ChatGPT answers, unedited

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, I’d keep it simple:

🥇 My pick: Brevo

Brevo is probably the best fit if you specifically want email + basic SMS in one place.

• Email: Starter starts around $9/month for 5,000 emails/month.
• SMS: Available, but SMS credits are purchased separately based on volume/destination.
• Free plan: Includes email + SMS campaigns, but email is limited to 300 emails/day.
• Easy drag-and-drop email builder.
• You can have up to 2,000 contacts in automation on the free plan. help.brevo.com

The big advantage: Brevo doesn't primarily charge you based on how many subscribers you have. It's more focused on how many emails you actually send, which can be much cheaper for a small store. mailcompared.com

🥈 MailerLite — best if email is more important than SMS

MailerLite is arguably even nicer for beginners and has excellent email/automation tools. Its paid Comfort plan starts at $12/month, but its marketing platform and SMS aren't bundled together in the same simple way as Brevo. www.mailerlite.com

What I'd do

For your situation, I'd start with Brevo. Don't overpay for Klaviyo-level features if you're under 2K subscribers and just need newsletters, welcome emails, abandoned-cart/basic automations, and occasional SMS.

If you tell me roughly how many emails and SMS texts you expect to send per month, I can compare the actual monthly cost of Brevo vs MailerLite vs Klaviyo vs Omnisend and tell you which is cheapest.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, and your priorities are simple + cheap email + basic SMS, I’d narrow it to these:

🥇 My pick: Brevo

brevo.com

Why I’d choose it:

• Email + SMS in one dashboard
• Free plan available
• Free plan supports up to 100,000 contacts, though you're limited to 300 email sends/day
• SMS is pay-as-you-go, so you don't have to buy a big SMS package
• Starter starts around $9/month
• Relatively straightforward compared with more advanced ecommerce platforms Brevo Help Brevo Help

For a store doing occasional newsletters, promotions, abandoned-cart/basic automations, and some texts, Brevo is probably the best value.

🥈 Omnisend — better if you're very ecommerce-focused

omnisend.com

I'd pick Omnisend if you want things like welcome flows, abandoned-cart messages, post-purchase emails, product recommendations, and SMS to be more ecommerce-oriented.

At around 1,000 contacts, Omnisend is listed around $20/month, so it's more expensive than Brevo but potentially more convenient for an online store. Omnisend Omnisend

🥉 MailerLite — great email, but not my choice for your SMS requirement

mailerlite.com

MailerLite is excellent if email is the main thing. Its paid plan starts around $12/month, and it's known for being simple. But because you specifically want basic SMS too, I'd lean Brevo instead. MailerLite MailerLite

What I'd do

My recommendation: start with Brevo. You can keep costs very low while your list is under 2K, and you aren't paying for a bunch of sophisticated features you probably don't need yet.

If you tell me whether your store is Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, etc. and roughly how many emails/SMS you send per month, I can tell you which one will actually be cheapest for your specific usage.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, I’d keep it simple and avoid overpaying for a heavyweight tool.

My pick: omnisend.com

If your main goal is email + basic SMS for ecommerce, Omnisend is probably the best fit. It’s designed around online stores and combines email, SMS, and ecommerce automations in one place. Current comparisons put it at roughly $16/month at the lower tier, with SMS included as a channel. Kaspian Fuad - Shopify CRO Consultant Chase Dimond

I'd rank your options:

• 🥇 Omnisend — best overall for a small ecommerce store; simple email + SMS without too much complexity.
• 🥈 mailerlite.com — excellent if email is the priority and SMS is secondary. Its current paid plan starts at $12/month, but its marketing SMS offering isn't as straightforwardly bundled as Omnisend. MailerLite MailerLite
• 🥉 klaviyo.com — very good, but I'd skip it at your size unless you specifically want sophisticated ecommerce segmentation/automation. You're likely paying for capabilities you won't use yet.

What I'd do

If you have ~1,000–2,000 subscribers and actually want SMS, start with Omnisend.

Set up just these 4 things initially:

1. Welcome email/SMS
2. Abandoned cart
3. Post-purchase follow-up
4. Occasional promotional email/SMS

That's enough for a small store. You don't need complicated flows or advanced segmentation yet.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're using (Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, etc.) and roughly how many SMS messages you expect to send per month, I can tell you which is likely to be cheapest in actual monthly cost.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, and your priorities are simple + cheap email + basic SMS, I’d narrow it to three:

My pick: Brevo

If you're sending something like 2–8 emails/month and only occasional promotional SMS, Brevo is probably the best value. It charges primarily based on email volume rather than subscriber count, which is attractive when your list is small but growing. Current pricing examples put 20,000 emails/month around $29, with SMS charged separately. www.omnisend.comwww.omnisend.com

If you're on Shopify: Omnisend

I'd choose Omnisend if you want things like:

• Abandoned-cart emails/texts
• Welcome series
• Post-purchase messages
• Product/customer segmentation
• Email + SMS in one ecommerce-focused system

It's more expensive, but it's specifically designed around ecommerce. One important 2026 change: new Omnisend subscribers need the Pro plan for SMS, starting at $59/month, plus SMS usage. www.omnisend.com

What I would NOT choose

Klaviyo is excellent, but for a store with <2K subscribers and a desire to keep things cheap/simple, I'd probably avoid it for now. You're paying for more sophisticated ecommerce analytics and automation than you may need.

