For e-commerce business owners, Klaviyo has established itself as the go-to ESP. With its top-notch features targeted at Shopify store owners and other e-commerce businesses, it has made its mark. Klaviyo offers some of the most impressive features, from email automation flows to AI-based product recommendations.
But, Klaviyo charges high prices for email and SMS marketing plans. This can be a major drawback if you seek an affordable ESP.
In this Klaviyo review, we will analyze the tool based on our experience and customer feedback. So, if you choose Klaviyo as your ESP, stay with us until the end.
Table of contents
What is Klaviyo?
Klaviyo is an e-commerce email marketing service provider that helps you create and scale email marketing campaigns. Along with email marketing, the tool also helps you market SMS and has dedicated features.
The most used features include a drag-and-drop template editor, sign-up, form builder, transactional emails, and a marketing automation builder. Each feature is superb and helps you segment and personalize your contact list to send relevant and targeted emails.
What are Klaviyo's core features?
Here is a complete analysis of Klaviyo's key features:
1. Email campaign builder
Klaviyo has a user-friendly drag-and-drop template builder. It has all the essential features to create and send engaging emails. There are three ways to create templates: Use an HTML email editor, a plain-text editor, and upload your HTML code.
There are 94 themed templates and 19 layout wireframe-based templates.
You can add conditional logic by specifying conditions to show/hide elements to certain users. This feature helps you create more relevant emails for the target recipient.
You can use Klaviyo's artificial intelligence assistant to help you.
Generate subject lines based on the email type
Analyze past best-performing subject lines to pick the highest-performing ones for future campaigns, and
Shares best practices for writing compelling and click-worthy subject lines
You can also run A/B testing and test these variables: Email content and send timings (date and time).
2. Email marketing automation
There are 61 premade emails, and e-commerce flows for different email campaign goals. Most flows use Shopify as a trigger, making it easy for e-commerce brands to run targeted email series. Here are the categories of goals available for different flows:
Prevent lost sales
Nurture subscribers
Build customer loyalty
Remind customer to purchase
Encourage repeat purchase
Update customers on order status
Others
The marketing automation builder seems easy to use and clear, even for beginners.
There are options to track UTM links, send time optimization features, and add advanced filters. These filters let you hyper-segment your flows by restricting people from a certain flow based on whether they fulfill the conditions mentioned by you.
Creating different variations of each email in the flow for A/B testing is also possible. Another interesting feature is the quiet hour feature if you trigger SMS in the marketing flows. The tool doesn't send an SMS during the specified hours. It helps ensure you are not pinging your recipient at the wrong time, ultimately impacting your campaign's performance.
3. Sign-up form builder
Klaviyo's form builder allows you to build four types of forms - pop-ups, embedded, full page, or fly-out. You'll find 60 premade templates in their template library, which you can filter by the type of form and goals you want to achieve. All these forms are available even if you use Klaviyo's free plan.
The SMS builder is one of the most impressive ESPs we have analyzed. There are many customization options to create compelling forms to meet your goals. For instance, you can add blocks influencing multi-select, coupon codes, dropdown menus, radio buttons, and more.
The targeting and behavioral options are also advanced, as you can configure them when showing the form. There is also an option to hide/show the form on desktop or mobile; you can configure which customers should see the form. These options help you target the right recipients and convert them.
The teaser feature, which gives you a preview of your form, is interactive. You can see how the form will look, make changes, and see the updated version in real-time.
