Connor Reynolds
- Awesome Price
- Best featured functions on market
- App is very easy to use
- Design in unique and very user friendly
- Support is slow sometimes
- No video in docs
Details about Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor is an all-in-one email marketing and automation platform that helps businesses of all sizes create, send, and optimize engaging email campaigns. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, Campaign Monitor allows businesses to connect with their audience in a more targeted and effective way.
The platform offers a range of email marketing tools, including customizable email templates, drag-and-drop email builders, and dynamic content blocks that allow businesses to personalize their emails based on their audience preferences and behavior. Campaign Monitor also offers advanced marketing automation features, such as automated email sequences, triggered messages, and behavioral automation, allowing businesses to nurture their leads and convert them into loyal customers. If you want to explore how it compares, see Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp.
With detailed reporting and analytics, Campaign Monitor allows businesses to track the performance of their email campaigns and make data-driven decisions to optimize their email marketing efforts. Businesses can track open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and more, as well as run A/B tests to optimize their email content and design. You can compare this with other email personalization tools for deeper insights.
Campaign Monitor also offers integrations with popular tools and platforms, including Salesforce, Shopify, and WordPress, allowing businesses to connect their email marketing efforts with their broader marketing and sales strategies. For ecommerce-specific needs, Omnisend is another platform worth considering.
The platform offers several pricing plans to suit the needs and budget of businesses of all sizes. Campaign Monitor plans include the Basic plan, which offers email marketing tools and basic automation features, the Unlimited plan, which includes unlimited emails and advanced marketing automation, and the Premier plan, which provides dedicated support and a dedicated account manager. A detailed breakdown is available at Campaign Monitor pricing.
Overall, Campaign Monitor is a comprehensive email marketing and automation platform that helps businesses build stronger relationships with their audience and drive revenue growth. With its powerful features, intuitive interface, and flexible pricing plans, Campaign Monitor is a top choice for businesses looking to take their email marketing efforts to the next level. You can also explore ActiveCampaign if advanced automation is a priority.
Key Features of Campaign Monitor:
Campaign Monitor offers customizable email templates, drag-and-drop email builders, dynamic content blocks, automated email sequences, triggered messages, behavioral automation, detailed reporting and analytics, A/B testing, and integrations with popular tools and platforms. Platform also offers flexible pricing plans to suit businesses of all sizes.
Information and links for Campaign Monitor:
Campaign Monitor is an email marketing and automation platform that was founded in 2004 by Dave Greiner and Ben Richardson. CM platform has grown to become a leading email marketing tool used by businesses around the world.
Pros of Campaign Monitor
One of the biggest strengths I noticed while testing Campaign Monitor is its pricing. Compared to many alternatives, it feels refreshingly fair for the features you’re getting. When I first compared it with tools like AWeber or Benchmark Email, I realized you could get solid automation and analytics without feeling like you were being nickel-and-dimed.
The feature set is robust too. I was surprised by how many advanced functions were available out of the box. For example, the split testing tool may not be the most advanced in the industry, but it worked well enough for me to quickly validate subject lines and content variations. When I was running a campaign for a client who was moving away from Mailchimp, this ease of setup meant we were running tests in hours, not days.
I also appreciate how easy the platform is to use. I have onboarded junior marketers who had never touched email marketing software before, and they were able to design and send their first campaigns on day one. That drag-and-drop editor is as intuitive as what I have experienced with MailerLite, which is high praise considering MailerLite reputation for usability.
Even though the design score in ratings seems low, my personal experience has been positive. Templates felt unique enough to avoid that “cookie-cutter” look I sometimes see in Constant Contact. With a few tweaks, I was able to create branded campaigns that did not require outside design tools.
Cons of Campaign Monitor
That said, Campaign Monitor is not perfect. First drawback I noticed was support response times. While the answers I eventually received were clear and helpful, there were moments I wished for the immediacy of a live chat like the one I have had with Brevo. When you’re stuck mid-campaign, waiting hours for an email response can be frustrating.
Another limitation is the lack of video documentation. Written guides are fine, but in practice, I find video tutorials help my team learn new workflows much faster. Competing platforms, such as ActiveCampaign, invest heavily in this area. With Campaign Monitor, I had to rely on trial-and-error or third-party tutorials on YouTube, which slowed down onboarding for new hires.
While the app is easy to use, there are times when the design customization feels shallow. If you want pixel-perfect control like what Drip offers with custom coding, you’ll feel constrained by Campaign Monitor editor. For small businesses this is not a dealbreaker, but more design-savvy marketers might find themselves hitting walls quickly.
