Customer.iovsKlaviyo

Customer.io vs Klaviyo

SaaS behavioral vs e-commerce revenue

TL;DR

Customer.io is built for SaaS and apps with behavioral, multi-channel messaging. Klaviyo is built for e-commerce with Shopify integration and revenue optimization. Choose based on your business model, not features.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Business Model Fit

Customer.io is purpose-built for SaaS with user event tracking and multi-channel messaging. Klaviyo is purpose-built for e-commerce with purchase optimization and product recommendations.

E-commerce Features
Klaviyo wins

Klaviyo has native Shopify integration, abandoned cart flows, and AI product recommendations. Customer.io lacks these e-commerce specific features.

Multi-Channel Messaging
Customer.io wins

Customer.io supports email, push, SMS, and in-app messages. Klaviyo focuses on email and SMS only.

Transactional Email
Customer.io wins

Customer.io has native transactional email support. Klaviyo's transactional capabilities are limited.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 contacts

Customer.io
$150/month

Essentials plan. Multi-channel included.

Visit Customer.io
Klaviyo
$150/month

Email plan. Now active profile billing (Feb 2025 change).

Visit Klaviyo
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Customer.io
Klaviyo
Sequenzy
Target Market
Built For
SaaS / Apps
E-commerce
SaaS founders
Primary Integrations
Segment, APIs
Shopify, WooCommerce
Stripe
Revenue Focus
User lifecycle
Purchase optimization
Subscription lifecycle
Email Capabilities
Behavioral Triggers
Advanced
E-commerce focused
Good
Abandoned Cart
Manual setup
Pre-built, optimized
Product Recommendations
AI-powered
Transactional Email
Limited
Multi-Channel
Email, Push, SMS, In-app
Email, SMS
Email only
Platform
Shopify Integration
Basic
Native, deep
Predictive Analytics
API Quality
Excellent
Good
Good
Segmentation
Behavioral
Purchase-based
Good

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Customer.io if you...
  • SaaS companies with product-led growth
  • Apps needing multi-channel messaging
  • Teams tracking user behavior events
  • Those needing transactional + marketing email
Choose Klaviyo if you...
  • E-commerce brands on Shopify/WooCommerce
  • Stores needing abandoned cart optimization
  • Brands wanting AI product recommendations
  • Revenue-focused email programs
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS with Stripe billing integration
  • Subscription businesses
  • Those wanting simpler than both platforms

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

Native Stripe Integration

Sequenzy connects to Stripe for subscription and payment events. Neither Customer.io nor Klaviyo offers native Stripe billing integration.

SaaS-Specific at Lower Cost

At 10,000 contacts, Sequenzy is $49/month vs $150 for both Customer.io and Klaviyo.

Right-Sized for Subscription SaaS

If you're a subscription SaaS, you don't need Klaviyo's e-commerce features or Customer.io's full complexity.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Customer.io and Klaviyo are both premium email platforms, but they're built for completely different businesses. Customer.io is designed for SaaS companies and apps that need behavioral messaging based on user actions. Klaviyo is designed for e-commerce brands that need to optimize revenue through email and SMS. See our Customer.io comparison and Klaviyo comparison for more details.

The Business Model Question

The choice is straightforward: Are you SaaS/app or e-commerce? If you sell subscriptions to software, Customer.io is the fit. If you sell products through Shopify or WooCommerce, Klaviyo is the fit. These platforms rarely compete directly. For a middle-ground pricing option, check out alternatives built for SaaS.

SaaS Strengths (Customer.io)

Customer.io excels at behavioral messaging. Track user events (feature used, trial started, subscription changed), then trigger targeted campaigns. Support for email, push, SMS, and in-app means you can reach users wherever they are. The API is excellent for engineering-driven teams and enables complex automation.

E-commerce Strengths (Klaviyo)

Klaviyo excels at revenue optimization. Native Shopify integration means product data flows automatically. Pre-built abandoned cart flows, AI product recommendations, and predictive analytics are built for selling more products. It's purpose-built for e-commerce email marketing.

Similar Pricing, Different Value

Both cost around $150/month at 10,000 contacts. The value depends on your business - Customer.io's value is in behavioral automation for SaaS, Klaviyo's value is in revenue optimization for e-commerce. Sequenzy offers a third option at $49/month for 10k contacts with Stripe integration.

Multi-Channel Differences

Customer.io supports email, push notifications, SMS, and in-app messages. This matters for product-led SaaS where you need to reach users in-app. Klaviyo focuses on email and SMS, which is sufficient for most e-commerce use cases with simpler segmentation needs.

Making the Choice

This isn't a features comparison - it's a business model decision. SaaS and apps should use Customer.io. E-commerce should use Klaviyo. Using the wrong one means fighting the tool instead of leveraging its strengths. Or explore other platforms that might fit your budget better.

Frequently Asked Questions

Technically yes, but you'll be missing behavioral tracking features and paying for e-commerce features you don't need. Customer.io is better suited.

Yes, but you'll build everything from scratch. No native Shopify integration, no product recommendations. Klaviyo is built for this.

Both have excellent automation. Customer.io's is behavior-focused. Klaviyo's is purchase-focused. Different strengths for different needs.

Similar at 10k contacts (~$150/month). Klaviyo can get expensive at scale. Customer.io's Premium tier is $1,000+/month.

Both can connect to Stripe, but neither has native Stripe billing integration. For subscription SaaS, Sequenzy offers deeper Stripe integration.

Klaviyo for e-commerce (one-click Shopify). Customer.io requires more technical implementation for event tracking.

Export your people and attributes from Customer.io. Import into Klaviyo as profiles. Rebuild automations as Klaviyo flows - leverage Klaviyo's pre-built e-commerce templates. Connect your e-commerce platform for product data. Note that behavioral SaaS triggers may need to be adapted to Klaviyo's e-commerce-focused model.

Export your profiles and lists from Klaviyo. Import into Customer.io and map attributes. Rebuild flows in Customer.io's workflow builder - focus on behavioral triggers rather than purchase events. Set up Customer.io's tracking for user events. Note that native e-commerce integrations won't transfer directly.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com