If you already use Zoho as your CRM, help desk or signature tool, it makes perfect sense to use Campaigns as well. Zoho Campaigns is Zoho’s signature tool for creating, managing and sending email campaigns to your audience. While being in the Zoho product family has its own advantages, it certainly has some downsides too.
Today, we answer one simple question: should you get Zoho Campaigns to complete the Zoho puzzle or should you get something else for email marketing?
What is Zoho Campaigns and who is it for?
Zoho Campaigns is email marketing software for sending full-scale email and SMS marketing campaigns.
It’s affordable, easy to use and a great starting option for anyone who wants to get into email marketing. If you’re already in the Zoho ecosystem and use their CRM, it’s an easy way to kill two birds with one stone.
The main question we want to answer today is: should Zoho be your first choice for email, if you don’t use any other Zoho tools?
Top Zoho Campaigns features
Zoho is battling against giants in the world of email marketing and it packs a powerful feature set. Some of its standout features include:
- Dynamic email personalization
- email interactivity (with polls, surveys, attachments, GIFs, images, videos and more)
- A/B testing
- email automation with drag-and-drop workflows
- contact path tracing
- email delivery and optimization
- send-time optimization
- email cadences and much more.
How much does Zoho Campaigns cost?
The pricing depends on the number of contacts you have on your list.
There is a Forever Free plan that supports up to 2,000 contacts and 6,000 monthly emails. It gives you 5 users, signup forms, templates and a compliance check.
For 500 contacts, the Standard plan costs 3EUR per month, which gets you unlimited emails, 10 users, basic segmentation and templates.
For the same number of recipients (500), the Advanced plan costs 4.50EUR per month, which gets you everything from the previous plans, only now with 20 users, advanced segmentation, contact scoring and tags, pop-up forms, dynamic content and much more.
In general, Zoho is a very affordable choice and on par with the biggest email marketing platforms in the game, such as MailChimp. Small businesses in particular can benefit from the decent feature set offered in the Forever Free plan.
Real reviews from Zoho Campaigns users
The great news is that most Zoho Campaigns reviews are favorable. There are some issues that pop up in reviews that are worth your attention.
For example, the customer support isn’t all that great and it might take a while to get a response about an issue you’re facing. Luckily, there are plenty of other Zoho users online and the documentation is fairly detailed, so you could troubleshoot the problem on your own instead.
“Zoho’s support can be a little hit and miss. We are very fortunate to work closely with a Zoho partner, Ardento, who have in-house Zoho specialists.” – Source
The second problem we noticed in the reviews is the reporting. For more experienced email marketers, the reports and dashboards in Zoho could be a bit simplistic.
“Reporting dashboards could be more visually dynamic, and advanced analytics features sometimes feel limited compared to competitors.” – Source
Top alternatives to Zoho Campaigns for your next email campaign
Zoho is a solid all-around performer, but the market is filled with excellent competitors. Here are some other choices for your email marketing needs that are different and in some shape or form, better than Zoho Campaigns.
Woodpecker
Woodpecker is one of the best cold email campaign tools on the market. Unlike Zoho and its main competitors, Woodpecker has a strong core feature set focusing solely on helping you break through to the primary inbox. It has flexible pricing plans, and it’s so simple to use that anyone with an email account can start cold emailing leads today.
Key features:
- Automated follow-ups that stop upon reply
- Email warm-up and deliverability tools
- Personalization with conditional logic
- A/B testing for subject lines and content
- CRM integration with Zoho and platforms like HubSpot and Pipedrive
Pricing:
Starts at $20/month for 500 recipients and 6,000 emails.
Downsides:
- Lacks a built-in landing page builder that many Zoho competitors have
Bottom line:
Woodpecker is best suited for sales teams focusing on cold outreach rather than traditional email marketing. If you want to use email as a channel to get new sales, Woodpecker is the best value for money you can get.
Brevo
Brevo offers a comprehensive suite for businesses aiming to manage email campaigns, SMS marketing, and customer relationships from a single platform. Previously known as Sendinblue, it’s a solid choice for companies that want to start out small and add new features with more expensive pricing plans later on.