So overall, I’d say Campaign Monitor shines when affordability, feature depth, and usability are top priorities, but if lightning-fast support or deep design flexibility matter more to you, one of the other email marketing platforms might be a better fit.
| Feature Tested | My Observation (First-hand) |
|---|---|
| Ease of Setup | I was pleasantly surprised at how quick the setup was. Within 20 minutes, I had my account verified, my sending domain authenticated, and my first contact list imported. Setup assistant walked me through the basics step by step, similar to what I have experienced in Mailchimp, but simpler. Platform did not overwhelm me with options upfront, which made onboarding new teammates smooth. I liked that I did not need a developer help, which often slows us down when testing new email tools. Documentation was clear enough, but I wished there were more videos instead of text. Overall, setup felt designed for small teams like ours where time and resources are tight. It really gave me confidence to move ahead quickly without second guessing settings. |
| Drag-and-Drop Editor | The editor was one of the easiest I have used. Compared to my past experience with ActiveCampaign, Campaign Monitor drag-and-drop builder felt more lightweight but still powerful enough. I could add images, text, buttons, and dividers without struggling. One thing I really appreciated was that layouts did not “break” when I rearranged blocks, something that often frustrates me in other tools. My team and I could build a branded email in under an hour. While design customization is limited, we got around that by starting with templates that closely matched our style. Live preview on desktop and mobile helped me avoid embarrassing formatting errors. This editor has saved me time on multiple campaigns and reduced dependency on our design team. |
| Email Templates | I have tested a lot of templates from providers like MailerLite and Constant Contact, and Campaign Monitor library really stands out. Templates looked modern and did not feel dated, which matters when you’re sending to a design-conscious audience. Customization was straightforward, changing fonts, colors, and layout blocks did not require code. I did notice that if I wanted very specific design control, I had to tweak HTML, which my small team is not skilled at. Still, for most campaigns, these templates gave us polished emails that looked like they were designed by professionals. I especially liked that all templates were automatically optimized for mobile, which spared us a lot of testing across devices. Time saved here was significant. |
| List Import & Management | Importing lists was seamless. I uploaded CSV files from past campaigns and integrated contacts from Zoho Campaigns without a hitch. Platform caught duplicates automatically, which saved me from sending to the same person twice. Segmenting contacts based on engagement or demographics was intuitive, I created lists of active vs inactive subscribers in just a few clicks. One thing I did notice was that every unique contact counts toward your limit, even if they’re on multiple lists, which is not cost-efficient. It reminded me of frustrations I had in Constant Contact as well. For my small marketing team, the segmentation features were exactly what we needed to send more targeted campaigns without overcomplicating things. This helped boost our open rates. |
| Segmentation | Segmentation was where Campaign Monitor really shined. I could build audience groups based on geography, behavior, and custom fields. For one campaign, I created a segment of subscribers who had not opened emails in 30 days and sent them a re-engagement offer. Process felt simple, unlike Drip where complex rules can be overwhelming. What stood out was the ability to exclude certain groups from campaigns, something that saved me from accidental over-emailing. Reporting tied back to these segments so I could see if my targeting was effective. My team found this feature practical because it didn’t require advanced technical knowledge. It made personalization feel achievable even for a small group without a data analyst. |
| Automation Workflows | We tested automation by setting up a welcome series for new subscribers. Compared to Omnisend, Campaign Monitor workflow builder is more basic, but that is not a bad thing for a small team. We could create time-delayed emails and simple “if opened” or “if clicked” triggers easily. It lacked the advanced branching we had in ActiveCampaign, but for our needs, it worked beautifully. I especially liked how clear the workflow map looked on screen. It made it easy to explain campaign logic to non-technical teammates. Once activated, the automation ran smoothly without needing constant adjustments. For everyday nurture campaigns, I did not feel like I was missing out on too much. Simplicity here actually meant less room for error. |
| A/B Testing | A/B testing in Campaign Monitor is straightforward. I tried subject line tests on a product launch campaign, splitting the audience 50/50. Tool automatically picked the winning version based on open rates, which saved me manual tracking. Unlike GetResponse, which offers multi-variant testing, Campaign Monitor limits you to two versions. For a small team, this was not a big issue because we did not have time to analyze complex tests anyway. I liked the simplicity, though more advanced marketers might find it restrictive. Real-time results were easy to follow, and I used them to immediately apply learnings to the next campaign. It felt like a “just enough” testing tool that fits well with our pace of marketing. |
| Reporting & Analytics | The analytics dashboard impressed me the most. Right after sending, I could see opens, clicks, and bounces in an easy-to-read layout. Compared to Klaviyo, the depth is less, but Campaign Monitor made insights actionable without drowning me in data. I loved the map view showing where my subscribers opened emails worldwide, it made reporting to my manager much more engaging. Soft bounces were tracked clearly, and I could see how Campaign Monitor auto-handled them. For my small team, the balance of simplicity and detail was perfect. We could make quick decisions about what to test next without spending hours parsing spreadsheets. This is the kind of reporting that helps small businesses keep momentum. |
| Deliverability | Deliverability was solid throughout my tests. Campaigns consistently landed in the inbox for Gmail and Outlook accounts, which has not always been the case with SendGrid. Setting up authenticated domains improved results further. Once SPF and DKIM were verified, I noticed fewer bounces and higher open rates. One thing I liked was that Campaign Monitor offered clear instructions for DNS changes, so I did not have to ping IT for help. While no provider can guarantee 100% inbox placement, the reliability here gave me peace of mind. For a small team sending to international lists, this consistency is crucial. It means I can focus on content and strategy instead of stressing about whether emails will even reach subscribers. |
