Best Email Marketing Tools with Affiliate Programs (2026)
Quick answer: Our top pick is GetResponse, followed by Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and Systeme.io. Entry prices start near $12/mo. All 5 are compared below on price, strengths and the key trade-off of each, so you can match one to your needs.
The shortlist below is ordered for real-world value, not marketing budget. This guide rounds up the 5 tools we'd actually recommend for this job, with what each does best, what it costs, and who should pick it.
Each pick was judged on the job in this guide rather than a generic scorecard, weighing results, price and ramp-up time. Pricing is taken from public plans at the time of writing.
No free plan (free trial); Lite, Standard and Premium tiers scaling with contacts.
Small businesses and nonprofits
The picks, ranked
1. GetResponse All-in-One Marketing
All-in-one email marketing with automation, webinars, landing pages and AI campaign tools. Best suited to teams that care most about webinars + email in one tool.
Why it's on this list: One of the few platforms that bundles webinar hosting directly with email marketing and automation. A natural fit for sMBs and course/webinar sellers who want email plus webinars and landing pages in a single subscription.
Standout features:
Built-in webinar hosting (up to 100 attendees on Marketer)
Unlimited landing pages and website builder
Standout strength: Rare built-in webinar hosting bundled with email.
Worth knowing: Pricing scales by list size; annual billing saves ~18% (about 2 months free).
Pricing: Free plan (limited); Email Marketing from ~$19/mo; Marketing Automation and Ecommerce tiers higher.
Email + SMS + CRM platform priced by send volume rather than contacts, strong for transactional email. Best suited to teams that care most about send-volume pricing.
Why it's on this list: Charges by emails sent rather than contacts, making it unusually cheap for big lists that send infrequently, with serious transactional capability. Aimed squarely at businesses with large contact lists but moderate send volume, and developers needing transactional + marketing email together.
All-in-one funnels, email, courses and affiliate management with a generous free tier. Best suited to teams that care most about solopreneurs on a budget.
Why it's on this list: An all-in-one funnel/course/email platform with a free tier that is actually usable, not a time-limited trial. Built for solopreneurs and beginners on tight budgets who want funnels, courses and email in one cheap (or free) tool.
Standout features:
Unlimited email sends on every plan including free
Blog and website builder with custom domains
Standout strength: Genuinely free plan (not a trial) with real funnel, course and email tools.
Worth knowing: Free plan is permanent (no credit card) with unlimited email sends.
Pricing: Free plan (real, not trial); Startup ~$17/mo; Webinar ~$47/mo; Unlimited ~$97/mo.
Long-standing email marketing platform with automation, landing pages and strong deliverability. A strong default when small businesses is the priority.
Why it's on this list: A 25+ year veteran whose main edge is reliable deliverability and genuine 24/7 phone support. Made for small businesses and long-time email senders who value deliverability and human support over cutting-edge automation.
Standout features:
24/7 support including phone on Plus
Email marketing with autoresponders and behavioral automations
Standout strength: Long track record (since 1998) and strong ISP/deliverability reputation.
Worth knowing: Affiliate program offers a very long 365-day cookie.
Pricing: Free up to 500 subscribers; Lite, Plus and Unlimited paid tiers.
Beginner-friendly email and event marketing aimed at small businesses and nonprofits. A strong default when small businesses and nonprofits is the priority.
Why it's on this list: A beginner-first platform with unusually strong event/registration marketing for small businesses and nonprofits. Aimed squarely at small businesses, nonprofits and event organizers who want simplicity and support over advanced automation.
Standout features:
Dynamic content and SEO tools on Premium
Beginner-friendly email editor with large template library
Standout strength: Very approachable for non-technical small businesses and nonprofits.
Worth knowing: No free plan; 60-day free trial instead.
Pricing: No free plan (free trial); Lite, Standard and Premium tiers scaling with contacts.
Work backwards from the one job you most need done. Match it to the entry whose ‘why it's on this list’ lines up, sanity-check the pricing against your budget, then shortlist two and trial them on the same real task. Whichever clears your workflow with the least friction is your pick.
FAQ
What is the best option in this list?
We'd reach for GetResponse first, though the ‘best’ tool is the one whose trade-offs fit your priorities — compare the entries before deciding.
Are there free options?
Yes — GetResponse, Systeme.io and Constant Contact offer a free plan or tier, so you can validate fit before paying. Check each entry's pricing line above.
How were these tools chosen?
Each pick is judged on fit for the specific job in this guide — its real strengths, pricing and who it suits — using features and facts drawn from independent reviews and the vendors' own documentation, cited in Sources below.
How often is this guide updated?
We revisit pricing and rankings regularly as vendors change plans and ship features.
Sources
The features, strengths and facts cited for each pick above are drawn from these independent reviews and vendor pages: