Brevo (formerly SendinBlue) for Web Apps

So I was drowning in spreadsheets and manual emails, trying to keep up with customer messages across channels. I needed something that didn’t make me feel like I was running a one-person marketing department. That’s when I found Brevo - not because it was hyped, but because I saw someone on Reddit say it did “enough” without costing a fortune. And honestly? It kind of does.

The good stuff

What actually surprised me was how smooth the setup was. I imported a list of 300 leads, set up a simple welcome email, and boom - automated. The AI assistant, Aura, isn’t magic, but it does suggest subject lines and helps tweak copy. I once asked it to rewrite an email that felt too salesy, and it gave me two cleaner versions in seconds. Not genius, but better than staring at a blank screen.

Also, the SMS feature is legit useful. I sent a quick promo text to a few test users, and the open rate was way higher than email. It’s not just email anymore - they’ve got WhatsApp and chat too, which is nice if you’re already using those. And integrating with tools like Shopify or WordPress? No sweat. It worked right away.

The not-so-good

But here’s the thing - the free plan only lets you send 300 emails a day. If you’re doing any real volume, you’ll hit that fast. And the dashboard? It’s functional, sure, but feels cluttered. You have to dig around to find the analytics you actually want. I kept missing the open rate stats because they were buried under campaign logs.

Also, the AI features aren’t super smart. They’re more like prompts than full automation. Like, it can help write a message, but it won’t predict who should get it based on behavior unless you do the work first. So if you’re expecting it to magically segment your audience, don’t count on it.

Bottom line

If you’re a small business or side-hustle creator needing to send emails and texts without paying $100 a month, Brevo (formerly SendinBlue) for Web Apps is worth a shot. It’s not flashy, but it gets the job done. The free tier is decent for testing, and the multi-channel support is rare at this level. Just know it’s not a full CRM - more like a starter kit. But if you’re tired of juggling tools, this could be your one-stop shop.