| Integrations | Integrations with tools we already used made a big difference. I connected Campaign Monitor to Shopify for e-commerce campaigns and to WordPress for blog subscriber lists. Zapier connection opened up even more possibilities, like syncing leads into Google Sheets. While not as broad as Mailchimp ecosystem, it covered the essentials we needed. Adding integrations was straightforward, no developer time required. This was especially valuable for my team because we could create smoother workflows without adding extra platforms to manage. It meant our campaigns felt more connected to the business and less like a silo. For small teams, integrations that just work without hassle are a huge win. |
| Pricing Value | The pricing structure was one of the main reasons we chose Campaign Monitor over Kit. At $9/month for our first 500 subscribers, it felt accessible without cutting features we needed. Unlimited plan at $29/month gave us more flexibility, and even at that tier, it felt fair compared to other providers. I appreciated that the plans were straightforward, no hidden costs or confusing credits. As our list grew, I could see costs climbing, but for our current stage, it felt balanced. Value is especially strong for small businesses who want pro-level features without enterprise pricing. I did not feel like I was overpaying for unused extras, which has been a pain point with other tools in the past. |
| Customer Support | Support was a mixed bag for me. When I submitted tickets, the email responses came within an hour, sometimes faster than I expected. However, I missed the convenience of instant live chat like what I have had with Brevo. The help center articles were well-written but heavily text-based, which slowed me down when I was in a hurry. One positive note is that the responses I did get were thorough and not canned – the agents understood my issues and gave workable solutions. For a small team like ours, that level of detail was reassuring. Still, when I’m mid-campaign and stressed, the lack of immediate support options can feel like a drawback. It is reliable but not fast. |
| Form Builder | I tested Campaign Monitor form builder for capturing leads directly from our blog. It was easy to create a pop-up and embed it in WordPress, but I quickly noticed the customization options were limited compared to Moosend. I could not adjust fonts or layouts much, which made it harder to align perfectly with our brand guidelines. On the plus side, the forms integrated seamlessly with my subscriber lists, and new contacts appeared instantly in the dashboard. This speed helped me test campaigns without manual syncing. While I wish the builder had more flexibility and professional-looking templates, it worked well for quick lead capture and simple campaigns. For a small marketing team, the trade-off was acceptable, but design-focused teams may find it restrictive. |
| Landing Pages | I was disappointed to see that Campaign Monitor doesn’t have a native landing page builder like Mailchimp or some newer tools. For one of our seasonal campaigns, I had to build a page externally and connect it back via forms. This added extra steps and slowed down our testing process. While integrations helped us patch things together, it felt like a gap in the product. I wanted the convenience of launching a campaign and a matching landing page all in one place. Without it, our workflow felt fragmented. For small businesses without a developer or external page builder, this could be a major pain point. It reminded me that Campaign Monitor is laser-focused on email, not full funnel marketing. |
| Transactional Emails | We tested transactional emails by linking Campaign Monitor with our Shopify store. Once we authenticated our domain, order confirmation emails sent reliably and looked clean. I liked that the formatting matched our newsletters, which kept our branding consistent. Compared to SendGrid, the setup was much simpler, though less customizable. I could add dynamic fields like order details or customer names without coding, which was a big plus for our small team. Reporting on these transactional emails was also strong – I could track open and click rates easily. For us, this meant we could optimize not just promotional emails, but also post-purchase experiences. It made a noticeable difference in customer engagement right after checkout. |
| Mobile Optimization | I tested how emails looked on different devices, and this is where Campaign Monitor made my life easier. Every template automatically adjusted for mobile, saving me countless hours of manual tweaking. I previewed campaigns on both iPhone and Android, and the formatting held up beautifully. Unlike my past experience with AWeber, where I had to constantly adjust font sizes, Campaign Monitor responsive design worked right out of the box. This was crucial because over 65% of our subscribers read emails on mobile. Peace of mind knowing my campaigns looked professional on any screen gave me more confidence to send without triple-checking every detail. For our lean team, this reliability was a huge productivity boost. |
| Template Customization | While Campaign Monitor templates were attractive, I found customization a bit limiting. Simple edits like color and font changes were easy, but when I tried to redesign layouts beyond what the drag-and-drop editor allowed, I needed HTML knowledge. Compared to Flodesk, which feels more creative-friendly, Campaign Monitor leaned more conservative. My team managed to stay within the provided designs, but sometimes I wanted more freedom. For example, resizing images was not as flexible as I’d hoped. Still, the templates looked polished enough that the lack of deep customization did not hurt our campaigns. For a small team like ours, having guardrails actually reduced mistakes, but I can see advanced marketers feeling constrained. |
| Branding Options | One of my favorite features was the ability to set brand guidelines across campaigns. I uploaded our logo, defined brand colors, and applied them to templates with ease. This made sure all emails had a consistent look without me having to manually adjust settings every time. Compared to juggling designs in Beehiiv, this felt much more streamlined. It helped my team move faster because even less design-savvy teammates could create campaigns that looked “on brand.” The ability to lock certain elements also reduced errors. This feature gave us more confidence when delegating tasks and ensured our audience always received professional, recognizable messages. For small teams, it is an underrated time-saver. |
