Benchmark Email vs Drip
Benchmark Email and Drip are both popular choices in the email marketing platform space. Benchmark Email has been around since 2004, giving it a 9-year head start over Drip (founded 2013). Benchmark Email is the more affordable option at $27/mo — that's $12 less than Drip's $39/mo entry point. Benchmark Email offers a free plan (500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user), while Drip does not. Benchmark Email stands out with landing pages, while Drip offers SMS marketing and ecommerce integrations.
Quick Verdict
Benchmark Email wins on price, integrations, free tier.
Drip wins on deliverability, rating.
It's a close call — your choice depends on your specific needs.
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.
Drip
Marketing automation for ecommerce
Drip is a focused ecommerce marketing platform known for its powerful visual automation builder and behavior-based segmentation. It's designed specifically for online stores that want sophisticated marketing automation without the complexity of enterprise tools.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Benchmark Email | Drip |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Starting Price | $27/mo | $39/mo |
| Free Plan | 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user | No free plan |
| Founded | 2004 | 2013 |
| Email Templates | 200 | 50 |
| Integrations | 1,500 | 150 |
| Deliverability Rate | 47.1% | 98% |
| 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
Drip: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Excellent ecommerce automation
- +Visual workflow builder
- +Strong Shopify integration
- +Revenue attribution
- +Behavior-based segmentation
Cons
- −No free plan
- −More expensive starting price ($39)
- −No landing page builder
- −Limited to ecommerce focus
- −Smaller company, less known
The Verdict
Benchmark Email and Drip are closely matched — both score within 0.1 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality. On deliverability, Drip reports 98% compared to 47.1% for Benchmark Email — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Benchmark Email | Drip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $27/mo | $39/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 47.1% | 98% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.3/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 1500 | 150 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | No |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Benchmark Email if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($27/mo)
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You need built-in landing pages
- + You're a beginners
Choose Drip if…
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You're a ecommerce
- + You're a d2c brands