Benchmark Email vs Brevo (Sendinblue)
Benchmark Email is a email marketing platform while Brevo (Sendinblue) is a all-in-one marketing platform. Benchmark Email has been around since 2004, giving it a 8-year head start over Brevo (Sendinblue) (founded 2012). Brevo (Sendinblue) starts at $9/mo versus $27/mo for Benchmark Email. Both offer free plans to get started. Brevo (Sendinblue) has the edge with SMS marketing, ecommerce integrations. Both tools work well for small businesses.
Quick Verdict
Benchmark Email wins on integrations.
Brevo (Sendinblue) wins on price, deliverability, rating.
Best for most users: Brevo (Sendinblue) (small businesses).
Benchmark Email
Straightforward email marketing with all features on every plan
Benchmark Email is a multilingual email marketing platform founded in 2004 that takes an all-features-included approach, giving every user access to automation, A/B testing, and analytics regardless of plan tier. Available in 9 languages with global support, it appeals to international teams and nonprofits, though its significantly below-average deliverability rate (47.1% in third-party testing) is a serious concern that undermines its otherwise user-friendly design.
Brevo (Sendinblue)
The most approachable CRM suite
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) stands out with its unique pricing model based on email volume rather than subscriber count. This makes it particularly attractive for businesses with large contact lists but moderate email frequency. It also includes CRM, SMS, and transactional email capabilities.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Benchmark Email | Brevo (Sendinblue) |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Starting Price | $27/mo | $9/mo |
| Free Plan | 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user | Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day |
| Founded | 2004 | 2012 |
| Email Templates | 200 | 60 |
| Integrations | 1,500 | 60 |
| Deliverability Rate | 47.1% | 96.5% |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| A/B Testing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag & Drop Editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS Marketing | ✕ | ✓ |
| Ecommerce Features | ✕ | ✓ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Language | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web Push Notifications | ✕ | ✓ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
Benchmark Email: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +All features included on every plan including free -- no feature gating between tiers
- +Available in 9 languages with live customer support in each, making it ideal for international teams
- +Intuitive drag-and-drop editor with mobile-optimized templates and device previews
- +Generous free plan with 500 contacts and 2,500 emails per month including AI content generation
- +Simple contact-based pricing that scales predictably without hidden charges for features
Cons
- −Extremely poor deliverability rate of 47.1% in EmailToolTester's January 2024 independent test, consistently ranking near the bottom
- −Segmentation is limited to within individual lists only -- cannot create cross-list segments for flexible targeting
- −Fewer than 30 pre-designed email templates despite marketing claims of 200+, limiting design variety
- −Slow product development cycle with features lagging behind competitors in automation and ecommerce capabilities
- −No migration support for non-enterprise customers when switching from another email platform
Brevo (Sendinblue): Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Unique pricing model based on emails sent, not contacts
- +Free plan allows unlimited contacts
- +Built-in SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat
- +Transactional email support
- +Strong API for developers
Cons
- −Free plan limited to 300 emails per day
- −Fewer email templates than competitors
- −Interface can feel cluttered
- −Automation is less intuitive than specialized tools
- −Some features feel underdeveloped
The Verdict
Brevo (Sendinblue) edges ahead with a 4.5/5 rating compared to Benchmark Email's 4.3/5. The gap comes mainly from deliverability (4.1 vs 3.2) and value for money (4.7 vs 4.6). On deliverability, Brevo (Sendinblue) reports 96.5% compared to 47.1% for Benchmark Email — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Benchmark Email | Brevo (Sendinblue) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $27/mo | $9/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 47.1% | 96.5% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.3/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 1500 | 60 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Benchmark Email if…
- + You're a beginners
- + You're a nonprofits
- + All features included on every plan including free -- no feature gating between tiers
Choose Brevo (Sendinblue) if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($9/mo)
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You're a ecommerce