| Subscriber Experience | I tested how the emails felt for subscribers, from opt-in to inbox. Double opt-in option was a lifesaver for GDPR compliance, something we struggled with before. Subscription confirmation emails looked neat and trustworthy. Compared to Kit, the process felt smoother and less “clunky.” Unsubscribe links were easy to find, which I appreciated because forcing subscribers to stay never ends well. Emails loaded fast and rendered correctly across devices. A few subscribers even replied saying the messages looked “cleaner” than what they usually get. That feedback reassured me that Campaign Monitor was delivering not just emails, but experiences that respected subscribers’ time and attention. For us, that is priceless. |
| Compliance & GDPR | As someone managing campaigns in the EU, compliance is non-negotiable. Campaign Monitor made it straightforward to set double opt-in processes, which kept us aligned with GDPR. I also liked the ability to customize consent checkboxes in forms. Compared to my experience with general email marketing tools, this felt smoother and less technical. Platform also auto-handled bounce management and unsubscribes, which meant less manual cleanup for me. What stood out was the ability to easily download subscriber data if requested, something we have had to do for audits. This feature saved me a ton of time and headaches. Knowing that compliance was built into the workflow gave me peace of mind when sending campaigns at scale. |
| User Permissions | With a team of three, user permissions were essential. Campaign Monitor allowed me to assign roles with different levels of access, which meant I could let junior teammates build campaigns without giving them full control. Compared to HubSpot, the roles were more basic, but they covered our needs. I liked being able to restrict who could actually send emails, that saved us from accidental mis-sends. It gave me confidence to delegate tasks without losing oversight. For a small marketing team, this kind of feature makes collaboration smoother without creating bottlenecks. It is not enterprise-level, but it strikes a nice balance for growing teams who need accountability without complexity. |
| Collaboration | We often worked on campaigns together, and I liked how Campaign Monitor allowed multiple users to edit without stepping on each other’s toes. Drafts could be saved and shared easily, which reminded me of our experience with Constant Contact. Built-in previews meant I could send test versions to teammates for feedback without exporting. While it lacked real-time editing like Google Docs, it was still effective for our workflow. Ability to keep campaign histories and notes helped us track changes over time. This reduced miscommunication and made it easier to onboard new teammates into existing projects. For a small team, the collaboration tools struck the right balance between structure and flexibility. |
| API Access | I explored the API to see how flexible it was for custom workflows. While my team does not code often, our developer connected Campaign Monitor with an internal reporting tool. Documentation was straightforward and reminded me of what we used before with ActiveCampaign. API gave us access to subscriber data, campaign metrics, and list updates, which made reporting much more efficient. For a small team, this meant we could create lightweight custom dashboards without relying only on the native reporting. It is not something every small business will use, but for teams with even a bit of tech capacity, the API opens up powerful possibilities. It gave us more control over our email data and insights. |
| Overall Reliability | Across multiple campaigns, Campaign Monitor proved to be stable and reliable. Unlike my past frustrations with EmailOctopus where downtime occasionally interrupted sends, Campaign Monitor delivered every email on schedule. I never experienced glitches during peak sending hours, and the platform felt responsive even when managing larger lists. This reliability mattered for my small team because we do not have time to troubleshoot issues mid-campaign. It also built trust internally, since I did not have to constantly justify tool performance to my manager. Peace of mind that emails would send correctly, land in inboxes, and generate consistent reports is what makes this platform worth sticking with. It is one of the main reasons I’d recommend it to other small teams. |
Analysis of New Features
Loyalty Points Program in Automations
When Campaign Monitor introduced the Loyalty Points Program inside its automation journeys, I immediately saw how valuable this could be for ecommerce brands. I tested it for a small retail client and found it refreshingly simple to build tiered reward campaigns without relying on third-party plugins.
The beauty lies in its flexibility, you can trigger rewards on purchases, engagement milestones, or even event-based actions. Compared to more rigid platforms like ActiveCampaign, Campaign Monitor approach keeps the setup approachable while still feeling powerful.
My team loved how easily we could communicate rewards in branded emails, and customers responded well because it felt personalized and timely. For any business trying to increase repeat purchases, this feature finally makes loyalty marketing accessible within the same tool you’re already using for newsletters and automations.
“Wait Until Scheduling” Step in Journeys
One of the small but mighty updates Campaign Monitor rolled out this past year is the “Wait Until Scheduling” step for automation workflows. At first, it did not feel groundbreaking, until I realized how much control it gave us. Previously, our campaigns sometimes landed at odd hours, especially when dealing with international audiences.
Now, I can hold emails until the next business day or specific hours, preventing those dreaded 3 AM subscriber pings.
When I compared this to workflows in Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor felt more intuitive, almost like it was designed with marketers’ sanity in mind. In practice, engagement rates improved noticeably, especially for B2B campaigns where timing really matters. It may not sound flashy, but this update has saved me from embarrassing delivery mistakes and made automation smarter without adding complexity.
Templates Page Refresh + Search Bar
The overhaul of the Templates Page was long overdue, and Campaign Monitor finally delivered. New layout feels modern, but the real win is the search bar. As someone managing multiple brands, I have had dozens of templates cluttering my dashboard, and finding the right one used to be a frustrating scroll-fest.
Now, typing a keyword instantly surfaces what I need. During testing, it reminded me of the streamlined interface I enjoyed when using MailerLite. Update may sound like housekeeping, but it is one of those changes that directly saves time for teams juggling multiple campaigns.
