Drip vs EngageBay
Drip is a email marketing platform while EngageBay is a all-in-one marketing platform. Drip has been around since 2013, giving it a 5-year head start over EngageBay (founded 2018). EngageBay is the more affordable option at $14.99/mo — that's $24.009999999999998 less than Drip's $39/mo entry point. EngageBay offers a free plan (250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails, up to 15 users), while Drip does not. EngageBay has the edge with landing pages.
Quick Verdict
Drip wins on deliverability, integrations.
EngageBay wins on price, rating, free tier.
Best for most users: EngageBay (small businesses on a budget).
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.
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 | Drip | EngageBay |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.4/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Starting Price | $39/mo | $14.99/mo |
| Free Plan | No free plan | 250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails, up to 15 users |
| Founded | 2013 | 2018 |
| Email Templates | 50 | 100 |
| Integrations | 150 | 30 |
| Deliverability Rate | 98% | 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 | ✓ | ✓ |
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
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 Drip's 4.4/5. The gap comes mainly from support (4.8 vs 4.1) and value for money (4.8 vs 4.3). On deliverability, Drip reports 98% compared to 95% for EngageBay — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Drip | EngageBay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $39/mo | $14.99/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 98% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.4/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 150 | 30 |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Drip if…
- + You're a ecommerce
- + You're a d2c brands
- + Excellent ecommerce automation
Choose EngageBay if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($14.99/mo)
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You need built-in landing pages
- + You're a small businesses on a budget