GetResponse vs Brevo (2026): Email Platform Comparison After 6 Months of Testing
Both sit in that mid-market sweet spot — more capable than Mailchimp's free tier, cheaper than HubSpot. We've run real campaigns on both for 6 months with a 5,000-subscriber list. The short version: GetResponse for marketing-heavy teams, Brevo if you need transactional email or have a large list on a budget.
Prices verified March 9, 2026. GetResponse prices in EUR (as listed on their site).
⚡ Quick Verdict
Brevo wins on value: Unlimited contacts on the free plan, charges by email volume (not list size), and includes transactional email. Best for budget-conscious teams, ecommerce stores, and anyone with a large list but moderate send frequency.
GetResponse wins on features: Superior automation builder, built-in webinars (unique in the category), AI email generator, conversion funnels, and a polished landing page builder. Best for marketing teams running complex funnels.
Both have free plans. Test both for 2 weeks with your actual workflow before committing to a paid plan.
Pricing: the biggest difference
GetResponse and Brevo use fundamentally different pricing models — and this single difference determines which is cheaper for YOUR use case.
Brevo — pay per email
- Free: 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts
- Starter: ~$25/mo for 20K emails/mo
- Business: ~$65/mo for 20K emails/mo + advanced features
- Key: unlimited contacts on ALL plans
Brevo hides exact paid plan pricing behind signup. Estimates based on publicly available data.
GetResponse — pay per contact
- Free: 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/mo
- Starter (1K): €13.12/mo (annual) / €16/mo (monthly)
- Marketer (1K): €44.28/mo (annual) / €54/mo (monthly)
- Creator (1K): €50.84/mo (annual) / €62/mo (monthly)
Prices in EUR. 18% discount on annual billing. Price scales with contact count.
Real-world cost scenarios
| Scenario | Brevo cost | GetResponse cost | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 contacts, 4 emails/mo | Free | Free | Tie |
| 2,000 contacts, 8 emails/mo | ~$25/mo | ~€19/mo | GetResponse |
| 5,000 contacts, 8 emails/mo | ~$25/mo | ~€44/mo | Brevo |
| 10,000 contacts, 8 emails/mo | ~$65/mo | ~€79/mo | Brevo |
| 25,000 contacts, 4 emails/mo | ~$65/mo | ~€130/mo | Brevo (2×) |
| 500 contacts, daily emails | ~$25/mo | Free | GetResponse |
Pattern: Brevo wins when you have a large list with moderate send frequency. GetResponse wins when you have a small list with high send frequency. The crossover point is around 2,000–3,000 contacts.
Automation
This is where GetResponse clearly leads.
GetResponse automation
- ✓ Visual drag-and-drop workflow builder
- ✓ Complex branching with conditions/scoring
- ✓ Webinar triggers (attended/missed/registered)
- ✓ Ecommerce events (purchase, abandon, browse)
- ✓ Lead scoring with automated tag assignment
- ✓ Multi-step nurture sequences (15+ steps)
- ✓ A/B split testing within workflows
- ✓ Goal tracking and conversion attribution
Best for: complex funnels, course launches, multi-touch campaigns
Brevo automation
- ✓ Welcome sequences
- ✓ Abandoned cart recovery
- ✓ Date-based triggers (birthday, anniversary)
- ✓ Website event tracking
- ✓ Basic if/then conditions
- ✗ No lead scoring
- ✗ No webinar integration
- ✗ Limited branching complexity
Best for: basic sequences, ecommerce triggers, straightforward workflows
GetResponse's automation feels like it was built for marketers who think in funnels. Brevo's automation works for the basics — welcome series, abandoned carts, date triggers — enough for most small businesses. But if you want a 15-step nurture sequence with behavioral branching and lead scoring, GetResponse handles it without breaking a sweat.
Email editor and templates
GetResponse editor
- ✓ 200+ pre-designed templates
- ✓ Polished drag-and-drop builder
- ✓ AI email generator (write subject lines + body)
- ✓ Dynamic content blocks (show/hide by segment)
- ✓ Built-in stock photo library
- ✗ Some templates feel dated
Brevo editor
- ✓ Clean, functional drag-and-drop builder
- ✓ 60+ responsive templates
- ✓ HTML code editor for custom designs
- ✓ Decent mobile preview
- ✗ Fewer templates than GetResponse
- ✗ Spacing/alignment quirks
GetResponse has more templates and a slightly more polished editing experience. Brevo's editor gets the job done but you'll occasionally fight with spacing and alignment. Honest take: neither is as smooth as MailerLite's editor, which is the category benchmark for ease of use.
Transactional email
This is Brevo's killer feature.
