Brevo SMS & WhatsApp Marketing: Features, Costs & Use Cases
Last Updated: August 2026
SMS and WhatsApp have become important channels for businesses that need faster, more direct customer communication. While email remains useful for newsletters, promotions, onboarding, and lifecycle campaigns, mobile messaging can be particularly effective for time-sensitive offers, reminders, order updates, and customer conversations.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) combines email marketing with SMS, WhatsApp messaging, automation, CRM, transactional messaging, and other customer-engagement tools. This makes it an interesting option for small and midsize businesses that want multiple communication channels without assembling a large collection of separate platforms.
This guide examines Brevo’s SMS and WhatsApp capabilities, pricing model, automation features, CRM functionality, setup process, and limitations.
Quick note: Messaging prices and available features can vary by destination country, message type, account, and current Brevo plan. Always verify the current price shown in your Brevo account before purchasing credits.
Quick Verdict
Best for: Small and midsize businesses, ecommerce stores, agencies, and growing brands that want email plus SMS and WhatsApp capabilities in one platform.
Consider alternatives if: Your primary requirement is highly specialized ecommerce lifecycle marketing, extremely advanced customer-data modeling, or a messaging platform designed specifically around one channel.
Our Scorecard
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of Use | 4.5/5 |
| Deliverability & Infrastructure | 4.5/5 |
| Multi-Channel Features | 4.5/5 |
| Marketing Automation | 4/5 |
| CRM | 4/5 |
| Value for Money | 4.5/5 |
Overall verdict: Brevo is a strong all-in-one choice for businesses that want email, SMS, WhatsApp, automation, transactional messaging, and CRM functionality without necessarily paying for separate systems. Its strongest advantage is the breadth of channels combined with flexible email pricing. However, businesses with very specialized ecommerce or enterprise requirements should compare it carefully with platforms such as Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign.
What Is Brevo?
Brevo is a customer-engagement platform that brings together email marketing, SMS, WhatsApp, chat, automation, CRM, and transactional messaging.
One of its notable characteristics is that it separates its email pricing from the number of contacts stored. Its current plans include a free tier, Starter, Standard, Professional, and Enterprise options, while SMS and WhatsApp messaging are handled through prepaid credits or applicable plan/add-on arrangements.
For businesses with large contact databases but relatively moderate email-sending requirements, this model can be attractive because storing a large number of contacts does not automatically mean paying for every contact as an active marketing subscriber.
Core Features Breakdown
1. Email Marketing and Drag-and-Drop Editor
Email remains central to Brevo’s platform.
The visual editor allows marketers to build campaigns without necessarily writing HTML. Businesses can start with templates or create their own layouts and then customize text, images, buttons, spacing, and other elements.
Personalization can also be incorporated into campaigns so that messages can use customer information and segmentation data.
For an ecommerce business, for example, email can handle:
- Product announcements
- Promotional campaigns
- Welcome sequences
- Abandoned-cart communication
- Customer onboarding
- Post-purchase follow-ups
- Re-engagement campaigns
Brevo’s email functionality becomes more useful when combined with its automation and CRM features because campaign activity can be connected to broader customer journeys.
2. SMS Marketing
Brevo treats SMS as a separate messaging channel rather than simply bundling unlimited SMS into the email subscription.
SMS credits are purchased separately, with pricing determined by factors such as the recipient’s country and the number of SMS segments required. Credits are sold in packs and do not expire.
Potential SMS use cases include:
- Flash-sale announcements
- Appointment reminders
- Delivery notifications
- Promotional campaigns
- Time-sensitive offers
- Customer alerts
- Event reminders
One important consideration is compliance. SMS regulations vary substantially between countries, and businesses must obtain appropriate consent and follow local messaging rules. Brevo also notes that new accounts created after March 13, 2026 may need to register a Sender ID for each country where they send SMS messages.
3. WhatsApp Marketing
WhatsApp provides a more conversational alternative to traditional SMS.
Brevo allows businesses to connect a WhatsApp Business account and create WhatsApp campaigns. Depending on the use case, businesses can use WhatsApp for promotional communications, customer updates, and other approved messaging scenarios.
WhatsApp pricing is not simply a flat monthly SMS-style fee. Brevo states that WhatsApp costs depend on the recipient’s country and the type of template used, including Marketing and Utility categories.
This distinction matters when calculating campaign costs.
A marketing message promoting a product or discount is different from a utility message such as an order or shipping update. Businesses should therefore estimate messaging costs based on their actual communication mix rather than assuming one universal per-message price.
4. Other Channels: Web Push and Live Chat
Brevo extends beyond email and mobile messaging.
Depending on the plan and account configuration, businesses can use additional customer-engagement channels such as web push notifications and conversations/live chat.
