Vishal Singhal 
The best email marketing software for a Shopify store is the one that receives the store events you need (checkout started, order placed, fulfilled) and stops a reminder the moment the order lands. For most teams the shortlist is CampaignHQ if cart recovery and COD confirmation also run on WhatsApp and SMS, Shopify Messaging if you want email inside the Shopify admin, Klaviyo or Omnisend for ecommerce flows, and Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, MailerLite or Brevo if you already use them elsewhere.
Last updated: 6 November 2026. We make CampaignHQ, so it is listed first. The rest is a shortlist built from each vendor’s own Shopify App Store listing and help pages, checked on 6 November 2026. It is not a hands-on ranking, and plans change, so confirm the details in a demo.
Best email marketing software for Shopify compared
| App | Shortlist it for | Channels the listing names | Test in the demo |
|---|---|---|---|
| CampaignHQ | Cart recovery and COD flows across WhatsApp, SMS and email from one contact record | Email, WhatsApp, SMS | An abandoned checkout that is paid ten minutes later |
| Shopify Messaging | Campaigns from inside the Shopify admin | Email, SMS, WhatsApp | The automations you need and the cost of non-email channels |
| Klaviyo | Ecommerce flows built on onsite behaviour | Email, SMS, WhatsApp, push | That cart and browse events are switched on and arriving |
| Omnisend | Email, SMS and web push for online stores | Email, SMS, web push | How you would add WhatsApp, if you need it |
| Mailchimp | Teams already on Mailchimp | Email, SMS (add-on) | Which Shopify segments and events sync, and how often |
| ActiveCampaign | Email plus CRM and sales automation | Email, SMS, WhatsApp | Which store events reach the CRM in real time |
| MailerLite | Simple newsletters with product blocks | Abandoned cart emails and purchase-triggered automations | |
| Brevo | Teams already using Brevo for email and SMS | Check with Brevo | How it connects to your store today |
The mistake we see most: two apps chasing the same cart
Most Indian Shopify stores we talk to run email in one app and WhatsApp in another. Both apps receive the abandoned checkout, both start their own timer, and each one stops only when its own order sync catches up. When one sync lags, or the shopper pays through a different link, they get a WhatsApp nudge and an email reminder for an order they already placed. That is the message that makes customers mute you.
Consent splits the same way. Shopify now records email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing consent as separate fields. Meta treats a cart reminder as a marketing template even when the shopper asked for it, so it needs the shopper’s opt-in to hear from your business, and since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per delivered template by category and country (Meta’s pricing page). With two apps you hold two copies of consent, and an unsubscribe in one does not reach the other unless both write back to Shopify.
The fix is one journey with one exit rule and one consent record, whichever tool you choose. Before you sign anything, abandon a checkout on your own store, pay ten minutes later and count the messages you receive. If the answer is more than the one you meant to send, the setup is wrong, not the copy.
How to choose email marketing software for your Shopify store
- List the store events you need. Checkout started, order placed, fulfilled, delivered and, if you sell cash on delivery, COD orders. Ask each vendor which of these reach journeys, and how fast.
- Check which way the sync runs. Customers and orders should flow in; consent changes and unsubscribes should flow back to Shopify.
- Decide your channels now. If WhatsApp or SMS is on the roadmap, pick a tool that runs them in the same journey rather than adding a second app later.
- Run the paid-after-abandon test. Abandon, pay, count the messages. Then repeat it with a COD order.
- Read the pricing basis. Some apps price by contacts, some by emails sent, and WhatsApp adds Meta’s per-template charges. Open each vendor’s pricing page with your real list size.
- Ask how revenue is credited. Revenue attributed to a message is not the same as revenue the message caused. Ask whether you can run a holdout group.
The 8 apps in detail
1. CampaignHQ
CampaignHQ is a WhatsApp Business Platform with email and SMS on one contact database, built on the official WhatsApp Business API by a Meta Business Partner. The native Shopify integration (Shopify and Shopify Plus) syncs customers, orders, products and events in real time, ready for segments and journeys.
- Abandoned cart recovery runs WhatsApp, SMS and email from one automation, with cart contents and checkout links in the message. Reminders stop automatically when the order completes, and recovered revenue is attributed to each journey.
- COD confirmation asks the buyer to confirm on WhatsApp with Yes and No buttons, updates Shopify with the answer, and sends an SMS fallback when an order stays unconfirmed.
- Replies land in a shared team inbox, with no-code chatbots for routine questions. Email sends through Amazon SES, your own account or ours.
