EngageBay vs Sendy
EngageBay is a all-in-one marketing platform while Sendy is a email marketing platform. Sendy has been around since 2012, giving it a 6-year head start over EngageBay (founded 2018). EngageBay starts at $14.99/mo versus $69 one-time for Sendy. EngageBay offers a free plan (250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails, up to 15 users), while Sendy does not. EngageBay has the edge with A/B testing, landing pages, SMS marketing. Both tools work well for indie and bootstrapped.
Quick Verdict
EngageBay wins on price, rating, integrations, free tier.
Best for most users: EngageBay (small businesses on a budget).
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.
Sendy
Self-hosted email marketing that sends via Amazon SES at 100x lower cost
Sendy is a self-hosted email newsletter application that connects to Amazon SES to deliver emails at a fraction of the cost of traditional email marketing platforms. With a one-time $69 license and SES sending costs of roughly $1 per 10,000 emails, it is ideal for high-volume senders who want to avoid recurring subscription fees. It requires technical setup but offers unlimited subscribers, autoresponders, segmentation, and full data ownership.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | EngageBay | Sendy |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Starting Price | $14.99/mo | $69 |
| Free Plan | 250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails, up to 15 users | No free plan |
| Founded | 2018 | 2012 |
| Email Templates | 100 | 0 |
| Integrations | 30 | 20 |
| Deliverability Rate | 95% | 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 | ✓ | ✕ |
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
Sendy: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Extreme cost savings — one-time $69 license with Amazon SES sending at ~$1 per 10,000 emails
- +Unlimited subscribers with no tier-based pricing that punishes list growth
- +Full data ownership and privacy since everything is self-hosted on your own server
- +Clean, focused interface without bloated features — does exactly what it promises
- +White-label multi-brand support allows managing multiple client accounts from one install
Cons
- −Requires technical skills for server setup, installation, and ongoing maintenance
- −No built-in A/B testing, landing page builder, or advanced automation workflows
- −UI feels dated and lacks modern design polish compared to SaaS competitors
- −Limited customer support — solo developer product with slow response times reported
- −No drag-and-drop email editor; requires HTML knowledge for custom templates
The Verdict
EngageBay edges ahead with a 4.7/5 rating compared to Sendy's 4.2/5. The gap comes mainly from ease of use (4.8 vs 3.9) and feature depth (4.7 vs 4.1).
| Criterion | Weight | EngageBay | Sendy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $14.99/mo | $69/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 95% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.7/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 30 | 20 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | No |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose EngageBay if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($14.99/mo)
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need ecommerce integrations
Choose Sendy if…
- + You're a cost conscious email marketers with large lists
- + You're a technical users comfortable with self hosting and server management
- + Extreme cost savings — one-time $69 license with Amazon SES sending at ~$1 per 10,000 emails