Klaviyo pricing details
Klaviyo offers two plans: one for email marketing services and another for email and SMS marketing services. Here is a breakdown of both services' pricing
Email marketing services pricing
| Number of contacts | Free | Email and SMS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | $0/month + upto 500 monthly emails + 150 free monthly SMS/MMS credits | - | - |
| 2.5k - 3k | NA | $70/mo | $85/mo |
| 5k - 5.5k | NA | $110/mo | $125/mo |
| 6.5k - 10k | NA | $150/mo | $165/mo |
| 15k-20k | NA | $375/mo | $390/mo |
| 45k - 50k | NA | $720/mo | $735/mo |
| 70 - 75k | NA | $1070/mo | $1085/mo |
| 95k - 100k | NA | $1380/mo | $1395/mo |
| 105k - 110k | NA | $1495/mo | $1510/mo |
| 125k - 130k | NA | $1725/mo | $1740/mo |
| 135k - 140k | NA | $1840/mo | $1855/mo |
| 150k+ | NA | Custom plan | Custom plan |
Every plan has a monthly email-sending limit. If you exceed that limit, you must pay an additional price for each email sent.
The pricing mentioned above includes 1250 monthly SMS/MMS credits, which vary based on the country you're sending SMS to. For the USA, each SMS costs 1 credit; for Canada, it costs 3 credits; and for the UK, it costs 5 credits.
Get a complete analysis of Klaviyo's pricing plans
Klaviyo's key strengths and weaknesses
Based on Klaviyo's customer reviews, we have highlighted the pros and cons of the tool:
Klaviyo Pros
Advanced yet user-friendly tool: They have kept it user-friendly while offering powerful and advanced features. Such a combination is rarely found among various ESPs.
Advanced sign-up form builder: Klaviyo's sign-up form builder is one of the ESPs we have analyzed so far. It offers multiple design and style options, and you can easily configure targeting and behavioral settings. Their teaser feature shows you how the form will look in real-time, and you can change it simultaneously.
List creation and segmentation: The tool offers you multiple ways (sign-up forms, 7 segment options with AND conditions to get even more specific with your segments.
The segmentation tool is phenomenal, given how many variables you can use to create specific lists of people for campaigns; we have even used these lists outside Klaviyo for integration with other platforms, such as attentive and custom loyalty-type incentives! - Cody B.
- Detailed engagement reporting: Klaviyo offers engagement reports in its list and segmentation sections. You get engagement reports for different lists and segments, which are quite detailed. For instance, you can filter by different email clients and see members' engagement from very engaged to unengaged.
Klaviyo Cons
Expensive for its features: Even though Klaviyo's features are outstanding and help you create, manage, and scale your email marketing campaigns, the pricing seems unreasonable. Besides, they have put a limit on the monthly email sent on each plan, which means you need to pay extra for every additional email you send.
Slow customer service: Klaviyo's customer support service often takes longer to respond even though their responses are helpful and solve the customer's problem. They can improve this one.
Is Klaviyo the right tool for you?
Now, the big question. Should you use Klaviyo as your email service provider? We've listed key points to help you decide:
When it's recommended
If you want to run SMS marketing campaigns: The SMS marketing feature is easy to use, and you can send SMS triggers based on opt-ins, website behavior, or email activity. The whole process of setting up your first SMS campaign is seamless.
If you are e-commerce: Klaviyo is excellent for e-commerce businesses and has various options to scale your marketing campaigns. From premade Shopify-triggered workflows to predictive AI product recommendations, you get a complete suite of features for your e-commerce business. Moreover, you can easily use promotional and transactional SMS to boost your conversion rate.
Klaviyos features are much more advanced and a valuable tool for any eCommerce Business. - Gartner Peer Insights
- If you use Shopify: Klaviyo advertises itself as the leading ecommerce platform for Shopify owners. Most workflow templates are based on Shopify integration, making sending relevant emails to visitors super easy.
When it's not
If you have a low budget: Klaviyo prices are higher, making it an expensive ESP if you don't have such a huge budget.
If you want to send interactive AMP emails: Klavyo doesn't support creating and sending interactive AMP emails. You can add dynamic elements, but if you want to add AMP email widgets such as forms, shopping carts, polls, calendars, etc., Mailmodo would be a better ESP to consider.
Klaviyo alternatives
Check out these Klaviyo alternatives that are much cheaper and might be the right choice.
Mailmodo
Mailmodo is one of the emerging and leading email marketing platforms that helps you create and send interactive AMP emails, build automated journeys, and create trigger campaigns. Apart from this, the tool is much cheaper than Klaviyo and is known for its excellent customer support. This is one of the major issues Klaviyo users face.