There is a 7-day free trial with no credit card. If you are comparing it with Klaviyo directly, read CampaignHQ vs Klaviyo.
2. Shopify Messaging (formerly Shopify Email)
Shopify’s own app, renamed from Shopify Email, creates email, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns in one place inside the admin. The listing says the first 10,000 emails each month are free, and email pricing after that starts at $1 per 1,000 emails, billed in USD. It is available on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans and needs Shopify Network Intelligence switched on. It suits stores that want campaigns without another vendor. Check what SMS and WhatsApp cost on your store, since the listing prices email only.
3. Klaviyo
The Klaviyo: Email Marketing & SMS app names email, SMS, WhatsApp and push. Its free plan covers email only, up to 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month. One detail worth knowing: in Klaviyo’s Shopify setup guide, Viewed Product and Active on Site are tracked by default, but Added to Cart, Viewed Collection and Submitted Search need the “Track behavioral events” setting. If it is off, cart and browse flows have nothing to start from.
4. Omnisend
The Omnisend Shopify app covers email, SMS, web push, newsletters, pop-ups, forms and landing pages. The free plan emails up to 250 people and sends 500 emails a month. The listing does not mention WhatsApp, so a WhatsApp cart or COD flow would sit in a second app, which brings back the double-reminder problem above.
5. Mailchimp
Mailchimp’s Shopify app is built and supported by Intuit Mailchimp. It syncs Shopify customer data into segments for email and SMS campaigns, with SMS as an add-on on the Essentials plan, and works with Shopify Flow and Checkout. It fits teams already running Mailchimp; if you are moving off it, see our Mailchimp alternatives.
6. ActiveCampaign
The ActiveCampaign Marketing app sends real-time store data to ActiveCampaign and lists email, SMS and WhatsApp. It suits teams that want marketing automation and a sales CRM in one tool. Ask which order and checkout events arrive in real time and which only sync in batches.
7. MailerLite
MailerLite’s Shopify integration syncs customers and newsletter subscribers with their order history, builds segments such as first-time or repeat buyers, imports products into the newsletter builder, and runs purchase-triggered automations and abandoned cart emails. It suits stores that mainly send newsletters and want a simple editor.
8. Brevo
Brevo covers email and SMS and has a Shopify integration page. Check that page for how it connects to your store today. For other options, see Brevo alternatives.
What to run first after you connect your store
Start with the flows tied to a store event, not with newsletters. A welcome series, an abandoned checkout reminder and a post-purchase message cover most of the revenue a new setup can reach. Our guides walk through each one: abandoned cart recovery on WhatsApp and email, Shopify post-purchase automation and seven Shopify retention workflows. If you sell cash on delivery, add COD confirmation on WhatsApp before anything promotional, and collect consent properly with WhatsApp opt-in automation.
If you are also weighing tools outside Shopify, our broader list of email marketing platforms compares them on the same terms.
How Riwaiyat does it. Riwaiyat, a Bengaluru jewellery brand that sells on Shopify, uses CampaignHQ to confirm COD orders on WhatsApp and to follow up on abandoned checkouts on WhatsApp and email.
“The biggest challenge was scale. Manually remembering which customer needs a follow-up becomes difficult very quickly.” Priya Kumar, Founder and CEO, Riwaiyat
FAQs
What is the best email marketing software for Shopify?
There is no single best app; it depends on your channels and the store events you need. If WhatsApp and SMS matter as much as email, shortlist a tool that runs all three in one journey, such as CampaignHQ. For email inside the Shopify admin, start with Shopify Messaging. For ecommerce flows on email, SMS and push, compare Klaviyo and Omnisend.
Is Shopify email marketing free?
Partly. Shopify Messaging is free to install and its listing says the first 10,000 emails each month are free, with email pricing from $1 per 1,000 after that. SMS and WhatsApp are priced separately.
Does Shopify have its own email marketing tool?
Yes. Shopify Messaging, formerly Shopify Email, runs email, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns from the Shopify admin on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans.
Can a Shopify email marketing app send WhatsApp messages?
Some can. The Shopify App Store listings for Shopify Messaging, Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign name WhatsApp; the Omnisend and Mailchimp listings do not. Whichever you use, cart reminders on WhatsApp are marketing templates under Meta’s rules and need the shopper’s opt-in.
What should I check before switching Shopify email tools?
Check which store events sync and how fast, whether unsubscribes and consent write back to Shopify, how the plan is priced at your real list size, and whether reminders stop the moment an order is placed. Run one abandoned checkout through the new setup before you move your flows.
Written by CampaignHQ Team
