Quick signals
Complexity
Medium
E-commerce-optimized with pre-built flows that reduce setup time, but pricing complexity and SMS costs require careful planning.
Common upgrade trigger
Contact list exceeds 250 (free tier cap)—pricing starts at $20/mo for 251–500 contacts
When it gets expensive
SMS credits are separate from email pricing; a combined email+SMS program can cost 2x the email-only price
What this product actually is
E-commerce-focused email and SMS platform with native Shopify integration, per-email revenue attribution, and predictive analytics. Free for 250 contacts; pricing scales with list and SMS volume.
Pricing behavior (not a price list)
These points describe when users typically pay more, what actions trigger upgrades, and the mechanics of how costs escalate.
Actions that trigger upgrades
- Contact list exceeds 250 (free tier cap)—pricing starts at $20/mo for 251–500 contacts
- Need SMS marketing—separate SMS plan required; credits purchased based on volume
- Need advanced reporting and benchmarks—available on higher tiers
- Multi-store management—requires higher-tier plan for multiple Shopify stores
- Need custom data science models and advanced CDP features—pushes toward enterprise pricing
When costs usually spike
- SMS credits are separate from email pricing; a combined email+SMS program can cost 2x the email-only price
- Predictive analytics require minimum order volume (~500+ orders) to generate meaningful predictions
- Email pricing jumps at thresholds: 10,000 contacts ($150/mo), 25,000 ($400/mo), 50,000 ($720/mo)
- Profile sync from Shopify can lag during high-volume events (BFCM); plan for sync delays
- No native landing page builder—requires external tools or Shopify's built-in pages
- Exporting data from Klaviyo: contact data exports easily, but flow performance history is harder to migrate
Plans and variants (structural only)
Grouped by type to show structure, not to rank or recommend specific SKUs.
Free
- Free - $0 for 250 contacts - 500 emails/mo, basic flows, Shopify sync
Plans
- Email - $20/mo for 251-500 contacts - Full email automation, segmentation
- Email + SMS - $35/mo for 251-500 contacts + SMS credits - Cross-channel flows
Enterprise
- Enterprise - Custom pricing - Dedicated CSM, advanced CDP features
Costs and limitations
Common limits
- Contact-based pricing gets expensive: 10,000 contacts is $150/mo (email only); 50,000 contacts is $720/mo
- SMS pricing is separate and usage-based; combined email + SMS costs can double at scale
- Primarily designed for e-commerce—limited B2B features like lead scoring or ABM
- No built-in CRM for sales pipeline management; relies on e-commerce platform as source of truth
- Template builder is functional but less design-polished than Mailchimp's drag-and-drop editor
- Predictive analytics accuracy depends on data volume; new stores with <1,000 orders get less value
What breaks first
- Contact + SMS cost at scale: 50,000 contacts ($720/mo email) + SMS can exceed $1,200/mo combined
- Teams wanting B2B features hit Klaviyo's ceiling fast—no lead scoring, no CRM, no attribution beyond e-commerce
- Predictive analytics overpromise for small stores—<500 orders produces unreliable predictions
- SMS budget surprises: usage-based SMS pricing is hard to forecast; spikes during campaigns
- Template design limitations frustrate creative teams used to Mailchimp's visual builder
Decision checklist
Use these checks to validate fit for Klaviyo before you commit to an architecture or contract.
- Email Simplicity vs Automation Depth: Map your current automation needs: simple drip sequences vs multi-branch conditional flows
- Contact-Based vs Send-Based Pricing: Calculate total contacts vs average monthly sends to model cost on both pricing models
- E-commerce Native vs General Purpose: Determine if revenue-per-email and order-level attribution are must-have metrics
- Upgrade trigger: Contact list exceeds 250 (free tier cap)—pricing starts at $20/mo for 251–500 contacts
- What breaks first: Contact + SMS cost at scale: 50,000 contacts ($720/mo email) + SMS can exceed $1,200/mo combined
Implementation & evaluation notes
These are the practical "gotchas" and questions that usually decide whether Klaviyo fits your team and workflow.
