Brevo (Sendinblue) vs Customer.io
Brevo (Sendinblue) is a all-in-one marketing platform while Customer.io is a email marketing platform. Brevo (Sendinblue) starts at $9/mo versus $100/mo for Customer.io. Brevo (Sendinblue) offers a free plan (Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day), while Customer.io does not. Brevo (Sendinblue) has the edge with landing pages, ecommerce integrations.
Quick Verdict
Brevo (Sendinblue) wins on price, deliverability, rating, free tier.
Customer.io wins on integrations.
Best for most users: Brevo (Sendinblue) (small businesses).
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.
Customer.io
Behavioral messaging platform for product-led SaaS and tech companies
Customer.io is a behavioral messaging platform built for product-led SaaS companies that need to trigger automated emails, SMS, push notifications, and in-app messages based on real-time user events. Its visual workflow builder and Liquid templating provide deep personalization, while the built-in Data Pipelines act as a lightweight CDP. Trusted by 8,000+ companies including Notion and Segment, it starts at $100/month for 5,000 profiles.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Brevo (Sendinblue) | Customer.io |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Starting Price | $9/mo | $100/mo |
| Free Plan | Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day | No free plan |
| Founded | 2012 | 2012 |
| Email Templates | 60 | 30 |
| Integrations | 60 | 150 |
| Deliverability Rate | 96.5% | 96% |
| 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 | ✓ | ✓ |
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
Customer.io: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Powerful visual workflow builder with real-time event-based triggers for behavioral automation
- +Omnichannel messaging across email, SMS, push notifications, in-app, and webhooks in one platform
- +Built-in Data Pipelines that serve as a lightweight CDP, unifying web, mobile, and backend data
- +Segment builder is intuitive enough for marketers without requiring dedicated engineering support
- +Startup Program offers up to 12 months free for qualifying early-stage companies
Cons
- −Essentials plan starts at $100/month for only 5,000 profiles — expensive for small teams
- −Steep learning curve for non-technical users, especially with Liquid templating syntax
- −Pricing scales aggressively past 10K profiles with significant jumps between plan tiers
- −Template editor feels restrictive for highly custom-coded email layouts
- −Searching for past messages and editing templates can be unintuitive and slow
The Verdict
Brevo (Sendinblue) and Customer.io 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, Brevo (Sendinblue) reports 96.5% compared to 96% for Customer.io — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Brevo (Sendinblue) | Customer.io |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $9/mo | $100/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 96.5% | 96% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 60 | 150 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | No |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Brevo (Sendinblue) if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($9/mo)
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You need built-in landing pages
Choose Customer.io if…
- + You're a product led saas companies with event driven messaging needs
- + You're a technical marketing teams that want advanced automation with liquid logic
- + Powerful visual workflow builder with real-time event-based triggers for behavioral automation