Quick Verdict: ActiveCampaign is the best email marketing tool for lead nurturing in 2026. Its automation builder is the most powerful at a reasonable price. Mailchimp works if you want simple and cheap. ConvertKit (now Kit) is the pick for solo creators and course sellers.
You captured the lead. They downloaded your PDF, signed up for your webinar, or filled out a form. Now what?
Most leads aren’t ready to buy. Not today. Not next week. Maybe in 60 days. The gap between “interested” and “ready to buy” is where email marketing tools for lead nurturing earn their keep.
I’ve built nurture sequences on all of these platforms. Some make it easy. Some make you want to throw your laptop.
| Tool | Best For | Free Tier | Starts At | Automation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign | Advanced nurture sequences | No (14-day trial) | $15/mo (1,000 contacts) | Best-in-class |
| Mailchimp | Beginners + simple funnels | Yes (500 contacts) | $13/mo (500 contacts) | Good basics |
| Kit (ConvertKit) | Creators + course sellers | Yes (10,000 subs) | $25/mo (1,000 subs) | Visual + simple |
| Brevo (Sendinblue) | Budget teams, high volume | Yes (300 emails/day) | $9/mo (5,000 emails) | Solid |
| Drip | E-commerce nurturing | No (14-day trial) | $39/mo (2,500 contacts) | E-commerce focused |
| MailerLite | Small teams wanting value | Yes (1,000 subs) | $10/mo (500 subs) | Surprisingly good |
| Customer.io | Product-led / SaaS teams | No | $100/mo (5,000 profiles) | Event-driven |
What Are Email Marketing Tools for Lead Nurturing?
Email marketing tools for lead nurturing are platforms that send automated email sequences to leads over time, moving them from initial interest toward a purchase decision. They track opens, clicks, and behavior to send the right message at the right moment — turning cold leads into paying customers.
ActiveCampaign — Best Automation for Nurturing
ActiveCampaign’s automation builder is in a different league. You’re not just setting up “if they open email 1, send email 2.” You’re building decision trees with conditions, wait steps, split tests, and CRM deal updates — all in a visual drag-and-drop canvas.
The conditional logic is where it gets powerful. You can say: “If this lead visited the pricing page AND opened 3+ emails AND is tagged as ‘marketing manager’ — skip them ahead to the sales pitch sequence.” Try doing that in Mailchimp.
What it does well:
- Site tracking shows you which pages a lead visited. Combine that with email engagement to score leads automatically.
- Split actions inside automations. Send 50% down one path, 50% down another, and measure which converts better.
- The CRM is built in. When a lead hits a certain score, it creates a deal and notifies your sales team. No Zapier needed.
- Predictive sending picks the time each contact is most likely to open.
What it does poorly:
- The email template builder feels dated compared to Mailchimp. Dragging elements is sluggish, and the mobile preview isn’t always accurate.
- Onboarding is overwhelming. There are so many features that new users often build overly complex automations when a simple 5-email drip would work.
- No free tier. At $15/mo for 1,000 contacts, it’s not expensive — but free matters when you’re starting out.
Pricing:
- Starter: $15/mo (1,000 contacts) — email marketing, basic automations, inline forms
- Plus: $49/mo (1,000 contacts) — CRM, lead scoring, landing pages, SMS
- Professional: $79/mo (1,000 contacts) — split automations, predictive sending, site messages
- Enterprise: $145/mo (1,000 contacts) — custom reporting, custom objects, HIPAA
All plans scale with contact count. 10,000 contacts on Starter = ~$95/mo.
Who should pick ActiveCampaign: B2B teams running multi-step nurture sequences. Anyone who needs automation to actually be smart, not just “send email after 3 days.”
Who this is NOT for: Solo creators who just need a weekly newsletter. ActiveCampaign’s power is wasted on simple broadcast emails.
Mailchimp — Best for Beginners
Mailchimp is the Toyota Corolla of email marketing. It’s not exciting. It’s not the fastest. But it works, everyone knows how to use it, and it won’t break down.
The drag-and-drop email editor is genuinely good. Templates look professional out of the box. You can build a decent-looking email in 10 minutes without touching code. That matters when you’re a small team wearing 14 hats.
What it does well:
- The email builder is the most intuitive of any tool on this list. Drag blocks, swap colors, preview on mobile — all smooth.
- Content Optimizer scores your email copy and suggests improvements before you send.
- Pre-built “Customer Journey” automations give you templates for welcome series, abandoned cart, and re-engagement flows. Click, customize, launch.
- Integrations with everything. Shopify, WordPress, Salesforce, 300+ others.
What it does poorly:
- Automation is limited compared to ActiveCampaign. You can build basic journeys, but conditional branching is shallow on lower tiers.
- Pricing gets expensive fast. Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts in your total, so you’re paying for people who aren’t even receiving emails.
- A/B testing is limited to subject lines and send times on lower plans. You can’t split-test entire automation paths.
