Braze vs EngageBay
Braze and EngageBay are both popular choices in the all-in-one marketing platform space. Braze has been around since 2011, giving it a 7-year head start over EngageBay (founded 2018). Braze is the more affordable option at $0/mo — that's $14.99 less per month than EngageBay's $14.99/mo entry point. EngageBay offers a free plan (250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails, up to 15 users), while Braze does not. EngageBay has the edge with landing pages.
Quick Verdict
Braze wins on deliverability, integrations.
EngageBay wins on rating, free tier.
It's a close call — your choice depends on your specific needs.
Braze
Rewrite the rules of customer engagement with AI
Braze is a leading enterprise customer engagement platform that enables brands to orchestrate personalized, cross-channel experiences at massive scale. With AI-powered decisioning and real-time journey orchestration, it is purpose-built for large consumer brands and mobile-first companies.
EngageBay
All-in-one CRM for marketing, sales & support
EngageBay is a bootstrapped all-in-one CRM platform that bundles marketing automation, sales pipeline management, helpdesk ticketing, and live chat into a single affordable package. Founded in 2018 as a cost-effective alternative to HubSpot, it serves over 150,000 businesses with a free plan supporting up to 15 users. Its strongest differentiator is delivering the full marketing-sales-support stack at a fraction of enterprise CRM pricing, making it particularly attractive to budget-conscious SMBs.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Braze | EngageBay |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.4/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Starting Price | Custom | $14.99/mo |
| Free Plan | No free plan | 250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails, up to 15 users |
| Founded | 2011 | 2018 |
| Email Templates | 100 | 100 |
| Integrations | 170 | 30 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97.5% | 95% |
| 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 | ✓ | ✓ |
Braze: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Industry-leading cross-channel orchestration across email, SMS, push, web, and WhatsApp
- +BrazeAI provides predictive intelligence and content optimization
- +170+ turnkey integrations including data warehouses
- +Publicly traded (NASDAQ: BRZE) with proven enterprise reliability
- +Real-time data processing supports sub-second personalization at scale
Cons
- −Enterprise-only contracts typically start at $50,000+/year
- −Steep learning curve with complex setup requiring dedicated implementation resources
- −Overkill for small businesses or teams with simple email marketing needs
- −No free plan or self-serve trial available
- −Implementation timeline typically requires months, not days
EngageBay: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Exceptionally affordable all-in-one platform combining CRM, marketing, sales, and support — Pro plan at $119.99/mo vs HubSpot at $900+/mo
- +Generous free plan supports up to 15 team members with email marketing, CRM, helpdesk, and live chat included
- +Highly rated customer support (4.8/5 on Capterra) with live chat and real human agents available 24/5
- +Built-in landing page builder with 87 templates, web forms, pop-ups, and SMS marketing included from Basic plan
- +Strong marketing automation with visual workflow builder, lead scoring, and A/B testing on Growth plan and above
Cons
- −Limited email editor widgets and somewhat outdated email template designs compared to modern competitors
- −Reporting module offers only basic analytics — lacks advanced custom reporting depth for data-driven teams
- −Per-user pricing model becomes expensive as teams scale beyond 5-10 users, especially on Growth and Pro plans
- −Occasional performance issues including slow page loads and intermittent bugs reported by users
- −Steep learning curve for advanced features — the breadth of the all-in-one platform can overwhelm new users
The Verdict
EngageBay edges ahead with a 4.7/5 rating compared to Braze's 4.4/5. The gap comes mainly from value for money (4.8 vs 3.2) and ease of use (4.8 vs 3.8). On deliverability, Braze reports 97.5% compared to 95% for EngageBay — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Braze | EngageBay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | Free | $14.99/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97.5% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.4/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 170 | 30 |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Braze if…
- + You're a enterprise companies
- + You're a mobile first brands
- + Industry-leading cross-channel orchestration across email, SMS, push, web, and WhatsApp
Choose EngageBay if…
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You need built-in landing pages
- + You're a small businesses on a budget
- + You're a startups replacing hubspot