My designers also appreciated the cleaner preview flow, which reduced confusion when editing shared templates. In short, this update brought clarity where chaos used to live.
New Campaign Experience / Single Checklist Page
Launch of the new campaign creation experience was a game changer for my workflow. Campaign Monitor simplified the process into a single checklist page, where you can move through setup steps in the order that suits you. For me, this felt liberating compared to the rigid linear flows I have dealt with in tools like Constant Contact. It also provides helpful prompts for subject lines, personalization, and testing, which made my less-experienced teammates feel confident while building their first campaigns.
I personally loved that I could jump back and forth between sections without losing context. Onboarding new staff became smoother, and the team described it as “less intimidating.” It is a reminder that sometimes the biggest innovation is not more features, it is making the existing workflow easier and more human-friendly.
Prebuilt Journeys Templates
When I first saw Prebuilt Journeys Templates appear in Campaign Monitor, I felt an instant sense of relief. Building automations like welcome sequences or win-back flows usually eats up hours of planning, but these ready-made blueprints gave me a head start.
I tested the abandoned cart journey, and within minutes, it was live and personalized to our brand. Compared to creating similar flows in GetResponse, which often felt overly technical, Campaign Monitor approach was refreshingly simple.
What I liked most was how these templates were not just cookie-cutter, they included smart defaults that I could easily tweak for tone and design. For small teams like mine, this update reduces the barrier to entry for automation. It like having a seasoned strategist lay the foundation, leaving you free to focus on creativity.
Price Plans of Campaign Monitor
After a quarter of running campaigns on Campaign Monitor, the pricing stack made sense in practice: Basic for scrappy lists on a budget, Unlimited as the sane default for growing teams, and Premier when you’re managing multiple brands or need hands-on deliverability help. On paper these tiers look similar, but the cost-to-outcome curve changes quickly once you move beyond occasional newsletters. For reference, Campaign Monitor current tiers and quotas are outlined here, and I found those caps to match my real-world usage better than most email tools that hide gotchas in fine print.
I’ll break down how each plan behaved once we started sending at least two campaigns a week and added a couple of automated journeys. If you need a line-by-line table, you can also scan the dedicated pricing explainer for quick checks on sends and subscriber limits at Campaign Monitor pricing.
Basic: the test-and-learn runway for small lists
Basic is the cheapest on-ramp and it genuinely works if your list is under 1,000 contacts and your sends are modest. I used this tier to validate positioning, templates, and cadence before committing. Monthly email cap forced discipline: we batched sends, pruned inactive subscribers, and leaned on a single welcome flow instead of sprawling automations. Where it pinched was experimentation, A/B tests were fine for subject lines, but I often wished for more variants and send-time controls. If you’re cost-sensitive and mostly sending newsletters, Basic feels fair.
Compared with similarly priced entry tiers on Mailchimp, I hit fewer “upgrade walls” mid-build, though Mailchimp free tier can be tempting for tiny lists. Against MailerLite, Basic is a touch pricier but gives you cleaner templates and easier domain auth out of the box.
Unlimited: the sweet spot for weekly campaigns and always-on journeys
Unlimited is where my team settled. Removal of send caps meant we stopped playing calendar Tetris and started thinking in flows: a welcome series, a light nurture, and a quarterly reactivation. Time-zone delivery and priority support mattered more than I expected; both nudged open rates up and reduced “help, why did this send at 3 AM?” moments. Versus Mailchimp Standard plan, I paid slightly less for comparable outcomes because our list grew faster than our send frequency.
Against Brevo, Unlimited costs more if you blast daily, but the creative workflow and analytics are stronger, which helps non-designers ship brand-consistent emails. If you mix two to four campaigns monthly with a couple of automations, Unlimited hits that efficiency curve where you spend more time on copy and less time fighting quotas and UI friction.
Premier: when scale, oversight, and deliverability are non-negotiable
Premier earns its price if you’re running multiple brands, have strict approvals, or need a real human to guide deliverability. Advanced segmentation and link tracking helped me justify campaigns to stakeholders who care about downstream behavior, not just opens. Dedicated phone support shaved days off troubleshooting when we onboarded a new domain and saw a temporary dip in inbox placement. Compared with ActiveCampaign higher tiers, Premier lacks some of the branching wizardry, but the production experience is calmer and the design output more consistent across teams. If your revenue depends on orchestrated lifecycle flows and you want tight permissioning without going full marketing cloud, Premier is a pragmatic middle path. I would not buy it for a single brand under 25k contacts; I would buy it the moment you’re juggling clients or regions.
Where alternatives beat Campaign Monitor on price
If price-per-send is your north star, Brevo volume-based model is tough to beat for heavy broadcasters; we used it for a seasonal daily deal schedule and paid less overall, though the editing experience felt more utilitarian. For creators and solo operators, Kit stretches dollars further if your list is smaller and you monetize through courses or subscriptions.
For ecommerce with deep behavioral triggers, Klaviyo can outrun Campaign Monitor on revenue per recipient but often at a higher monthly bill, worth it only if you actually leverage SKU- and event-level targeting. If you’re moving from a legacy stack and want a familiar UI with a generous free tier, Mailchimp can reduce early costs, though prices climb quickly as contacts rise. And if you’re a service business that values simplicity over breadth, Constant Contact is predictable, just not particularly cheap for what you get.
