Drip's visual email automation builder stands as one of the biggest USPs of the email marketing platform, attracting ecommerce marketers in hordes. From dynamic segmentation to a huge library of premade automation, Drip is offering top-notch features to its users. With multiple triggers, you can target customers in different stages of their life cycle by sending them relevant emails.
But how well does its email template builder and reporting perform? Our analysis found that comparatively, the learning curve is steep. So, is it the right tool for a beginner email marketer?
We cover that in our Drip review by analyzing its core features and giving you an unbiased opinion on whether you should invest in it.
Table of contents
What is Drip?
Drip is a complete email marketing solution for DTC and brands that help you create advanced email series, email templates, lead scoring, and onsite messaging to capture and nurture your customers. The tool has 150+ integrations to help you streamline your workflow and give you more flexibility over your campaigns.
Drip’s key features
Drip is a well-known email marketing automation platform, email editor, and onsite message features (forms and pop-ups). Here is a breakdown of all of them:
1. Email template builder
Drip’s drag-and-drop email editor has 50+ themed templates for various use cases and industries.
The email builder dashboard differs from other ESPs as it has left navigation. In the image shared below, you can see how you get editing option on the right side for each element - images, header, hero text, body, and footer. You'll see more customization options once you hover over an element (such as images, headings, CTAs, videos, layout, etc.)
The builder helps create engaging emails. You can speed up the design process by saving reusable blocks, such as the footer and heading blocks, for your newsletter.
2. Email automation builder
Drip is known for its advanced automation builder, as it has multiple trigger options and 40 pre-built automation series, especially for e-commerce/DTC brands. The builder is visual, which means you can see the entire series at a glance.
Here are some of the pre-built email series that Drip offers:
Cart abandonment email series
Product announcement email series
Upsell and cross-sell email series
You can set up triggers that originate from Drip or any of the integrations you connect Drip with – BigCommerce, Woocommerce, Shopify, Magento, etc. The number of triggers changes based on the integration you choose. Some common Drip automation trigger options include:
Update a cart: When a customer updates their cart
Paid an order: When customers pay for their order
Entered a segment: When people enter a workflow, this series is fired within 24 hours of that action.
Updated lifetime value: A customer’s lifetime value exceeds a pre-defined threshold.
In Drip, you can use automation to build email series or workflows. If you want to use linear automation without any branching, like if a person does this trigger that email, use email series. But, to create highly-targeted emails, workflows are the best.
3. Drip’s form and pop-up builder
Drip’s form builder offers 50+ templates divided into four categories: pop-ups, forms, bars, and gamification widgets. The creative templates have design variations helping you create engaging and compelling forms.
Once you select any of the form types, you can adjust their positioning - left, right, top, or bottom. After you have designed the form, you can choose the trigger to show the designed form.
Time-based: Show form after the user has spent specified time on a page
Scroll-based: When users have scrolled to a predefined length
Exit-intent based: Trigger when the user is about to leave the page
Automated triggering: The algorithm selects the best trigger
Click trigger: Trigger when a visitor clicks a class or ID on your page
Manual trigger: Trigger campaign manually by Javascript
SiteData trigger: Trigger campaign based on the site’s data
After defining the trigger, you can also select if you want to show forms on all or specific pages. After that, you can select the contact list to whom you want to show these email marketing campaigns. There are many helpful options, as you can customize the form and capture the right visitors.
Even though every step is mapped out and what each step offers is clear, we found this a long process, but it ensures you set up everything perfectly.
Drip pricing details
Drip has a 14-day free trial; its paid plans start from $39/month. On each plan, you get a limited email send limit. For instance, if you have 75k contacts, your monthly email send limit will be 900k emails. Here's drip's pricing model:
| Number of contacts | Free | Paid plan |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5k | Available | $39/mo |
| 7.5k | NA | $124/mo |
| 15k | NA | $209/mo |
| 25k | NA | $409/mo |
| 50k | NA | $699/mo |
| 75k | NA | $949/mo |
| 100k | NA | $1199/mo |
| 120k | NA | $1399/mo |
| 150k | NA | $1699/mo |
Get a complete overview of Drip’s pricing
Drip’s key strengths and weaknesses
Based on Drip’s customer reviews, we have highlighted the pros and cons of the tool:
Drip pros
- Top-notch email workflow builder: Drip’s attractive feature is its amazing automation builder offering many trigger points, prebuilt workflows, and customization options. Another good part is that you can share the workflow with other team members.
