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Marketing · head to head

Customer.io vs Gravity Forms

Customer.io logo

Customer.io

Marketing

Data-driven messaging for teams getting started, scaling and beyond

From
$15/month
Free plan
No
Gravity Forms logo

Gravity Forms

Surveys

The most trusted WordPress forms plugin

From
$59/year
Free plan
No

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Customer.io essentials plan caps at 5,000 profiles (people and objects) and 1,000,000 monthly emails, with overages billed at $0.12 per 1,000 emails beyond that; Gravity Forms basic license covers only 1 site and renews at $59/year after a discounted $44 first year
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Customer.io and Gravity Forms actually diverge.

Attributes where Customer.io and Gravity Forms differ
AttributeCustomer.ioGravity Forms
Starting price$15/month$59/year
CategoryMarketingSurveys

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What people use each for

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

Customer.io

  • Orchestrating multi-channel customer journeys from signup to retentionnot Gravity Forms
  • Personalizing email and SMS campaigns using customer profilesnot Gravity Forms
  • Triggering automated messages based on user behaviornot Gravity Forms
  • Coordinating cross-team messaging without rebuilding campaignsnot Gravity Forms

Gravity Forms

  • WordPress form building and lead capturenot Customer.io
  • E-commerce payment form processingnot Customer.io
  • Multi-site form managementnot Customer.io

Where each one falls short

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

Customer.io

  • Essentials plan caps at 5,000 profiles (people and objects) and 1,000,000 monthly emails, with overages billed at $0.12 per 1,000 emails beyond that
  • Standard and Premium tiers show custom pricing only, and Enterprise is negotiated rate, so three of the four published tiers require a sales conversation
  • Monthly plans accept credit card only; annual billing via invoice (ACH/wire) requires the annual commitment

Gravity Forms

  • Basic license covers only 1 site and renews at $59/year after a discounted $44 first year
  • Pro license is capped at 3 sites; using it on more requires the Elite tier at $259/year renewal
  • Marketing integrations like HubSpot and Mailchimp are Basic-tier only, while payment and workflow add-ons (Stripe, Zapier, Trello) require Pro or above

Pricing, plan by plan

Customer.io

$15/month
  • Essentials$15/month
    • Base profiles starting at 5,000
    • Email sends: 1 million monthly
    • Community and email support
  • Standard$null/month
    • Mid-tier scaling across channels
    • Higher profile and email allowances
    • Email and priority support
  • Premium$null/month
    • Advanced custom workflows
    • Dedicated support
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Custom pricing for dedicated infrastructure
    • HIPAA compliance
    • Dedicated hardware

Gravity Forms

$59/year
  • Basic$59/year
    • 1 site license
    • 20+ integrations including HubSpot, Mailchimp, Active Campaign
  • Pro$159/year
    • 3 site licenses
    • Payment processing with Stripe, Square, PayPal
    • 15+ Pro-level add-ons
  • Elite$259/year
    • Unlimited site licenses
    • All add-ons included
    • Advanced features: User Registration, Conversational Forms, Signature, Survey

Which should you pick?

Choose Customer.io if

Nothing in the data separates Customer.io from Gravity Forms on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Choose Gravity Forms if

Nothing in the data separates Gravity Forms from Customer.io on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Questions people ask

Is Customer.io or Gravity Forms better?
Neither clearly leads. Customer.io starts at $15/month and Gravity Forms at $59/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Customer.io or Gravity Forms?
Customer.io starts at $15/month and Gravity Forms at $59/year.
Does Customer.io or Gravity Forms run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Customer.io best used for?
Customer.io is most often used for orchestrating multi-channel customer journeys from signup to retention, personalizing email and sms campaigns using customer profiles, triggering automated messages based on user behavior, coordinating cross-team messaging without rebuilding campaigns. Of those, orchestrating multi-channel customer journeys from signup to retention and personalizing email and sms campaigns using customer profiles are not what Gravity Forms is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Customer.io: How much does Customer.io Essentials cost?

Customer.io Essentials starts at $15/month and includes 5,000 base profiles with 1 million monthly email sends, community and email support, and data-driven messaging tools. Customers can choose monthly or annual billing.

Source
Gravity Forms: What is the cheapest Gravity Forms plan?

The Basic plan is $59/year and includes 1 site license with 20+ integrations. The Elite plan at $259/year offers unlimited sites and all add-ons.

Source
Customer.io: What are Customer.io's usage-based add-on costs?

Beyond plan limits, Customer.io charges $0.009 per additional profile, $0.12 per 1,000 additional emails, and $10 per 100K AI credits. Messages exceeding plan limits are charged at nominal rates. Billing occurs on the subscription anniversary.

Source
Gravity Forms: Can I process payments with Gravity Forms?

Yes. Payment processing with Stripe, Square, and PayPal is included in the Pro ($159/year) and Elite ($259/year) plans, but not in the Basic plan.

Source
Customer.io: Does Customer.io offer a startup discount?

Yes, early-stage companies that have raised under $10 million qualify for a full year free through Customer.io's Startup Program with annual billing.

Source
Gravity Forms: How many sites can I use Gravity Forms on?

The Basic plan covers 1 site, Pro covers 3 sites, and Elite covers unlimited sites. All pricing is annual subscription.

Source
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