform based on:

• Ease of use
• Email automation capabilities
• AI features
• Workflow builder
• CRM integrations
• Deliverability
• Pricing
• Overall value

Email Automation Software Comparison

What Is Email Automation Software?

Email automation software automatically sends emails based on predefined triggers, customer actions, or scheduled workflows.

Instead of manually sending emails one by one, businesses can automate the entire customer journey.

For example:

Visitor downloads an ebook

↓

Welcome email sent automatically

↓

Educational email series begins

↓

Lead score increases

↓

Sales team notified

↓

Product offer delivered

Everything happens automatically.

Benefits of Email Automation Software

Save Hours Every Week

Automation eliminates repetitive tasks such as:

• Welcome emails
• Follow-up emails
• Newsletter delivery
• Lead nurturing
• Customer onboarding

Increase Conversions

Automated emails are more relevant because they’re triggered by customer behavior rather than fixed schedules.

Examples include:

• Abandoned cart emails
• Trial expiration reminders
• Product recommendations
• Upsell campaigns

Improve Customer Experience

Customers receive timely, personalized communication without delays.

This improves engagement and builds stronger relationships.

Better Lead Nurturing

Automation allows businesses to educate prospects before asking for the sale.

Instead of sending one email, businesses can create complete customer journeys lasting weeks or even months.

Higher Marketing ROI

Email automation consistently outperforms manual campaigns by delivering:

• Better open rates
• Higher click-through rates
• More conversions
• Lower operating costs

Best Email Automation Software

1. Relay.app ⭐ Editor’s Choice

Relay.app combines AI-powered workflow automation with email automation, making it ideal for businesses that want to automate customer communication alongside internal workflows.

Best For

• Small businesses
• Marketing teams
• Agencies
• AI workflow automation

Key Features

• AI workflow builder
• Email automation
• CRM integrations
• Slack notifications
• Conditional logic
• Team collaboration

Pros

• Extremely easy to use
• AI-powered workflows
• Excellent interface
• Affordable

Cons

• Smaller integration library than Zapier

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ready to automate your emails?

Want to learn more?

Read our Relay.app Review.

2. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is one of the most powerful email automation platforms available today. It combines email marketing, CRM, sales automation, and AI-driven customer journeys into one solution.

Best For

• Advanced email marketing
• Customer journeys
• Lead nurturing
• B2B businesses

Key Features

• Visual automation builder
• AI email generation
• CRM integration
• Lead scoring
• Dynamic email personalization
• Predictive sending

Pros

• Excellent automation capabilities
• Powerful segmentation
• Built-in CRM
• Advanced reporting

Cons

• Higher learning curve
• More expensive than beginner tools

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

3. Brevo

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) offers affordable email automation for small businesses while also including SMS marketing, CRM, and WhatsApp campaigns.

Best For

• Small businesses
• Budget-friendly marketing
• Email + SMS automation

Key Features

• Email workflows
• SMS automation
• CRM
• Landing pages
• Marketing analytics

Pros

• Affordable pricing
• Easy setup
• Good deliverability

Cons

• Fewer advanced AI features

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

4. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the easiest email marketing platforms for beginners. Its simple interface and ready-made templates make it a popular choice for startups.

Best For

• Beginners
• Newsletters
• Small businesses

Key Features

• Email templates
• Customer journeys
• Audience segmentation
• AI content suggestions
• Reporting dashboard

Pros

• Very easy to learn
• Free plan available
• Large template library

Cons

• Automation features are limited on lower plans

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

5. HubSpot

HubSpot combines CRM and email automation into one powerful platform, making it ideal for businesses that want sales and marketing working together.

Best For

• CRM automation
• B2B marketing
• Sales teams

Key Features

• Marketing automation
• CRM
• Lead nurturing
• Email personalization
• Analytics
• Landing pages

Pros

• Excellent CRM integration
• All-in-one platform
• Great reporting

Cons

• Premium plans can be expensive

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

6. Klaviyo

Klaviyo specializes in ecommerce email automation and is widely used by Shopify and WooCommerce stores.

Best For

• Ecommerce
• Shopify
• Online retailers

Key Features

• Abandoned cart automation
• Product recommendations
• SMS marketing
• Customer segmentation
• Revenue attribution

Pros

• Outstanding ecommerce integrations
• Powerful personalization
• High ROI

Cons

• Less suitable for service businesses

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

7. Omnisend

Omnisend helps ecommerce businesses automate email, SMS, and push notifications from a single dashboard.

Best For

• Ecommerce marketing
• Online stores
• Multichannel campaigns

Key Features

• Email automation
• SMS campaigns
• Push notifications
• Product recommendations
• Customer segmentation

Pros

• Built for ecommerce
• Easy workflow builder
• Strong automation templates

Cons

• Limited CRM functionality

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

8. ConvertKit

ConvertKit is designed for creators, bloggers, YouTubers, and newsletter businesses.

It makes it easy to build automated email funnels that grow audiences and generate recurring revenue.

Best For

• Content creators
• Bloggers
• Newsletter businesses

Key Features

• Visual automations
• Subscriber tagging
• Landing pages
• Creator network
• Email sequences

Pros

• Extremely easy to use
• Excellent creator tools
• Fast setup

Cons

• Not ideal for large ecommerce stores

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Which Email Automation Software Is Best?

Your ideal platform depends on your business goals:

If you need to automate not only emails but also approvals, CRM updates, internal tasks, and business operations, check out our Business Automation Software guide.

9. GetResponse

GetResponse is an all-in-one marketing platform that combines email automation, landing pages, webinars, and sales funnels.

It’s an excellent option for businesses that want multiple marketing tools in a single platform.

