Best Marketing Software and Tools for Small Businesses

Best Marketing Software and Tools

Small businesses need affordable, easy-to-use tools that deliver measurable results without high complexity or cost. Based on expert reviews, user feedback, and 2025 comparisons, here’s an updated list of the best marketing platforms by purpose — all selected for usability, scalability, strong performance, and free or low-cost plans (often under $50/month).

Best Marketing Software and Tools

The best marketing software for small businesses in 2025 includes tools that provide ease of use, affordability, and scalability with key features like email marketing automation, CRM, social media scheduling, and analytics. Top recommendations based on recent expert reviews and user feedback are:

Best Marketing Software and Tools

Top marketing software for small businesses in 2025 include Enji, Birdeye, Tidio, Klaviyo, and HubSpot Marketing—each tailored to different needs like content creation, customer support, and CRM integration.

Check Best Marketing Software and Tools

All-in-One Marketing Platforms (CRM, Email, Automation, and Analytics)

1. HubSpot Marketing Hub for Small Business

is praised for its ease of use, all-in-one functionality, and automation features—but it can be expensive and restrictive at lower tiers. Free starter plan with unlimited users; paid plans start at $9–$20/month. Includes CRM integration, automation, landing pages, and reporting—ideal for growing teams. Best For:

    • Small to mid-sized businesses with budget flexibility
    • Teams seeking an integrated marketing and CRM solution
    • Marketers who value automation and ease of use over deep customization

    2. EngageBay for Small Business

    This is best for small to mid-sized businesses seeking an affordable all-in-one platform for email marketing, CRM, automation, and customer engagement. Free for up to 250 contacts; paid from $14.99/user/month. Combines marketing, sales, and service with strong automation, great for startups on a budget. Ideal For:

    • Startups and small businesses with limited budgets
    • Teams looking to consolidate marketing, sales, and support tools
    • Businesses wanting to scale without paying for multiple platforms
    EngageBay Offers

    Email Marketing & Automation
    Easily automate drip campaigns, segment audiences, and personalize emails to nurture leads and increase conversions—without technical complexity.

    CRM Integration for Sales & Support
    Unify marketing, sales, and customer support in a single dashboard. Ideal for teams seeking connected customer data and smooth collaboration across departments.

    Lead Generation & Capture
    Create high-converting landing pages, pop-ups, and forms to attract and capture leads. Tools like EngageBay help track, score, and prioritize follow-ups efficiently.

    Affordable HubSpot Alternative
    Companies switching from HubSpot save up to 82% while keeping essential features such as automation, analytics, and CRM functionality.

    Omnichannel Engagement
    Manage email, social media, and live chat from one platform. Perfect for streamlining communication, improving response times, and enhancing customer engagement.


    3. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

    is best for small to mid-sized businesses seeking a budget-friendly, multichannel marketing platform with strong email automation, SMS, and CRM capabilities. Free up to 300 emails/day; paid from $25/month. Ideal For:

    • Businesses wanting to unify email, SMS, and CRM in one place
    • E-commerce stores needing cart recovery and transactional emails
    • Startups and nonprofits looking for affordable automation
    4. monday.com CRM for Small Business

    This is best for small to mid-sized businesses that want a customizable, visual, and user-friendly CRM to manage sales pipelines, marketing workflows, and customer relationships—all without needing technical expertise. Ideal For

    • Recognized for customizable workflows and sales pipeline automation; ideal for small teams seeking flexibility.
    • Teams that want CRM + project management in one platform
    • Startups and SMBs looking for a flexible CRM
    • Agencies and service-based businesses managing client relationships
    monday.com CRM Offers

    Sales Pipeline Management Easily track leads, deals, and customer interactions with visual boards, status updates, and automation. Great for sales teams that want transparency and control over their funnel.

    Marketing Campaign Tracking Plan, execute, and monitor marketing campaigns with timelines, task assignments, and performance dashboards. Ideal for teams managing multiple campaigns across channels.

    Client Onboarding & Relationship Management Customize workflows to onboard new clients, track milestones, and manage communications. Especially useful for agencies, consultants, and service providers.

    Project & Task Management Combines CRM with project management tools like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and calendar views. Perfect for teams that want to align customer data with deliverables.

    Cross-Department Collaboration Unifies marketing, sales, and support teams with shared boards and automation. Helps reduce silos and improve customer experience.

    Why Businesses Choose monday.com CRM
    • Highly Customizable: Adapt workflows to fit your business model without coding.
    • Visual & Intuitive Interface: Easy for non-technical users to adopt and navigate.
    • Automation & Integrations: Automate repetitive tasks and connect with tools like Gmail, Slack, and Zoom.
    • Scalable for Growth: Suitable for startups and growing teams that need flexibility and visibility.