Pricing:
- Free: 500 contacts, 1,000 emails/mo, 1 audience, basic templates
- Essentials: $13/mo (500 contacts) — A/B testing, email scheduling, 24/7 support
- Standard: $20/mo (500 contacts) — Customer Journey builder, send time optimization, behavioral targeting
- Premium: $350/mo (10,000 contacts) — advanced segmentation, comparative reporting, phone support
Pricing scales with contacts. 10,000 contacts on Standard = ~$100/mo.
Who should pick Mailchimp: First-time email marketers. Small teams that need something up and running today. E-commerce stores on Shopify.
Who this is NOT for: Teams that need complex, behavior-driven nurture sequences. Mailchimp’s automation ceiling is too low.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Best for Creators
Kit rebranded from ConvertKit, but the DNA is the same: it’s built for people who sell knowledge. Courses, newsletters, digital products, coaching. The visual automation builder is surprisingly powerful for a “creator” tool.
The subscriber-first model is key. Kit charges per subscriber, not per list. So if someone is on 3 different tags, you pay once. That sounds obvious, but Mailchimp charges you for duplicates across audiences.
What it does well:
- Visual automation builder shows your entire funnel as a flowchart. Entry points, email steps, conditions, exits. You see the whole journey at once.
- Landing pages and forms are built in. No extra tool needed to capture leads. Templates are minimal and clean.
- Tag-based organization instead of rigid lists. Tag someone as “interested in SEO” and “downloaded pricing guide” — then trigger automations based on any combination.
- Creator Network lets you cross-promote with other newsletter creators for organic growth.
What it does poorly:
- The email editor is plain text-focused. If you want beautiful, image-heavy emails, Kit isn’t the tool.
- Reporting is basic. You get open rates and click rates. No revenue attribution or funnel conversion reports.
- No built-in CRM or deal tracking. It’s an email tool, not a sales platform.
Pricing:
- Newsletter (Free): Up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited emails, landing pages, forms
- Creator: $25/mo (1,000 subs) — automations, third-party integrations, newsletter referral system
- Creator Pro: $50/mo (1,000 subs) — subscriber scoring, advanced reporting, Facebook custom audiences
Who should pick Kit: Solo creators, course sellers, newsletter writers, coaches. Anyone selling digital products directly to an audience.
Who this is NOT for: B2B sales teams. Kit doesn’t have CRM features, lead scoring (on lower tiers), or pipeline management.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — Best Budget Option
Brevo pricing is based on emails sent, not contacts stored. That’s a big deal. You can have 100,000 contacts and pay $9/mo if you’re only sending 5,000 emails. Every other tool on this list would charge you $200+ for that contact count.
The multichannel approach sets Brevo apart too. Email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat — all in one platform. If your nurture sequence needs an SMS nudge after the third email goes unopened, Brevo handles that natively.
What it does well:
- Pricing model is email-based, not contact-based. Store unlimited contacts on every plan.
- SMS and WhatsApp campaigns alongside email. Build sequences that mix channels.
- Transactional email is included. Order confirmations, password resets, invoices — no separate service needed.
- Marketing automation with visual workflows available from the $9/mo plan.
What it does poorly:
- The email editor is functional but not as polished as Mailchimp. Some templates look dated.
- Deliverability can be inconsistent. Shared IP addresses on lower plans sometimes land in promotions tabs. Dedicated IP starts at $250/yr.
- The automation builder, while visual, has fewer condition types than ActiveCampaign. You can build good nurture flows, but complex branching gets awkward.
Pricing:
- Free: 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts, email templates, automation workflows
- Starter: $9/mo (5,000 emails/mo) — no daily sending limit, basic reporting
- Business: $18/mo (5,000 emails/mo) — A/B testing, marketing automation, send time optimization
- Enterprise: Custom pricing — dedicated IP, sub-account management, advanced integrations
Who should pick Brevo: Teams with large contact lists and small budgets. Businesses that want email + SMS in one tool. Transactional email senders.
Who this is NOT for: Teams that need deep CRM integration or advanced lead scoring. Brevo’s CRM is basic.
Drip — Best for E-commerce Nurturing
Drip is laser-focused on e-commerce. The entire platform is built around purchase behavior — what someone browsed, what they carted, what they bought, and what they might buy next. If you sell physical or digital products online, Drip speaks your language.
The revenue attribution is the killer feature. Every email shows exactly how much money it generated. Not vague “influenced revenue.” Actual tracked purchases tied to specific emails.
What it does well:
- Deep Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce integrations. Product data, purchase history, and browse behavior sync automatically.
- Pre-built e-commerce workflows: abandoned cart, post-purchase, browse abandonment, win-back, price drop alerts.
- Liquid templating lets you personalize emails with product images, prices, and recommendations based on each person’s behavior.
- Revenue reporting ties every email and automation to actual dollars. You know your ROI exactly.
What it does poorly:
- Expensive for what you get. $39/mo for 2,500 contacts is steep when Brevo charges $9/mo for more.
- Not great for B2B. No CRM, no pipeline, no lead scoring. It’s an e-commerce tool, full stop.
