You want to prepare an email campaign, but why do it manually?
Instead, you can try a tool like Cakemail, promising quick setup, easy sending, and a large number of email marketing.
But over time, your recipient list grows. You need more automation, better segmentation, and support that won’t disappear when you need it most. That’s when Cakemail may seem a little too limited.
If that sounds familiar, we can remedy that. In this guide, we’ll unpack what Cakemail does well, where it falls short, and which alternatives are worth looking at when you’re ready to level up.
What is Cakemail?
Cakemail is an email marketing platform that helps small businesses send marketing and transactional emails with ease.
Cakemail helps you create branded campaigns, track performance through analytics, and manage contacts in one dashboard. It also includes email APIs for transactional sends. And with data stored in Canada, it’s a good choice for teams who care about customer trust and compliance.
Cakemail key features
Here are some of the strongest features in Cakemail:
- Email marketing campaigns – you can send branded messages that connect with your audience across devices.
- Marketing automations – build unique customer experiences through timed sends, welcome emails, or behavior-based flows.
- Audience segmentation – tag and group your contacts based on activity, preferences, or custom fields.
- Email API access – sync audience data, automate transactional emails, and connect with your app in real time.
- A/B testing – test subject lines or content blocks to find what drives clicks and opens.
- Analytics and reporting – get additional valuable insights from your emails’ performance data.
Cakemail pricing
Cakemail has two pricing tiers: for email marketing and for API.
Email marketing plans
Cakemail might seem like an affordable pick at first glance, especially with its free plan and low monthly price tags, like $9 for Growth or $14 for Premium. It offers unlimited users and ongoing support.
But there’s a catch: those prices only apply to accounts with 500 contacts. The moment your audience grows, the monthly invoice increases.
For example, managing 10,000 contacts bumps the Growth plan to $50/month, while Premium jumps to $77/month. So, if you’re growing fast, that “budget-friendly” feel fades quickly.
And the Free plan? It’s more of a test drive.
You’re limited to one audience, one user, and basic features. While every plan includes strong options like audience segmentation and marketing campaigns, the real value lies behind the paid tiers.
Email API plans
Cakemail’s API plan starts at $50/month for up to 100,000 marketing and transactional emails. You get API access, managed deliverability, and features like multi-tenancy and continuous guidance, all built in.
But watch out: if you go over the limit, it’s $1.00 per extra 1,000 emails.
There’s also a free tier (35,000 emails/month), but it’s subject to approval, and you’ll need to add a credit card for overages. While the focus on deliverability is good, the pricing doesn’t leave much wiggle room.
And again, if you’re building high-volume automation or transactional flows, keep a close eye on costs.
Cakemail user reviews
Most users appreciate this platform for being affordable, clean, and easy to use. The user-friendly interface stands out in many reviews, especially for people without much technical experience.
The pre-built templates, email management tools, and simple automation features make it a handy pick for small teams.
Some also mention how Cakemail integrates with CRMs and CMS platforms, which helps them connect email workflows with other parts of their business.
But the downsides? They’re hard to ignore.
The first issue that pops up is customer support. Several users mention it’s slow or not always available, especially when help is needed most. There’s also no phone support, and live chat is locked behind paid plans. So if something breaks during a big send, you might be on your own for a while.
Other users noticed that:
- the template library is small,
- there are deliverability issues,
- advanced features are missing,
- and third-party integrations could be better.
And then the pricing topic. At first glance, it’s positioned as affordable, but many reviewers feel it’s overpriced for the feature set.
The best Cakemail alternatives for email marketing
Taking into account everything so far, Cakemail may be a good choice for your business if you’re just starting out or staying small. But if you’re scaling, expect to pay more.
It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not as “lightweight” as it claims.
And as you know now, limited customer support and missing advanced features can slow you down more than expected.
So, if you’re ready to expand your outreach and marketing emails, check out the best Cakemail alternatives.
Woodpecker
Woodpecker is a cold email and outreach tool built for businesses that want smart automation without losing the personal touch.
While Cakemail leans more on classic email marketing, Woodpecker focuses on email-based lead generation, follow-ups, and 1-to-1 conversations that feel human. Even when automated.
It’s a great choice for sales teams, agencies, and growing startups that need more control and deliverability.
If you want to switch from Cakemail, Woodpecker has features designed for flexibility, better sending control, and advanced targeting. It’s built to help you reach more inboxes without sacrificing quality.
Woodpecker key features:
- Inbox rotation – you can spread campaigns across inboxes to avoid sending limits and improve reach
- Deliverability monitor – track and maintain domain health to keep your emails landing
- Condition-based workflows – trigger emails based on prospect behavior or status
- A/B testing – test up to 5 versions to find what gets the best response
- Interest-level sorting – automatically sort replies by engagement so you know who to follow up with
- Timezone sending – reach people when they’re most likely to open
- Audience management – use features like prospect lists and custom fields for targeting and better segmentation
- GDPR & CCPA compliance – built-in safeguards to keep you compliant
- API & CRM integrations – sync with tools like HubSpot, Pipedrive, Google Sheets, and Zapier.
What’s more, users consistently praise Woodpecker’s intuitive UI, clean UX, and powerful platform for managing campaigns. But what really sets it apart is the support. Users say it’s fast, real, and consistently helpful, even years into using the platform.
7-day free trial: yes
Responsive support: yes, high rated
G2 review: 4.4/5.0
MailMeteor
If you liked Cakemail’s clean interface and focus on small business simplicity, MailMeteor will feel familiar, too. It’s an email marketing tool that lets businesses send out personalized cold outreach emails through Gmail and Outlook.
While it’s not a full-blown CRM, it nails the basics and works well for solopreneurs and startups.
MailMeteor’s top features include:
- mass email campaigns directly out of Gmail or Outlook,
- scheduled sending,
- email deliverability features,
- AI-based personalization,
- scheduled follow-ups.
Free account: yes
Responsive support: yes
G2 review: 3.5/5.0
Selzy
Selzy is like Cakemail with more polish. It’s a full-stack email marketing platform that lets you build, personalize, and send out campaigns at scale.
The most interesting Selzy features include:
- AI email builder,
- AI email assistant,
- email templates,
- email automation,
- detailed email analytics,
- email segmentation.
Free account: yes
Responsive support: yes
G2 review: 4.7/5.0
Mailrush.io
Mailrush is a cold email tool that lets businesses create and send out sequences with ease. It’s better suited for users who need more deliverability controls than Cakemail gives, especially if you’re running SaaS or e-commerce platforms and want all the tools for smart targeting.
Among the best Mailrush features are:
- email warmup,
- email verification,
- automated follow-up,
- outreach campaigns with triggers,
- email performance tracking through a real-time dashboard,
- and integrations through webhooks.
Free trial: yes
Responsive support: yes
G2 review: 3.3/5.0
Choose the best email tool, with all the essentials
Cakemail does a decent job for basic email needs, but if you’re after all the tools, from powerful automations to extremely helpful support, it might not keep up. And on those rare occasions when something breaks or stalls, you’ll want a platform that steps in fast.
Send email campaigns that drive real results and try Woodpecker today for free.