The short answer
Omnisend if you want email, SMS, and push notifications in one simple platform at a lower price. Klaviyo if you need advanced segmentation, predictive analytics, and don’t mind paying more for deeper data tools.
We’ve tested both on live Shopify stores and written full reviews of each - Klaviyo and Omnisend. This comparison breaks down where each one wins and which fits your store better.
Quick comparison
| Klaviyo | Omnisend | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 (2,590 reviews) | 4.8/5 (2,941 reviews) |
| Built for Shopify | No | Yes |
| Free plan | 250 contacts, 500 emails | 250 contacts, 500 emails, 500 push |
| Paid from | $20/mo (email), $15/mo (SMS) | $16/mo (email + SMS credits) |
| Channels | Email, SMS | Email, SMS, web push |
| Best for | Data-driven stores wanting deep segmentation | Stores wanting multi-channel simplicity |
| Automation | Advanced with predictive AI | Solid with multi-channel flows |
| Learning curve | Steeper | Easier |
Pricing compared
This is where the decision gets real. Both apps use contact-based pricing that scales as your list grows, but the gap between them widens at higher tiers.
| Contacts | Klaviyo (Email) | Omnisend (Standard) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | Free | Free | - |
| 1,000 | ~$30/mo | ~$20/mo | Omnisend saves $10/mo |
| 5,000 | ~$100/mo | ~$65/mo | Omnisend saves $35/mo |
| 10,000 | ~$150/mo | ~$100/mo | Omnisend saves $50/mo |
| 50,000 | ~$500+/mo | ~$330+/mo | Omnisend saves $170+/mo |
A few things the table doesn’t show:
- Klaviyo charges separately for SMS. The email prices above don’t include SMS credits. Omnisend bundles SMS credits into paid plans (Pro plan matches credit value to plan price).
- Omnisend includes web push for free. Klaviyo doesn’t offer web push notifications at all - you’d need a separate app.
- Both get expensive past 50K contacts. At enterprise scale, neither is cheap. Some merchants at this level negotiate custom pricing with both platforms.
For a store with 5,000 subscribers using email and SMS, Omnisend typically costs 30-40% less than Klaviyo per month.
Email campaigns
Both platforms have drag-and-drop email editors with e-commerce blocks (product feeds, discount codes, recommendation widgets). The building experience is similar, but the details differ.
Klaviyo’s edge: The product recommendation block pulls from each recipient’s actual browsing and purchase history. We saw 15-20% higher click-through rates on emails using Klaviyo’s personalized recommendations versus static product images. The AI campaign generator creates full email drafts based on your site content, and send time optimization picks the best moment for each subscriber individually.
Omnisend’s edge: 250+ pre-built templates versus Klaviyo’s 160+. The editor is more intuitive for beginners - less configuration needed to get a good-looking email out the door. The AI subject line generator performed about on par with our manually written ones in A/B tests.
Winner: Klaviyo - if personalization depth matters to your revenue. Omnisend if speed and simplicity matter more.
Automation
Both tools cover the essential automated workflows: abandoned cart, welcome series, browse abandonment, post-purchase, win-back, price drop alerts, and back-in-stock notifications.
Klaviyo’s edge: The flow builder supports more complex conditional logic. You can split audiences based on predictive lifetime value, predicted next order date, engagement scoring, and dozens of other data points. A/B testing works at individual flow steps, so you can optimize specific messages within a sequence. Predictive analytics let you target customers who are likely to churn before they actually do.
Omnisend’s edge: Multi-channel flows. You can combine email, SMS, and push notifications in a single automation sequence - something Klaviyo can do with email and SMS but not push. The pre-built workflows activate with one click and work well out of the box. We had an abandoned cart flow running within 20 minutes of installing Omnisend, compared to about 45 minutes with Klaviyo.
Winner: Depends. Klaviyo for advanced logic and predictive targeting. Omnisend for multi-channel simplicity and faster setup.
Segmentation
This is where the gap between the two platforms is widest.
Klaviyo lets you segment on dozens of data points that update in real time: purchase frequency, average order value, predicted lifetime value, predicted churn risk, products viewed, email engagement, geographic location, and custom properties. The segments are dynamic - customers move in and out automatically as their behavior changes. You can stack conditions with AND/OR logic and see a live count of matching contacts as you build.
