Zoho Campaigns vs Brevo: Which Actually Costs Less for Your List?
They price on opposite models - one by contacts stored, the other by emails sent - and that single difference decides which one is cheaper for you.
If you're already running on Zoho's suite, or you have a large list you email infrequently, Zoho Campaigns is usually cheaper. If you send frequently to a smaller list, or want SMS/WhatsApp in the same platform, Brevo usually wins. Run your own numbers against both pricing models before deciding - headline prices reflect each vendor's best-case scenario, not necessarily yours.
Both tools show up constantly on "best email marketing tools" lists, usually pitched as cheaper alternatives to Mailchimp. What most of those lists skip is the one difference that actually decides which is cheaper for your business: the two platforms price on opposite models. Zoho Campaigns charges based on how many contacts you store, regardless of how often you email them. Brevo charges based on how many emails you actually send, largely independent of list size.
Get that backwards when comparing quotes and you'll pick the more expensive tool for your actual usage pattern - a large, quiet list can cost far more on a send-based platform than a contact-based one, and a small, frequently-emailed list can work the other way around.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Zoho Campaigns | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing basis | Contacts stored | Emails sent per month |
| Free tier | Yes, limited contacts | Yes - up to 300 emails/day, up to 100k contacts stored |
| Marketing automation | Available from the Professional tier | Available from the Standard tier upward |
| Native CRM integration | Deep native integration with Zoho CRM and Zoho One | Built-in lightweight CRM included |
| SMS / WhatsApp messaging | Not native | Included |
| Transactional email | Limited | Included |
| Landing pages | Not on entry tiers | Included from Standard tier upward |
| Best ecosystem fit | Businesses already using Zoho tools | Businesses wanting one all-in-one messaging platform |
Pricing Compared
| Tier | Zoho Campaigns | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free tier for a small contact list | 300 emails/day, up to 100k contacts stored |
| Entry paid | From roughly $3.50/mo (billed annually) for 500 contacts | From roughly $9/mo for 5,000 emails/month |
| Mid tier | From roughly $5.30/mo (billed annually) for 500 contacts - adds segmentation, scoring, cart abandonment | From roughly $18/mo for 5,000 emails/month - automation included from here |
| Higher tier | Agency plan from roughly $683/year for 10,000 contacts | Professional from roughly $499/mo for 150,000+ emails/month |
Figures are approximate and current as of mid-2026 - both vendors adjust plans and pricing periodically, so treat these as a starting point for your own current-rate check with each vendor, not a locked-in budget number.
Pros & Cons
Zoho Campaigns
Pros
- ✔ Predictable, contact-based pricing regardless of send frequency
- ✔ Deep native integration if you already run on Zoho CRM or Zoho One
- ✔ Genuinely cheap for a large list you email infrequently
Cons
- ✕ Automation and advanced segmentation gated behind the Professional tier
- ✕ Less compelling if you are not already in the Zoho ecosystem
- ✕ No native SMS or WhatsApp channel
Brevo
Pros
- ✔ All-in-one: email, SMS, WhatsApp, transactional email, and a lightweight CRM in one platform
- ✔ Genuinely usable free tier regardless of list size
- ✔ Send-based pricing rewards a smaller, well-targeted list
Cons
- ✕ Cost scales up fast for a small list emailed very frequently
- ✕ Marketing automation not available on the Free or Starter tiers
- ✕ Professional-tier pricing gets expensive fast at real send volume
Which One Should You Actually Pick
Already running on Zoho CRM or Zoho One
Zoho Campaigns wins on integration depth alone - contact data, deal stages, and support tickets can trigger sequences without a separate connector.
Large list, infrequent sends
Zoho Campaigns is usually cheaper - contact-based pricing does not penalize a large, quiet list the way send-based pricing would.
Frequent sends to a smaller list, or you need SMS/WhatsApp too
Brevo is usually cheaper and more capable here - send-based pricing plus multi-channel messaging in one platform.
Starting from zero and want to test before committing
Brevo's free tier is more immediately usable regardless of list size, which makes it easier to properly trial before paying either vendor.
Setup: What It Takes to Get Either One Sending Properly
Whichever platform you choose, the setup step that actually determines whether your emails reach the inbox happens outside the tool itself: domain authentication. Both Zoho Campaigns and Brevo require SPF, DKIM, and ideally DMARC records added to your sending domain's DNS before volume sending begins. Skip this, or leave it half-configured, and it won't matter how good the platform's deliverability infrastructure is - mailbox providers increasingly route unauthenticated bulk mail straight to spam, regardless of which tool sent it.
This is also where migrations commonly lose momentum: moving platforms means re-verifying domain authentication on the new sender, and rushing that step to hit a launch date is a common, avoidable cause of a deliverability dip right after a switch. Budget a few days for DNS propagation and a proper authentication check before sending real volume through a newly configured platform, on either tool.
What Neither Tool Solves By Itself
Picking the right platform on paper doesn't automatically produce a working drip campaign, a properly segmented list, or a sender reputation that lands in the inbox instead of the spam folder. Both platforms give you the mechanism - the automation builder, the segmentation rules, the send infrastructure - but the strategy underneath it is where campaigns succeed or fail regardless of which tool executes them. A list that hasn't been cleaned of hard bounces and long-dormant addresses will produce similar engagement problems on either platform, because inbox providers weight sender reputation based on recipient behaviour, not which vendor's logo is on the send.
Common questions
It depends entirely on your ratio of list size to send frequency - there is no universal answer. Pull your real numbers (list size, average sends per contact per month) and run them against both pricing structures rather than comparing headline "starting at" prices.
No. Both require proper domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to reach the inbox reliably, and neither fixes list hygiene or sender reputation problems just by switching platforms.
Yes, both support contact list exports/imports, but automation workflows and segmentation logic generally need to be rebuilt manually in the new platform - budget time for that, not just the data migration.
It depends on your priorities. One platform reduces vendor count and keeps data in one place, but each individual channel (SMS, email, CRM) is generally less deep than a dedicated best-in-class tool for that one function.
Not sure either tool will fix your actual email problem?
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