The best email marketing app for Shopify, by the size of your list
The best email marketing app for Shopify depends on your list: Klaviyo, Omnisend, Mailchimp and Shopify Messaging, with free tiers from each listing.
Written by Tilly. Tilly is one of the apps on this page, so read it knowing that.
How this list was put together
The best email marketing app for Shopify is the one whose free tier fits your list today and whose flows fit it a year from now. Four are compared here: Klaviyo, Omnisend, Mailchimp and Shopify Messaging, each read from its own Shopify App Store listing.
How this list was put together: none of these apps was installed and tested for this page. Each was read from its own listing on the Shopify App Store, and Klaviyo also from its pricing page, and every free tier, price and rating below is quoted from those pages on the day they were checked.
Tilly is not on the list as a sender, because it does not send email. It writes the flows and campaigns into the app that does, and there is a section on that below. Read the rest knowing that Tilly works with Klaviyo today.
The shortlist
| Shopify email marketing apps: rating and price, from each app's own listing | Best for | Rating on the Shopify App Store | Price on its listing |
|---|---|---|---|
 Klaviyo | Stores that want flows built on what people browse and buy | 4.7source | Free: email for up to 250 contacts, SMS for up to 150 creditssource |
 Omnisend | Stores that want a larger free plan and simple automation | 4.7source | Standard: $16/month, up to 500 contactssource |
 Mailchimp | Stores that already use Mailchimp for a newsletter | 4.8source | Essentials: from $13/monthsource |
 Shopify Messaging | Small lists and simple campaigns, inside Shopify | 4.8source | The first 10,000 emails each month are freesource |
Klaviyo
Klaviyo's listing gives its free tier as email free forever for up to 250 contacts, and SMS free for up to 150 SMS/MMS credits. Its pricing page puts the same tier at 500 email sends a month. source, checked 9 October 2026
Its listing describes a guided setup for new stores, a sign-up form, a welcome email and an abandoned-checkout flow, and data from 350+ integrations. It is the shopify email marketing app that Tilly writes into today. source, checked 9 October 2026
Watch out for where the bill comes from: its listing says external charges may be billed by Klaviyo separately from your Shopify invoice, and the free tier is small once the list grows. source, checked 9 October 2026
Omnisend
Omnisend's free plan, on its listing, emails up to 250 people and sends 500 emails a month, and automates abandoned cart and welcome emails. Its Standard plan is $16 a month for up to 500 contacts, rising as the list grows. source, checked 9 October 2026
Its listing also describes welcome, abandoned cart and post-purchase automation workflows, which covers the flows a new store needs first. source, checked 9 October 2026
Watch out for the jump from free to paid: the paid plan is priced by contacts, so a list that grows fast grows the bill with it. source, checked 9 October 2026
Mailchimp
Mailchimp lists a free plan, and its Essentials plan starts at $13 a month. On Essentials the listing gives marketing automation for up to 4 automations. source, checked 9 October 2026
For a store whose email is mostly a newsletter, that may be enough. For a store that wants a separate flow for every stage of a customer's life, the automation limit is the line to read.
Watch out for the automation limit on the lower plans: up to 4 marketing automations on Essentials covers a welcome and a cart reminder, not a full set of flows. source, checked 9 October 2026
Shopify Messaging (formerly Shopify Email)
Shopify's own app gives your first 10,000 emails each month free, then charges from $1 per 1,000 emails. It sends email, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns from inside Shopify, with ready-made automations such as welcome, winback and upsell emails. source, checked 8 October 2026
Its listing names Shopify Flow, Shopify Admin and Shopify Forms as what it works with. It lives inside Shopify rather than connecting out, which keeps setup simple. source, checked 8 October 2026
Watch out for how far the flows go. Ready-made automations cover the basics; flows that branch on what someone browsed or bought are where stores tend to move to a dedicated app.
Where Tilly fits: the emails, written for the app you choose
Whichever app sends, someone has to write the flows and the month's campaigns. Tilly writes them for the customers your audit found, in your brand voice, and puts them into Klaviyo as drafts; Omnisend and Shopify Email are next. Nothing is sent until you switch it on in the app.
A whole flow costs 30 credits, a campaign 10, and planning next month's email calendar costs nothing. Tilly writes 8 flows, from welcome to winback, each with its timing set.
How to choose
Start with the size of your list and how far you want the flows to go. A store with a small list and simple campaigns is well served by Shopify Messaging's free allowance. A store that wants a different email for first-time and repeat buyers, or reminders that stop the moment someone orders, is better on Klaviyo or Omnisend.
Then compare the free tiers against your list: the best free email marketing app for Shopify at 200 contacts may not be the cheapest at 5,000. Read each listing's pricing line, and check whether charges are billed inside your Shopify invoice or by the developer.
Questions people ask
What is the best email app for Shopify for a new store?
The best email app for Shopify at the start is one with a free tier that covers your list and a welcome flow you can switch on in a day. All four here have a free way in; pick by how far you want the flows to go later.
Which is the best email marketing app Shopify stores can use for free?
On their own listings: Klaviyo's free tier covers email for up to 250 contacts, Omnisend's up to 250 people and 500 emails a month, Mailchimp lists a free plan, and Shopify Messaging gives 10,000 free emails each month. source, checked 9 October 2026
Are there free Shopify email marketing apps with automation?
Yes. Omnisend's free plan automates abandoned cart and welcome emails, and Shopify Messaging includes ready-made automations. Free email marketing Shopify setups usually start with exactly those two flows. source, checked 9 October 2026
What is the best Shopify app for email marketing once a store grows?
The one whose flows can follow your customers: browse and cart reminders that stop on purchase, post-purchase and winback flows, segments built from orders. That is where most stores weigh Klaviyo and Omnisend against each other.
Do I need more than one of the Shopify apps for email marketing?
No. Pick one for marketing email, so customers do not get two sets of the same messages. Order and shipping emails still come from Shopify whichever you choose.
What is the best email for Shopify order and shipping messages?
Those come from Shopify itself, not from an email marketing shopify app. The apps on this page are for marketing: sign-ups, flows and campaigns.
How do email marketing apps for Shopify price?
By contacts, by sends, or both. Omnisend's Standard plan is priced from $16 a month for up to 500 contacts; Shopify Messaging charges from $1 per 1,000 emails after its free allowance. source, checked 9 October 2026
Can Tilly write emails for any shopify app email marketing setup?
Tilly writes into Klaviyo today, and Omnisend and Shopify Email are next. With another app, you can use the flows Tilly plans as the brief.
Sources
- Klaviyo: Shopify App Store listing, checked 9 October 2026
- Klaviyo: klaviyo.com/pricing, checked 9 October 2026
- Omnisend: Shopify App Store listing, checked 9 October 2026
- Mailchimp: Shopify App Store listing, checked 9 October 2026
- Shopify Messaging: Shopify App Store listing, checked 8 October 2026
- Shopify Messaging: shopify.com/email-marketing, checked 8 October 2026
Written by Tilly. Tilly is one of the apps on this page, so read it knowing that. Report an error.
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