Best Email Marketing Apps for Shopify

Flows versus newsletters is the real decision

Every email app comparison starts with features, and that is the wrong place to start. The real decision is what the store's email revenue comes from. If it comes from flows, welcome, abandoned checkout, post-purchase, win-back, then the app needs deep segmentation and behavior triggers, and that is Klaviyo's ground. If it comes from newsletters and a monthly campaign, then Shopify Messaging covers it for free, and the store is paying for features it will not use.

The numbers make the split concrete. Klaviyo's free plan covers email for up to 250 contacts, and paid email starts at $20 a month for 251 to 500 contacts. Shopify Messaging gives the first 10,000 emails a month free, then $1 per 1,000 after that. A store with 200 contacts and a monthly newsletter pays nothing either way. A store with 2,000 contacts and three flows pays for Klaviyo, and the flows earn it back.

Klaviyo, and when it earns the fee

Klaviyo syncs Shopify tags, catalog data, and coupons, then lets the store build segments and automated flows from real purchase behavior. The free plan already includes templates, sign-up forms, segmentation, personalization, and A/B testing, with 150 SMS credits alongside the email. The paid tiers add depth: flows driven by browsing and purchase behavior, SMS at scale, and the integration library that ties email to the rest of the stack.

The fee is earned when the flows produce revenue the store can attribute. A welcome flow, an abandoned checkout flow, and a post-purchase flow, built once and left running, are the three that pay for the subscription in most stores. A store that installs Klaviyo and sends only newsletters has bought a race car for the school run. The app is not the strategy. The flows are.

Shopify Messaging, and where it stops

Shopify Messaging, formerly Shopify Email, is built by Shopify, lives inside the admin, and handles newsletters, a welcome email, and abandoned checkout reminders with templates that pull in the store's products. For a store under a few hundred orders a month, it covers the basics without another subscription, and the first 10,000 emails a month are free. It also handles SMS and WhatsApp campaigns, with separate pricing for those channels.

Where it stops is segmentation depth and flow logic. It does not build flows from browsing behavior the way Klaviyo does, and it does not offer the same integration library. A store that outgrows it usually knows, because the campaigns it wants to send cannot be built in the tool. That is the moment to switch, not before.

Omnisend, and the third option

Omnisend covers email, SMS, and sign-up forms, including exit-intent pop-ups, in one tool. Its free plan covers email marketing for up to 250 contacts with pre-built automations and 24/7 live support, and it is the most important tool to install from day one for a store that wants pop-ups and automation without Klaviyo's price. The trade is depth for breadth: Omnisend does more channels in one place, Klaviyo does email deeper. A store that needs one tool for email, SMS, and forms should look at Omnisend first. A store that needs the deepest email flows should look at Klaviyo first. Both beat a stack of three single-purpose tools.

Related reading

If this topic is useful, these earlier guides go deeper on connected questions: Shopify Functions Explained: What Discount Logic Can and Cannot Do, Shopify Flow Explained: Triggers, Conditions, and the Automations Worth Keeping, and Shopify Markets Explained: Selling Internationally From One Store.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best email marketing app for Shopify?

Klaviyo is the default for stores that live on flows and segmentation, free to 250 contacts. Shopify Messaging is the right start for a new store, with the first 10,000 emails a month free. The choice depends on whether revenue comes from flows or newsletters.

How many contacts does Klaviyo free cover?

Email for up to 250 contacts and up to 150 SMS credits, including templates, sign-up forms, segmentation, personalization, and A/B testing. Paid email starts at $20 a month for 251 to 500 contacts.

Is Shopify Email still free?

Shopify Messaging, formerly Shopify Email, gives the first 10,000 emails each month free, then $1 per 1,000 emails after that. It handles newsletters, a welcome email, and abandoned checkout reminders.

What is Omnisend free plan?

Omnisend's free plan covers email marketing for up to 250 contacts with pre-built automations, pop-ups, and 24/7 live support. It covers email, SMS, and sign-up forms in one tool.