Top free email marketing tools 2023: Mastering affiliate marketing

Moosend

Moosend is like that trusty Swiss Army knife in your marketing toolkit, compact yet power-packed with features. It is an email marketing platform that makes it easy for businesses of all sizes to manage their email campaigns. With its user-friendly design and advanced automation features, Moosend helps you create and track email campaigns, segment your audience, and analyze your performance in real-time.

Key features:

• drag-and-drop email editor;
• advanced list segmentation;
• marketing automation;
• real-time analytics and reporting;
• eCommerce AI;
• landing page and form builders;
• integrations with popular platforms.

Pros and cons:

Pros:

• easy-to-use interface;
• comprehensive free plan;
• robust automation features.

Cons:

• no phone support;
• templates could be more varied.

Pricing plans:

1. Free: Up to 1,000 subscribers, with unlimited emails and campaigns.
2. Pro: Starting at $9/month for landing pages, SMTP server, and priority support.
3. Enterprise: Custom pricing for advanced needs like custom reporting, service level agreement, onboarding, and migration.

Verdict:

With its generous free plan, Moosend is like the gift that keeps on giving. It allows you to manage your email campaigns and experience the platform's capabilities without needing to invest upfront. The free plan does have some limitations, but it's a great way to see if this platform is the right fit for you. And let's be honest, who doesn't love a freebie that actually adds value?

Benchmark Email

Benchmark Email is like the all-rounder in your favorite sports team. It brings all the necessary features of email marketing onto a single platform. From crafting personalized emails to managing your lists, from automating your workflows to tracking your performance — Benchmark Email has got you covered. Its user-friendly interface and multilingual support make it a global favorite.

Key features:

• drag-and-drop email designer;
• automation pro for customer journeys;
• advanced reporting and analytics;
• a/b testing;
• email marketing;
• marketing CRM;
• eCommerce;
• list management and segmentation.

Pros and сons:

Pros:

• multilingual UI;
• easy-to-use interface;
• comprehensive customer support.

Cons:

• automation features could be more advanced.

Pricing plans:

1. Free: Limited features with email marketing and basic reporting.
2. Lite: Starting at $9.99/month Everything in Free, plus: Remove Benchmark Branding, Schedule Emails, Publish Landing Pages.
3. Pro: Starting at $15/month for unlimited emails, automation pro, A/B testing, and more.
4. Enterprise: Custom pricing for advanced needs like high volume sending and premium support.

Verdict:

Benchmark Email’s free plan offers a great starting point for small businesses and newbies in email marketing. You can take advantage of the essential features without spending a penny. Sure, it's a little like tasting a sample before the main course, but it's still a taste of a potentially great dish. So why not give it a try and see if it suits your palate?

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Sendinblue is like the jack of all trades in the realm of digital marketing. It's not just about email marketing; it also provides SMS marketing, chat, CRM, and more. It's intuitive interface and versatile features make it a one-stop shop for your marketing needs. With Sendinblue, you can not only create and track your email campaigns but also build stronger customer relationships.

Key features:

• CRM system;
• marketing automation;
• transactional emails;
• landing page builder;
• facebook ads.

Pros and cons:

Pros:

• multifaceted marketing solution;
• offers a lifetime free plan.

Cons:

• interface could be more streamlined.

Pricing plans:

1. Free: 300 emails/day with unlimited contacts.
2. Starter: Starting at $25/month from 20,000 emails/month, no daily sending limit, basic statistics.
3. Business: $65/month from 20,000 emails/month, advanced statistics, multi-user access, Facebook ads, and more.
4. Brevo Plus: Custom pricing for more advanced features and priority support.

Verdict:

Sendinblue's free plan is a perfect entry point for businesses looking to explore the platform's multifaceted features. Yes, it's a bit like enjoying an appetizer before the main course, but it's a chance to test out the platform before investing. And who knows, you might just find that Sendinblue is the missing piece in your marketing puzzle!

AWeber

AWeber is like your reliable old friend in the world of email marketing. It has been around for more than two decades, helping businesses build meaningful relationships with their audience. AWeber's strength lies in its robust features, including a drag-and-drop email builder, a vast template library, and advanced email automation. With AWeber, your email marketing campaign is in safe hands.

Key features:

• drag-and-drop email and landing page builder;
• AMP for email support;
• extensive template library;
• advanced email automation;
• a/b testing;
• subscriber segmentation;
• detailed analytics and reporting;
• 24/7 customer support.

Pros and cons:

Pros:

• long-standing reputation;
• reporting;
• extensive template collection;
• offers a lifetime free plan.

