Softwr

Email Marketing · head to head

Klaviyo vs Optimove

Klaviyo logo

Klaviyo

Email Marketing

The email and SMS marketing platform for ecommerce

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Optimove logo

Optimove

Marketing

Retention marketing platform that forces control groups and reports uplift per customer

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Klaviyo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Klaviyo the free plan caps active profiles at 250 and sends at 500 emails a month; Optimove it requires a customer-level data feed with transactions before it does anything useful, and mapping that feed typically takes weeks of joint work rather than days.
  • They diverge on capability: Klaviyo covers Email marketing, Optimove covers Customer modelling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Klaviyo and Optimove actually diverge.

Attributes where Klaviyo and Optimove differ
AttributeKlaviyoOptimove
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, REST API
CategoryEmail MarketingMarketing
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Klaviyo

  • Email marketing
  • SMS marketing
  • Push notifications
  • Marketing automation
  • Segmentation
  • A/B testing
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Ecommerce integrations

Only in Optimove

  • Customer modelling
  • Mandatory control groups
  • Optibot
  • Multichannel orchestration
  • Self-optimising campaigns
  • Realtime triggers

What people use each for

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

Klaviyo

  • Email and SMS marketing automation for ecommerce storesnot Optimove
  • Segmenting customers on purchase and behaviour datanot Optimove

Optimove

  • An operator that has to prove incremental revenue from retention marketing to a finance committeenot Klaviyo
  • Segmenting a customer base by predicted value and lifecycle stage rather than by campaign list membershipnot Klaviyo
  • Running hundreds of small always-on campaigns where per-campaign uplift decides which survivenot Klaviyo
  • Coordinating retention messaging with paid audience suppression so lapsed customers are not paid for twicenot Klaviyo

Where each one falls short

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

Klaviyo

  • The free plan caps active profiles at 250 and sends at 500 emails a month
  • Pricing scales with stored profile count rather than with messages sent, so an unengaged list costs the same as an active one
  • SMS is metered separately, with only $5 of mobile messages included on the free plan
  • Paid tier prices are not published on the pricing page and depend on profile count

Optimove

  • It requires a customer-level data feed with transactions before it does anything useful, and mapping that feed typically takes weeks of joint work rather than days.
  • Pricing is based on tracked customers, so an inflated database of accounts that will never return costs money exactly like an unpruned email list does.
  • The modelling layer is largely opaque, so when a lifecycle stage assignment looks wrong there is limited ability to inspect why beyond vendor support.
  • The interface is dense and built for daily operators, and occasional users typically never become independent in it.
  • Email delivery is through bundled or third-party sending infrastructure rather than an in-house ESP, which adds a party to any deliverability investigation.

Pricing, plan by plan

Klaviyo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 500 contacts
    • Unlimited campaigns
    • Basic automation
  • Pro$20/month
    • Unlimited contacts
    • SMS campaigns
    • Advanced automation

Optimove

On request
  • Optimove$undefined/year
    • Priced by number of tracked customers
    • Channel modules and Kumulos-derived mobile messaging licensed separately
    • Annual contract including onboarding services

Which should you pick?

Choose Klaviyo if

  • You need email marketing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want sms marketing.
Klaviyo review

Choose Optimove if

  • You need customer modelling.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, REST API.
  • You also want mandatory control groups.
Optimove review

Questions people ask

Is Klaviyo or Optimove better?
Neither clearly leads. Klaviyo starts at Free and Optimove at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Klaviyo or Optimove?
Klaviyo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Klaviyo and On request for Optimove.
Does Klaviyo or Optimove run on more platforms?
Klaviyo runs on Web. Optimove runs on Web, iOS, Android, REST API.
Can I use Klaviyo for free?
Yes. Klaviyo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Optimove starts at On request.
What is Klaviyo best used for?
Klaviyo is most often used for email and sms marketing automation for ecommerce stores, segmenting customers on purchase and behaviour data. Of those, email and sms marketing automation for ecommerce stores and segmenting customers on purchase and behaviour data are not what Optimove is typically brought in for.
What can Klaviyo do that Optimove cannot?
Klaviyo covers Email marketing, SMS marketing, Push notifications, Marketing automation. Optimove covers Customer modelling, Mandatory control groups, Optibot, Multichannel orchestration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Klaviyo: Is Klaviyo free?

Klaviyo has a free tier covering up to 250 active profiles, 500 email sends per month and $5 of mobile messages per month, with 10,000 Composer credits. Email support on the free tier lasts only the first 60 days.

Source
Optimove: Why does it insist on control groups?

Because uplift is the reported metric. Without a holdout the platform cannot attribute revenue, and the reporting that justifies the licence stops working.

Klaviyo: How much does Klaviyo cost?

Klaviyo does not publish a paid rate card on its pricing page. Paid tiers are priced by active profile count and message volume, and a figure is produced through the plan estimator rather than shown as a list price.

Source
Optimove: Is it only for iGaming?

No, but that is where its density of customers and its default lifecycle models are strongest. Subscription retail and financial services are the other common verticals.

Klaviyo: What counts as an active profile in Klaviyo?

Klaviyo defines active profiles as the contacts eligible to receive marketing, and the free tier is limited to 250 of them. Profile count is the main input to what a paid plan costs.

Source
Optimove: Can it send email itself?

It orchestrates and personalises, then sends through connected delivery infrastructure. Deliverability remains a shared responsibility with that provider.

Share

Related pages

More on Klaviyo

More on Optimove

Keep looking

Other head to heads