Best for
Best for small businesses and creators that want an easy drag-and-drop email builder with a capable free plan.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Email Marketing Comparison
Benchmark Email vs. Campaign Monitor
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for marketing teams and agencies that want a polished drag-and-drop builder, prebuilt journeys and a large integration catalogue.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | Benchmark Email | Campaign Monitor |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $27 / month Pro plan; the price scales with the number of contacts. A free plan is available. | lower value From $13 / month Lite plan for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly. The price rises with the contact count; annual billing takes 10% off, and nonprofits get 15% off. |
| Free trial | Free plan for up to 500 contacts and 2,500 monthly emails | Free plan for up to 500 contacts on a 30-day trial, with a 500 email send limit |
| API | Yes, API access, with up to 10 API keys on the Pro plan | Yes, API access with 250+ integrations |
| Hosting | Cloud (SaaS) | Cloud (SaaS) |
| Campaign types | Yes, email campaigns and newsletters, with a drag-and-drop signup form builder | Yes, email campaigns and newsletters, with a website builder available as a paid add-on |
| Automation and journeys | Yes, automations and customer journeys | Yes, prebuilt customer journeys and drip campaigns, with unlimited automated emails on Essentials and above |
| Segmentation and personalisation | Yes, contact tagging and segmentation with merge-field personalisation | Yes, segmentation, with advanced engagement segments on the Premier plan |
| Templates and editor | Yes, a drag-and-drop email builder with a template library | Yes, a drag-and-drop builder with 100+ responsive templates and support for custom-coded templates |
| Deliverability and testing | Yes, built-in list verification tools | Yes, A/B testing, link review, and design and spam testing |
| Ecommerce and CRM data | No native ecommerce or CRM connectors. Benchmark lists two integrations in total, Zapier and Playable Video, and points everything else at Zapier's 8,000+ app library; the Zapier connection syncs contacts rather than order or deal data | Yes, CRM and ecommerce connections among the 250+ integrations |
| Integrations and API | Yes, API access plus Zapier and a universal embed code | Yes, API access with 250+ integrations |
| AI features | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based |
| Support | Email helpdesk | more entries Email helpdesk, Phone |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials | Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials |
| Company size | Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | Zapier, Playable Video | more entries Salesforce, WordPress, Shopify, Unbounce, Intercom, OptinMonster, Facebook Lead Ads, AdRoll, Lexer, Qgiv, Raiser's Edge NXT |
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Adds a column to the table, from the tools in this category.
Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Starting price Benchmark Email From $27 / month Campaign Monitor From $13 / month
- Free trial Benchmark Email Free plan for up to 500 contacts and 2,500 monthly emails Campaign Monitor Free plan for up to 500 contacts on a 30-day trial, with a 500 email send limit
- Support Benchmark Email Email helpdesk Campaign Monitor Email helpdesk, Phone
- API Benchmark Email Yes, API access, with up to 10 API keys on the Pro plan Campaign Monitor Yes, API access with 250+ integrations
- Campaign types Benchmark Email Yes, email campaigns and newsletters, with a drag-and-drop signup form builder Campaign Monitor Yes, email campaigns and newsletters, with a website builder available as a paid add-on
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Benchmark Email
Strengths
- Free plan for up to 500 contacts with access to the core features
- Drag-and-drop email and signup form builders
- Contact tagging, segmentation and merge-field personalisation
- API access plus Zapier and a universal embed code
Limitations
- The Pro price scales with the number of contacts
- Additional users cost $15 per month each
Campaign Monitor
Strengths
- Drag-and-drop builder with 100+ responsive templates and custom-coded templates
- Prebuilt customer journeys and drip campaigns
- AI Writer, AI Email Booster and AI Segment Mapper
- 250+ integrations, including CRM and ecommerce, with an API
Limitations
- Advanced engagement segments are reserved for the Premier plan
- The website builder costs $10 a month extra below the Premier plan
Plans
Pricing
Benchmark Email
- Free $0 / month Up to 500 contacts and 2,500 monthly sends, with 1 user, the drag-and-drop builder and 2 API keys.
- Pro From $27 / month 1,000 to 100,000 contacts with sends up to 10x the contact limit, 10 API keys and 10 domains; additional users cost $15 per month each.
- Enterprise Not stated Custom pricing for 100,000+ contacts.
Campaign Monitor
- Free $0 / month Up to 500 contacts on a 30-day trial, with a 500 email send limit; no credit card required.
- Lite $13 / month Up to 500 contacts, billed monthly, with sends capped at five times the contact count (2,500 at this size). Rises to $397 for 25,001 to 50,000 contacts. Annual billing takes 10% off.
- Essentials $31 / month Up to 500 contacts, billed monthly. Unlimited monthly sends, unlimited automated emails and priority support. Rises to $644 for 25,001 to 50,000 contacts. Annual billing takes 10% off.
- Premier $171 / month Up to 500 contacts, billed monthly. Unlimited monthly sends, advanced engagement segments, send time optimization, phone support and the website builder included. Rises to $1,074 for 25,001 to 50,000 contacts. Annual billing takes 10% off.
- Enterprise Not stated Custom pricing, also for lists above 50,000 contacts, with a dedicated account manager and multi-brand management.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
Benchmark Email
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
Campaign Monitor
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
How we check reviews
Before sending, the author has to confirm three things: that they have used the product themselves, that they work neither for the vendor nor for a competitor, and that nobody is paying them for the review. We also ask whether the vendor invited them to write it. That answer is required, either answer is accepted, and it stays with the review.
Every review is read by a person before it appears. An email address is required and is confirmed: we send a link to it, and a review does not reach us until the author opens that link, so a review has a sender who was reachable at least once rather than being anonymous. Where what somebody writes needs backing, we ask them for evidence that they used the product, and a review that does not get it is not published. We publish positive and negative reviews alike, we pay nothing and offer nothing for a review, and we accept none that was bought or incentivised.
What we cannot do is verify a purchase. There is no shop here and no account, so whether the author really used the tool rests on their own declaration, on whatever we ask them for, and on the plausibility of what they write. We say so rather than implying a check that does not exist.
A vendor cannot buy a review, and cannot have one removed or changed because they dislike it. We remove or edit a review only if it breaks our rules or the law, for example a false statement of fact. Paid placement has no effect on which reviews appear or on any score.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Benchmark Email https://www.benchmarkemail.com · checked against the official source on 2026-08-21
Campaign Monitor https://www.campaignmonitor.com · checked against the official source on 2026-10-03
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.