Pick a replacement by how closely it needs to follow what users do in your product. SaaS-first lifecycle tools trigger emails from product events, broad automation platforms add more channels, and simpler email tools cover newsletters with light automation. Open-source automation is free to run but leaves hosting and deliverability with you.
One option you'll still see recommended for SaaS email automation is no longer a hosted service at all. That's a useful warning for anyone weighing up where to send their onboarding and nurture emails after Encharge, because the tool you choose will hold some of your most important customer conversations.
When the hosted version goes away
Dittofeed, an open-source customer messaging tool, posted on its own site that its Cloud service closed on 31 October. It's no longer a hosted option, and only self-hosting remains. Anyone who'd built their lifecycle emails on that Cloud now has to run the software themselves or move.
That's the real risk with open-source automation. The open-source option in this list is free to run, but you own the hosting, the deliverability and every upgrade. If an email stops sending at two in the morning, there's no vendor support desk to call. Some teams are happy with that trade, because they get full control of their data. Most small SaaS teams are better off with a hosted tool and a clean export path.
Lifecycle tools, broad platforms and simpler senders
SaaS-first lifecycle tools
Userlist, Loops and Vero are built around product data. They send emails based on what users do, or don't do, inside your app. That's the closest match to the onboarding and activation flows SaaS teams usually build.
General marketing automation platforms
ActiveCampaign and Ortto go wider, with more channels and more customer data in one place. They suit teams whose automation spans marketing, sales and product, not just onboarding.
Email tools with automation
MailerLite, SendX and Mailmodo start from email marketing and add automation on top. They're quicker to set up if your flows are simple and your main job is newsletters, campaigns and a handful of sequences.
The open-source route
Mautic is the self-hosted choice. It suits technical teams that want to own every part of the stack and have the skills to keep it running.
In no particular order: all nine
Sorted A to Z. Every line reflects how the vendor describes its own product.
ActiveCampaign
Best for: Marketers ready for broader automation: the vendor says AI agents now handle email, SMS and WhatsApp, pitching itself beyond marketing automation.
Loops
Best for: SaaS teams tired of splitting email across tools; the vendor offers marketing, product and transactional email from one contact record.
MailerLite
Best for: Smaller teams that want email automations next to landing pages, signup forms and websites in one place, as the vendor describes it.
Mailmodo
Best for: Marketers who want AI help creating emails and journeys, plus interactive emails the vendor says drive more conversions.
Mautic
Best for: Teams with their own hosting skills: open-source email marketing and lead management, with the vendor stressing no lock-in and control of your data.
Ortto
Best for: Growth teams wanting customer data, messaging and analytics on a single platform, in the vendor's words.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
SendX
Best for: Frequent senders: the vendor highlights unlimited sends and AI reputation management to protect deliverability.
Userlist
Best for: SaaS product marketers onboarding, engaging and nurturing both customers and leads; the vendor says it meets the complexity of a SaaS business.
Vero
Best for: Product-led teams sending email, push and SMS based on what users do in the product, from what the vendor calls a no-nonsense platform.
Nine automation tools in one grid
| Tool | Kind of tool | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign | Marketing automation | Email, SMS and WhatsApp handled by AI agents |
| Loops | Email for SaaS | Marketing, product and transactional email together |
| MailerLite | Email and automation | Automations alongside landing pages and forms |
| Mailmodo | Interactive AI email | Interactive emails and AI-built journeys |
| Mautic | Open-source marketing automation | Self-hosted email and lead management |
| Ortto | Automation and customer data | Joining customer data, messaging and analytics |
| SendX | Email marketing and automation | Frequent senders who care about deliverability |
| Userlist | SaaS lifecycle email | Onboarding and nurturing SaaS users and leads |
| Vero | Behaviour-based messaging | Email, push and SMS triggered by product use |
My advice for SaaS marketers
Match the tool to your data, not to the longest feature list. If your best emails fire when a user hits a milestone or goes quiet, you need a tool that reads product events cleanly, and a SaaS-first lifecycle tool will save you weeks of workarounds. If most of your sending is newsletters and launch announcements, a simpler email tool is easier for the whole team to use.
Think hard before going open source. It's a sensible route when you've got engineers who already run servers, and a burden when you don't. Consent and email marketing rules vary by country, so check your obligations with your local regulator. For more options, see my Customer.io alternatives and my roundup of email automation tools.
Rebuild your onboarding flow before you switch
- Pick your most important automated flow, usually the onboarding sequence new signups get.
- Rebuild it in a trial of each shortlisted option, using the same triggers, delays and conditions.
- Connect a test copy of your product events so you can fire the triggers without touching real users.
- Send the test emails to a few inboxes on different providers and check they land in the main inbox.
- Compare how long the rebuild took and how easy it'll be to change later, then decide.
Do you make email marketing or automation software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What makes SaaS email automation different?
SaaS tools trigger emails from what users do inside the product, such as signing up, using a feature or going quiet. General email tools mostly work from lists, tags and form signups.
Is open-source marketing automation a good idea for a small team?
Only if someone can manage hosting, deliverability and upgrades. Without that, a hosted tool is usually safer, even if the software itself is free.
Can I move my automations from Encharge?
Contacts and tags can usually be exported and imported. Flows and automations normally need rebuilding by hand, so list them before you leave.
Will switching tools hurt my deliverability?
It can for a while. Set up your sending domain correctly, warm up gradually if the new tool advises it, and test emails to several inbox providers before sending to everyone.
Do I need SMS and push as well as email?
Only if your users expect them. Many SaaS teams run well on email alone, so add channels when you've got a clear reason, not because a tool offers them.
