6 Zoho Campaigns alternatives for growing businesses in India
Why teams look beyond Zoho Campaigns, what to check before switching, and 6 options compared on price, free plans and features — including when Zoho Campaigns is still the better choice.
Why look for a Zoho Campaigns alternative?
From Zoho Campaigns’s own published plans and features (checked November 2026).
Zoho Campaigns’s price goes up with contact count (Standard up to 100,000 contacts; Professional for larger lists); annual billing saves 25%.
Forever Free: up to 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails/month, 5 users.
Zoho Campaigns has no pipeline of its own, though it can segment on deals and accounts synced from the separate Zoho CRM.
Ecommerce data covers past purchases and spend only, with no predicted values.
Professional only.
What to look for in a Zoho Campaigns alternative
Six checks that matter most for an Indian business — whichever tool you pick.
- Pay in rupees with a GST invoice. So the expense is simple to book and you can claim input credit — no card forex fees.
- Know what the price grows with. Contacts, emails sent, or both. A tool priced by contacts gets expensive with a big, quiet list; one priced by sends punishes frequent senders.
- Automation on the plan you can afford. Welcome series, abandoned carts and re-engagement should not need the top plan.
- Deliverability help, not just sending. SPF, DKIM and DMARC checks, a gradual warm-up for new senders, and bounce and complaint handling.
- Consent tools for the DPDP Act. Double opt-in, a preference centre, consent records and easy data export and deletion.
- A painless move. CSV or Excel import with column mapping, and unsubscribes carried over so you never email someone who opted out.
The best Zoho Campaigns alternatives in 2026
MailNesto first — it’s our product, so judge for yourself — then the most complete other tools from our comparison of 17 platforms.
- 1
MailNesto
Email campaigns, automations, forms, landing pages, a CRM pipeline and transactional email in one account — priced in rupees with GST invoices, and made for businesses in India.
- Free plan
- Free plan: 500 contacts, 2,500 emails a month
- Paid plans
- Starter from ₹1,499/month (+ 18% GST) or $19/month outside India · 5,000 contacts
- Features
- All 51 in our comparison
- 2
Netcore Email (Netcore Cloud)
Enterprise customer-engagement platform (Netcore CE) with email campaigns, journeys and AMP, plus a separate Email API for transactional sending.
- Free plan
- Email API product page lists no free plan (older help pages still describe a Forever Free plan of 3,000 emails/month)
- Paid plans
- Not published; marketing platform is quote-only via 'Request a Demo'. Review sites list an Email API plan from $25/mo (not confirmed on netcore.ai).
- Features
- 30 of 51
Good fit when: You are a large B2C brand that wants email, journeys and other channels (app push, on-site) in one enterprise platform; you send high volumes and want AI send-time and subject-line optimisation built in.
- 3
Mailmodo
Email marketing platform focused on interactive AMP emails, journeys and AI tools, with campaign and transactional sending.
- Free plan
- Free signup offered ('Try Mailmodo for free'); trial length and limits not stated on the pricing page
- Paid plans
- Lite from $149/mo billed annually: 500 contacts, 2,000 sending credits, 1 user, 1 active journey
- Features
- 27.5 of 51
Good fit when: You want interactive AMP emails (forms, surveys, carts inside the email) without building them by hand; you run a Shopify store and want ready-made abandoned-checkout and event-based journeys.
- 4
Pabbly Email Marketing
Email marketing app that sends through its built-in SMTP or your own SMTP providers, with automation, tags and segments, priced by subscriber cap.
- Free plan
- Free plan: 100 subscribers, 30-day trial, no card required
- Paid plans
- Standard: $19/mo normally ($17/mo shown with discount) or ₹1,499/mo; 10,000 subscribers; built-in SMTP starts at 500 emails/day (up to 100,000/day), unlimited sending via your own SMTP
- Features
- 20 of 51
Good fit when: You already have, or want to use, a cheap sending service (SES, SendGrid, Mailgun) and need a campaign UI on top with SMTP routing; you have a large list and want a flat price (Unlimited plan) instead of per-contact pricing.
- 5
Klaviyo
Ecommerce-focused email, SMS and customer data platform that uses store and website events for segmentation, flows and revenue reporting.
- Free plan
- Free: up to 250 active profiles, 500 email sends/month, plus $5/month each of Composer (AI) usage and mobile messages; Klaviyo branding; email support for first 60 days only
- Paid plans
- Marketing plan from $20/mo for 500 active profiles and 5,000 email sends/mo (paid plans remove Klaviyo branding)
- Features
- 37.5 of 51
Good fit when: You run an online store (especially Shopify or WooCommerce) and want flows driven by product views, checkouts and orders; you want revenue attribution and predictive segmentation built in.
- 6
ActiveCampaign
Marketing automation platform combining email campaigns, a visual automation builder, site tracking and optional CRM/sales add-ons.