Brevo includes transactional email (order confirmations, password resets, shipping notifications, account verifications) on the same platform as your marketing email. One dashboard, one API, one sender reputation.
GetResponse doesn't offer transactional email at all. If you need it, you'd add a separate service:
| Transactional service | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brevo (built-in) | Included | Same platform, shared API |
| Postmark | $15/mo (10K emails) | Best deliverability, email-only |
| Amazon SES | $0.10/1K emails | Cheapest at scale, requires setup |
| SendGrid | Free (100/day) | Good free tier, complex pricing |
For ecommerce stores running Shopify or WooCommerce, Brevo's all-in-one approach saves $15–50/mo and eliminates the complexity of managing two separate email systems.
Deliverability test results
We sent identical campaigns to a test list of 1,000 subscribers (mix of Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Apple Mail) every week for 6 months. Results:
| Metric | GetResponse | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Primary inbox rate (Gmail) | 94.2% | 93.8% |
| Primary inbox rate (Outlook) | 96.1% | 95.7% |
| Spam folder rate | 1.8% | 2.1% |
| Missing (promotions/other) | 4.0% | 4.1% |
| Average open rate | 38.4% | 37.1% |
| Average click rate | 4.2% | 3.9% |
Both perform within margin of error. Your SPF/DKIM/DMARC configuration, list hygiene, and content quality matter far more than the platform. If you're seeing deliverability issues, the problem is almost certainly your setup, not the tool.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | GetResponse | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan contacts | 500 | Unlimited |
| Pricing model | Per contact | Per email sent |
| Email templates | 200+ | 60+ |
| Automation builder | Advanced | Basic–mid |
| Lead scoring | Yes | No |
| Transactional email | No | Yes (built-in) |
| Webinar hosting | Yes (1,000 attendees) | No |
| Landing page builder | Yes (advanced) | Yes (basic) |
| Conversion funnels | Yes | No |
| AI email writer | Yes (GPT-powered) | Basic |
| SMS marketing | Yes (add-on) | Yes (built-in) |
| WhatsApp campaigns | No | Yes |
| CRM | Basic | Yes (deal pipeline) |
| Ecommerce integrations | Shopify, WooCommerce | Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce |
| API quality | Good | Excellent (well-documented) |
| A/B testing | Subject, content, time | Subject, content |
Unique strengths of each
GetResponse — things Brevo can't do
- Built-in webinars. Host up to 1,000-attendee webinars with registration pages, reminders, recordings, and polls. No other email platform includes this. Saves $50–100/mo on standalone webinar tools.
- Conversion funnels. End-to-end funnel builder: landing page → opt-in → email sequence → sales page → payment. Think ClickFunnels-lite, included in your email plan.
- AI email generator. Enter a prompt, get a complete email draft with subject lines. GPT-powered, actually useful for first drafts and subject line testing.
- Advanced automation. Lead scoring, multi-condition branching, webinar triggers, and workflow A/B testing. The automation alone justifies the price for marketing teams.
Brevo — things GetResponse can't do
- Transactional email. Order confirmations, password resets, shipping updates — all from the same platform. One API, one dashboard, one sender reputation.
- WhatsApp campaigns. Send marketing messages via WhatsApp directly from Brevo. Huge for markets where WhatsApp dominates (Europe, Latin America, parts of Asia).
- Unlimited contacts (all plans). Even the free plan has unlimited contacts. Your cost scales with sends, not list size. Transformative for businesses with large but infrequent-send lists.
- Built-in CRM. A real deal pipeline with stages, task management, and contact history. Not just contact management — actual sales CRM, included free.
Which one to pick
Choose based on your primary need:
"I have a large list (5K+) on a budget" → Brevo (pay per email, not per contact)
"I need transactional + marketing email in one place" → Brevo
"I run an ecommerce store" → Brevo (transactional email is critical for ecommerce)
"I need advanced automation and funnels" → GetResponse
"I host webinars as part of my marketing" → GetResponse (saves $50–100/mo on standalone tools)
"I want AI writing assistance" → GetResponse
"I want the simplest, cheapest newsletter tool" → Neither — use MailerLite
Other alternatives to consider
| Platform | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | $9/mo (annual) | Simplest editor, best UX, budget newsletters |
| Mailchimp | Free (500 contacts) | Brand recognition, basic needs |
| ConvertKit | $15/mo (300 subs) | Creators, bloggers, paid newsletters |
| ActiveCampaign | $29/mo | Advanced automation (pricier than GetResponse) |
| HubSpot | $20/mo | Full CRM + marketing suite, enterprise |
For a detailed comparison of free tiers, see our free email marketing tools comparison.