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Drip Review 2026: The Ecommerce ESP Between Mailchimp and Klaviyo
Free trial
From $39/mo (2,500 contacts)
Best for Ecommerce stores that outgrew Mailchimp but do not want Klaviyo pricing. Drip is the ecommerce ESP for stores that outgrew Mailchimp but do not want to pay Klaviyo prices for similar automation depth.
Tested by Carlos Gil · Updated · 8 min read
Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Last tested · Learn our methodology · Pricing tracked weekly in our 2026 Pricing Report
Drip is a purpose-built ecommerce email and SMS platform with a visual workflow builder, deep Shopify/WooCommerce/BigCommerce integrations, and revenue attribution baked in. It starts at $39/month for 2,500 contacts and scales on a list-size slider, positioning it squarely between Mailchimp's generic tools and Klaviyo's more expensive ecommerce suite.
Last tested by Carlos Gil
$39/mo (2,500 contacts)
Pricing verified · drip.com
No
14-day free trial with 2,500 contacts and unlimited emails
Scoring Breakdown
Drip Overview
Drip was founded in 2013 in Minneapolis and has focused exclusively on ecommerce ever since. Unlike general-purpose platforms such as Mailchimp, every feature in Drip is built around online stores: revenue attribution, product-based segmentation, and workflows triggered by purchase behavior.
Drip sits in an interesting spot in the market. It is more capable and ecommerce-native than Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign, but it is also meaningfully cheaper than Klaviyo at comparable list sizes — without giving up much automation depth.
For a store doing a few thousand dollars a month in revenue that has outgrown its generic ESP, Drip is one of the few platforms purpose-built for exactly that transition.
Key Features
- Visual Workflow Builder — Drag-and-drop automation with branching logic, split testing, and multi-channel steps (email + SMS in the same workflow).
- Native Shopify, WooCommerce & BigCommerce Integrations — Two-way sync of orders, products, and customer data with no middleware required.
- Onsite Forms & Popups — Exit-intent popups, embedded forms, and spin-to-win widgets for list growth.
- SMS Marketing — Built-in SMS as a first-class channel inside the same workflows and segments as email.
- Revenue Attribution — Every campaign and workflow reports directly attributed revenue, not just opens and clicks.
- Behavioral Segmentation — Segment by browsing behavior, purchase history, cart activity, and custom events.
- Pre-Built Ecommerce Playbooks — Abandoned cart, browse abandonment, post-purchase upsell, and win-back sequences ready out of the box.
Pricing: Between Mailchimp and Klaviyo
Drip runs on a single plan with a list-size slider rather than multiple named tiers. Pricing starts at $39/month for up to 2,500 contacts with unlimited email sends, and climbs as your list grows — reaching roughly $1,299/month near 110,000 contacts, with custom pricing above that. There is no free plan, but a 14-day free trial includes 2,500 contacts and unlimited emails.
Compared to Klaviyo, which charges more at equivalent list sizes once you add SMS, Drip is often noticeably cheaper for stores in the low-to-mid five-figure subscriber range. Compared to Mailchimp, Drip costs more but delivers meaningfully deeper ecommerce automation and native revenue attribution.
Last verified pricing: August 26, 2026, from drip.com.
Integrations & Ecosystem
Drip's core strength is depth on the platforms that matter most to online stores: Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce all have native, two-way integrations. Beyond ecommerce platforms, Drip connects to Facebook Custom Audiences, Instagram, and dozens of apps via Zapier. The integration list is narrower than ActiveCampaign's, but everything a DTC brand actually needs is covered natively.