Bottom line:
👉 Brevo if keeping the monthly bill as low as possible is #1.
👉 Omnisend if SMS + ecommerce automation is important.
👉 MailerLite if you mostly care about dead-simple email newsletters.

If you tell me what platform your store is on (Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, etc.) and roughly how many emails/SMS you expect to send per month, I can tell you which one I'd personally pick and estimate your actual monthly cost.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, and your priorities are simple + cheap email + basic SMS, I’d narrow it to these:

🥇 My pick: Brevo

Brevo

Brevo's free plan includes email and SMS campaigns, with 300 email sends/day. Its paid Starter plan starts at $9/month. help.brevo.com

The big advantage for you: Brevo doesn't primarily price you based on having a 2,000-person contact list, so you can keep a larger list without the bill jumping dramatically just because someone is subscribed.

🥈 If your store is Shopify/ecommerce-heavy: Omnisend

Omnisend

Omnisend is more purpose-built for ecommerce—abandoned carts, product recommendations, customer segments, etc. But there's an important catch with its current 2026 pricing: new customers need the Pro plan for SMS, starting around $59/month normally, although there's currently a first-3-month discount. SMS is then charged separately, starting at $0.007/message in the US/Canada. support.omnisend.com

So I wouldn't choose Omnisend if "cheap" is the priority.

🥉 MailerLite

MailerLite

MailerLite is probably the nicest choice if you mostly care about simple newsletters and automations. Its free plan goes to 250 subscribers, and its paid plans start at $12/month. www.mailerlite.com

But for your specific requirement of email + basic SMS in one simple system, I'd take Brevo over MailerLite.

My recommendation: start with Brevo. It's the one I'd pick for a small store that doesn't need a complicated marketing stack yet.

If you tell me what platform your store is on (Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Wix, etc.) and roughly how many emails/SMS you send per month, I can compare the actual monthly cost of Brevo vs. Klaviyo vs. Omnisend for your store.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, and your priorities are simple + cheap + basic email/SMS, I’d narrow it to Brevo vs. Omnisend.

My pick: Brevo

Brevo is probably the best fit if you don't need sophisticated ecommerce automation.

• Cheap: Starter is around $9/mo for 5,000 emails, with pricing based primarily on sends rather than subscriber count. www.brevo.com
• SMS available as an add-on.
• Simple newsletters, basic automations, contact management, and SMS in one place.
• Particularly attractive if you have ~1,000–2,000 subscribers but don't email them constantly.
• You avoid paying a premium simply because your subscriber list grows.

If you're on Shopify: consider Omnisend

Omnisend is more ecommerce-oriented and makes things like abandoned-cart, welcome, post-purchase, and SMS flows easier. But there's an important 2026 change: SMS is now restricted to the Pro plan for new paid subscribers, which starts at $59/month. www.omnisend.com

So I wouldn't choose Omnisend if your main goal is cheap SMS.

What I'd avoid for your situation

Klaviyo — excellent, but you're probably paying for capabilities you don't need yet. It's strongest when you want sophisticated customer segmentation, revenue attribution, and complex ecommerce automation. www.omnisend.com

MailerLite — excellent and very simple for email, but SMS isn't its main strength. If you primarily want email and only occasional texting, it's worth considering. Its paid pricing around 1,000 subscribers is roughly $15/month. www.omnisend.com

Quick decision

For your description, I'd start with Brevo. You can keep the setup very basic—newsletter + welcome email + occasional SMS—and avoid getting sucked into a complicated marketing platform.

If you tell me what platform your store is on (Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Squarespace, etc.) and roughly how many emails/SMS you expect to send per month, I can give you the cheapest option in actual monthly dollars.

For a small online store with <2,000 subscribers, and your priorities are simple + cheap email + basic SMS, I’d narrow it to three:

🥇 Best overall: Brevo

Brevo

My pick if you want to keep things inexpensive and uncomplicated.

