Free AI Email Marketing: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp vs Brevo
The free AI email marketing tools on IMDA's new list for Singapore SMEs are Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign, Brevo, GetResponse, Intuit Mailchimp, Constant Contact and Copy.ai. Brevo, Klaviyo, Mailchimp and GetResponse have free plans you can keep; ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact offer time-limited trials.
On 13 October 2026, IMDA launched an AI Tools page on the SMEs Go Digital portal: 116 curated global tools, each with a free tier or free trial. Seven sit in marketing and email. This guide compares all seven, explains exactly what each one gives you free as of October 2026, and shows where a free tool stops and your own customer data has to take over. For the full programme, start with our guide to IMDA's free AI tools.
Key takeaways
- Seven tools, one list: IMDA's marketing and email category covers Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign, Brevo, GetResponse, Mailchimp, Constant Contact and Copy.ai.
- Four have lasting free plans: Brevo, Klaviyo, Mailchimp and GetResponse let you send real campaigns without paying, within contact and send limits.
- Two are trials only: ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact give you a trial window, then you pay or stop sending.
- Free is not the same as grant-supported: These tools are curated, not IMDA pre-approved solutions, so the EDGE Grant does not apply to them by default.
- Your list is the real asset: A tool only sends well if your customer data (who bought what, when) is clean and up to date.
Which free AI marketing and email tools are on IMDA's list?
Here is every tool in the category, with the free option each vendor states on its own pricing page as of October 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Free option | Standout AI feature | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klaviyo | Online shops that sell repeat products | Free plan: up to 250 active profiles, 500 email sends a month | Segments and automated flows built on purchase data | Limits are tight once your list grows |
| ActiveCampaign | Businesses that want automation journeys | 14-day free trial, no credit card (no lasting free plan) | Automation builder with AI assistance | You must pick a paid plan after the trial |
| Brevo Marketing Platform | Small lists that send often | Free forever, no credit card; up to 300 emails a day | AI content generator for email copy | Daily cap rather than monthly |
| GetResponse | Newsletters plus a simple landing page | Free plan up to 500 contacts; premium features free for the first 14 days | AI email generator | Landing pages capped at 1,000 unique visits a month on Free |
| Intuit Mailchimp Email Marketing | First-time email senders | Free plan: 250 contacts, 500 sends a month (max 250 a day), 1 seat | AI-assisted content and subject lines | Sending pauses when you pass the limits |
| Constant Contact | Event and community mailers | Time-limited free trial (30 days per its help centre) | AI content generator | No lasting free tier |
| Copy.ai | Drafting marketing copy | IMDA lists a free tier; check the vendor's current terms | Chat and workflows across several AI models | Writes copy only; it does not send email |
How we chose these tools and what 'free' means here
We did not pick these tools. IMDA curated them from multiple sources, considering signals of market adoption with generally positive user sentiment and relevance to local SME needs. They are not grant-supported pre-approved solutions, and Biks is not on the list.
For each tool we opened the vendor's own pricing or help page in October 2026 and wrote down what it says, without paid prices. Where the page did not state the free terms clearly, we say so rather than guess.
Two words matter. A free plan (or free tier) lasts as long as you stay within its limits. A free trial gives you paid features for a fixed number of days, then asks you to pay. For email, the limits that bite first are contacts on your list and sends per month or per day.
Klaviyo: is the free plan enough for a small online shop?
- What it does: Email, SMS and automated flows built around store data such as orders, browsing and repeat purchases.
- Best for: A Singapore bakery or skincare brand selling online that wants abandoned-cart and win-back emails.
- Free plan: Klaviyo's pricing page lists up to 250 active profiles, up to 500 email sends a month, a small monthly allowance of mobile messages, and email support for the first 60 days. You can stay on it indefinitely within those limits.
- Standout feature: Segments and flows that use purchase history, so a customer who bought twice gets a different message from one who bought once.
- Honest limit: It shines when your orders live in a connected store. If most orders come in over WhatsApp, that history is not in Klaviyo unless someone puts it there.
Mailchimp and Brevo: which free plan sends more?
- Intuit Mailchimp Email Marketing: The Free plan covers 250 contacts, a maximum of 500 sends a month or 250 a day, one seat and one audience. Mailchimp says sending pauses if you exceed a limit. Best for a clinic or tuition centre sending a simple monthly newsletter.
- Brevo Marketing Platform: Brevo calls its free plan 'free forever, no credit card needed'. Once your account is approved for sending, you can send up to 300 emails a day. Best for a business with a modest list that wants to send reminders and promotions several times a week.
- How to choose between them: Mailchimp's cap is per month and per contact; Brevo's is per day. If you have a few hundred customers and email them often, Brevo's daily allowance goes further. If you want the most familiar interface and templates, Mailchimp is the easier start.
GetResponse: what do you keep after the 14 days?
- What it does: Email marketing with landing pages, signup forms and an AI email generator in one place.
- Free plan: GetResponse Free stays free with no credit card, with space for up to 500 contacts. For the first 14 days you also get premium features; after that you keep the free version.
- Standout feature: A landing page and signup form included free, so a renovation contractor can collect enquiries without a separate website tool.
- Honest limit: Free accounts are capped at 1,000 unique landing-page visits a month, and a GetResponse badge appears on every message.
ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact and Copy.ai: when do they fit?
- ActiveCampaign: Strong automation for businesses that want multi-step journeys, such as a logistics SME nurturing new B2B leads. It offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card, but no lasting free plan, so treat it as a test before committing. We could not open its pricing page directly; the trial terms come from the vendor's site as surfaced by search.
- Constant Contact: Popular for event invitations and community newsletters. It offers a time-limited free trial (30 days per its help centre), not a free plan. Good for testing an events calendar before you pay.
