Picking an email tool

Each email tool is strong for specific use cases. Mismatch = frustration + cost.

Decision tree

• DTC e-commerce with Shopify: Klaviyo
• Newsletter / creator: ConvertKit or Beehiiv
• B2B SaaS with product events: Customer.io or Braze
• Broad small biz: Mailchimp or MailerLite
• Enterprise marketing: Marketo, HubSpot, Iterable

Migration is annoying but possible

Don't panic-pick. Plan for one migration over the business lifecycle.

Avoid

Using 'the one I already have' when it doesn't fit your use case.

What to do with this

• Match the tool to your business type, not your team's existing tool familiarity, the migration cost pays back fast
• Don't pay for enterprise tools at SMB scale, Marketo complexity wastes time at 5K subscribers
• Audit tool fit annually, as your business evolves the right tool changes, staying on the wrong tool is a tax
• When comparing tools, weight deliverability + flow engine over feature count, features you don't use are just invoice inflation
• Get a real migration quote from current vendor before committing long-term, switching costs are often cheaper than staying