We handle a lot of our email marketing through Drip, and we're able to set up some complex workflows and rules to save a lot of time while still offering our own customers a good, consistent experience. - Thomas, Sr. Content Marketer, Canada
Advanced form builder: The form builder offers various customization options, and you can configure the triggers and display settings. Additionally, there are pre-made templates to save time and effort.
Unlimited monthly email sends: Drip allows you to send unlimited emails to an email list of 30k people.
Dynamic list creation: Drip automatically adds subscribers to a list if they fit into a pre-defined segment. It reduces the manual work of adding contacts as soon as they join.
Drip cons
- Confusing navigation: Drip’s navigation can seem a bit confusing for a first-time user. For instance, there is a section to set up automated campaigns (it’s named workflows in the navigation bar); in the campaign section, there is another option for email series. The workflows are much more advanced than a series, but it’s unclear which one a user should use if they’re new.
- Basic reporting dashboard: Drip shows a dropdown to show various reports, but many can be combined for a much better analysis. Moreover, you can check the reports for campaigns and broadcasts in the respective section, but you can use only the reporting section to access the workflow data.
Is Drip the right tool for you?
We’ve listed key points to help you decide if Drip is the right ESP for you:
When it’s recommended
- If you run a DTC/e-commerce store: Drip has more than 200+ integrations, many of which are e-commerce and DTC-oriented. Additionally, they have pre-made workflows with e-commerce-oriented triggers and actions. Overall, all the features offered by Drip are DTC/e-commerce focused. You’ll get many benefits if you choose Drip for your online store.
- If you want an advanced automation builder: Drip’s workflow builder has many trigger options to capture and target the right visitor. You’ll get related triggers and actions to build the right series based on the integration you chose. Additionally, you get access to 50+ pre-made workflow templates, making creating workflows even easier.
When it’s not
- If you are a beginner: Drip is an advanced ESP and might not be suitable if you’re starting in email marketing. For instance, its drag-and-drop editor’s interface differs from any ESP we’ve seen. Additionally, automation is more advanced, which you might not be able to use to its potential without the right resources, expertise, and budget.
Despite its widespread appeal, it isn’t designed for everyone. Instead, Drip has a steep learning curve tailored toward an expert audience. - Edward, Affiliate Marketing Specialist, Italy
- If you want to send interactive AMP emails: Drip currently doesn’t support interactive AMP emails. So, if you want to create and send AMP emails, Mailmodo would be the right choice as it’s one of the leading ESPs that offers 20+ AMP widgets, including spin-the-wheel, polls, quizzes, and shopping carts. You can build engaging emails and add these widgets using its no-code email template editor.
Drip alternatives
Here are some of the best Drip alternatives with top-notch features at an affordable price:
Mailmodo
Mailmodo is an email marketing software that it helps you create and send interactive AMP emails, build automated journeys, and create trigger campaigns. The tool is much cheaper than Drip and is known for its excellent deliverability and customer support.
Drip vs Mailmodo: Which one should you use?
| Criterion | Mailmodo | Drip |
|---|---|---|
| No-code email builder | For both AMP and HTML emails with 200+ premade templates to start with. | Only for HTML emails with 50+ pre-made themed templates |
| AMP email support | Supports 20+ AMP widgets. | Not supported |
| Transactional emails | Available on all plans | Available on all plans |
| Customer support | Email, chat, video, and phone support. | Email, live chat, and live audio screen recording support. In-product guides. |
| Email automation | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dynamic email & personalization | ✅ | ✅ |
| List Management | ✅ | ✅ |
| Reports and Analysis | ✅ | ✅ |
| Subject line A/B testing | ✅ | ✅ |
| Supported integrations | 20+ integrations | 200+ integrations |
| Pricing | Upto 40k contacts - Lite: $199/mo Upto 100k contacts: - Pro - $459/mo |
Upto 40k contacts: $609/mo Upto 100k contacts: $1199/mo |
When should you choose Mailmodo over Drip?
Here are the key reasons to choose Mailmodo over Drip as your email marketing service provider.
- If you want to access a huge library of interactive AMP widgets
AMP emails are the future of email marketing as they reduce friction and let your recipient act inside the email. Mailmodo is the only ESP that helps you create and send responsive and engaging AMP emails with its no-code email editor. So, if you want both AMP and HTML emails, choose Mailmodo.