Check out the comparison between Mailmodo vs. Klaviyo
Klaviyo vs. Mailmodo: Which one should you use?
| Criterion | Mailmodo | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|
| No-code email builder | For both AMP and HTML emails with 200+ premade templates to start with. | Only for HTML emails with 94 themed templates and 19 layout-based templates. |
| AMP email support | ✅ | ❌ |
| Transactional emails | Available on all plans | Available on all plans |
| Dedicated support | Email, chat, video & phone support for all users. | 24/7 email and chat support along with community and video courses. For free plan users, only 60 days of email support is available. |
| Email automation | 5 trigger categories available: 1. Manual Trigger - Specific contacts. 2. Contacts - Contacts added to a list - Change in property of a contact - Contact enters or leaves a segment - Occurrence of date. 3. AMP activities - Form submission. 4. Custom events - Occurrence of an event. 5. External Platform - API/Webhook, Zapier, Make, Integromat, Influencer Bit. |
5 trigger categories available: 1. List-based 2. Segment-based 3. Metric-based 4. Date of birth based 5. Price drop based |
| Dynamic email & personalization | ✅ | ✅ |
| List Management | ✅ | ✅ |
| Reports and Analysis | ✅ | ✅ |
| Subject line A/B testing | ✅ | ✅ |
| Supported integrations | 20+ integrations | 200+ integrations |
| Pricing | For 40k contacts: Lite - $199/mo For 100k contacts: Pro - $459/mo |
For 35k - 40k contacts: Email marketing plan: $600/mo For 95k - 100k contacts: Email marketing plan: $1380/mo |
When should you choose Mailmodo over Klaviyo?
Mailmodo wins over Klaviyo in the following aspects:
- If you need quick and reliable customer support services
Our customers praise us for our reliable and excellent customer support. The CS team can help you with your queries and lead them in the right direction, even if you're on the free plan.
- If you want to send interactive AMP emails
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 20+ responsive and engaging AMP email widgets with its no-code email template builder. Some e-commerce-specific AMP emails use cases include
Send NPS surveys to collect customer feedback.
Recover lost sales with shopping carts
Promote special offers and deals with themes spin the wheel, scavenger hunt, and quiz widgets.
If you want a budget-friendly ESP
One key disadvantage of Kaviyo is its high-end pricing compared to other ESPs such as Mailmodo charges only $99/mo for upto 40k contacts and gives you access to all its features - visual email flow builder, 20+ interactive AMP widgets, transactional emails, and more. In contrast, Kalviyo charges $600/more for the same number of contacts as the email marketing plan.
Other Klaviyo alternatives
Check out these Klaviyo alternatives that are more affordable and offer excellent email marketing features.
| Sendinblue vs. Klaviyo | Mailchimp vs.Klaviyo | MailerLite vs.Klaviyo |
|---|
Sendinblue
Sendinblue is a much cheaper ESP than Klaviyo and offers advanced features such as an automation builder and a free sales CRM. The toll charges are based on emails instead of contacts. Pricing starts at $25/mo and $65/mo for up to 20k emails. So, if you are considering this pricing structure and want access to top-notch features, try SendinBlue.
Check out this complete review of Sendinblue
Mailchimp
Comparatively, Mailchimp is much cheaper than Klaviyo and offers the best brand experience with advanced features such as a drag-and-drop template builder, e-commerce marketing, and an extensive integration suite.
Deep dive into complete review of Mailchimp
MailerLite
MailerLite is one of the cheapest and most user-friendly ESPs with amazing email marketing features. They offer a much more generous free plan than Klaviyo for up to 1000 contacts. Another area where they excel is in their customer support. Klaviyo users' feedback revealed that support could be slow, but MailerLite's support is quick and reliable.