Where Campaign Monitor returns more value per dollar
The reason I keep recommending Campaign Monitor to small teams is the “hidden” cost it avoids: time. Builder rarely breaks layouts, the checklist-style campaign flow is hard to mess up, and reporting surfaces exactly what non-analysts need to decide the next test. That combination means fewer rewrites, fewer resend regrets, and less dependence on designers. Against MailerLite, I consistently shipped faster when brand standards mattered. Against ActiveCampaign, I traded some automation complexity for fewer production snags and clearer analytics for stakeholders.
If your goal is polished, on-brand campaigns with a couple of solid automations, and you measure value as time saved plus fewer mistakes, Unlimited is particularly strong. When comparing, I often send folks to our deeper breakdowns for each contender: Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp and the ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp write-up to map trade-offs to budget.
My price-based recommendation
If you are under 1,000 contacts and mostly newsletter-driven, start on Basic to validate messaging, then revisit within two months. If you send weekly or rely on at least two journeys, jump straight to Unlimited; the elimination of send caps pays for itself in fewer constraints and better timing features. Reserve Premier for multi-brand, agency, or regional teams that need tight governance and a deliverability partner. If you outgrow Basic or Unlimited purely on advanced branching, consider pairing Campaign Monitor with a lightweight trigger tool, or price out a switch to ActiveCampaign only if those branches correlate to measurable revenue. When in doubt, sanity-check totals against your must-haves using our plan explainer for caps and perks at Campaign Monitor pricing, then benchmark against your volume profile in Brevo and MailerLite before you commit.
When I Recommend Campaign Monitor
- Design-conscious brands: If your emails need to look polished out of the box, Campaign Monitor templates and drag-and-drop editor shine. I have seen teams save hours here compared to tweaking layouts in Mailchimp.
- Small to mid-sized teams: For marketers who do not have developers on standby, the simplicity is refreshing. I found setup smoother than with ActiveCampaign, where complexity can overwhelm new users.
- Agencies managing multiple clients: The account structure, reusable templates, and Premier support options make it easy to deliver consistent work across brands, similar to what I have seen in Constant Contact but with better usability.
- Businesses prioritizing deliverability: Inbox placement has been consistently strong in my tests, even at scale. It is one of the reasons I choose it over budget tools like Moosend for client projects where delivery rates matter.
- Teams needing intuitive automation: If your automation needs are straightforward (welcome series, abandoned cart, win-back campaigns), Campaign Monitor prebuilt journeys and scheduling tools are perfect. It is less intimidating than deeper stacks like Klaviyo or Drip.
When I Don’t Recommend Campaign Monitor
- Startups on tight budgets: Since there is no long-term free plan, very small teams may struggle with costs. In those cases, I often point people toward MailerLite or Brevo, both of which have free tiers.
- Complex automation heavy users: If your marketing relies on branching workflows, scoring, or predictive send-time optimization, Campaign Monitor may feel limited. Platforms like ActiveCampaign or HubSpot are better fits here.
- Data-driven enterprises: For businesses needing deep funnel analytics, attribution modeling, or advanced reporting, Campaign Monitor analytics will feel too light. HubSpot or Salesforce Marketing Cloud offer richer insights.
- Heavy multichannel marketers: If SMS, chat, or social integration is at the core of your strategy, Campaign Monitor lags behind full-suite tools like Omnisend that handle multi-channel in one place.
- Teams wanting built-in CRM: Campaign Monitor does not replace a CRM. If your workflow depends on deep sales tracking or lifecycle management, Zoho Campaigns or HubSpot might align better.
Final Verdict on Campaign Monitor
After months of hands-on use, my take on Campaign Monitor is that it sits in a sweet middle ground, clean design, reliable deliverability, and enough automation to cover most small to mid-sized business needs without overcomplicating things.
What stood out most to me was how much time the platform saved my team compared to fiddling with more complex tools like ActiveCampaign. Drag-and-drop builder, modern templates, and intuitive reporting gave us confidence to launch campaigns quickly while still looking professional. That said, it is not for everyone. If you’re chasing free forever plans like MailerLite or Brevo, or need deep CRM-like capabilities, you’ll likely hit limits fast. But for businesses that value polished campaigns, consistent inbox placement, and approachable automation, Campaign Monitor delivers excellent ROI.
My verdict: if your priority is reliable, design-forward email marketing without the chaos of an enterprise stack, Unlimited is the plan that hits the sweet spot. You can explore pricing and deeper comparisons at Campaign Monitor pricing.
Photos: Campaign Monitor
FAQs related of Campaign Monitor
1. What features does Campaign Monitor offer for email marketing?
2. How user-friendly is Campaign Monitor interface for marketers?
3. Can Campaign Monitor integrate with other marketing tools and platforms?
4. What support and resources does Campaign Monitor provide to its users?
5. How does Campaign Monitor handle email deliverability and compliance?
6. Does Campaign Monitor offer automation capabilities?
7. How does Campaign Monitor pricing structure work?
8. Does Campaign Monitor offer a free trial or a money-back guarantee?
9. Can Campaign Monitor be used for SMS marketing?
10. How customizable are Campaign Monitor email templates and designs?
Specification: Campaign Monitor
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Alternatives of Campaign Monitor
When I look for an alternative to Campaign Monitor, the first thing I consider is budget flexibility. Tools like MailerLite and Brevo stand out because they both offer free plans, which makes them perfect for early-stage startups or solo creators who can’t justify monthly fees yet.
