GetResponse vs Brevo: The Evolution of Two Leading Email Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses

Email marketing has remained one of the most effective digital marketing channels for small businesses for more than two decades. Despite the rise of social media, instant messaging, and AI-driven advertising, email continues to provide one of the highest returns on investment for companies looking to build customer relationships, generate leads, and drive sales. Among the many platforms competing in this space, GetResponse and Brevo have emerged as two popular choices for startups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses.

Both platforms began as email marketing tools but evolved into broader marketing ecosystems offering automation, CRM capabilities, landing pages, SMS marketing, transactional emails, and AI-powered tools. However, their histories, philosophies, and approaches to serving small businesses differ significantly.

This article explores the history, development, features, strengths, and competitive differences between GetResponse and Brevo, with a focus on how they have shaped the email marketing landscape for small businesses.

The Rise of Email Marketing for Small Businesses

Before comparing the two platforms, it is important to understand the context in which they developed.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, email marketing became one of the earliest forms of digital promotion. Small businesses quickly realized that email allowed direct communication with customers at a fraction of the cost of print advertising or television campaigns. Platforms that simplified list management, automation, and analytics became increasingly valuable.

As businesses demanded more advanced marketing capabilities, email marketing providers evolved into “all-in-one” marketing platforms. Automation, CRM integration, segmentation, landing pages, and ecommerce features became standard expectations.

GetResponse and Brevo each represent different eras and philosophies within this transformation.

The History of GetResponse

Founding and Early Years

GetResponse was founded in 1998 by Simon Grabowski in Poland, making it one of the oldest email marketing platforms still operating today. At the time, email marketing software was still relatively primitive, and many businesses relied on manual mailing systems.

GetResponse initially focused on helping businesses create and manage email newsletters. Its early success came from offering affordable email automation tools to small and medium-sized businesses that could not afford enterprise marketing systems.

By the early 2000s, GetResponse expanded internationally and built a reputation for reliability, deliverability, and user-friendly campaign management.

Over time, the company evolved beyond simple newsletter distribution into a complete digital marketing suite.

According to the company’s official feature documentation, GetResponse now offers automation, landing pages, AI tools, webinars, segmentation, ecommerce integrations, and sales funnels.

Evolution into an All-in-One Marketing Platform

One of GetResponse’s most important strategic shifts occurred during the 2010s when the platform expanded beyond email marketing.

The company introduced:

• Marketing automation workflows
• Webinar hosting
• Landing page builders
• Conversion funnels
• Ecommerce tools
• AI-assisted email generation
• Online course and creator monetization tools

This transformation reflected a broader trend in SaaS software where businesses sought integrated marketing ecosystems rather than isolated tools.

GetResponse positioned itself as a solution for entrepreneurs and creators who wanted multiple tools under one subscription.

Its webinar functionality became especially notable because few email marketing platforms offered native webinar hosting. This feature appealed to coaches, consultants, educators, and B2B marketers.

The platform also invested heavily in automation. Modern GetResponse plans include advanced automation builders, abandoned cart recovery, segmentation, revenue tracking, and behavioral targeting.

Pricing Philosophy and SMB Focus

GetResponse historically targeted small and medium-sized businesses by emphasizing affordability and scalability.

The platform adopted a “pay-as-you-grow” pricing model where businesses could start with smaller contact lists and scale gradually as their audience expanded.

This appealed to:

• Bloggers
• Ecommerce startups
• Agencies
• Coaches
• Online course creators
• Local businesses

The platform also developed a reputation for strong onboarding support, templates, autoresponders, and analytics.

In recent years, GetResponse increasingly positioned itself as a creator economy platform by adding premium newsletters, online courses, and monetization features.

The History of Brevo

Origins as Sendinblue

Brevo was founded in 2012 in Paris, France, by Armand Thiberge under the name Sendinblue.

Unlike GetResponse, which emerged during the early days of email marketing, Sendinblue entered the market during the rise of cloud-based SaaS tools and marketing automation.

The company initially focused on transactional email services and affordable email marketing solutions for small businesses.

Transactional emails include:

• Password reset emails
• Order confirmations
• Shipping notifications
• Account verification messages

This technical foundation differentiated Sendinblue from traditional newsletter-focused platforms.

The company expanded rapidly across Europe and later internationally.

By the late 2010s, Sendinblue became known for combining:

• Email marketing
• SMS marketing
• Transactional emails
• Automation
• CRM tools

into a single platform aimed at small and medium-sized businesses.

Expansion and Rebranding to Brevo

A major milestone occurred in 2023 when Sendinblue officially rebranded as Brevo.

The rebrand reflected the company’s ambition to move beyond email marketing and become a broader customer relationship platform.

The new identity emphasized:

• Multi-channel communication
• CRM functionality
• Customer engagement
• Automation
• Sales enablement

The company also pursued strategic acquisitions, including WonderPush and Octolis, to strengthen its push notification and customer data platform capabilities.

