In short
- EU-headquartered, GDPR-native by default (data residency in Europe)
- Email + SMS + WhatsApp + live chat + CRM bundled in one product
- Strong on both transactional (Brevo Transactional API) and marketing email
- Pricing more aggressive than Mailchimp at scale, especially in EU markets
What is Brevo
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue, rebranded 2023) is a French-built marketing communications platform covering email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and CRM. EU data residency is the default. The product is popular with European SMB and mid-market brands that want GDPR-native infrastructure without enterprise pricing.
Where Brevo fits in 2026
Brevo’s positioning sits between Mailchimp (broader brand, weaker on transactional) and ActiveCampaign (more flexible automation, less EU-focused). Strengths: aggressive pricing per-send, strong transactional + marketing in one stack, native WhatsApp Business API support, EU compliance baked in.
Brands with mixed EU and global needs often run Brevo for the European leg of their stack. For Shopify-first DTC, Klaviyo remains the typical choice.
FAQ about Brevo
Is Brevo really free?
Yes, Brevo has a permanent free plan with 300 daily email sends, unlimited contacts (up to 100,000 stored), and core automation features. No credit card is required, and there is no time limit.
How much does Brevo cost?
Brevo’s Starter plan begins at $9 per month and the Business plan at $18 per month, both priced by monthly email volume. Higher tiers and the BrevoPlus enterprise plan are available, plus SMS and WhatsApp are billed separately by message.
Is Brevo GDPR-compliant and EU-hosted?
Yes. Brevo is built in France with EU-located servers, is ISO 27001 certified, and provides a Data Processing Agreement by default. This is one of the main reasons European brands pick it over Mailchimp or HubSpot.
What’s the difference between Brevo and Mailchimp?
Brevo bills by emails sent rather than total contacts, so cleaning your list does not directly reduce your bill the way it does in Mailchimp. Brevo also bundles SMS, WhatsApp, and transactional email in one platform, where Mailchimp is more focused on marketing email and audience tools.
Does Brevo support transactional email and SMS?
Yes, transactional email is included on all plans through Brevo’s SMTP relay and API, and SMS and WhatsApp are pay-as-you-go add-ons. Many teams use Brevo specifically to combine marketing and transactional sending under one roof.
How to use Brevo?
Sign up at brevo.com, import your contacts, and send your first campaign. Most teams launch their first email within an hour.
Why choose Brevo?
Brevo is the strongest EU-built marketing platform with email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat on a single GDPR-native stack, ideal for European brands avoiding US data transfers.
How does Brevo work?
Brevo handles transactional and marketing email, SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat from one platform. You import contacts, build automations, and send campaigns across channels with shared lists and analytics.
How to learn Brevo?
Brevo Academy offers free certification courses on email and automation. Their YouTube channel and Help Center at help.brevo.com cover product walkthroughs.
What are Brevo alternatives?
Common alternatives include Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, Kit (formerly ConvertKit), and HubSpot.
What are Brevo reviews?
Brevo is rated 4.5 on G2 with 2,637 reviews. See the reviews for detailed feedback.
Does Brevo have an API?
Yes, Brevo provides REST APIs for transactional email, contacts, and campaigns. Documentation is at developers.brevo.com.
Does Brevo have a trial or a demo?
Yes, Brevo offers a permanently free tier with 300 emails per day that works as a trial.
Does Brevo have AI?
Yes, Brevo’s Aura AI assistant generates marketing copy, refines tone, creates images in the email editor, segments audiences in real time, and drafts reply suggestions inside Conversations. Aura spans email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat workflows.
Brevo pricing
Brevo is free. Plans are organised as Starter €9 · Business €18 · Enterprise. See the full Brevo pricing page for current tiers and any add-ons.