If advanced automation is your priority, then ActiveCampaign quickly rises to the top. I found its conditional branching and lead scoring far more sophisticated than Campaign Monitor, though it does come with a steeper learning curve. It is a great fit if you’re running complex nurture campaigns.
For ecommerce-driven businesses, Omnisend and Klaviyo tend to outperform thanks to deep store integrations and revenue-focused analytics. I recommend these when sales attribution is just as important as open and click rates.
If you’re choosing based on all-in-one marketing capabilities, HubSpot and Mailchimp are worth exploring. They aren’t the cheapest, but they offer ecosystems that can scale well beyond email marketing.
- Easy-to-use interface
- Comprehensive suite of features
- Marketing automation
- Integration
- Analytics
- Limited customizability
- Limited flexibility
- Learning curve
- Pricing
- Customer support
- User-Friendly Interface
- Email Automation
- Integration Options
- Advanced Personalization
- Real-Time Reporting
- Pricing
- Learning Curve
- Limited Free Plan
- Competitive Market
- Customer Support
- Effortless Email Marketing
- Free Forever Plan
- Omnichannel Marketing
- Marketing Automation
- Integration Capabilities
- Comprehensive Marketing Solution
- Integration Capabilities
- Advanced Automation
- Drag & Drop Email Editor
- Security and Privacy
- Learning Curve
- Pricing Complexity
- Limited Free Trial
- Limited Native CRM
- Competition in the Market
- High Email Deliverability
- Scalable SMTP Infrastructure
- Robust API Integration
- Personalized Weekly Advice
- Dedicated 24/7 Support
- Cost
- Learning Curve
- Complexity for Beginners
- Limited Free Plan
- Response Time
- User-Friendly Interface
- Beautiful Email Designs
- Good Deliverability
- Integration Capabilities
- Transparent User Reviews
- Limited Advanced Features
- Pricing Structure
- Lack of Advanced Segmentation
- Limited A/B Testing
- Customer Support
- User-Friendly Interface
- Beautiful Email and Sales Page Design
- Customization Options
- No Credit Card Required for Trial
- Powerful Automation
- Limited Integration
- Limited Advanced Features
- Pricing Structure
- Learning Curve
- Customer Support
- User-Friendly Email Design
- Automation Capabilities
- Real-Time Email Tracking
- Awards and Recognition
- Quick Response Customer Support
- Limited Free Trial
- Potential Learning Curve
- Subscription-Based Pricing
- Competition
- Email Deliverability
32 reviews for Campaign Monitor
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Google Email sender guidelines, effective February 2024, require a senders of over 5,000 daily emails to Gmail accounts to authenticate their emails, avoid unsolicited messages, and provide easy unsubscribe options. The guidelines emphasize email authentication through SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to protect recipients and enhance deliverability. Additionally, infrastructure setup, message formatting, and responsible sending practices are crucial for maintaining a good sender reputation and ensuring email deliverability to Gmail users.
Follow the detailed Google guidelines from here and ask your Email marketing and marketing automation platform provider to help you enable these setup for your own account.
Yahoo has also mandated email authentication with SPF or DKIM, a spam complaint rate below 0.3%, and valid DNS records for all senders. Bulk senders must also implement DMARC with alignment, support easy unsubscribe, and keep a low spam rate. These standards aim to ensure emails reach engaged audiences and reduce unwanted messages.
Follow the detailed Yahoo guidelines from here and ask your Email marketing and marketing automation platform provider to help you enable these setup for your own account.
Liam Stewart –
It offers powerful automation features that allow businesses to set up complex automated email campaigns. The platform offers various triggers and workflows, making it easier for my businesses to send targeted messages to customers based on their behaviors and interests.
Timothy Wright –
Campaign Monitor provides powerful automation features that help us streamline our email campaigns and deliver targeted messages based on customer behavior and interests.
Elizabeth Harris –
Overall, our experience with Campaign Monitor has been positive, allowing us to effectively create, send, and optimize engaging email campaigns.
Heather Thompson –
Campaign Monitor offers powerful automation features that allow us to create targeted email campaigns based on customer behaviors and interests.
David Rodriguez –
Our experience with Campaign Monitor has been positive overall, allowing us to effectively manage and optimize our email campaigns.
Jennifer Smith –
Our experience with Campaign Monitor has been positive overall, allowing us to effectively manage and optimize our email campaigns.
Martina Veseli –
Using Campaign Monitor has been an enlightening journey for our digital marketing team. Its intuitive design and comprehensive feature set have significantly streamlined our email marketing efforts.
Wahedul Islam –
My experience with Campaign Monitor has been mostly positive, with its email automation features standing out as particularly beneficial for our workflow.
Daniel Nicholls –
As a user of Campaign Monitor, I’ve been impressed with its transactional email capabilities, which have ensured reliable delivery of time-sensitive communications.