This can be useful when a company wants to coordinate several touchpoints:
Email → SMS → WhatsApp → Website Conversation
Instead of managing every channel independently, marketers can use a broader customer-engagement environment.
However, the exact availability of individual features can vary by plan, so businesses should check the current plan comparison before purchasing.
Marketing Automation and Workflows
Automation is one of Brevo’s more important features because it changes the platform from a simple campaign-sending tool into a lifecycle marketing system.
Businesses can build workflows around events and customer behavior.
Common examples include:
Welcome Workflow
A new subscriber joins a list.
Email: Welcome message
↓
Wait: 2 days
↓
Email: Educational content
↓
SMS: Promotional reminder, where appropriate and consented
↓
CRM: Update contact information
Ecommerce Abandoned-Cart Workflow
A customer adds a product to a cart but does not complete checkout.
Trigger: Abandoned cart
↓
Email: Cart reminder
↓
Wait: Several hours
↓
Follow-up: Additional email or permitted message
↓
CRM: Update customer activity
The exact workflow capabilities available to a business depend on its integrations, data sources, and subscription level.
Automation is especially valuable because it reduces the need for marketers to manually monitor every customer interaction.
Sales CRM and Pipeline Management
Brevo also includes CRM functionality, allowing businesses to maintain contact records and manage sales activities.
A simple sales pipeline might look like:
New Lead → Qualified → Proposal → Negotiation → Won/Lost
Businesses can associate contacts with deals, track sales activities, create tasks, and coordinate marketing and sales information.
This is useful for service businesses, agencies, consultants, and B2B companies that do not necessarily need a dedicated enterprise CRM.
For larger sales organizations with sophisticated forecasting, complex objects, or highly customized sales operations, a dedicated CRM may still be more appropriate.
Transactional Email and API
Transactional communication is different from marketing campaigns.
Examples include:
- Password-reset emails
- Account verification
- Purchase confirmations
- Shipping notifications
- Invoices
- Order updates
Brevo supports transactional email through SMTP and APIs, allowing developers and businesses to connect their applications to Brevo’s sending infrastructure.
This is particularly useful for SaaS applications and ecommerce stores where reliable automated messages are part of the customer experience.
It is important, however, not to confuse a provider’s infrastructure with a guaranteed inbox placement rate. Deliverability depends on factors such as sender reputation, authentication, list quality, engagement, message content, and recipient-provider policies.
Brevo’s Pricing Model
One of Brevo’s most notable pricing characteristics is that email pricing is primarily based on email sending volume rather than simply charging according to the number of stored contacts.
That can be advantageous for businesses that have large databases but do not email every contact frequently.
Current Brevo Plan Structure
Brevo currently lists these main plans:
| Plan | Starting Price | General Positioning |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | Testing and smaller sending needs |
| Starter | From $9/month | Growing businesses |
| Standard | From $18/month | More advanced marketing |
| Professional | From $499/month | Larger-scale marketing |
| Enterprise | Custom | Larger organizations |
Brevo’s current Free plan includes up to 300 email sends per day and storage for up to 100,000 contacts. SMS and WhatsApp credits are handled separately rather than being unlimited components of the email subscription.
Important: Older Brevo articles and third-party reviews may refer to a “Business” plan. Brevo’s current pricing structure uses Standard and Professional rather than the older Business terminology, so readers should rely on the current pricing page when making a purchasing decision.
SMS and WhatsApp Costs
SMS and WhatsApp should be treated as usage-based messaging expenses.
Brevo’s SMS credits vary according to the recipient’s country and message length. WhatsApp pricing varies according to recipient country and template category. Prepaid credits do not expire.
This model can be beneficial for companies with fluctuating messaging volumes because they are not necessarily committing to a large recurring messaging package.
Pros and Cons
Pros
1. Broad channel coverage
Brevo combines email, SMS, WhatsApp, automation, CRM, transactional messaging, and other engagement tools.
2. Flexible email pricing
The email model can be attractive to businesses that maintain large contact databases without sending messages to everyone frequently.
3. Strong transactional infrastructure
SMTP and API capabilities make the platform suitable for application-generated emails as well as marketing campaigns.
4. Useful for SMBs and growing brands
Businesses can start with a free plan and add capabilities as their requirements increase.
5. Separate messaging credits
SMS and WhatsApp credits provide a pay-as-you-go approach rather than forcing every customer into the same messaging allowance.
Cons
1. SMS and WhatsApp are not simply unlimited inclusions
Messaging costs depend on usage, destination, and message type, so businesses need to calculate actual campaign costs.
2. Free email sending is capped
The Free plan currently has a 300-email-per-day limit, which can become restrictive for active marketing programs.
3. Advanced functionality may require higher plans
Businesses needing sophisticated marketing features, larger-scale operations, or certain advanced tools may need to move beyond the entry-level plans.
4. Deliverability still requires proper setup
No email platform can compensate for poor list hygiene, weak consent practices, or an unauthenticated sending domain.