Checkout our in-depth review of MailerLite
Klaviyo rating overview
| Feature | Ratings | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Klaviyo stands out with its ability to make even complicated and advanced features user-friendly and straightforward to use. |
| Email template editor | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | The editor is drag-and-drop and user-friendly. The right navigation panel has all the elements to design an engaging email. You can add conditional logic to hide/show elements on different devices. |
| Premade templates | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Klaviyo has 94 in-product themed templates for welcome emails, onboarding, re-engagement, and more use cases. Besides, there are also 19 wireframe-based templates. |
| Email automation | ⭐⭐⭐ | The automation workflow feature has 61 flow templates, most of which have triggers based on actions in your Shopify store. The builder is drag and drop; you can trigger emails and SMS based on various conditions and actions. There is also an option to A/B test all emails and SMS in a flow. On the downside, the trigger options are quite limited, and considering the price Klaviyo charges, it seems high for this feature. |
| List management | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Klaviyo's list creation and management feature is superb and gives you a variety of ways to create lists and segments. The import and export options are available. |
| Sign-up form builder | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | The sign-up form builder is one of the superb features of Klaviyo. You get four types of forms - pop-up, embedded, fly-out, and full page. There are also 60 premade customizable form templates. One outstanding benefit of the form builder is that you can configure targeting based on various factors, such as the user's behavioral data. |
| Landing page builder | ❌ | Not available |
| Reporting and analytics | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | By default, the reporting dashboard shows the following cards: - Conversion summary card - Campaign performance and details card - Flow performance and details card - Performance highlights card - Email deliverability card. You can customize the dashboard by clicking and adding more cards, such as SMS deliverability cards, email funnel detail cards, and more. The entire reporting dashboard gives you a complete analysis of your campaign across both channels - email and SMS. |
| Personalization | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | You can personalize e-mails using various data types: - Basic data such as first name, location, etc. - Contact data - Event data - Custom properties. Apart from this, conditional blocks are also available. There are some logics available, such as if-else blocks and for blocks. These blocks are really helpful in creating hyper-personalized e-commerce-based emails. |
| Authentications | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | SPF, DKIM, and DMARC supported |
| Own domain | ❌ | Not available |
| Spam and design testing | ⭐⭐⭐ | No spam testing is available. You can send and preview emails on desktop and mobile. One unique preview option is to see your emails' file size to avoid Gmail clipping. |
| Bounce management | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Hard bounces are automatically suppressed. If an email bounces more than 7 consecutive times, Klaviyo will suppress this address. |
| Interactive elements | ❌ | Not available |
| Integrations | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 200 integrations including Bigcommerce, Shopify, Wix, PrestaShop, Magento Commerce, and Salesforce commerce cloud |
| Customer support | ⭐⭐⭐ | Community, Klaviyo Academy, 24/7 email and chat support. Free accounts get 60 days of email support. |
| Overall ratings | 4.6/5 (G2) 4.4/5 (Gartner) |
Klaviyo is a superb for e-commerce brands and offers top-nothc feature to scale email marketing campaigns. The only drawback is its high prices and slow customer support. |
The verdict
In a nutshell, Klaviyo is one of the most effective ecommerce marketing software available. It offers features like an advanced automation builder and 61 premade workflows for use cases like increasing AOV, nurturing new customers, or winning back inactive or unengaged customers. Besides, its predictive AI-based product recommendation also makes it an attractive choice for e-commerce businesses.
Another interesting feature is their CRM, labeled 'profile' in their left navigation panel. It gives an overview of how your customers engage with your store, their past purchase history, and how much they've spent. All this offers a holistic view you can leverage to send and create a more targeted and personalized experience for your website visitors.
But, one key drawback is Klaviyo's unjustifiable pricing. It charges $110 for just 4.5 - 5k contacts, which can be turned off for businesses with low budgets. And even customer support takes time to resolve the query. A much better alternative to avoid these drawbacks is Mailmodo, an emerging ESP that offers the most affordable pricing with access to pro features such as interactive email building, an advanced automation builder, and quick and reliable customer support.
You can explore more of its features by signing up for a 21-day free trial.
