Email Marketing Tools
Omnisend Review for Shopify Stores
Omnisend's free plan gives you 500 emails a month to 250 contacts. What that covers, and what it does not.
Best for: Beginner-friendly ecommerce email and SMS automation
Category: Email Marketing Tools
Last updated: 2026-09-27
Official site: www.omnisend.com
Pricing and features may change. Always verify details on the official website before subscribing.
Our rating
4.1 / 5
Weighted from five criteria published on our review methodology page, using Omnisend's own published pricing and plan limits. Last checked 2026-09-27.
- Free plan usefulness
- 4/530% weight
- The free plan is permanent and includes all features, but 500 emails a month against a 250-contact cap is used up by roughly two sends, so the limit bites quickly.
- Entry price for a small seller
- 4/520% weight
- Standard starts at $16/month, inside the $10.01 to $20 band.
- Cost predictability as you grow
- 4/520% weight
- The rule is published and simple, email credits equal contacts multiplied by 12, but the tier adjusts automatically each billing cycle, so the bill can change without you acting.
- Platform fit
- 4/520% weight
- Native one-click integrations with Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, WordPress, Wix, Shoplazza, Ecwid, PrestaShop, nopCommerce, Big Cartel and SureCart, so it is not locked to one platform. Platforms outside that list need a custom API integration and developer help.
- Price transparency
- 5/510% weight
- All three plans are published, and Omnisend provides a pricing calculator that works out your cost from your contact count.
Quick verdict
Omnisend is a good email marketing tool for small Shopify stores that want ecommerce automation without a steep learning curve, and the free plan is genuinely usable for a store in its first months. The limit arrives sooner than the headline suggests though: 500 emails a month against 250 contacts is about two sends, so a weekly newsletter plus an abandoned cart flow will push you onto Standard quickly. Klaviyo is stronger for advanced segmentation, but Omnisend is easier to start with.
- Best for
- Beginner-friendly ecommerce email and SMS automation
- Main category
- Email Marketing Tools
What is Omnisend?
Omnisend is an email and SMS marketing platform built for ecommerce stores. It helps Shopify merchants launch welcome emails, abandoned cart flows, promotional campaigns, and customer segments without an overly complex setup. The free plan is worth understanding properly, because the numbers decide whether it works for you: 500 emails a month and a maximum of 250 billable contacts, with no credit card required to start. You can upload more contacts than that, but you cannot send to a segment larger than 250 until you upgrade.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free plan includes access to all Omnisend features, not a stripped-down version
- No credit card required to start
- Ecommerce-focused automations such as abandoned cart flows
- Email and SMS in one platform
Cons
- Free plan is capped at 500 emails a month, which a 250-contact list uses up in two sends
- Free plan cannot send to more than 250 contacts per campaign
- SMS is not available on the Standard plan if you subscribe after 4 May 2026
- Less advanced than Klaviyo for complex segmentation
Free plan and pricing
Free plan
A real free plan with no credit card required, but the 500 emails a month and 250-contact cap are the binding constraints. It fits a store's first few months, not an established list.
- 500 emails per month
- Maximum 250 billable contacts
- Cannot send a campaign to more than 250 contacts
- Access to all Omnisend features
- No credit card required
We check every free plan on this site by opening its signup page and reading the form. See which ecommerce tool free plans actually work for the full set of results side by side.
Plans
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 500 emails/month · Max 250 billable contacts · All features, capped |
| Standard | from $16/mo | Email credits = contacts × 12 · Unlimited push notifications · No SMS if subscribed on/after 4 May 2026 |
| Pro | from $59/mo | Unlimited emails · SMS from $0.007/SMS as a separate subscription · Personalized Content included |
Pricing in detail
Omnisend publishes three plans. Free is $0 with 500 emails a month and up to 250 billable contacts. Standard starts at $16/month, and its email credits equal your contact count multiplied by 12. Pro starts at $59/month with unlimited emails. Two details matter more than the headline prices. First, SMS is not available on Standard at all if you subscribed on or after 4 May 2026, so an SMS strategy forces you onto Pro. Second, your tier adjusts automatically each billing cycle based on your billable contact count, which means the bill can move without you changing anything. A 30% first-time discount brings Standard to $11.20/month if you pay 3 months upfront.
Who should use Omnisend?
- Small Shopify stores starting email marketing
- Merchants who want email and SMS in one platform
- Stores that need abandoned cart automation
- Beginners who find Klaviyo too complex
Who should avoid Omnisend?
- Stores with a list larger than 250 contacts that need to email everyone
- Brands needing very advanced segmentation
- Stores that want SMS without moving to the Pro plan
- Merchants who only send occasional newsletters
Alternatives
If Omnisend is not the right fit, compare these alternatives:
Final verdict
Omnisend is a good email marketing tool for small Shopify stores that want ecommerce automation without a steep learning curve, and the free plan is genuinely usable for a store in its first months. The limit arrives sooner than the headline suggests though: 500 emails a month against 250 contacts is about two sends, so a weekly newsletter plus an abandoned cart flow will push you onto Standard quickly. Klaviyo is stronger for advanced segmentation, but Omnisend is easier to start with.
Is Omnisend right for your store?
Start by checking the current pricing, free plan limits, integrations, and whether the tool solves a problem you already have.
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Comparison
Klaviyo vs Omnisend for Shopify
Both free plans allow 250 contacts and 500 sends, and both include automation. Klaviyo adds $5 of SMS credit; Omnisend adds 500 web push notifications. Where they differ is the paid path.
Comparison
Mailchimp vs Omnisend: Email for Stores
Both free plans cap a full-size list at about two sends a month. The difference is Mailchimp excludes automation entirely, and Omnisend does not.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Omnisend free?
Yes, there is a free plan with no credit card required. It includes 500 emails a month and up to 250 billable contacts, with access to all Omnisend features.
How many emails can I send on Omnisend's free plan?
500 emails a month. Because a campaign to 250 contacts counts as 250 sends, a full-size list can receive roughly two emails a month before you are prompted to upgrade.
How much does Omnisend cost after the free plan?
Standard starts at $16/month with email credits equal to your contact count multiplied by 12. Pro starts at $59/month with unlimited emails. A first-time 30% discount applies if you pay 3 months upfront.
Does Omnisend include SMS?
Not on the Standard plan if you subscribed on or after 4 May 2026. SMS requires the Pro plan plus a separate SMS Credits Subscription starting at $0.007 per SMS.
Is Omnisend easier than Klaviyo?
For many beginners, yes. Klaviyo is more powerful, but Omnisend is often easier to set up.