Implementation timeline
3–7 days for Shopify integration and basic flows; 2–3 weeks to optimize segments, predictive analytics, and SMS programs.
Switching cost
Medium — Shopify data stays in Shopify; Klaviyo-specific flows and segments need rebuilding; historical performance data doesn't transfer.
Implementation gotchas
- Exporting data from Klaviyo: contact data exports easily, but flow performance history is harder to migrate
- Native Shopify integration depth → Limited value for non-e-commerce businesses
- Pre-built e-commerce flows → Less flexible for custom B2B workflows
- Predictive analytics accuracy depends on data volume; new stores with <1,000 orders get less value
Questions to ask before you buy
- Which actions or usage metrics trigger an upgrade (e.g., Contact list exceeds 250 (free tier cap)—pricing starts at $20/mo for 251–500 contacts)?
- Under what usage shape do costs or limits show up first (e.g., SMS credits are separate from email pricing; a combined email+SMS program can cost 2x the email-only price)?
- What breaks first in production (e.g., Contact + SMS cost at scale: 50,000 contacts ($720/mo email) + SMS can exceed $1,200/mo combined) — and what is the workaround?
- Validate: Email Simplicity vs Automation Depth: Map your current automation needs: simple drip sequences vs multi-branch conditional flows
- Validate: Contact-Based vs Send-Based Pricing: Calculate total contacts vs average monthly sends to model cost on both pricing models
Fit assessment
Good fit if…
- Shopify and Shopify Plus stores needing revenue attribution and predictive analytics per campaign
- DTC brands where cart abandonment, browse abandonment, and post-purchase flows drive significant revenue
- E-commerce marketers who optimize based on revenue-per-email rather than open rates or click rates
- Brands wanting combined email + SMS flows orchestrated in one platform with revenue tracking
- High-AOV e-commerce businesses where predictive CLV and churn prevention justify the premium pricing
- BigCommerce and WooCommerce stores needing native product catalog sync for dynamic content
Poor fit if…
- Not on an e-commerce platform—Klaviyo's value proposition is built around order data and revenue attribution
- B2B business needing lead scoring, ABM, and CRM pipeline management—HubSpot or Marketo are better
- Budget-constrained with 25,000+ contacts—Brevo or Omnisend offer similar e-commerce features at lower cost
- Simple newsletter and campaign needs without e-commerce—Mailchimp is cheaper and easier
- New store with <500 orders—predictive analytics won't have enough data to be useful
- SMS is not part of your strategy—you're paying premium positioning for a feature you won't use
Trade-offs
Every design choice has a cost. Here are the explicit trade-offs:
- Best e-commerce revenue attribution → Premium pricing vs Omnisend and Brevo
- Native Shopify integration depth → Limited value for non-e-commerce businesses
- Predictive analytics built in → Requires order volume to be accurate
- Email + SMS in one platform → SMS pricing is separate and adds significant cost
- Pre-built e-commerce flows → Less flexible for custom B2B workflows
Common alternatives people evaluate next
These are common “next shortlists” — same tier, step-down, step-sideways, or step-up — with a quick reason why.
-
Omnisend — step-downSimilar e-commerce features (Shopify, flows, SMS) at 30–40% lower cost; less predictive analytics depth.
-
Mailchimp — step-downWhen e-commerce is secondary and you need general email campaigns with simpler setup and lower cost.
-
ActiveCampaign — step-sidewaysWhen you need CRM + automation for both B2B and e-commerce; broader but less e-commerce-specific.
-
Brevo — step-sidewaysSend-based pricing for large e-commerce lists with moderate automation—fraction of Klaviyo's cost.
Sources & verification
Pricing and behavioral information comes from public documentation and structured research. When information is incomplete or volatile, we prefer to say so rather than guess.