Cons:

• no SMS marketing feature.

Pricing plans:

1. Free: Up to 500 subscribers, 1 email list, 1 landing page, 1 email automation, basic email support, basic templates.
2. Lite: Starting at $14.99/month for unlimited subscribers, additional subscriber fees apply, behavioral automation, 1 email list, 3 landing pages, 3 email automation, 24/7 Support, basic templates, advanced message analytics.
3. Plus: $29.99/month with providing unlimited subscribers, email lists, landing pages, email automation and additional features like an advanced landing page, remove AWeber branding, sales tracking and low transaction fees.
4. Unlimited: $899/month with a single fixed price plus personalized account management and sending 12x subscriber volume monthly.

Verdict:

AWeber's free plan is like a sampler platter, offering a taste of its potent features without any financial commitment. It's an excellent opportunity for small businesses or beginners to dip their toes into email marketing. And once you've got a feel for it, you may decide to dive into the more advanced capabilities of its Pro plan. After all, a little sneak peek never hurt anyone, right?

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is like the grandmaster of email marketing, having served businesses for over two decades. It's a comprehensive platform that offers more than just email marketing; think landing pages, social media ads, CRM, and more. With Mailchimp, you can manage and talk to your customers, clients, and other interested parties all through one platform.

Key features:

• comprehensive email marketing automation;
• landing page builder;
• CRM capabilities;
• social media and Google ads;
• advanced segmentation;
• analytics and reporting;
• integration with popular apps and services.

Pros and cons:

Pros:

• multifaceted marketing platform;
• user-friendly interface;
• offers a lifetime free plan.

Cons:

• limited customer service in the free plan;
• available in English only.

Pricing plans:

1. Free: Up to 1,000 monthly email sends with basic email and marketing features.
2. Essentials: Starting at $13/month for 5,000 monthly email sends and all email templates.
3. Standard: Starting at $20/month for 6,000 monthly email sends, automation series, and retargeting ads.
4. Premium: Starting at $350/month for 150,000 monthly email sends, advanced segmentation, and phone support.

Verdict:

Mailchimp's free plan is like a gateway to the world of email marketing, allowing you to explore the basics without any upfront payment. It's perfect for small businesses or those just getting started. While the free plan has limitations, it's a solid way to get a feel for the platform. After all, isn't it great when you can try before you buy?

Canva

Canva is like the magical wand of graphic design. It empowers you to create stunning visuals without any design experience. Whether you need social media graphics, presentations, posters, or email designs, Canva has got you covered. Its vast library of templates, images, and design elements makes the design process a breeze.

Key features:

• drag-and-drop design tool;
• massive library of templates;
• thousands of free images and graphics;
• custom branding elements;
• team collaboration features;
• Canva Print and Canva for Enterprise;
• integration with popular platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, and more.

Pros and cons:

Pros:

• user-friendly interface;
• versatile design capabilities;
• offers a lifetime free plan.

Cons:

• limited advanced design features;
• not ideal for complex graphic design.

Pricing plans:

1. Free: Basic design features with hundreds of free templates.
2. Canva Pro: Starting at $12.99/month for unlimited templates, custom branding, and more advanced features.
3. Canva for Team: $14.99/month for teams with advanced collaboration and security features.

Verdict:

Canva's free plan is like an open playground for budding designers. It allows you to experiment with different design elements and create beautiful graphics without spending a dime. And when you're ready to take your designs to the next level, you can upgrade to the Pro plan. It's like learning to walk before you run, and what's not to love about that?

Figma

Figma is like the master artist's palette for digital design. It's a cloud-based design tool that allows designers to collaborate in real-time. From wireframes to prototypes, Figma offers a comprehensive platform to create, test, and share designs. It's the one-stop-shop for all your interface design needs.

Key features:

• real-time collaboration;
• vector editing and flexible styling;
• components for reusing elements;
• prototyping with interactive design features;
• design inspection and export for developers;
• integration with third-party tools;
• cross-platform support (Web, Windows, Mac, Linux).

Pros and cons:

Pros:

• seamless real-time collaboration;
• comprehensive design features;
• offers a lifetime free plan.

Cons:

• can be overwhelming for beginners;
• no offline mode.

Pricing plans:

1. Free: Unlimited personal files, unlimited collaborators, mobile app, 3 Figma and FigJam files with unlimited cloud storage, plugins, widgets, and templates.
2. Professional: $12/month for unlimited projects, custom file/user permissions, audio conversations, and shareable team libraries.
3. Organization: $45/month for advanced security, administrative features, and design system analytics.