- Free plan
- No free plan
- Paid plans
- Starter at 1,000 contacts: about $15/mo billed yearly or $19/mo billed monthly; 10,000 email sends/mo, 1 user, automations limited to 5 actions
- Features
- 33.5 of 51
Good fit when: You need detailed automations with goals, splits, site tracking and date triggers; you want marketing automation and an optional CRM/sales pipeline in one vendor.
Zoho Campaigns and its alternatives, side by side
Swipe sideways to see every tool →
| MailNesto | Zoho Campaigns | Netcore Email (Netcore Cloud) | Mailmodo | Pabbly Email Marketing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free plan: 500 contacts, 2,500 emails a month | Forever Free: up to 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails/month, 5 users | Email API product page lists no free plan (older help pages still describe a Forever Free plan of 3,000 emails/month) | Free signup offered ('Try Mailmodo for free'); trial length and limits not stated on the pricing page | Free plan: 100 subscribers, 30-day trial, no card required |
| Price grows with | Contacts and monthly emails | Contact count (Standard up to 100,000 contacts; Professional for larger lists); annual billing saves 25% | Volume and modules/channels (quoted) | Contact count, sending credits, active journeys, team seats and custom domains | Subscriber cap (Standard 10,000 vs Unlimited); built-in SMTP daily limit; billing term (yearly saves 12%, 3-yearly 25%) |
| Pay in rupees (₹) | Yes, with GST invoices | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Product blocks & recommendations | Bestsellers, new arrivals, picks for each person, recently viewed and cart items — from your store | YesA recommendations component uses Shopify, WooCommerce or Zoho Commerce data; the personalised types need at least 10 products, 50 orders and 100 customers. | YesA recommendation engine fills emails from your catalog, but recommendations are only personalised per user in journeys, not in regular campaigns, and Netcore support must turn the feature on. | PartlyA Product catalog widget shows Shopify products you choose by hand, and the help article describes no per-recipient recommendations. | NoThe email builder has only generic blocks such as text, image and button, and Shopify appears only as a workflow trigger. |
| Lead scoring | Points for opens, clicks, visits, forms, events and orders; hot-lead alerts | YesContact scoring on the Professional plan: points for opens, clicks, replies, opt-ins, field rules and a workflow 'Add score' action | Not confirmedCouldn't confirm from Netcore's email pages or docs | Not confirmedNo lead scoring found in Mailmodo help; segments use campaign activity, contact properties and events | YesLead score from subscriber activity on all plans, with 'Lead Score' available as a workflow trigger |
| Deals board, tasks & companies | Deals board with stages, tasks with reminders, notes and companies — included | NoZoho Campaigns has no pipeline of its own, though it can segment on deals and accounts synced from the separate Zoho CRM. | NoThe email platform has no sales CRM with deals, tasks or companies. | NoThere are no deals, pipeline or task features. | NoThere is no deals pipeline; it only pushes new leads into an outside CRM. |
| Predicted lifetime value & next order date | Spend over the next 12 months and each customer’s next order date, in segments and automations | NoEcommerce data covers past purchases and spend only, with no predicted values. | PartlyPredictive segments flag users likely to buy in the next seven days, but there is no predicted lifetime value. | NoNo predicted lifetime value or next order date is listed. | NoAnalytics cover opens, clicks and bounces plus a lead score, with no predictions. |
| Branches with more than two paths | Conditions and splits with up to 8 paths | YesMulti-Way Condition (3+ paths) and Random Split; comparison page lists multi-way split on Professional | PartlySplit action up to 5 variants (test split); condition nodes not documented as multi-way | Not confirmed | PartlyRouter action exists; number of paths not documented |
| Abandoned cart recovery | Store carts with a recovery link | PartlyProfessional only | YesCart abandonment journey (Add to Cart, then no Checkout, then email) | PartlyShopify abandoned-checkout journey; other stores not documented | Not confirmed |
| HubSpot & Zoho CRM sync | Contacts and lead score sent every few minutes; their workflows can send contacts back | YesZoho Campaigns syncs natively with Zoho CRM and has a scheduled HubSpot sync for contacts, companies and deals that can push engagement back. | NoThe documented CRM integrations are Salesforce and LeadSquared only, with no HubSpot or Zoho CRM. | YesA native HubSpot integration syncs contacts hourly and pushes activity back, while Zoho CRM sends contacts one way through webhooks only. | PartlyIts lead-routing feature can push new leads into HubSpot or Zoho, but no ongoing two-way contact sync is described. |
| Transactional email | Receipts and OTPs via API, same account | PartlyZoho Campaigns Email API module exists; scope and plan not confirmed (Zoho's ZeptoMail is a separate product) | PartlyEmail API is a separate product; vendor positions both on one platform | YesTrigger/transactional campaigns via REST API in same account | PartlyNo transactional endpoint; API 'send-to-individual' sends a live campaign template to individual addresses |
When to stay with Zoho Campaigns
Switching isn’t always the answer. Zoho Campaigns may still be right if:
- You already use Zoho CRM, Zoho One or other Zoho apps and want native data sync
- You want a low entry price with unlimited emails on paid plans and a usable free tier (2,000 contacts)
- You need Excel import, double opt-in, topic preferences and a WordPress plugin out of the box
- You want an Indian vendor with INR pricing
How to move from Zoho Campaigns to MailNesto
- 1
Export from Zoho Campaigns
Contacts > All Contacts > More > Export Contacts (choose list/contact type, fields, .csv or .xls, then Export as). For one list: Contacts > Manage Lists > hover list > More (⋮) > Export Contacts. Requires export privilege.
