Softwr

Email Marketing · head to head

Attentive vs Flodesk

Attentive logo

Attentive

Email Marketing

Enterprise SMS and email marketing for retail brands, sold on quarterly minimum spend commitments

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Flodesk logo

Flodesk

Email Marketing

Email marketing built for creators and small business

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Flodesk has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Attentive minimum spend commitments are use it or lose it: if quarterly usage falls short, the shortfall is invoiced anyway, which makes Attentive expensive for any brand whose sending is seasonal rather than even.; Flodesk variable pricing per subscriber with no clear rate card
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Attentive and Flodesk actually diverge.

Attributes where Attentive and Flodesk differ
AttributeAttentiveFlodesk
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Email Marketing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Attentive

  • SMS-first journeys
  • Two-tap sign-up units
  • TCPA compliance tooling
  • Email channel
  • Revenue attribution
  • Concierge
  • Identity resolution
  • Negotiated order form rates

Only in Flodesk

Nothing recorded that Attentive does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Attentive

  • A direct-to-consumer brand where SMS is the primary revenue channel and needs cart abandonment triggered within minutes of a sessionnot Flodesk
  • A retailer capturing in-store phone numbers at the till and needing TCPA-compliant consent records to go with themnot Flodesk
  • A consumer brand running SMS and email from one audience so subscribers are not messaged twice for the same promotionnot Flodesk
  • A high-volume merchant with predictable year-round send patterns that can commit to a quarterly minimum and negotiate rates down against itnot Flodesk

Flodesk

  • Designers creating branded emails without external design softwarenot Attentive
  • Content creators building automations with high form conversionnot Attentive
  • Small entrepreneurs consolidating multiple email tool costsnot Attentive
  • Membership businesses processing recurring payments through checkoutnot Attentive

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Attentive

  • Minimum spend commitments are use it or lose it: if quarterly usage falls short, the shortfall is invoiced anyway, which makes Attentive expensive for any brand whose sending is seasonal rather than even.
  • No rates are published anywhere, so a buyer cannot benchmark a quote before entering a sales process, and the effective per message cost is only visible once an order form is drafted.
  • Contracts commonly run six to twelve months, so a brand that finds performance disappointing after two months still owes the balance of the term.
  • Total cost combines a platform fee, per message SMS and MMS charges and carrier pass-through fees, and MMS at two to five cents per message means image-heavy campaigns cost several times what the SMS rate suggests.
  • It is priced and built for established consumer brands, and the entry commitment puts it out of reach of small merchants that Postscript and similar tools serve on usage-based plans with no floor.

Flodesk

  • Variable pricing per subscriber with no clear rate card
  • Prices scale based on subscriber count and can vary significantly within each tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Attentive

On request
  • Attentive$undefined/year
    • No public rate card; rates are set in an individual order form
    • Platform fee plus per message SMS and MMS charges
    • Contracts commonly six to twelve months

Flodesk

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited active subscribers
    • Forms, landing pages, audience segmentation
    • Email sending with analytics
  • Lite$0.25/month
    • Up to 25,000 subscribers
    • Unlimited email sends
    • Email analytics
  • Pro$0.28/month
    • Up to 255,000 subscribers
    • Unlimited workflows
    • Advanced analytics
  • Everything$0.54/month
    • Up to 255,000 subscribers
    • Unlimited integrated checkouts
    • Sales pages, subscriptions, payment plans

Which should you pick?

Choose Attentive if

  • You need sms-first journeys.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want two-tap sign-up units.
Attentive review

Choose Flodesk if

  • You want to start without paying.
Flodesk review

Questions people ask

Is Attentive or Flodesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Attentive starts at On request and Flodesk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Attentive or Flodesk?
Flodesk has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Attentive and Free for Flodesk.
Does Attentive or Flodesk run on more platforms?
Attentive runs on Web, iOS, Android. Flodesk runs on Web.
Can I use Flodesk for free?
Yes. Flodesk has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Attentive starts at On request.
What is Attentive best used for?
Attentive is most often used for a direct-to-consumer brand where sms is the primary revenue channel and needs cart abandonment triggered within minutes of a session, a retailer capturing in-store phone numbers at the till and needing tcpa-compliant consent records to go with them, a consumer brand running sms and email from one audience so subscribers are not messaged twice for the same promotion, a high-volume merchant with predictable year-round send patterns that can commit to a quarterly minimum and negotiate rates down against it. Of those, a direct-to-consumer brand where sms is the primary revenue channel and needs cart abandonment triggered within minutes of a session and a retailer capturing in-store phone numbers at the till and needing tcpa-compliant consent records to go with them are not what Flodesk is typically brought in for.
What can Attentive do that Flodesk cannot?
Attentive covers SMS-first journeys, Two-tap sign-up units, TCPA compliance tooling, Email channel.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Attentive: How much does Attentive cost?

It does not publish rates. Costs are a platform fee plus per message charges set in your order form, with minimum spend commitments commonly around 2,000 to 3,000 USD per quarter.

Flodesk: How much does Flodesk cost?

Flodesk offers a free plan and four paid plans with variable pricing based on subscriber count. Lite ranges from $0.25 to $25 per month, Pro from $0.28 to $1,457 per month, and Everything from $0.54 to $1,766 per month for up to 255,000 subscribers.

Source
Attentive: What happens if I do not use my minimum?

You are invoiced for the shortfall at the end of the quarter. Unused commitment is not carried forward.

Flodesk: Is there a free version of Flodesk?

Yes, Flodesk offers a free plan that includes forms, landing pages, audience segmentation, and unlimited email sending to unlimited active subscribers.

Source
Attentive: How long is the contract?

Typically six to twelve months, billed monthly or quarterly.

Flodesk: Does Flodesk offer annual billing discounts?

Annual plans offer 1 month free compared to monthly billing, providing a discount for customers who commit to annual subscriptions.

Source
Attentive: Does it do email as well as SMS?

Yes, with shared audiences and journeys, though the product was designed SMS-first and that remains its strength.

Share

Related pages

More on Attentive

More on Flodesk

Keep looking

Other head to heads