Verdict:

Figma's free plan provides a generous starting point for individuals and small teams. You can explore the platform's basic features without spending a dime. When you're ready to expand your team or need more advanced features, you can upgrade to a paid plan. It's a perfect starting point for budding designers and design teams looking to step up their game.

Wisepops

Wisepops is like the ace up your sleeve when it comes to lead generation and customer engagement. It's a versatile tool that lets you design and deploy pop-up forms for various purposes, including affiliate marketing. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, creating effective pop-up forms has never been easier.

Key features:

• drag-and-drop pop-up builder;
• advanced targeting options based on user behavior and profile;
• integration with major email marketing services;
• a/b testing for optimizing performance;
• detailed performance analytics;
• mobile-friendly pop-up designs;
• compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations.

Pros and cons:

Pros:

• user-friendly interface;
• versatile design and targeting options;
• excellent customer support.

Cons:

• no free plan available;
• may require a learning curve for beginners.

Pricing plans:

Wisepops offers 5 plans based on monthly pageviews of your site: 50k / 100k / 250k / 500k / 1m.
Starting at $49/month for 1 website, 50000 page views, and unlimited pop-ups, finishing with custom pricing for larger volumes and advanced needs like a dedicated account manager, onboarding assistance, and more.
Free trial included.

Verdict:

While Wisepops doesn't offer a free plan, they do provide a 14-day free trial, which lets you test the waters before diving in. During this period, you can explore the tool's features and see if it meets your needs. It's like a quick tour of the house before you decide to move in. Isn't it great when you can try before you buy?

Stripo

Stripo is like your personal stylist for email design, ensuring your emails always look their best. It’s an email template builder that helps you create professional and responsive emails for your marketing campaigns, including affiliate marketing. With its drag-and-drop editor, a library of pre-designed templates, a bunch of integrations, and AI features — Stripo makes email design a breeze.

Key features:

• drag-and-drop email editor;
• library of 1300+ pre-designed templates;
• tools for creating interactive and dynamic content, elements with AMP;
• ESP integration for easy export of templates;
• ability to save custom modules for future use;
• collaboration and comment features for team projects (Coming soon).

Pros and cons:

Pros:

• user-friendly design interface;
• wide range of design options;
• offers a free plan;
• AI assistance for email copy and subject lines.

Cons:

• limited customization in free plan;
• advanced features have a learning curve.

Pricing plans:

1. Free: Access to basic features with 1 project and up to 4 exports per month and 5 daily testing emails.
2. Basic: Starting at $15/month for unlimited projects export options, up to 50 exports of 1 project, 50 test emails a day, 50 stored emails, premium templates, and sharing preview links.
3. Medium: Starting at $45/month, this plan will provide you with 3 users, 300 exports, 100 test emails a day, 300 stored emails, premium templates, and sharing preview links.
4. Pro: $95/month, access to advanced features,10 users, unlimited exports, 300 test emails a day, unlimited email storage, premium templates, sharing preview links and much more.

You can find a list of features and all the functionality of the available plans here.

Verdict:

Stripo's free plan offers a solid starting point for beginners in email design. You get access to basic features and can create up to four projects per month. It's a great way to learn the ropes of the platform without any financial commitment. And when you're ready to unlock more features and projects, you can upgrade to a paid plan. It's like dipping your toes in the water before taking the plunge.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is like a knowledgeable friend who's always ready for a chat. It's an AI model developed by OpenAI that excels in generating human-like text. Whether you need to draft emails, write articles, brainstorm ideas, or simply have a conversation, ChatGPT is here to help. It's like having your personal assistant, writer, and conversational partner, all rolled into one.

Key features:

• advanced language model for diverse tasks;
• customizable to various use-cases;
• integration capabilities with apps and platforms;
• real-time text generation;
• multilingual support.

Pros and cons:

Pros:

• versatile use-cases;
• generates human-like text;
• continuous updates and improvements.

Cons:

• may require context-specific prompts for best results;
• not suitable for tasks requiring deep domain expertise.

Pricing plans:

1. Free: Access to ChatGPT with certain usage limitations.
2. Plus: $20/month for priority access, faster response times, and priority access to new features and improvements.

Verdict:

ChatGPT's free access allows you to test the AI's capabilities and explore various applications without any monetary commitment. It's like a test drive, giving you a feel for the AI before you decide to subscribe to the Plus plan. And with continuous updates, it only keeps getting better. Don't you love it when you get to try out the future for free?