Brevo vs Getresponse – I used both here what you need to know

I used both Brevo and GetResponse for months, on my real email list, not a demo account. Real emails, real automations, real moments of checking my open rates and wondering why one worked better than the other.

Here’s the short version of why this question even comes up. Brevo and GetResponse look like they do the same job, but they were not built with the same person in mind. Brevo was built to be one simple, low cost home for email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and a basic CRM. GetResponse was built to be a full marketing hub, with email, automation, webinars, and funnels all in one place, so you can grow a course, a coaching business, or a brand without buying five other tools.

If you just want to send newsletters and keep costs low, this matters a lot. If you want to run webinars, build funnels, or sell something online, it matters in a different way. Keep that in mind as you read, because the right pick changes depending on which one you are.


Short on Time? Read This First

Brevo is the simpler, cheaper, more complete tool for everyday use. If you want email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and a free CRM in one place, without a big learning curve, Brevo is the easier pick for most small businesses.

GetResponse is built to be a full growth engine. If you want webinars, sales funnels, and deeper automation to grow a course or an online brand, it goes further than Brevo in those areas.

Neither tool is the right pick if you just want to “set it and forget it” without learning any of the automation tools. Both reward a little bit of setup time.

FeatureBrevoGetResponse
Free plan300 emails a day, unlimited contacts500 contacts, limited features
Cheapest paid planAround $9/monthAround $19/month
Pricing modelBased on emails sentBased on contact count
How it charges as you growStays cheap with a big list you rarely emailGrows with your list, no matter how often you send
Email editor styleClean, fast, simple blocksMore design blocks, funnel-ready pages
WebinarsNot availableBuilt in, on higher plans
SMS and WhatsAppBuilt inNot available
Automation depthGood for simple to medium flowsDeeper, better for complex journeys
CRMBuilt in, free, simple pipelineLight tagging and scoring, not a full CRM
Best forNewsletters, service businesses, small budgetsCourse creators, coaches, funnel-based selling

How I Tested Both Tools

I paid for both tools myself and ran my real list through each one for several months. I built the same welcome series on both, sent the same weekly newsletter, and set up one automation flow with a few steps to see how each tool handled it. I also read through a large pile of reviews on Capterra, G2, and other buying guides, because my one story is just one story. Looking at what hundreds of other users say tells me if what I saw is normal or just my own bad luck.


Ease of Use

Brevo felt easy from the very first login. The menu uses plain names, nothing is hidden behind a strange label, and I sent my first test email inside my first hour without reading any help guide.

brevo dashboard

GetResponse is also easy once you learn it, but it has more tabs and more tools inside it, since it does more jobs, like webinars and funnel building. On day one, this can feel a bit busy. Give it a few days and it clicks.

Winner: Brevo, mainly for a beginner’s first week.


Email Editor

Both editors are drag and drop, which just means you click a block, like text or image, and drop it where you want. No code needed for either one.

Brevo’s editor is smooth and quick. You can build a clean, good looking email in a few minutes, and there is a brand kit feature that saves your logo, colors, and fonts so every new email matches your brand without extra work.

brevo email editor

GetResponse’s editor gives you a bit more room to design, with blocks built for things like countdown timers and product grids. This is great if you sell something and want your email to look like a mini store page. It is a bit less beginner friendly than Brevo’s, though some reviewers find it less smooth to work in overall.

Winner: Tie. Brevo wins on speed and simplicity for a normal newsletter. GetResponse wins when you need sales-style blocks inside your email.


Templates, Design, and Quality

GetResponse has a bigger template library, and the designs feel modern, sorted neatly by type, like sales, welcome, or event emails. This saves real time when you just want to start from something that already looks good.

Brevo’s templates work fine and look clean, but there are fewer of them, and a few feel a bit plain out of the box. With the brand kit, you can fix that fast, but you will spend a little more time getting there.

Brevo's templates Library
Brevo’s templates Library

Winner: GetResponse, for the size and freshness of the template library.


List Management and Automation

Brevo lets you sort contacts into lists and segments, and build simple rules, like “send this email if someone clicks that link.” This covers most small business needs well, like a welcome series or a simple cart reminder. A nice extra: one automation flow in Brevo can mix email, SMS, and WhatsApp together, so a reminder can go out as an email first, then a text later, all from one flow.

Brevo list managment

GetResponse’s automation builder feels like a flowchart, and it lets you build bigger, smarter journeys, with more conditions and steps. If you sell a course or run a coaching funnel, this extra depth pays off. It also connects cleanly into its own landing pages and webinar sign ups, so a whole journey can run inside one tool.

Winner: GetResponse, for automation depth, especially for funnel-based or course-based businesses. Brevo stays close behind thanks to its multichannel flows.


Deliverability

This is the part that matters most. A nice looking email is worthless if it lands in spam.

From my own sending, and from what shows up again and again in outside reviews, Brevo tends to land in the inbox a bit more consistently, especially for newer senders who are still building trust with inbox providers. It also gives you simple tools to check your sender health.

GetResponse also performs well overall, but a few reviewers, and my own testing, noticed a bit more swing depending on list quality and how often emails go out.

Winner: Brevo, by a small but real margin.


Integrations

Brevo connects with the tools most small businesses already use, like Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, and Zapier, and it has a solid, well documented API for developers who want to send email straight from their own app or website.

GetResponse also connects to the usual tools, but it leans on doing more inside its own walls, with built in landing pages, funnels, and paid ad tools, so you may not need to reach for outside apps as often in the first place.

Winner: GetResponse, mostly because it needs fewer outside tools to get the same result.