Adam Mills –
Campaign Monitor’s AI features have revolutionized how we approach email marketing, providing us with tools to optimize our campaigns in ways we never thought possible.
David Vranicar –
Finally, the overall usability and efficiency of Campaign Monitor have made it an indispensable tool for our marketing team.
Akil Sharperson –
The automation workflows saved us countless hours, automating tasks that used to take up a significant portion of our workweek.
Justine Bamaung –
Transactional email capabilities have been a game-changer for our transactional communications, ensuring reliability and high deliverability.
Jyoti Jadoun –
The introduction of AI features into our campaigns has enabled us to optimize our content like never before, improving click-through rates by leveraging predictive analytics.
Alana Cukierwar –
While Campaign Monitor offers a comprehensive suite of tools for email marketing, we found its design flexibility and template options unmatched.
Kara Andersen –
It has transformed our email marketing strategy with its sophisticated segmentation and personalization features.
Alexandra F –
Implementing marketing automation with Campaign Monitor was a game-changer for our workflow.
Lukman C. –
Using transactional email service streamlined our communication with customers.
Nick Noyer –
The AI features in Monitor brought a new level of efficiency to our campaigns.
Nicolas Lapenna –
Migrating to Campaign from another email service provider was a strategic move for our marketing team.
Equana Davis –
Having used for the past year, I’ve seen a significant improvement in our email marketing metrics.
Erik Mansur –
Automation features have revolutionized our marketing strategy.
Arati Sharma –
The transactional email service has been a reliable asset for our customer communication.
Kristen B. –
Transitioning to Campaign Monitor’s marketing automation tools has streamlined our customer engagement strategy. The visual journey designer is intuitive, making it simple to set up automated workflows that nurture leads and retain customers. We saw a 20% improvement in customer retention after implementing automation for follow-ups and re-engagement. The platform’s flexibility allows us to customize workflows according to our specific needs, ensuring timely and relevant communications throughout the customer lifecycle.
Kristen K. –
Implementing Campaign Monitor’s transactional email feature has greatly improved our customer communication. By automating order confirmations and delivery updates, we ensured that customers receive timely and consistent information about their purchases. This efficiency boosted our customer satisfaction rates by 20%. The platform makes setting up transactional emails simple, and the templates maintain our brand’s professional image throughout the process. It’s been a game-changer for our e-commerce operations, enhancing trust and reliability.
Kristen L. –
Campaign Monitor’s SMS marketing integration has expanded our communication strategy significantly. The ability to coordinate SMS and email campaigns allows us to reach customers through their preferred channels, increasing engagement by 15%. The platform is user-friendly, making it easy to set up and monitor SMS campaigns alongside email. This integration has been particularly effective for time-sensitive promotions, allowing us to engage customers quickly and effectively.
Jake C. –
The analytics dashboard in Campaign Monitor has been a vital tool in optimizing our marketing strategies. With detailed reports on open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, we’ve been able to refine our campaigns and improve ROI by 25%. The visual representation of data makes it easy to interpret and communicate insights to our team, facilitating data-driven decision-making. This feature has played a crucial role in helping us understand our audience better and tailor our messaging accordingly.
Kristina T. –
Transitioning to Campaign Monitor from our previous email platform was remarkably smooth. The platform’s interface is intuitive, and the setup process was straightforward, enabling us to launch our first campaign within a week. The onboarding resources and support team were incredibly helpful in addressing our initial queries. Since the switch, we’ve noticed a 15% increase in open rates, thanks to Campaign Monitor’s powerful segmentation and personalization features. This migration has been a positive step forward in enhancing our email marketing strategy.
Kristopher P. –
Campaign Monitor’s customer support has been exceptional in helping us navigate the platform and resolve issues promptly. The live chat feature provides quick responses, and the support team is knowledgeable about the platform’s features. Whenever we’ve had questions about setting up campaigns or using advanced tools, the team has been there to guide us effectively. This level of support has given us confidence in using the platform and has been a crucial factor in our successful email marketing efforts.
Krithika M. –
Campaign Monitor’s email automation has taken our customer engagement to new heights. The visual journey designer lets us create complex workflows that are easy to follow and adjust. We’ve noticed a 30% increase in engagement rates since implementing automated welcome sequences and follow-ups. This feature allows us to stay connected with our subscribers efficiently and consistently, freeing up time to focus on strategy rather than repetitive tasks.
Sophia Almada –
The drag-and-drop email editor in Campaign Monitor has streamlined our design process, enabling us to create visually appealing emails efficiently. The interface is user-friendly, and the pre-designed templates provide a great starting point for customization. We’ve seen a 20% boost in engagement since revamping our email designs with this tool. The ability to preview emails across different devices ensures consistent appearance, enhancing the recipient’s experience and engagement. This feature has made designing professional emails faster and more accessible for our team.
Kundan Kumar –
Campaign Monitor’s transactional email feature has improved our customer communication by automating important notifications like order confirmations and shipping updates. This automation has increased our operational efficiency and customer satisfaction by 15%. The setup process was straightforward, and the ability to customize templates ensured our emails remained on-brand. Automating these transactional emails has freed up our team to focus on strategic initiatives, knowing our customers receive timely and relevant information.