Benchmark Email vs Klaviyo
Benchmark Email and Klaviyo are both popular choices in the email marketing platform space. Benchmark Email has been around since 2004, giving it a 8-year head start over Klaviyo (founded 2012). Klaviyo is the more affordable option at $20/mo — that's $7 less than Benchmark Email's $27/mo entry point. Both offer free plans to get started. Klaviyo has the edge with SMS marketing, ecommerce integrations.
Quick Verdict
Benchmark Email wins on integrations.
Klaviyo wins on price, deliverability, rating.
Best for most users: Klaviyo (ecommerce).
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.
Klaviyo
The platform for unified customer data
Klaviyo is the gold standard for ecommerce email and SMS marketing, particularly for Shopify stores. Its deep integration with ecommerce platforms enables sophisticated automated flows like abandoned cart, post-purchase, and win-back sequences based on real purchase data.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Benchmark Email | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Starting Price | $27/mo | $20/mo |
| Free Plan | 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user | 250 subscribers |
| Founded | 2004 | 2012 |
| Email Templates | 200 | 100 |
| Integrations | 1,500 | 350 |
| Deliverability Rate | 47.1% | 99% |
| 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
Klaviyo: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Best-in-class ecommerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce)
- +Powerful segmentation with predictive analytics
- +Excellent deliverability (99%+)
- +Revenue attribution for every email and SMS
- +Deep customer data platform capabilities
Cons
- −Expensive for large lists
- −Steep learning curve
- −Free plan very limited (250 contacts)
- −SMS credits sold separately
- −Can be overkill for non-ecommerce businesses
The Verdict
Klaviyo edges ahead with a 4.6/5 rating compared to Benchmark Email's 4.3/5. The gap comes mainly from deliverability (4.7 vs 3.2). On deliverability, Klaviyo reports 99% compared to 47.1% for Benchmark Email — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Benchmark Email | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $27/mo | $20/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 47.1% | 99% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.3/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 1500 | 350 |
| 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 small businesses
- + All features included on every plan including free -- no feature gating between tiers
Choose Klaviyo if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($20/mo)
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You're a ecommerce