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Email Marketing · head to head

Dotdigital vs Omnisend

Dotdigital logo

Dotdigital

Email Marketing

UK-listed email and cross-channel marketing platform with deep Adobe Commerce and Dynamics connectors

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Omnisend logo

Omnisend

Email Marketing

Email, SMS and push marketing automation for ecommerce

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Omnisend has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Dotdigital pricing is anchored on contact tiers, so inactive and unsubscribed contacts keep counting until you actively delete them and the bill grows with list decay rather than with sending.; Omnisend free plan caps at 250 contacts and 500 emails per month
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dotdigital and Omnisend actually diverge.

Attributes where Dotdigital and Omnisend differ
AttributeDotdigitalOmnisend
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, REST APIWeb

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 Dotdigital

  • Automation builder
  • Commerce connectors
  • Dynamics 365 integration
  • Regional data residency
  • Liquid personalisation
  • SMS and WhatsApp

Only in Omnisend

Nothing recorded that Dotdigital does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Dotdigital

  • A Microsoft Dynamics 365 organisation that needs marketing automation without building the CRM sync itselfnot Omnisend
  • An Adobe Commerce retailer that wants basket and order data in campaigns without middlewarenot Omnisend
  • A European buyer that needs contact data held in the UK or EU with a named hosting region in the contractnot Omnisend
  • A procurement team that wants to review published financial statements before committing to a multi-year platformnot Omnisend

Omnisend

  • Sending cart abandonment recovery emails with product recommendationsnot Dotdigital
  • Segmenting customers by purchase history for targeted SMS campaignsnot Dotdigital
  • Creating browse abandonment sequences triggered by browsing behaviornot Dotdigital
  • Generating personalized product recommendations in email messagesnot Dotdigital

Where each one falls short

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

Dotdigital

  • Pricing is anchored on contact tiers, so inactive and unsubscribed contacts keep counting until you actively delete them and the bill grows with list decay rather than with sending.
  • SMS, WhatsApp and chat are add-ons billed on top of the platform fee, so cross-channel programmes cost noticeably more than the headline quote suggests.
  • The automation builder handles scheduled and behavioural triggers well but is not designed for high-frequency real-time orchestration, which is where growing teams outgrow it.
  • Attribution reporting beyond opens, clicks and connected commerce revenue is thin without the additional analytics module.
  • Automation logic is not portable, so migrating away means rebuilding programmes by hand after exporting contacts and data through the API.

Omnisend

  • Free plan caps at 250 contacts and 500 emails per month
  • Standard plan is limited to 500 contacts and 6,000 emails per month before an upgrade is required
  • SMS is billed separately starting at $0.007 per message and varies by country and volume
  • Custom pricing only begins above 150,001 contacts, requiring a sales conversation at that scale

Pricing, plan by plan

Dotdigital

On request
  • Dotdigital$undefined/month
    • Priced on a contact tier combined with a monthly email send allowance
    • SMS, WhatsApp and additional channels billed separately
    • Annual contracts standard, monthly available on entry tiers

Omnisend

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 250 contacts
    • 500 emails/month
    • 500 web push/month
  • Standard$11.2/month
    • Up to 500 contacts
    • 6,000 emails/month (12x list size)
    • Unlimited web push
  • Pro$41.3/month
    • Up to 2,500 contacts
    • Unlimited emails
    • Unlimited web push
  • Custom$undefined/mo
    • 150,001+ contacts
    • Custom pricing with dedicated account expert

Which should you pick?

Choose Dotdigital if

  • You need automation builder.
  • You work on Web, REST API.
  • You also want commerce connectors.
Dotdigital review

Choose Omnisend if

  • You want to start without paying.
Omnisend review

Questions people ask

Is Dotdigital or Omnisend better?
Neither clearly leads. Dotdigital starts at On request and Omnisend at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dotdigital or Omnisend?
Omnisend has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Dotdigital and Free for Omnisend.
Does Dotdigital or Omnisend run on more platforms?
Dotdigital runs on Web, REST API. Omnisend runs on Web.
Can I use Omnisend for free?
Yes. Omnisend has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Dotdigital starts at On request.
What is Dotdigital best used for?
Dotdigital is most often used for a microsoft dynamics 365 organisation that needs marketing automation without building the crm sync itself, an adobe commerce retailer that wants basket and order data in campaigns without middleware, a european buyer that needs contact data held in the uk or eu with a named hosting region in the contract, a procurement team that wants to review published financial statements before committing to a multi-year platform. Of those, a microsoft dynamics 365 organisation that needs marketing automation without building the crm sync itself and an adobe commerce retailer that wants basket and order data in campaigns without middleware are not what Omnisend is typically brought in for.
What can Dotdigital do that Omnisend cannot?
Dotdigital covers Automation builder, Commerce connectors, Dynamics 365 integration, Regional data residency.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dotdigital: Are unsubscribed contacts billed?

Yes, if they remain in the account. Contact tiers count stored contacts, so suppression lists still consume allowance until records are removed.

Omnisend: What is Omnisend's pricing model?

Omnisend uses contact-based tiered pricing. Free plan includes 250 contacts, Standard tier covers 500 contacts at $11.20/month, Pro tier covers 2,500 contacts at $41.30/month. Monthly or 3-month subscriptions available with 30% discount on quarterly billing.

Source
Dotdigital: Is it a real alternative to enterprise engagement platforms?

For scheduled and behavioural ecommerce and B2B programmes, yes. For real-time cross-channel orchestration at scale it is not competing in the same bracket.

Omnisend: Does Omnisend charge for SMS?

Yes, SMS is an add-on with volume-based pricing starting at $0.007 per message for orders of 10,000+ messages, up to $0.009 per message for smaller volumes.

Source
Dotdigital: Where is contact data stored?

In the region contracted, with UK, EU, US and Australian hosting available, which is why it appears on European shortlists with residency requirements.

Omnisend: Is there a free version of Omnisend?

Omnisend offers a free tier for up to 250 contacts with 500 emails/month, 500 web push/month, and basic automation features.

Source
Omnisend: What is included in the Pro plan?

The Pro plan at $41.30/month covers up to 2,500 contacts with unlimited emails, unlimited web push, AI personalization, and SMS starting at $0.007 per message.

Source
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