Overview

Plunk and Brevo represent different philosophies. Plunk is open source, developer-focused, and does email well at low cost. Brevo is an all-in-one marketing platform with email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat, CRM, and more.

The choice depends on whether you want a focused tool or a complete marketing stack.

Open Source vs All-in-One

Plunk is fully open source. Self-host on your infrastructure, audit the code, maintain complete data control. This matters for compliance requirements and teams who value owning their tools.

Brevo is proprietary SaaS with extensive features. Email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, CRM, landing pages, and meeting scheduling in one platform. More complex but more capable for multichannel marketing.

Feature Comparison

For email marketing, both platforms work. Brevo has a more mature visual builder and template library. Plunk supports React Email which developers love for code-based templates.

For automation, Brevo is more sophisticated with visual workflows and conditional logic. Plunk has basic automation that covers simple sequences.

Brevo adds SMS, WhatsApp, chat, and CRM that Plunk simply does not have. If you need multichannel marketing, Brevo is the only choice between these two.

Pricing Comparison

Both charge per email, but differently.

Plunk charges $0.001 per email consistently. 50,000 emails costs $50. Simple and predictable for volume-based budgeting.

Brevo has tiered plans. Starter at $25/month includes 20,000 emails. Business plans scale with volume. At higher volumes, Brevo can be slightly cheaper per email.

Both allow unlimited contacts, charging only for emails sent. For large lists with moderate sending, this model saves money compared to per-contact pricing.

Developer Experience

Plunk excels here. Modern REST API, React Email for templates, simple webhooks. Integration takes hours with clean documentation.

Brevo has a comprehensive API but is more enterprise-oriented. Full-featured but more complex. Marketing teams often prefer Brevo's visual interface over API integration.

When Each Platform Shines

Choose Plunk when: You want open source control. Email is your only channel. Developer experience matters. Self-hosting adds value. Simple pricing appeals.

Choose Brevo when: You need SMS, WhatsApp, or chat. CRM integration matters. Marketing teams lead email work. Landing pages add value. All-in-one simplifies your stack.

For SaaS Companies

Neither has native Stripe integration. Sequenzy connects directly to Stripe for subscription-aware automation. Trial expiring, payment failed, plan changed, all trigger emails automatically. For billing-focused SaaS, check Sequenzy's Stripe integration.