Brevo expanded globally with offices in Paris, Seattle, Berlin, Toronto, Delhi, Vienna, and New York.

By 2025, the company reportedly served hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide.

Brevo’s Positioning for Small Businesses

Brevo differentiated itself by focusing heavily on affordability and flexibility.

One major advantage was its pricing model based on email volume rather than solely contact count. This made Brevo attractive to businesses with large subscriber databases but lower sending frequency.

The platform also became popular for offering:

• SMS marketing
• WhatsApp campaigns
• Transactional email APIs
• CRM tools
• Live chat
• Automation

within relatively affordable plans.

Brevo’s free plan became especially appealing because it allowed unlimited contacts with daily email sending limits.

This positioned Brevo as a budget-friendly option for startups and small businesses.

Feature Comparison: GetResponse vs Brevo

Email Marketing Capabilities

Both platforms offer modern email marketing tools including:

• Drag-and-drop editors
• Templates
• Segmentation
• Analytics
• A/B testing
• Automation

However, their strengths differ.

GetResponse

GetResponse is particularly strong in:

• Advanced automation
• Funnel building
• Webinars
• Creator monetization
• Ecommerce marketing

Its workflow builder is highly visual and suited for sophisticated customer journeys.

Brevo

Brevo excels in:

• Transactional email infrastructure
• SMS marketing
• CRM integration
• Omnichannel communication
• Cost-effective scaling

Its email API services are widely used by developers and ecommerce platforms.

Automation and CRM

Automation has become central to modern marketing platforms.

GetResponse Automation

GetResponse provides advanced automation workflows including:

• Behavioral triggers
• Lead scoring
• Ecommerce automation
• Dynamic segmentation
• Funnel automation

These features are particularly useful for businesses with complex customer journeys.

Brevo Automation

Brevo offers automation as well but integrates it closely with CRM and transactional communication.

Its workflows often focus on:

• Customer lifecycle communication
• Sales pipeline management
• SMS/email coordination
• Customer support interactions

This makes Brevo attractive for operational communication and sales-oriented workflows.

Reputation and User Experiences

No platform is without criticism, and both GetResponse and Brevo have faced challenges.

GetResponse Reputation

GetResponse is often praised for:

• Reliability
• Automation depth
• Webinar integration
• Creator tools
• Strong deliverability

Users frequently highlight its “all-in-one” capabilities. Some reviewers also note that the platform can become expensive as contact lists grow.

Brevo Reputation

Brevo is widely recognized for affordability and feature breadth.

However, some users have reported issues involving:

• Account suspensions
• Deliverability concerns
• Redirect tracking links
• Customer support delays
• Technical reliability during large campaigns

Several Reddit discussions describe frustrations with suspended campaigns, image rendering issues, and tracking redirects.

At the same time, many users defend Brevo as a powerful value-oriented platform, especially for businesses that need transactional emails and automation at lower costs.

Which Platform Is Better for Small Businesses?

The answer depends on business needs.

GetResponse Is Better For:

• Content creators
• Coaches
• Webinar marketers
• Ecommerce stores
• Businesses needing advanced automation
• Companies wanting integrated funnels and monetization tools

Its ecosystem is highly polished for marketing-driven growth strategies.

Brevo Is Better For:

• Budget-conscious startups
• Businesses needing transactional emails
• Companies using SMS and WhatsApp marketing
• Small sales teams
• Businesses with large contact lists but lower send volumes

Brevo’s pricing structure and multichannel tools make it attractive for operational marketing and customer communication.

The Future of Email Marketing Platforms

The competition between GetResponse and Brevo reflects broader trends in digital marketing technology.

Modern small businesses increasingly expect:

• AI-powered automation
• Personalized messaging
• Multi-channel communication
• CRM integration
• Ecommerce connectivity
• Creator monetization tools

Both companies continue evolving to meet these demands.

GetResponse appears focused on creators, educators, and advanced marketing automation.

Brevo seems committed to becoming a customer relationship platform combining marketing, sales, and communication tools.

AI will likely shape the next phase of competition, especially in:

• Content generation
• Predictive segmentation
• Smart automation
• Customer journey optimization

Conclusion

GetResponse and Brevo represent two distinct but successful approaches to serving small businesses in the email marketing industry.

GetResponse, founded in 1998, evolved from a newsletter platform into a sophisticated all-in-one marketing ecosystem emphasizing automation, webinars, and creator monetization.

Brevo, founded as Sendinblue in 2012, emerged during the SaaS automation era and built its reputation around affordability, transactional messaging, CRM integration, and multichannel communication.

Both platforms reflect the transformation of email marketing from simple newsletter distribution into intelligent customer engagement systems.

For small businesses, the decision between the two ultimately depends on priorities:

• Choose GetResponse for advanced marketing funnels, webinars, and automation depth.
• Choose Brevo for affordability, transactional messaging, SMS integration, and flexible contact management.