Brevo Review (2026): Priced in Rands for SA Businesses

Brevo is the platform people are pointed to when their Mailchimp bill starts to hurt, usually with one line attached: it charges for the emails you send, not the contacts you keep. For years that was simply true, and it made Brevo the answer for any business with a big list and not much to say to it.

It is still the answer for that business, but the line is no longer the whole story. On its smaller plans Brevo now caps your contacts too, and whether it is cheap for you depends on how often you send. I priced it at three sending patterns this week, including the pay-as-you-go option most reviews skip.

Who Brevo are, and what they sell

Brevo was founded in 2012 as Sendinblue, by Armand Thiberge in India and France, and renamed itself Brevo in 2023. It has about 600 000 customers, runs in six languages and offers discounts to non-profits.

Its bet is that you pay for sending, not for storing people. Email, SMS, WhatsApp and the automatic emails a shop sends, such as order confirmations, all run from one account, and the price follows how much you send. That is the right shape for a business with thousands of past customers and a promotion to announce once a month.

The whole range, cheapest first

Brevo sells five ways to pay, and the right one depends on how often you send rather than how many people you have.

The contact caps are the new part. On Starter, 5 000 emails a month comes with 500 contacts, 10 000 with 1 500 and 15 000 with 2 500; only from 20 000 emails does the allowance jump to 500 000. So a list of 2 000 people mailed twice a month needs the 15 000 tier at $25R416, even though you only send 4 000 emails.

SMS is sold separately, by credits. A message to a South African number uses 10.2 credits, which works out to about $0.11R1.83 whether you buy 100 or 10 000.

What it costs over a year

Three businesses, each on the cheapest Brevo option for how it sends, against MailerLite's Comfort plan, the cheapest platform with automation in our ranking of seven.

Hold that thought: the business that barely sends

That third row makes Brevo look like the more expensive choice, and for a small list with automated emails it is. But look at the second row again, because it describes a lot of South African businesses: a guesthouse, a school, a church, an events company, a seasonal shop, all with a big list and something to say four times a year.

Every subscription on the market charges them twelve months to send four campaigns. Brevo's credits do not expire, so they buy 5 000 emails when they need them, at $32R533 a campaign, and pay nothing in the months they are quiet. Over a year that is $128R2 132, a third of Brevo's own monthly plan and less than a quarter of MailerLite's.

Which businesses Brevo suits

Retailers with a big customer list: a shop with 5 000 or 10 000 past customers and a monthly promotion pays for the sends and not the list, from $32R533 a month for 20 000 emails.

Seasonal and occasional senders, such as guesthouses, schools, churches and event businesses that mail a few times a year, should buy credits rather than a plan.

Online stores that need order emails and SMS get both from one account: Brevo sends the automatic emails a shop sends, such as order confirmations, beside its marketing, and SMS at about $0.11R1.83 a message.

Non-profits should ask before paying: Brevo lists discounts for NGOs on its own site, so a registered non-profit need not pay the listed price.

Where Brevo loses

A small list with automated emails is where it loses. For 1 000 subscribers, a weekly newsletter and a welcome series, Brevo's Standard plan is $35R583 a month and MailerLite's Comfort plan is $19R317. That is $192R3 199 a year more for the same job.

It also loses if you want a rand bill or a local supplier. Brevo charges in dollars. Mailchimp shows South Africans a rand price, and Everlytic invoices in rands from South Africa; both are in our ranking of seven.

So, should you use Brevo?

Brevo keeps the promise it makes: you pay for what you send. It keeps it most fully on credits and from 20 000 emails a month, and less so on its smallest tiers, where contacts are now capped.

Use Brevo if you have a big list and mail it once or twice a month, if you send a few campaigns a year, or if you want order emails and SMS from the same account. Start on the free plan to import your list and check your sending; buy credits or a plan when you know your pattern.

Use MailerLite instead if your list is small and you want a welcome series and weekly mail. The MailerLite vs Mailchimp comparison prices that choice, and before any first campaign, our guide to who you may email sets out what the law allows.

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