- 2
Import into MailNesto
Contacts → Import: upload the CSV or Excel file (or paste it), map the columns, choose a list. Import only subscribed people, then paste unsubscribed, bounced and complained addresses into Audience → Suppression list so they never get email again.
- 3
Bring your designs
No bulk template export found; copy HTML from the HTML code editor per campaign/template. Then import the .html or .zip in Templates, or start from one of ours.
- 4
Authenticate your domain
Add the SPF, DKIM and DMARC records MailNesto shows you, then send a test. New senders ramp up gradually to protect your reputation.
- 5
Rebuild automations
Start from a recipe (welcome, birthday, win-back, abandoned cart) or build your own journey with branches and goals. Note: Merge tags use $[FIELD|Default|Fallback]$ syntax (e.g. $[FNAME|Customer|Guest]$); unsubscribe tag $[LI:UNSUBSCRIBE]$. Workflows, reports and topics do not export.
Zoho Campaigns alternatives: common questions
What is the best alternative to Zoho Campaigns?
It depends on what you send and how big your list is. For businesses in India that want campaigns, automations, forms and transactional email in one account, billed in rupees, MailNesto is built for exactly that. Netcore Email (Netcore Cloud), Mailmodo, Pabbly Email Marketing are also worth comparing — see the list above for when each one fits.
Is there a free alternative to Zoho Campaigns?
Yes — MailNesto has a Free plan: 500 contacts, 2,500 emails a month. Netcore Email (Netcore Cloud), Mailmodo, Pabbly Email Marketing, Klaviyo also offer free plans; their limits are in the table above. Free plans are good for trying a tool; check the sending limit before you rely on one.
Is there an Indian alternative to Zoho Campaigns?
MailNesto is made for Indian businesses: rupee pricing with GST invoices, Indian festivals in the template library and DPDP-friendly consent tools. Other tools built in India include Mailmodo, Netcore Email (Netcore Cloud), Pabbly Email Marketing.
Can I move my contacts from Zoho Campaigns?
Yes. In Zoho Campaigns: Contacts > All Contacts > More > Export Contacts (choose list/contact type, fields, .csv or .xls, then Export as). For one list: Contacts > Manage Lists > hover list > More (⋮) > Export Contacts. Requires export privilege. Then import the file into MailNesto (CSV, Excel or paste), map the columns and pick a list. Unsubscribed and bounced addresses stay suppressed.
Should I stay with Zoho Campaigns?
Possibly — Zoho Campaigns may suit you better if you already use Zoho CRM, Zoho One or other Zoho apps and want native data sync, or if you want a low entry price with unlimited emails on paid plans and a usable free tier (2,000 contacts).
Alternatives to other tools
Where these facts come from (23 sources)
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/faqs/ecommerce-solution/articles/ecommerce-sol
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/faqs/contact-management/articles/can-zoho-crm-
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/user-guide/import-contacts/import-from-crm-app
- help.zoho.com/portal/kb/articles/how-to-setup-contact-scoring
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/articles/how-to-send-follow-up-campaigns
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/email-api/user-guide/articles/domains-28-7-202
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/faqs/a-b-testing/articles/ab-testing
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/faqs/contact-management/articles/contact-manag
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/faqs/email-campaigns/articles/email-campaigns-
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/getting-started-guide/articles/key-features-of
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/user-guide/analytics/articles/email-campaign-a
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/user-guide/import-contacts/import-from-file/ar
- itforsme.in/pricing/zoho-campaigns-india
- wordpress.org/plugins/zoho-campaigns/
- sequenzy.com/pricing/zoho-campaigns
- zoho.com/campaigns/comparison.html
- zoho.com/campaigns/inbox-previews.html
- zoho.com/campaigns/marketing-automation/
- zoho.com/campaigns/pricing.html
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/zoho-landingpage/integrations/zoho/articles/zoho-campaig
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/faqs/marketing-automation/process-components/a
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/faqs/reports-and-analytics/articles/how-many-c
- help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/campaigns/user-guide/settings/campaign-policy/articles/h
Zoho Campaigns, Netcore Email (Netcore Cloud), Mailmodo, Pabbly Email Marketing, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign are trademarks of their owners. This comparison is our own, made from public information on each vendor’s website (checked November 2026); we aren’t affiliated with them. Plans and prices change — check the vendor’s site before you decide, and tell us if something here is out of date and we’ll fix it.