- The form builder is basic compared to Kit or MailerLite.
Pricing:
- $39/mo (2,500 contacts) — all features included, no tiers
- $89/mo (5,000 contacts)
- $154/mo (10,000 contacts)
- Scales linearly with contacts. 50,000 contacts = ~$699/mo.
Who should pick Drip: Online stores on Shopify or WooCommerce that want behavior-driven email nurturing with clear revenue tracking.
Who this is NOT for: B2B companies, SaaS businesses, or anyone not selling products through an online store.
MailerLite — Best Value Pick
MailerLite is what happens when a team builds the 80% of features everyone needs and skips the 20% only power users care about. Email builder, automations, landing pages, pop-ups, and a website builder — all starting at $10/mo.
The surprise here is the automation. For $10/mo, you get multi-step workflows with conditions, delays, and A/B splits. That’s ActiveCampaign-level features at one-fifth the price (with some limitations).
What it does well:
- Email editor is clean and modern. Three options: drag-and-drop, rich text, or custom HTML. Templates are well-designed.
- Landing pages and pop-ups included on all plans. Most competitors charge extra for these.
- A/B testing for emails AND automations. Test different subject lines, content blocks, or entire automation paths.
- Free plan is generous: 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/mo, automations, and 10 landing pages.
What it does poorly:
- Deliverability monitoring is limited. No built-in inbox placement testing.
- Integrations are fewer than Mailchimp. The big ones are covered (Shopify, WordPress, Zapier), but niche tools might need workarounds.
- Reporting is adequate, not advanced. No cohort analysis or predictive metrics.
Pricing:
- Free: 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/mo, automations, 10 landing pages
- Growing Business: $10/mo (500 subs) — unlimited emails, auto-resend, unlimited templates
- Advanced: $20/mo (500 subs) — Facebook integration, custom HTML, promotion pop-ups
- Enterprise: Custom pricing (100,000+ subs)
Who should pick MailerLite: Small teams and bootstrapped startups that want a lot of features without a lot of cost. Bloggers who need more than Mailchimp’s free tier.
Who this is NOT for: Teams that need CRM integration or enterprise-grade deliverability management.
Customer.io — Best for SaaS and Product-Led Growth
Customer.io is the email tool for companies where user behavior matters more than demographics. It triggers emails based on events: “user signed up but didn’t complete onboarding,” “user hasn’t logged in for 7 days,” “user hit their usage limit.”
This is what makes it different from every other tool on this list. ActiveCampaign tracks email opens and page visits. Customer.io tracks anything you send it through its API — button clicks, feature usage, subscription changes, in-app actions.
What it does well:
- Event-driven messaging. Send data events from your app, and Customer.io triggers emails, push notifications, or SMS based on any combination of behaviors.
- Liquid logic in emails. Build dynamic content that changes based on user attributes, plan type, or past actions.
- Multi-channel: email, push, SMS, in-app messages, and webhooks — all from the same workflow canvas.
- Data warehouse sync. Connect to Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift and segment users based on product analytics.
What it does poorly:
- Expensive. $100/mo for 5,000 profiles. Most other tools on this list cost $10-$40 for that size.
- Requires developer setup. You need engineering time to send events from your product to Customer.io’s API.
- No built-in form builder or landing pages. It’s not a lead capture tool — it’s a messaging tool.
Pricing:
- Essentials: $100/mo (5,000 profiles) — email, SMS, push, in-app, segmentation, workflows
- Premium: $1,000/mo — dedicated IP, premium support, advanced permissions, data warehouse sync
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Who should pick Customer.io: SaaS companies with developer resources. Product-led growth teams where in-app behavior drives email strategy.
Who this is NOT for: Small businesses without engineers. Non-technical marketers. If you don’t have product events to send, Customer.io’s biggest advantage is wasted.
How to Choose Your Email Nurturing Tool
- “I need powerful automation on a budget” → MailerLite or Brevo
- “I want the best automation, period” → ActiveCampaign
- “I’m just starting out” → Mailchimp or MailerLite (free tiers)
- “I sell courses or digital products” → Kit
- “I run an online store” → Drip
- “I have a SaaS product with user events” → Customer.io
- “I need email + SMS + WhatsApp” → Brevo
FAQ
How many emails should a lead nurture sequence have?
Five to seven emails over 2-4 weeks works for most B2B nurture sequences. Start with a welcome email, deliver value in emails 2-4, introduce your solution in email 5, and close with a soft CTA. Test and adjust based on your open and click rates.
What’s the difference between email marketing and lead nurturing?
Email marketing is the broad category — newsletters, promotions, announcements. Lead nurturing is a specific strategy within email marketing focused on moving leads through your sales funnel using targeted, automated sequences based on behavior and timing.
Can I do lead nurturing with a free email marketing tool?
Yes, but with limits. MailerLite’s free plan (1,000 subscribers) includes automations. Kit’s free plan (10,000 subscribers) doesn’t include automations. Mailchimp’s free plan has basic journeys. For serious nurturing, expect to pay $10-$25/mo.
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