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The best Shopify email and SMS apps in 2026, beyond Klaviyo and Omnisend

Shopify Messaging, Mailchimp, Brevo, Privy, Postscript and Attentive. Free allowances, what each bill counts and the SMS costs to plan for.

Rohin AggarwalRohin AggarwalCo-founder & CTO · Idukki.io · October 12, 2026 · 9 min readLast updated
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Most visitors leave without buying. Email and SMS are how a store gets a second chance. The bills count very different things. Some count contacts, some count sends, and SMS counts every message part. Here are six apps beyond Klaviyo and Omnisend, and what each one counts.

In this article

Build four flows first

Build the automated flows before any campaign. Start with welcome, abandoned checkout, browse abandonment and post-purchase. Those four run every day without you. Campaigns come after.

The four flows

  1. 01

    Welcome

    Sent when someone signs up.

  2. 02

    Abandoned checkout

    Sent when checkout starts but stops.

  3. 03

    Browse abandonment

    Sent after product views with no cart.

  4. 04

    Post-purchase

    Thanks, care tips, then a review request.

Every app below can run these.
AppWhat the bill countsFree allowance or trial
Shopify MessagingEmails sent; SMS per message10,000 emails a month
MailchimpContacts, with a send limit250 contacts, 500 sends a month
BrevoEmails sent300 emails a day
PrivyPageviews for pop-ups; contacts for email15-day trial
PostscriptSMS and MMS sent30-day trial with $100 credit
AttentiveBase fee plus each message30-day trial at least
From each vendor's pricing page, help centre or Shopify listing, checked 12 October 2026.

Shopify Messaging: the most free email

Shopify Messaging, once Shopify Email, sends 10,000 emails a month free. After that it costs $1 per 1,000, falling at higher volumes. Abandoned checkout emails are free and do not count. SMS costs $0.012 per message in the US. A long text counts as several messages. Charges land on your Shopify bill.

Mailchimp: the familiar name

Mailchimp's free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. Over the contact limit, sending stops until you upgrade or trim the list. Paid plans price by contacts. Essentials allows sends of 10 times your contact limit. Standard allows 12 times. Its pages show promotional prices, so check the price after year one.

Brevo: billed by sends

Brevo's free plan sends 300 emails a day. A campaign to more than 300 people reaches only 300 that day. Paid plans price by emails sent. Contact count does not set the price. Starter begins at $9 a month for 5,000 emails. That suits a large list you email rarely.

Privy: pop-ups plus email

Privy builds sign-up pop-ups and sends email and SMS. It has a 15-day trial and no permanent free plan. Pop-ups start at $24 a month and price by monthly pageviews. Email prices by mailable contacts. Its Email + SMS plan includes 250 SMS credits a month.

Postscript: SMS billed by use

Postscript is SMS-first. Starter has no plan fee but a $49 monthly minimum. It charges $0.009 per SMS plus carrier fees. Growth costs $100 a month and lowers SMS to $0.008. The 30-day trial includes a $100 credit.

Attentive: SMS on contract

Attentive is free to install and bills outside Shopify. It charges a monthly base fee plus each message sent and each reply. Carrier fees are added. Rates sit in your contract, with no public price list. A trial of at least 30 days comes first. Read the term before you sign.

CompareTwo ways SMS is billed
1Published rates

Shopify Messaging, Postscript

A per-message price you can see up front.

Wins at

  • Easy to forecast
  • Month to month

Struggles with

  • Long texts count as several messages
  • Carrier fees on Postscript
2Contract rates

Attentive

A base fee plus rates set in your contract.

Wins at

  • Rates negotiated to volume

Struggles with

  • No public price
  • Contract terms to check

From each vendor's billing help, checked 12 October 2026.

Which one to try

Start here

What do you need first?

  • Email on a budget

    Shopify Messaging

    10,000 free emails a month.

    • Large list, few sends: Compare Brevo
  • A list to grow first

    Privy

    Pop-ups, then email.

    • Need deep segments: Read Klaviyo vs Omnisend
  • SMS as a main channel

    Postscript

    Published per-message rates.

    • High volume: Get an Attentive quote too
A starting point from each vendor's published plans. Confirm on the live listing.

Where Idukki fits (ours)

We make Idukki. It sends no email or SMS. It displays customer photos and video on your store. Idukki also publishes a web feed of tagged posts that Klaviyo's web feeds can read. For Klaviyo and Omnisend, read Klaviyo vs Omnisend.

Questions store owners ask

  • Is Shopify Email still free?

    Shopify Messaging, once Shopify Email, sends 10,000 emails a month free. Then it costs $1 per 1,000.

  • How much does SMS cost on Shopify?

    Shopify Messaging charges $0.012 per message in the US. A long text counts as several messages.

  • Does Mailchimp have a free plan?

    Yes, for 250 contacts and 500 sends a month.

  • Does Attentive publish its prices?

    No. It charges a monthly base fee plus per-message rates set in your contract.

Sources

  1. 1Shopify Help: Messaging email pricing · Free allowance and rates.
  2. 2Shopify Help: Messaging SMS pricing · Per-message rates.
  3. 3Mailchimp: pricing plans · Free plan and send limits.
  4. 4Brevo: free plan limits · 300 emails a day.
  5. 5Privy pricing · Trial and plans.
  6. 6Privy: 2025 plans and billing · SMS credits.
  7. 7Postscript pricing · Plans and rates.
  8. 8Attentive on the Shopify App Store · Billing and trial.
  9. 9Attentive: messaging and billing FAQs · How messages are billed.
#email#sms#best-of#shopify-apps#mailchimp#postscript

Continue reading

2 pieces in this cluster

These long-form pieces on the Idukki blog link back to this article, go deeper on the cluster.

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