- If you want top-notch features at an affordable price
Comparatively, Drip is more expensive, and if you’re a small or midsize business, it can be expensive despite its functionalities. Mailmodo is an affordable ESP that offers many features, such as a no-code editor with 20+ AMP widgets, an advanced automation builder, and higher deliverability.
You can start with its 21-day free trial, and its paid plans start at only $99/mo, where you will get access to all the features to explore the benefits you can get from it.
Other Drip alternatives
Check out these Drip alternatives that are much cheaper and might be the right choice.
| Drip vs. Klaviyo | Drip vs. Omnisend | Drip vs. GetResponse |
|---|
Klaviyo
Klaviyo’s all features are top-notch, and despite this, the tool is user-friendly, and the learning curve isn’t that steep. If you’re looking to start email marketing, Klaviyo can be a good choice.
Omnisend
Omnisend is a close alternative to Drip in terms of pricing and easy to use features. While Drip is much advanced tool than Omnisend, for a beginner, latter is a better choice.
GetResponse
GetResponse can also be a good choice for your e-commerce/DTC brands as it has many features that will be useful to your brand. For example, you can add promo codes to e-commerce platforms, trigger email series based on website actions, and show product recommendations based on customers' search and purchase history.
Drip’s rating overview
| Feature | Ratings | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | The ESP is user-friendly and navigation makes it super easy to access the desired features. Its email editor has a different interface than most ESPs, so it might be something you get used to over time. |
| Email template editor | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Drip has a drag and drop editor that offers all design customizations. You can save sections and use them later. There is also an option to split tests. |
| Premade templates | ⭐⭐⭐ | Drip has 50+ themed templates for various use cases. You can also choose their plain text email template and edit the code to customize it. |
| Email automation | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Drip has one of the most advanced automation builders with pre-built ready-to-launch workflows. You can add multiple entry points from a wide range of triggers. |
| List management | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | You can add lists manually and create segments. Additionally, dynamic segmentation automatically adds subscribers to a specific list if they fulfill the pre-defined segment criteria. |
| Signup form builder | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Drip’s form builder is versatile and helps you create pop-ups, forms, and bars and also adds gamified elements to all of these types. There are many trigger and targeting options to ensure you capture the right visitor at the right time. |
| Landing page builder | ❌ | You cannot build a landing page using Drip. But, it integrates with many website building software, such as Leadpages. |
| Reporting and analytics | ⭐⭐⭐ | Drip’s reporting dashboard gives you a bird’s eye view of your campaigns performance. You can track key metrics such as click rate, average order value, and revenue generated. |
| Personalization | ⭐⭐⭐ | You can personalize the subject line using the following parameters: Custom fields, tags, and profile fields. Additionally, you can use hide/show logic and personalized content blocks in your emails. |
| Authentications | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | SPF, SKIM, and DMARC supported. |
| Own domain for landing pages | ❌ | Not available |
| Spam and design testing | ⭐⭐⭐ | Drip doesn’t have spam or inbox testing. You can preview the email on desktop and mobile only and send test emails. |
| Bounce management | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | After one attempt, hard-bounced email addresses will be flagged as undeliverable. Four attempts are made for soft bounces for up to 72 hours and if the email is still undeliverable, no further email will be sent. |
| Blocklist | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Drip blocks any account if it violates Drip’s accepted thresholds be it in terms of hard bounces or spam complaints. |
| Interactive elements | ❌ | Not available |
| Integrations | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 200+ integrations including e-commerce, social media, and marketing analytics channels and apps. |
| Customer support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Drip offers email and live chat support to all its customers. Also, they offer free migration. |
| Overall ratings | 4.4/5 (G2) 4.4/5 (Capterra) |
Drip is a user-friendly and affordable ESP to start and scale your email marketing efforts. But, being a super advanced tool, it doesn’t offer A/B testing in the automation section, which should be there as automation is Drip’s strongest suite. |
The verdict
If you’re looking for an automation powerhouse ESP for your ecommerce businesses, Drip should be your go-to choice. It’s worth the price, integrates with major platforms such as Shopify, Magneto, and Bigcommerce, and has 50 prebuilt workflows to make your work easier.
The onsite messaging features are also amazing, as you can personalize the experience by defining various trigger points to show the right form/pop-up to the right visitor. This feature can help improve your lead generation process.
On the downside, Drip doesn’t support interactive AMP emails and might be a difficult tool for beginner email marketers. In this case, explore Mailmodo, which is super easy to use and supports 20+ AMP email widgets. You can start with a 21-day free trial and explore all the features.