    ✉️ Email Marketing & Automation

    1. Mailchimp for small business

    Mailchimp is best for small to mid-sized businesses that want an easy-to-use, affordable platform for email marketing, audience segmentation, and campaign automation. Free up to 500 contacts; paid from $13/month. Great for beginners with automation, templates, and segmentation. Ideal For:

    • Nonprofits and community organizations engaging supporters
    • Marketers who want AI-enhanced campaign insights without complex tools
    • Startups and small businesses launching email campaigns
    • E-commerce stores looking to boost sales through automation

    Mailchimp Offers

    Email Marketing & Newsletters Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop editor, customizable templates, and scheduling tools make it ideal for sending newsletters, promotions, and updates. Businesses like World Central Kitchen use it to mobilize support and engage donors effectively.

    Audience Segmentation & Personalization You can segment contacts by behavior, location, or engagement level to send targeted messages. Ravinia Festival increased donor conversions by using Mailchimp’s segmentation tools.

    Marketing Automation Automate welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and re-engagement campaigns. Brands like Kaylin + Kaylin Pickles saw higher engagement after switching from Klaviyo to Mailchimp for better automation support.

    E-commerce Integration Mailchimp integrates with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, making it easy to track purchases and send product recommendations.

    AI-Powered Optimization Mailchimp’s AI agent helps improve campaign performance by suggesting send times, subject lines, and content tweaks.

    Nonprofit & Community Engagement Nonprofits use Mailchimp to raise awareness and drive donations through storytelling and segmented outreach.


      Other Marketing CRM Tools
      • MailerLite – Free up to 1,000 subscribers/12,000 emails per month; paid from $10/month. Simple drag-and-drop email builder with automation.
      • Brevo – Affordable, multichannel marketing (email + SMS).
      • ActiveCampaign – Paid from $15–$29/month. Known for advanced workflows, CRM integration, and scalable automation.
      • Klaviyo – Best for e-commerce and segmentation. Personalizes campaigns based on customer behavior.

      💬 Social Media Management

      • Buffer – Free for 3 channels (10 posts each); paid from $6/channel/month. Clean, simple, and ideal for solopreneurs.
      • SocialPilot – From $29/month for 10 accounts. Great for bulk scheduling and team collaboration.
      • CoSchedule – Organizes marketing calendars and social campaigns.
      • Hootsuite – Limited free plan; paid from $99/month. Offers robust analytics and social listening.

      AI-Powered & Automation Tools

      • Enji – AI-driven content creation tool for blog posts, social captions, and email copy—ideal for small teams.
      • Tidio – Combines AI chatbots and live chat for customer support and lead conversion.
      • EngageBay – Offers strong automation workflows and CRM integration at low cost.

      Reputation & Review Management

      • Birdeye – Best for local businesses managing reviews and improving local SEO. Automates review collection and customer feedback.

      CRM & Customer Management

      • HubSpot CRM – 100% free with unlimited users and contacts. Seamless integration with marketing features.
      • Zoho CRM – Free for 3 users; paid from $14/user/month. Includes AI-powered lead scoring.
      • Bigin by Zoho – From $7/user/month. Simplified CRM tailored for small teams.
      • Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) – From $79/month. Combines sales and marketing automation in one platform.

      SEO & Content Optimization

      • Semrush – Limited free version; paid from $139.95/month (Pro). Comprehensive SEO and competitor analysis suite.
      • Ubersuggest – Free tier; paid from $29/month. Excellent for quick keyword ideas and beginner SEO.
      • Google Search Console + Google Analytics – 100% free and essential for tracking website performance.

      Design & Branding

      • Canva – Free and premium plans. Best for creating marketing visuals—social media posts, flyers, and ads—without professional design skills.

      Quick Picks by Purpose

      PurposeTop PickStarting PriceWhy Small Businesses Love It
      All-in-OneHubSpotFreeScales easily with built-in CRM
      Email MarketingBrevoFreeUnlimited contacts + SMS options
      Social MediaBufferFreeEffortless scheduling
      CRMHubSpot CRMFreeUnlimited everything
      SEOSemrush$139.95/moCompetitor insights + keyword tracking
      AutomationEngageBayFree360° automation without high cost

      Pro Tip:
      Start with free tiers from HubSpot, Brevo, and Buffer to test what fits your workflow. Most tools integrate via Zapier, letting you automate custom processes. As your contacts or campaign needs grow, upgrading often pays for itself through improved lead nurturing and conversions.

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