Best For

• Small businesses
• Digital marketers
• Sales funnels

Key Features

• Email automation
• Landing pages
• Webinar hosting
• AI email generator
• Conversion funnels
• Marketing analytics

Pros

• Complete marketing suite
• Built-in webinar platform
• Strong automation features

Cons

• Some advanced features require higher-tier plans

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

10. Drip

Drip is designed specifically for ecommerce brands that want to create highly personalized customer journeys.

It helps businesses automate customer communication based on shopping behavior.

Best For

• Ecommerce brands
• Shopify stores
• Personalized email campaigns

Key Features

• Customer segmentation
• Behavioral automation
• Revenue reporting
• Product recommendations
• Visual workflow builder

Pros

• Excellent ecommerce automation
• Powerful customer segmentation
• Strong reporting

Cons

• Less suitable for service-based businesses

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Which Email Automation Software Should You Choose?

Choosing the right email automation platform depends on your business goals.

Choose Relay.app if you want:

• AI-powered workflow automation
• Email + business process automation
• No-code workflow builder
• Team collaboration
• Simple setup

Choose ActiveCampaign if you need:

• Advanced customer journeys
• Powerful lead nurturing
• CRM integration
• Sales automation

Choose Brevo if you need:

• Affordable pricing
• Email + SMS marketing
• Small business automation

Choose Mailchimp if you:

• Are new to email marketing
• Need simple newsletters
• Want a generous free plan

Choose HubSpot if you need:

• CRM + email marketing
• Sales automation
• Marketing reports

Choose Klaviyo if you run:

• Shopify
• WooCommerce
• Ecommerce stores

Choose ConvertKit if you’re:

• A blogger
• A YouTuber
• A course creator
• Building a newsletter business

Common Email Automation Workflows

The most successful businesses automate repetitive email tasks instead of sending every message manually.

Popular workflows include:

Welcome Email Series

Trigger:

New subscriber joins your list

↓

Welcome email

↓

Company introduction

↓

Helpful resources

↓

Product recommendation

Lead Nurturing

Customer downloads a guide

↓

Educational emails

↓

Case study

↓

Demo invitation

↓

Sales follow-up

Abandoned Cart Recovery

Customer adds product

↓

Leaves website

↓

Reminder email

↓

Discount offer

↓

Final reminder

Customer Onboarding

New customer purchases

↓

Welcome email

↓

Getting started guide

↓

Tutorial videos

↓

Check-in email

↓

Upsell campaign

Re-Engagement Campaign

Subscriber inactive for 90 days

↓

“We miss you” email

↓

Special offer

↓

Popular content

↓

Remove inactive contact

Ready to automate these email workflows?

If you’re interested in automating more than just email campaigns, explore our Marketing Workflow Automation guide.

How to Choose the Best Email Automation Software

Choosing the right email automation platform depends on your business size, budget, and marketing goals.

Before making a decision, consider the following factors.

Ease of Use

If you’re new to email marketing, choose software with a drag-and-drop workflow builder and ready-made automation templates.

Platforms like Relay.app, Brevo, and Mailchimp are excellent options for beginners.

Automation Features

Not all email platforms offer the same automation capabilities.

Look for features such as:

• Welcome email sequences
• Lead nurturing
• Customer segmentation
• Behavioral triggers
• Abandoned cart recovery
• AI-powered automation

Integrations

Your email automation software should connect with tools you already use.

Examples include:

• HubSpot
• Salesforce
• Shopify
• WooCommerce
• Google Sheets
• Slack
• Stripe
• Zapier

The more integrations available, the easier it becomes to automate your entire marketing workflow.

AI Capabilities

Modern email automation platforms increasingly include AI features such as:

• AI email writing
• Subject line optimization
• Customer segmentation
• Predictive sending
• Content recommendations

These features help marketers improve campaign performance while reducing manual work.

Pricing

Don’t choose software based solely on the cheapest plan.

Instead, evaluate:

• Monthly email limits
• Number of contacts
• Automation features
• AI functionality
• Available integrations

A slightly higher-priced platform often delivers a much better return on investment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is email automation software?

Email automation software automatically sends emails based on customer behavior, schedules, or predefined workflows. It helps businesses save time while delivering more personalized communication.

Which email automation software is best?

Relay.app is our top recommendation for businesses looking to combine AI-powered workflow automation with email marketing.

Other excellent choices include ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, Brevo, Klaviyo, and Mailchimp.

Can small businesses use email automation?

Yes.

Many platforms offer affordable pricing or free plans, making email automation accessible for startups and small businesses.

Does email automation increase sales?

Yes.

Automated emails such as welcome sequences, abandoned cart reminders, product recommendations, and lead nurturing campaigns consistently improve conversion rates compared to manually sending emails.

What’s the difference between email marketing and email automation?

Email marketing typically refers to sending newsletters or promotional campaigns.

Email automation automatically sends personalized emails based on customer actions, making communication more relevant and timely.

Learn more in our Marketing Workflow Automation guide.

Final Verdict

Email automation software has become an essential tool for businesses that want to grow efficiently while providing a better customer experience.

Whether you’re nurturing leads, welcoming new subscribers, recovering abandoned carts, or sending personalized product recommendations, the right platform can dramatically improve productivity and marketing performance.

For most small and medium-sized businesses, Relay.app is our top recommendation thanks to its AI-powered workflow builder, intuitive interface, and ability to automate both email campaigns and broader business workflows.

If you’re looking for a complete automation solution beyond email marketing, we also recommend reading our Best Workflow Automation Software guide

Ready to Automate Your Email Marketing?

Stop spending hours sending repetitive emails and start building smarter customer journeys with AI-powered automation.

Want to see how Relay works before signing up?

Read our Relay.app Review.