- Simple sending or deeper automation?
- Eight email platforms compared
- My advice on picking an email platform
- Lean senders for small lists
- Self-hosted options for technical teams
- Automation platforms for growing businesses
- Benchmark Email alternatives by name
- Three tests for every trial
- Frequently asked questions
The right Benchmark Email alternative depends on why you're leaving. If you want something leaner for a small list, pick a simple sender; if you want deeper automation, choose a marketing automation platform; and if you're happy to run software yourself, a self-hosted newsletter tool gives you the most control over how and where you send.
'Powerfully simple' is how Benchmark Email describes itself, and for plenty of small businesses that's exactly what they signed up for. So when people go looking for alternatives, it pays to be clear about the reason. Is it more automation, more ecommerce features, a smaller bill or just a fresh start?
Below are eight email marketing platforms for small businesses and creators, in no particular order. Benchmark isn't one of the rows. I've grouped them by need, and the smaller tools here tend to be leaner, with fewer integrations.
Simple sending or deeper automation?
Benchmark's pitch is simple campaigns in minutes. If that's still what you want, another simple sender may feel like a sideways move. The useful question is what you want to do that you can't do now: welcome sequences triggered by behaviour, abandoned basket emails for a shop, onboarding flows for software users, or simply a smaller monthly bill. Write the answer down before you open a single trial.
Eight email platforms compared
| Tool | Type | Good choice for |
|---|---|---|
| Dotdigital | Cross-channel automation | Personalised campaigns from customer data |
| Elastic Email | Marketing email and API | Marketing emails and an email API together |
| Encharge | Marketing automation | Onboarding and nurture flows |
| listmonk | Self-hosted newsletter manager | Running newsletters on your own server |
| Mailercloud | All-in-one email marketing | Starting on a free tier |
| Mautic | Open-source automation | Lead management and campaigns you host |
| SendX | Email with unlimited sends | Sending often without counting sends |
| Sendy | Self-hosted via Amazon SES | Newsletters sent through Amazon SES |
My advice on picking an email platform
Choose for the email you'll send most often, not the most advanced one you can imagine. Most small businesses send a regular newsletter and one or two automated sequences. If a tool makes those quick and pleasant, it's a good fit even if its automation builder is less impressive than a rival's.
Deliverability matters more than features. Whichever tool you choose, set up your sending domain with the authentication records it asks for, and warm up gradually if you're moving a large list. Ask each vendor what happens to your sending as your list grows, because that's where the experience changes.
Lean senders for small lists
Mailercloud is an all-in-one email marketing tool with a free tier, and it compares itself openly with bigger names. SendX focuses on unlimited sends and what it calls AI reputation management. Elastic Email combines marketing campaigns with an email API, which helps if your website or app also sends transactional emails. All three are small companies, so expect fewer integrations than the household names, and check the ones you rely on.
Self-hosted options for technical teams
listmonk is a free, open-source newsletter and mailing list manager that you host yourself. Sendy is a self-hosted app that sends through Amazon SES, so you need an Amazon Web Services account as well as a server. Mautic goes further, with open-source marketing automation and lead management. These suit someone comfortable running software, and they put the responsibility for deliverability and updates on you.
Automation platforms for growing businesses
Encharge is built around email and marketing automation for nurturing, converting and onboarding customers. Dotdigital is a cross-channel platform that turns marketing data into personalised campaigns, so it suits a business that's outgrowing email-only tools and wants other channels in the same place.
If you're still comparing, my lists of MailerLite alternatives and Constant Contact alternatives cover more of the field.
Benchmark Email alternatives by name
Dotdigital
Best for: Marketing teams that want a cross-channel automation platform turning marketing data into personalised campaigns, as the vendor describes it.
Elastic Email
Best for: Businesses that send campaigns as well as app emails and want email marketing, an email API and team tools in one place, per the vendor.
Encharge
Best for: Growing businesses that want email and marketing automation for nurturing, converting and onboarding customers, with a free trial, according to the vendor.
listmonk
Best for: Technical teams who want a free, open-source newsletter and mailing list manager they host themselves, packed into a single binary, as the vendor says.
Mailercloud
Best for: Small and growing businesses wanting an all-in-one email marketing tool with a free tier, which the vendor compares directly with several better-known rivals.
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.
Mautic
Best for: Organisations wanting free, open-source marketing automation with email marketing and lead management, which the vendor says is available to everyone.
SendX
Best for: Frequent senders who want email marketing with unlimited sends and AI reputation management for deliverability, with a free trial, per the vendor.
Sendy
Best for: Newsletter publishers comfortable with hosting who want a self-hosted app sending trackable emails through Amazon SES instead of a hosted service.
Three tests for every trial
Run the same three tests in every tool on your shortlist, with your own list and your own content.
- Build and send one real email from scratch, and time how long it takes.
- Import your existing list and check that tags, custom fields and unsubscribes come across cleanly.
- Ask what happens to your sending, and to your plan, as your list grows, and get the answer in writing.
Keep the tool you'd be happy to open every week, not the one with the longest feature list. A platform you enjoy using is one you'll send from more often.
Do you make email marketing 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
Why do people leave Benchmark Email?
Usually for more automation, ecommerce features or a smaller bill. Its own pitch is simplicity, so be clear which of those you need before you switch.
Which alternatives can I host myself?
Three tools in this list are self-hosted. One sends through Amazon SES, and two are free and open source.
Will my contacts move across cleanly?
Most tools import contacts from a file, but check that tags, custom fields and unsubscribe status come with them.
Do smaller email tools have fewer integrations?
Often, yes. Check the specific apps you connect, such as your shop or booking system, before you move.
Do I need marketing automation?
Only if you'll use it. A regular newsletter plus a welcome sequence covers most small businesses.
How long should I run two email tools side by side?
Long enough to send one real campaign from the new tool and check replies, bounces and unsubscribes. Keep the old account until your list and automations are fully moved.
