Drip vs Klaviyo: Which Is Better in 2026?
Drip is marketing automation for small online stores. Klaviyo is built for online stores. Drip’s strength is ecommerce automation without Klaviyo’s complexity; Klaviyo’s is turning store data into targeted, revenue-tracked email and SMS.
01Pricing
Drip: paid plans start at $39/mo for up to 2,500 active people. Klaviyo: paid plans start at $20/mo for 251-500 active profiles. Both price by the size of your list or sending volume, so the entry prices above only hold for a small audience; check each vendor’s calculator at your list size. Drip has no free plan; the trial runs 14 days. Klaviyo has a free plan (up to 250 active profiles and 500 sends a month).
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drip † | n/a | $39 | Up to 2,500 active people at this price; Unlimited email sends | Every feature included at all sizes; Billed only for active people |
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Up to 250 active profiles; 500 email sends per month; $5 of mobile messages per month; Email support for first 60 days | |
| n/a | $20 | 251-500 active profiles at this price | Expanded email send capacity | |
| Email + SMS | n/a | $35 | 251-500 active profiles at this price | Email plus SMS/MMS credits |
Prices are per month on monthly billing. † marks prices taken from the vendor’s documentation or page data instead of its visible pricing page. Drip pricing and Klaviyo pricing have the full detail.
02The Two Tools
Drip
Drip is marketing automation for small online stores. It connects to store platforms, segments customers by what they bought and browsed, and runs visual workflows for carts, welcomes and win-backs. It covers much of what Klaviyo does with a simpler product.
- Best at
- Ecommerce automation without Klaviyo’s complexity.
- Falls short
- There is no free plan, the integration catalog is smaller, and it offers little to businesses that are not stores.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo is built for online stores. It pulls order and browsing data from platforms such as Shopify and uses it for segmentation and automated flows: abandoned carts, post-purchase follow-ups, win-backs. Email and SMS run from the same data. It is the specialist’s choice for ecommerce and priced like one.
- Best at
- Turning store data into targeted, revenue-tracked email and SMS.
- Falls short
- Pricing follows the number of active profiles and rises quickly, and it offers little to a business that is not selling online.
03Which Fits Your Situation
| If you are | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | Neither | Neither is a natural fit for small business. |
| Ecommerce | Either | Drip: Store-driven automation for smaller shops that find Klaviyo too much. Klaviyo: Built on store data, with flows and revenue reporting that general tools cannot match. |
| Startups | Neither | Neither is a natural fit for startups. |
| Creators | Neither | Neither is a natural fit for creators. |
| Agencies | Klaviyo | The tool ecommerce clients expect an agency to know. |
04Verdict
Choose Drip if you run a small online store and want automation that is easy to manage. Choose Klaviyo if you run an online store and want marketing driven by purchase data.
05FAQ
Is Drip or Klaviyo cheaper?
Drip starts at $39/mo and Klaviyo at $20/mo. Both rise with the size of your list. Prices are per month on monthly billing.
Do Drip and Klaviyo have free plans?
Drip has no free plan; the trial runs 14 days. Klaviyo has a free plan (up to 250 active profiles and 500 sends a month).
Which is easier to learn, Drip or Klaviyo?
There is little between them: both are moderately involved to set up.
Which is better for agencies, Drip or Klaviyo?
Klaviyo. The tool ecommerce clients expect an agency to know.