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop email editor
- SMS and WhatsApp marketing
- Marketing automation workflows
- Transactional email capabilities
- CRM and sales pipeline management
Pricing:
- Free plan: Up to 300 emails/day
- Starter: From $9/month for 5,000 emails
- Business: From $18/month with advanced features
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for large-scale needs
Downsides:
- Daily sending limits on the free plan
- Some advanced features require higher-tier plans
Bottom line:
Brevo is a versatile choice for businesses that need integrated marketing and CRM solutions. The free plan is okay, but Zoho offers more value in theirs.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is widely recognized for its user-friendly interface and robust features, catering to businesses of all sizes. It’s the best-known email marketing platform and for a good reason: it has everything from email marketing to landing pages and proper funnels.
However, the free plan has become very limited compared to Mailchimp’s offering just a few years ago and the most useful features are locked into very expensive plans. Also, MailChimp is not a great option for cold emails.
Key features:
- Pre-designed email templates
- Audience segmentation
- Marketing automation
- A/B testing
- Detailed analytics and reporting
Pricing:
- Free plan: Up to 500 contacts and 1,000 emails/month
- Essentials: From $13/month
- Standard: From $20/month
- Premium: From $350/month for advanced features
Downsides:
- Costs can escalate with list growth
- Some features are limited to higher-tier plans
Bottom line:
Mailchimp is suitable for businesses seeking a comprehensive and scalable email marketing solution. It’s incredibly capable for mid-tier email lists but for complete beginners, tools such as Zoho offer more value in the free plan.
MailerLite
MailerLite offers an intuitive interface with essential tools for creating and managing email campaigns, ideal for small to medium-sized businesses. If you’re building email marketing operations from the ground up, this is an intuitive way to get essential features without the unnecessarily complex tools that come with tools such as ActiveCampaign.
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop editor
- Automation workflows
- Landing page and form builder
- A/B testing
- Subscriber segmentation
Pricing:
- Free plan: Up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails/month
- Paid plans: Starting at $10/month for unlimited emails
Downsides:
- Limited advanced features compared to competitors
- Some integrations may require third-party tools
Bottom line:
MailerLite is a cost-effective option for businesses seeking simplicity and efficiency in email marketing.
Moosend
Moosend provides a balance between affordability and functionality, offering advanced automation tools suitable for various business needs. If you need to send newsletters and the occasional sales email, Moosend gives you flexibility at an affordable price point, and when necessary, lets you grab some of its advanced features in higher pricing plans.
Key features:
- Advanced automation workflows
- Landing page and form builder
- Real-time analytics
- Personalization and segmentation
- A/B testing
Pricing:
- Pro plan: Starting at $9/month for up to 500 subscribers
- Enterprise plan: Custom pricing for larger needs
Downsides:
- Limited third-party integrations
- Smaller template library compared to competitors
Bottom line:
Moosend is ideal for businesses that need advanced features without a hefty price tag. It may be too much for complete beginners, and there is no free plan to try it out either, so only go for Moosend if you have previous email marketing experience.
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign offers a powerful suite of tools for businesses aiming to integrate email marketing with sales and customer relationship management.
Key features:
- Advanced automation and segmentation
- CRM with sales automation
- Site and event tracking
- Predictive content and sending
- Extensive integrations
Pricing:
- Starts at $29/month for 1,000 contacts
- Higher-tier plans offer additional features and scalability
Downsides:
- Steeper learning curve due to feature richness
- Higher cost for advanced functionalities
Bottom line:
ActiveCampaign is best for businesses looking to unify marketing and sales processes under one platform. It’s probably the most advanced tool on the list, with a large feature set and the price tag that accompanies it.
GetResponse
GetResponse combines email marketing with tools for automation, landing pages, webinars, and more, catering to businesses aiming for comprehensive online marketing.
Key features:
- Email marketing and autoresponders
- Marketing automation workflows
- Landing page and webinar builder
- CRM functionalities
- E-commerce tools
Pricing:
- Email Marketing plan: Starting at $19/month for 1,000 contacts
- Higher-tier plans offer additional features like webinars and CRM
Downsides:
- Some features may be unnecessary for basic users
- The interface can be complex for beginners
Bottom line:
GetResponse is suitable for businesses seeking a multifaceted marketing platform with a strong emphasis on automation. Like ActiveCampaign, it may be a bit much for complete beginners, but it’s an excellent fit for businesses that need deep automation features and have large email lists.
Conclusion
Zoho Campaigns has a lot to offer. A generous free plan and a variety of paid plans with advanced options for any budget. But at the same time, it’s built only for those who are building their own lists and looking to send out emails to known recipients.
For cold emails, Woodpecker is a better bet. It’s built for B2B, helps you optimize deliverability with domain warmup, email verification, segmentation and much more, all to help you land in the primary inbox.