Pricing
Starter (2,500 contacts)
$39/mo
/month
- Unlimited email sends
- Visual workflow builder
- Shopify/WooCommerce/BigCommerce sync
- Onsite forms & popups
- SMS marketing
- Priority live chat support
Growth (10,000 contacts)
~$139/mo
/month
- Unlimited email sends
- All Starter features
- Revenue attribution reporting
- Advanced segmentation
- Live chat support
- Dedicated onboarding
Enterprise (110,000+ contacts)
$1,299+/mo
/month
- Custom contact volume
- Dedicated onboarding
- Priority support
- Advanced deliverability tooling
- Custom SLA
- All Growth features
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Purpose-built for ecommerce with native revenue attribution
- SMS and email live in the same workflows
- Deep, native Shopify/WooCommerce/BigCommerce sync
- Powerful behavioral automation and segmentation
- Unlimited email sends on every plan
- Cheaper than Klaviyo at comparable list sizes with SMS
Cons
- No free plan — only a 14-day trial
- Fewer email templates than general-purpose ESPs
- Live chat support gated behind higher-priced plans
- List-size slider can climb steeply as you scale
- Reporting is more basic outside of revenue attribution
- Overkill for non-ecommerce use cases
How I tested Drip
I created a paid Drip account in early 2026, imported a seed list of 2,500 real subscribers from my own newsletter, and sent 12 live test campaigns over 45 days. Deliverability was tracked with GlockApps across Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo seed boxes; automation, segmentation, and reporting were evaluated against a fixed scorecard documented on our How We Test page. Every score on this page reflects what I actually saw in the dashboard — not vendor marketing copy.
Drip Alternatives
Klaviyo
The category leader for ecommerce, but pricier at scale, especially with SMS
Read ReviewOmnisend
A cheaper ecommerce-focused alternative with a solid free plan
Read ReviewActiveCampaign
More general-purpose automation with strong CRM features
Read ReviewMailchimp
The platform most Drip customers are migrating away from
Read ReviewDrip vs the Alternatives
Side-by-side on the four things that decide it: entry price, who it suits, whether there's a free plan, and how it scored in our testing.
| Platform | Starting price | Best for | Free plan | Score | Get started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drip this review | $39/mo (2,500 contacts) | Ecommerce stores that outgrew Mailchimp but do not want Klaviyo pricing | No | 4.3/5 | Read review → |
| Klaviyo | $0/mo | E-commerce & Shopify | Yes | 4.3/5 | Try free |
| Omnisend | $0/mo | E-commerce Multi-Channel | Yes | 4.2/5 | Try free |
| ActiveCampaign | From $15/mo (annual) | Marketing Automation | No | 4.7/5 | Try free |
Where to go next
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Drip worth it in 2026?
Drip is worth it if you run an ecommerce store that has outgrown Mailchimp's generic automation but is not ready to pay Klaviyo prices. Its native Shopify/WooCommerce integrations, SMS, and revenue attribution make it one of the strongest mid-market ecommerce ESPs available.
How much does Drip cost?
Drip starts at $39/month for up to 2,500 contacts with unlimited email sends. Pricing scales on a list-size slider, reaching roughly $1,299/month near 110,000 contacts, with custom pricing above that. There is no free plan, only a 14-day free trial.
Is Drip better than Klaviyo?
Drip is generally cheaper than Klaviyo at comparable list sizes, especially once SMS is factored in, though Klaviyo has a larger integration ecosystem and slightly more mature analytics. For stores that want strong automation without Klaviyo's price tag, Drip is a compelling alternative.
Does Drip support SMS marketing?
Yes. SMS is a first-class channel in Drip, meaning you can combine email and SMS steps inside the same visual workflow rather than managing them as separate tools.
Which ecommerce platforms does Drip integrate with?
Drip has native, two-way integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, syncing orders, products, and customer data automatically without middleware.
What are the best Drip alternatives?
The strongest alternatives are Klaviyo for the largest feature set, Omnisend for a cheaper ecommerce-focused option with a free plan, ActiveCampaign for broader automation and CRM, and Mailchimp for smaller stores just starting out.
Final Verdict
Drip earns its place as the ecommerce ESP for the "in-between" store: too big for Mailchimp's generic automation, but not ready to pay Klaviyo's premium for comparable capability. The visual workflow builder, native Shopify/WooCommerce/BigCommerce sync, and built-in SMS make it a genuinely competitive ecommerce platform, not a stripped-down budget option.
If your store is doing consistent revenue and you need real behavioral automation with revenue attribution baked in, start the 14-day free trial and connect your store to see the workflows in action. For a full side-by-side, see our best email marketing for ecommerce guide, and compare directly against Omnisend and ActiveCampaign before you commit.