Brevo vs Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign vs Klaviyo
| Feature | Brevo | Mailchimp | ActiveCampaign | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing structure | Primarily email-send based; messaging credits separate | Primarily contact/audience and send limits | Contact-volume and feature based | Profile + channel usage |
| Free option | Yes | Yes, limited | Free trial | Yes |
| SMS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Available through its ecosystem/features depending on setup | Yes | Yes | |
| Built-in CRM | Yes | Contact/audience management | Strong sales CRM | Customer-focused CRM/data platform |
| Ecommerce focus | Strong | Strong | Strong | Very strong |
| Best fit | SMBs and multi-channel users | General marketing teams | Advanced automation | Ecommerce and B2C brands |
The pricing differences are important. Mailchimp’s current pricing uses contact limits and monthly send allowances; for example, its Free plan is limited to 250 contacts and 500 monthly sends.
ActiveCampaign currently advertises packages starting at $15/month, with pricing scaling according to contact volume and feature requirements.
Klaviyo uses active profiles and channel usage as important components of its pricing structure. Its current Free plan supports up to 250 profiles, 500 email sends per month, and $5 of mobile messaging.
Therefore, there is no universal “cheapest” platform. The right choice depends on contact volume, sending frequency, automation requirements, ecommerce integrations, and how heavily a business uses SMS or WhatsApp.
Step-by-Step Setup and Migration Guide
Step 1: Create Your Brevo Account
Create an account and configure the basic business information.
Before importing a large contact database, review your sending practices and make sure your subscribers have appropriate permission to receive marketing messages.
Start with a small, engaged segment rather than immediately sending to an old or unverified database.
Step 2: Authenticate Your Sending Domain
Domain authentication is an essential deliverability step.
Brevo’s current authentication process can use DNS records including a Brevo verification record, DKIM, and DMARC. Brevo states that domain authentication helps providers recognize legitimate senders and protects against spoofing.
Depending on your account and DNS provider, Brevo may offer automatic authentication or provide records for manual configuration.
Do not skip this step.
A properly authenticated domain provides a stronger technical foundation for email delivery, although it does not guarantee inbox placement.
Step 3: Import and Organize Contacts
Import your existing contacts using Brevo’s available import options.
Before importing:
- Remove invalid addresses.
- Remove obvious duplicates.
- Suppress unsubscribed contacts.
- Review inactive subscribers.
- Preserve consent information where possible.
- Create useful segments.
For example:
Customers
Leads
Newsletter Subscribers
High-Value Customers
Inactive Subscribers
Segmentation becomes increasingly important as your database grows.
Step 4: Launch Your First Campaign
Start with a simple campaign rather than building a complicated automation immediately.
A practical first campaign could be:
- Create an email template.
- Select a small, engaged segment.
- Personalize the message.
- Check links and mobile responsiveness.
- Send a test email.
- Schedule or send the campaign.
- Monitor delivery, opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and complaints.
- Use the results to improve the next campaign.
Once your email program is stable, introduce SMS and WhatsApp for use cases where faster or conversational communication provides a clear benefit.
Who Should Use Brevo?
Brevo is particularly compelling for businesses that want several marketing channels under one roof.
It can be a good fit for:
- Small and midsize businesses
- Ecommerce stores
- Agencies
- SaaS companies
- Service businesses
- Startups
- Businesses with large contact databases
- Teams combining marketing and sales workflows
It is less compelling when a business requires a highly specialized enterprise CRM, extremely sophisticated ecommerce customer-data infrastructure, or a platform built primarily around a single specialized messaging channel.
Final Recommendation
Brevo’s SMS and WhatsApp capabilities make it more than a traditional email marketing platform. Its combination of email, mobile messaging, automation, CRM, transactional infrastructure, and customer conversations gives businesses a relatively broad toolkit for managing customer communication.
Its pricing model is another important differentiator. Email costs are primarily tied to sending volume rather than simply the size of the contact database, while SMS and WhatsApp operate through usage-based credits and country/message-specific pricing.
For a small or midsize business looking for an affordable multi-channel marketing platform, Brevo is worth considering.
However, the best platform depends on your specific requirements. Ecommerce brands with highly advanced behavioral marketing needs may prefer Klaviyo, while businesses prioritizing advanced sales and marketing automation may find ActiveCampaign more suitable.
The most sensible approach is to compare the total cost of your expected contact volume, email sends, SMS usage, WhatsApp campaigns, automation requirements, and integrations before committing.
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Disclosure: LedgCraft.com may earn a commission if you purchase or sign up for Brevo through an affiliate link. This does not affect our editorial evaluation or the price you pay.
Pricing and feature availability can change. Always verify current pricing, plan limits, messaging rates, and regional availability directly with Brevo before making a purchasing decision.