• Email + SMS in one platform
• Pricing is based largely on emails sent, rather than number of contacts
• Starter plans begin around $9/month
• Free plan supports unlimited contacts, though sending is limited
• Built-in CRM and basic automations
• SMS is available as an additional usage cost

Brevo is particularly attractive if you have 1,500–2,000 subscribers but aren't emailing them constantly. www.mailercloud.com

Brevo official website

🥈 Best if you're on Shopify: Klaviyo

Klaviyo

If your store is Shopify, I'd seriously consider Klaviyo despite it costing more.

It's much better for ecommerce-specific things like:

• abandoned-cart messages
• post-purchase emails
• product recommendations
• customer segments
• email + SMS flows

But at ~2,000 subscribers, you're potentially looking at roughly $60/month for email, before considering SMS usage, so it's probably overkill if you just want basic newsletters and texts. smtpedia.comlearn.g2.com

Klaviyo official website

🥉 Cheapest/simple: Mailchimp

Mailchimp

Good if you're mostly doing occasional email newsletters and want a very straightforward interface.

The downside is that SMS is less central to the product, and pricing becomes less attractive as your list grows. smtpedia.comlearn.g2.com

Mailchimp official website

My recommendation

For what you described, I'd start with Brevo. You don't need the complexity/cost of Klaviyo yet unless you're planning to build sophisticated abandoned-cart, win-back, segmentation, and SMS automation.

If you tell me what platform your store is on (Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, etc.) and roughly how many emails/SMS you send per month, I can calculate the actual monthly cost of Brevo vs Klaviyo vs Mailchimp for your store.

For a small online store with <2,000 subscribers, and your priorities are simple + cheap email + basic SMS, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Brevo

Brevo

For your use case, Brevo is probably the one I'd choose. Its pricing is primarily based on emails sent rather than the size of your contact list, and it supports both email and SMS. That can be particularly attractive when you have ~2,000 subscribers but don't email them constantly. smtpedia.com

If you're on Shopify: consider Omnisend

Omnisend

I'd pick Omnisend instead if you specifically want easy ecommerce automations like:

• Welcome email
• Abandoned cart
• Post-purchase email
• Basic SMS campaigns
• Product/revenue-oriented automation

It's more ecommerce-focused than Brevo and combines email + SMS nicely. smtpedia.com

What I would not pick

Klaviyo is excellent, but for a store under 2k subscribers it's probably overkill unless you're already doing sophisticated segmentation/flows. Its pricing is also noticeably higher. www.omnisend.com

Mailchimp is easy, but I don't think it's the best value anymore for an ecommerce store that specifically wants SMS. Its SMS is an add-on, and its 2026 pricing/free tier has become less attractive. smtpedia.comwww.omnisend.combotapolis.com

Bottom line:
👉 Brevo = cheapest/simple choice
👉 Omnisend = best simple choice if you're on Shopify
👉 Klaviyo = only if you expect to need sophisticated ecommerce marketing

If you tell me Shopify/WooCommerce/etc. + roughly how many emails and SMS messages you send per month, I can narrow it down to the cheapest option in actual monthly dollars.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, and your priorities being simple + cheap + basic email + SMS, I’d pick Brevo.

My ranking

Brevo is particularly attractive because its free plan includes email and SMS campaigns, with a limit of 300 emails/day. Its Starter plan begins at $9/month for 5,000 emails/month, while SMS is purchased separately based on usage/destination. help.brevo.com

Brevo pricing

MailerLite is probably the nicest/easiest email interface of the bunch, but its current plans are primarily email-focused. The free plan only covers 250 subscribers; paid Comfort starts at $12/month. www.mailerlite.com

MailerLite pricing

I wouldn't choose Omnisend for your situation unless you specifically want ecommerce automations like abandoned-cart, product, and customer lifecycle flows. Its current pricing makes SMS less attractive for a tiny store. support.omnisend.com

What I'd do

If you have ~1,000–2,000 subscribers and only need:

• newsletters/promotions
• welcome email
• abandoned cart/basic automation
• occasional promotional SMS
• simple signup forms
• low monthly cost

👉 Start with Brevo.

If you're almost entirely email and SMS is just a "maybe someday," choose MailerLite instead.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have (e.g. 500, 1,200, 1,800) and how many emails/SMS you expect to send per month, I can calculate which one will actually be cheapest for you.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, I’d keep it simple and avoid paying for enterprise-level features you probably won’t use.

My shortlist:

www.mailercloud.com

My recommendation:

• If you sell products (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.): choose Omnisend. It is designed around ecommerce and combines email + SMS without needing a bunch of add-ons. www.omnisend.com
• If you are mostly sending newsletters and occasional promotions: choose MailerLite or Mailchimp.
• If you expect to grow quickly past 10k+ subscribers and want advanced customer segmentation: start with Klaviyo. www.omnisend.com

For a store under 2k subscribers, I’d set up only these automations:

1. Welcome email series (new subscribers)
2. Abandoned cart email/SMS
3. Post-purchase follow-up
4. Occasional sale announcements

That’s enough to capture most of the value without making marketing complicated.