- Copy.ai: A writing tool, not a sender. It drafts subject lines, product descriptions and campaign copy. Its current pricing page shows paid plans and a 'Try for free' button without listing free limits, so check the vendor's current terms before you rely on it.
How do you choose the right one for your business?
Match the tool to the job you need done first, not to the longest feature list.
| Your situation | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Online shop, under 250 customers | Klaviyo | Flows use order data from your store |
| Monthly newsletter, small list | Mailchimp | Simple, familiar, 500 sends a month free |
| Frequent reminders or promos | Brevo | 300 emails a day on the free plan |
| Need a signup page too | GetResponse | Landing page and forms on the free plan |
| Multi-step B2B nurture | ActiveCampaign (trial) | Automation depth; plan for a paid tier |
| Only need copy drafted | Copy.ai, or a general assistant | See our AI assistants guide |
If your leads come in through chat rather than a website, read our customer service tools guide first; if you need a pipeline before a newsletter, see the sales and CRM guide.
What do free AI marketing tools not do for you?
Every tool above can send a well-written email. None of them knows who your customers are until you tell it. For many Singapore SMEs, the best customer data is not in a store platform at all. It sits in WhatsApp chats, order screenshots and a spreadsheet someone updates when they have time.
So the work that decides whether email marketing pays off is upstream: recording each order with the customer's name, item, date and amount; tagging repeat buyers; removing people who asked not to be contacted, in line with the PDPA; and keeping one list instead of three. A free tool does not do that cleanup, connect to your other systems, apply your rules on who gets which offer, or check every day that it is still running. Someone on your team has to own it.
Tool on its own vs tool plus Biks
Both routes work. The right one depends on where your customer data lives today.
| Free tool on its own | Tool plus Biks | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | You sign up, import contacts and build templates | Biks maps your order flow and sets it up with you |
| Where customer data comes from | Your store, a CSV upload or signup forms | WhatsApp orders, payments and follow-ups recorded as they happen |
| Connects to WhatsApp, Xero, Sheets | Through integrations you configure | Built into the workflow |
| Your rules and approvals | Set inside the tool's automation builder | Your rules; anything sent to customers can wait for approval |
| Who runs it day to day | Someone on your team | Biks runs and monitors it; your team reviews |
| Cost model | Free tier, then subscription as your list grows | One-time build plus monthly subscription, compared with hiring an admin |
| Best when | Your customers already sign up or buy online | Your orders and customers come through WhatsApp and spreadsheets |
How Biks can help with marketing and email
Biks builds customer operations workflows for SMEs that sell over WhatsApp. Orders, payments and delivery details are recorded as they come in, so you end up with a clean customer record: who ordered, what, how often and when they last bought. That record can feed the segments and follow-ups in Klaviyo, Mailchimp or Brevo, or go out as WhatsApp follow-ups your team approves, with sales flowing into Xero or Google Sheets.
For Rosalie, an F&B business taking orders over WhatsApp, daily order admin went from more than four hours to about 20 minutes, with a 99% response rate and a closing rate more than 50% higher; see the Rosalie case study. Workflows go live in weeks. If you want your WhatsApp orders to power your marketing, book a call, or go back to the full IMDA free AI tools list to compare other categories.
Sources
- IMDA: Artificial Intelligence Tools | SMEs Go Digital
- IMDA: 30 SMEs Recognised at Inaugural SME AI Impact Awards as IMDA Expands Digital Support for SMEs
- Klaviyo: Klaviyo Pricing | Start Free with Email & SMS
- Mailchimp: Mailchimp Pricing Plans
- Brevo: Pricing Plans | Brevo
- GetResponse: Best Forever Free Email Marketing Software | GetResponse
- GetResponse: GetResponse Pricing
- ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign Free Trial
- Constant Contact: Constant Contact free trial (Knowledge Base)
- Copy.ai: Plans & Pricing | Copy.ai
- PDPC: PDPA Overview
Common questions
- What free AI email marketing tools does IMDA recommend for SMEs?
- IMDA's AI Tools page on the SMEs Go Digital portal lists seven marketing and email tools: Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign, Brevo, GetResponse, Intuit Mailchimp Email Marketing, Constant Contact and Copy.ai. Each has a free tier or free trial. They are curated global tools, not grant-supported pre-approved solutions, so check each vendor's current terms before you sign up.
- Is Mailchimp free for small businesses in Singapore?
- Yes. As of October 2026, Mailchimp's Free plan covers 250 contacts and up to 500 email sends a month, with a daily maximum of 250, for one user and one audience. Mailchimp pauses sending if you exceed a limit. It suits a small business sending a simple newsletter; bigger lists need a paid plan.
- Which email marketing tool has the most generous free plan?
- It depends on how you send. As of October 2026, Brevo allows up to 300 emails a day on its free plan, GetResponse allows up to 500 contacts, and Klaviyo and Mailchimp each allow 500 sends a month with about 250 contacts or profiles. Frequent senders with small lists usually get more from Brevo's daily allowance.
- Can I use the EDGE Grant for Klaviyo or Mailchimp?
- Not by default. The tools on IMDA's AI Tools page are curated free tiers and trials, not pre-approved solutions. Grant support of up to 50% under the EDGE Grant applies to qualifying costs such as pre-approved digital solutions, for Singapore-registered SMEs with at least 30% local shareholding. Check the SMEs Go Digital portal for eligible solutions.
- How do I build an email list from WhatsApp customers?
- Record each WhatsApp order with the customer's name, contact details, item, date and consent to receive marketing, in one place instead of scattered chats. Then import that list into your email tool and segment by purchase history. Remove anyone who opts out, as the PDPA requires. Doing this by hand is slow; it can be automated as orders arrive.
