Benchmark Email vs Flodesk
Benchmark Email and Flodesk are both popular choices in the email marketing platform space. Benchmark Email has been around since 2004, giving it a 15-year head start over Flodesk (founded 2019). Benchmark Email is the more affordable option at $19/mo, which is $6 less than Flodesk's $25/mo entry point. Both offer free plans to get started. Benchmark Email stands out with A/B testing and advanced analytics, while Flodesk offers ecommerce integrations.
Quick Verdict
Benchmark Email wins on price, integrations.
Flodesk wins on deliverability, rating.
Best for most users: Flodesk (designers).
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.
Flodesk
Design emails people love to get
Flodesk is a design-first email marketing platform known for its stunning templates and unusually simple builder. It's particularly popular among creative professionals who prioritize visual design over advanced marketing features. Its long-running flat-rate, unlimited-subscriber plan was retired for new members in December 2025 — pricing now scales with list size, so judge it on the design tooling rather than the old pricing story.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Benchmark Email | Flodesk |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Starting Price | $19/mo | $25/mo |
| Free Plan | 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user | Free plan: forms, landing pages, templates and audience segmentation, unlimited active subscribers; unlimited email sends require a paid plan |
| Founded | 2004 | 2019 |
| Email Templates | 200 | 40 |
| Integrations | 1,500 | 20 |
| Deliverability Rate | 47.1% | 96% |
| Marketing Automation | Yes | Yes |
| A/B Testing | Yes | No |
| Landing Pages | Yes | Yes |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | Yes | Yes |
| SMS Marketing | No | No |
| Ecommerce Features | No | Yes |
| API Access | Yes | No |
| Multi-Language | Yes | No |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | Yes | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | No |
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
Flodesk: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Beautiful, design-focused email templates
- + Flat-rate pricing regardless of list size
- + Unlimited subscribers on all plans
- + Simple and intuitive interface
- + Built-in checkout and digital product sales
Cons
- − No A/B testing
- − No API access
- − Very limited integrations
- − No SMS marketing
- − Basic automation compared to competitors
The Verdict
Flodesk edges ahead with a 4.6/5 rating compared to Benchmark Email's 4.3/5. The gap comes mainly from deliverability (4.5 vs 3.2) and ease of use (5 vs 4.9). On deliverability, Flodesk reports 96% compared to 47.1% for Benchmark Email — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Benchmark Email | Flodesk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $19/mo Winner | $25/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 47.1% | 96% Winner |
| Rating | 25% | 4.3/5 | 4.6/5 Winner |
| Integrations | 10% | 1500 Winner | 20 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Benchmark Email if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($19/mo)
- + You need API access for custom integrations
- + You need A/B testing
- + You need advanced analytics
Choose Flodesk if…
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You're a designers
- + You're a creatives