If you tell me your platform (Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, Squarespace, etc.) and whether you want SMS mostly for sales texts or just order updates, I can narrow it down to the cheapest fit.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, and your priorities are simple + cheap email + basic SMS, I’d narrow it to these:

Brevo is particularly attractive because it charges primarily based on emails sent rather than contacts stored, and includes SMS functionality. Its current Starter plan begins around $9/month for 5,000 emails, while free allows 300 emails/day. www.layer3labs.io

My pick: Brevo

If you just want:

• newsletters/promotions
• welcome emails
• basic abandoned-cart or follow-up automation
• occasional SMS
• something you don't have to spend days learning

I'd start with Brevo.

I'd choose Klaviyo instead if your store is on Shopify and you expect to build more sophisticated abandoned-cart, post-purchase, VIP/customer segmentation, etc. Klaviyo is considerably more ecommerce-focused, but you pay more for it. www.klaviyo.com

One important distinction: if by "SMS tool" you mean you mainly want to send a few promotional texts, rather than build serious SMS automation, I wouldn't pay for a heavyweight platform.

If you tell me what platform your store is on (Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, etc.) and roughly how many emails/texts you send per month, I can tell you the cheapest option and expected monthly bill.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, I’d keep it simple and avoid paying for enterprise tools. My picks:

www.techradar.com

My recommendation by situation:

• You sell on Shopify and want easy setup: choose Omnisend. It combines email, SMS, abandoned cart flows, welcome sequences, and product-based automations without the complexity of Klaviyo. www.techradar.com
• You mostly want newsletters + occasional texts: choose Brevo.
• You want the cheapest SMS-only option: look at Postscript if you are Shopify-based; it is designed specifically for ecommerce SMS flows. reverbico.com
• Avoid starting with Klaviyo unless you already have strong sales volume or need advanced segmentation.

For a store with ~500–2,000 subscribers, I’d probably set up:

1. Welcome email + discount
2. Abandoned cart email/SMS
3. Post-purchase follow-up
4. Monthly newsletter
5. Occasional SMS sales alerts

That is enough to capture most of the value without paying for a complicated system.

If you tell me your platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Squarespace, etc.) and whether you have 500 vs 2,000 subscribers, I can narrow it to one choice.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, and your priorities are simple + cheap + basic email + SMS, I’d narrow it to these:

🥇 Best overall: Brevo

mail and SMS marketing software for small ecommerce stores

Why: Brevo is particularly attractive if you don't send huge volumes. Its pricing is more send-based, and it supports both email and SMS without pushing you into an expensive ecommerce platform. Current comparisons put its entry pricing around $9/month. www.omnisend.com

🥈 Best if you want ecommerce features: Omnisend

imple ecommerce email and SMS marketing platforms

Omnisend is more specifically built for online stores, so things like abandoned-cart emails, product-based campaigns, and automations are easier. However, SMS now requires the Pro plan for new subscribers, which starts at $59/month before SMS charges, so it may be more than you need. support.omnisend.com

My recommendation

Start with Brevo if your goal is literally “I just need something inexpensive that does email and basic texting without a lot of complexity.”

I'd skip Klaviyo for your situation unless you're planning to build sophisticated ecommerce automations. It's powerful, but you're likely paying for capabilities you don't need yet.

If you tell me roughly how many emails and SMS texts you expect to send per month (e.g. 2 emails + 1 text per month to 1,500 people), I can tell you which will be cheapest in actual monthly dollars.

For a small online store with under 2,000 subscribers, and your priorities are simple + cheap email + basic SMS, I’d narrow it to these:

🥇 I'd choose Brevo

Brevo's free plan includes email + SMS campaigns, with up to 300 emails/day and up to 100,000 stored contacts. Its paid Starter plan begins at $9/month. help.brevo.com

That's particularly attractive if you're only doing basic things like:

• Weekly promotional emails
• Welcome email
• Abandoned-cart/basic automations
• Occasional promotional texts
• Customer/order-related messages

🥈 Omnisend if your store is Shopify/WooCommerce

Omnisend is more purpose-built for ecommerce. Its current Standard plan starts at $16/month, while its Pro plan starts at $59/month and is where SMS is now available for new subscribers. SMS starts at $0.007/message for US/Canada at the applicable volume tier. support.omnisend.com

So I wouldn't choose Omnisend Pro just for basic SMS if keeping costs down is your main goal.

My recommendation

If I were starting your store today:

Brevo → best combination of cheap + simple + email/SMS in one place.

If you tell me what platform your store is on (Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Wix, etc.) and roughly how many emails/texts you send per month, I can tell you which one will actually be cheapest for you.