CRM

Brevo includes a real, simple sales CRM, free on every plan, with deal tracking and a basic pipeline. It won’t replace a full sales tool for a large team, but for a small business wanting to track leads without paying for another app, it’s a genuine bonus.

brevo sales pipeline

GetResponse gives you contact tagging and a scoring system, so you can group people by what they do, but it stops short of a true sales pipeline like Brevo’s.

Winner: Brevo, for anyone who actually wants a sales pipeline, not just tags.


Customer Support

I reached out to both support teams with real questions, not test messages.

Brevo answers over chat and email, and the reply times were fair, though not always fast on the lower plans.

GetResponse offers live chat support around the clock on paid plans, and I got quick, helpful answers most times I reached out. A few outside reviews mention this as one of GetResponse’s strong points too.

Winner: GetResponse, mainly because of the always-on live chat.


Reports and Analytics

Brevo’s reports are simple and clear at a glance: opens, clicks, bounces, and a heat map showing where people clicked inside the email. Great if you just want the key numbers fast.

brevo-reports

GetResponse’s reports go a little deeper, showing things like funnel performance and more detail per contact, which helps if you’re tracking a full sales journey and not just a single email.

Winner: GetResponse, for going a bit deeper into the numbers.


Pricing

This is where the two tools think about money in very different ways.

Brevo charges based on how many emails you send each month, not how many contacts you store. This is a big deal if your list is large but you only send a few times a month. The free plan gives around 300 emails a day with no contact limit, and paid plans start low, around $9 a month, and grow with your sending volume.

GetResponse charges based on your contact count, with unlimited sends on paid plans. Its Starter plan begins around $19 a month for 1,000 contacts, and the price climbs as your list grows, no matter how often you actually email them.

ContactsBrevo (approx.)GetResponse (approx.)
Up to 1,000Free to $9/month$19/month
Up to 5,000$18-$29/month$59/month
Up to 10,000Around $65/monthAround $79-$99/month

Simple way to decide:

  • Big list, few sends a month? Brevo will likely save you real money.
  • Smaller list, sending often, and you want webinars, funnels, or deep automation? GetResponse gives you more for that steady price.

What Each Tool Is Actually Best At

Brevo’s specialty is being one affordable home for every channel a small business uses day to day. Email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and a free CRM, all under one login, at a price that doesn’t punish you for having a big list.

GetResponse’s specialty is being a full growth engine for people who sell something, whether that’s a course, a service, or a product. Its webinars, funnels, and deeper automation are built for turning an audience into paying customers, not just sending a nice looking newsletter.


My Honest Take

If I’m being straight with you, Brevo felt like the tool built for someone who wants to talk to their audience well, on a few different channels, without overspending. GetResponse felt like a tool built for someone ready to grow a whole business around their list, with webinars and funnels doing real work behind the scenes.

Neither tool is trying to be the other. Brevo isn’t trying to be a full funnel and webinar platform, and GetResponse isn’t trying to be the cheapest multichannel option. Pick based on what your business is actually doing this year, not on which one has more boxes checked on paper.


Before You Commit to Either Platform

Pick Brevo if you run a service business, a blog, or a small business that wants email, SMS, and a basic CRM without a big monthly bill. Pick Brevo if your list is large but you don’t send every day. Pick Brevo if you want a real CRM and automation on a free or low cost plan.

Pick GetResponse if you plan to run webinars or sell through funnels. Pick GetResponse if you want deeper automation for a more complex customer journey. Pick GetResponse if always-on live chat support matters to you.


Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brevo or GetResponse cheaper? Brevo is cheaper for most small businesses, mainly because it charges by emails sent rather than contact count. GetResponse’s price climbs as your list grows, no matter how often you actually email people.

Which one is easier for a beginner? Brevo. Its layout matches what most people already expect from an email tool, and you can send a real campaign in your first hour. GetResponse takes a bit longer to feel natural, since it packs in more tools.

Does GetResponse really have webinars? Yes, and this is one of its biggest strengths. You can run live webinars, build evergreen funnels around them, and even sell access, all without a separate webinar tool. Brevo does not offer this at all.

Does Brevo have SMS and WhatsApp? Yes, and this is one of Brevo’s biggest strengths. You can send email, SMS, and WhatsApp messages from one automation flow. GetResponse does not offer SMS or WhatsApp sending.

Which tool has better customer support? GetResponse, mainly because of its around the clock live chat on paid plans. Brevo’s support is fair but not always as fast on lower tiers.

Which one should I pick if I sell online courses? In most cases, GetResponse, because of its webinar hosting, funnels, and deeper automation built for turning an audience into paying students or customers.

Which one should I pick if I just want to send a simple newsletter? In most cases, Brevo, because it is cheaper for a large, low-frequency list, easier to learn, and includes a free CRM if you ever want to track leads.

Vinayak Sharma
Vinayak Sharma

Vinayak Sharma – Tool Testing Lead at Mailotrix

Vinayak Sharma leads the Tool Testing Lab at Mailotrix, where he specializes in reviewing and comparing email marketing software with full transparency. Unlike many affiliates who promote tools just for commissions, Vinayak takes a hands-on approach: he signs up, tests every feature, runs real campaigns, and checks user feedback before publishing a single review.

His goal? To help businesses choose the right tool without wasting money on overhyped platforms. Vinayak’s process covers everything from automation and deliverability to customer support and ease of use — giving readers a complete, no-nonsense view of each tool.

Known for his honest and practical insights, Vinayak has become the trusted reviewer readers rely on when navigating the crowded world of email marketing software. If Mailotrix calls a tool “worth it,” chances are Vinayak has already put it through the wringer.

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