Omnisend covers the fundamentals well: purchase history, email engagement, campaign activity, signup source, and basic customer properties. You can create segments based on these, but the depth is noticeably shallower. No predictive analytics, no AI-driven segment suggestions, fewer behavioral data points to work with.
Winner: Klaviyo - clearly. If your marketing strategy depends on granular audience targeting, Klaviyo’s segmentation is the single biggest reason to choose it over Omnisend.
SMS marketing
Both platforms include SMS as a built-in channel rather than a separate add-on.
Klaviyo starts SMS at $15/month for 1,250 credits. You can combine email and SMS in automation flows, manage consent through the same forms, and track SMS revenue attribution alongside email. Two-way conversations and transactional SMS are included.
Omnisend includes $1 in SMS credits on the free plan and bundles more credits into paid plans (Pro plan matches credits to plan price). SMS lives in the same campaign builder and automation flows as email and push. Global SMS campaigns are supported.
Winner: Tie. Both handle SMS well as a built-in channel. Omnisend bundles credits more generously on paid plans. Klaviyo offers slightly more advanced SMS features like AI-powered message creation.
Web push notifications
Omnisend includes web push notifications on all plans - 500/month on free, unlimited on paid. Push notifications appear directly in the subscriber’s browser, even when they’re not on your site. In our testing, push had the highest click-through rate of any channel, though the audience was smaller since not everyone opts in.
Klaviyo doesn’t offer web push notifications. You’d need a separate app to add this channel.
Winner: Omnisend - no contest. Getting a third marketing channel included at no extra cost is a real advantage, especially for flash sales and time-sensitive promotions.
Ease of use
Omnisend is easier to learn and faster to set up. The interface is cleaner, the onboarding walks you through everything, and pre-built automations work with one click. We went from install to a live abandoned cart flow in under 20 minutes. The 24/7 live chat support on the free plan is a nice safety net for beginners.
Klaviyo is more powerful but more complex. The interface has more settings, more options, and more depth at every level. The flow builder is flexible but requires more configuration. The segmentation engine is powerful but takes time to learn properly. If you’ve never used an email marketing platform before, Klaviyo will feel overwhelming at first.
Winner: Omnisend - clearly easier for beginners and faster to get value from. Klaviyo’s complexity pays off for experienced marketers who’ll actually use the advanced features.
Support
Omnisend offers 24/7 email and live chat support on all plans, including free. The Built for Shopify badge also means Shopify has vetted the app’s support standards.
Klaviyo provides email and chat support, but response times are a common complaint in reviews. About 9% of Klaviyo’s reviews are 1-star, with support being one of the recurring themes. Dedicated account management is available on higher tiers.
Winner: Omnisend - 24/7 support on the free plan is genuinely rare, and the review sentiment backs it up.
Shopify integration
Both apps sync with Shopify in real time - customer data, order history, product catalog, and cart activity flow into the platform automatically.
Klaviyo syncs Shopify events within milliseconds. When a customer places an order, their profile updates instantly. The integration with Shopify Flow lets you trigger Klaviyo actions from custom Shopify events. Klaviyo connects with 350+ third-party apps including Recharge, Gorgias, Aftership, and Meta Advertising.
Omnisend carries the Built for Shopify badge, meaning it meets Shopify’s highest integration standards. It integrates with Shopify Checkout, Customer accounts, and Shopify Flow. Third-party integrations include Gorgias, Recharge, Aftership, Loox, and Yotpo.
Winner: Klaviyo has more integrations (350+ vs. Omnisend’s smaller library). Omnisend has the official Built for Shopify certification. For most stores, both integrate deeply enough that this isn’t a deciding factor.
Who should pick Klaviyo
- Stores doing $50K+/month where advanced segmentation and predictive analytics can meaningfully increase revenue
- Marketing teams with email experience who’ll actually use the deep features
- Stores that rely heavily on data-driven personalization - product recommendations based on individual behavior, predictive churn targeting, AI-optimized send times
- Stores with complex product catalogs (500+ SKUs) where granular segmentation makes a measurable difference
- Businesses that need 350+ integrations with their existing tool stack
Read our full Klaviyo review for a deeper look.
Who should pick Omnisend
- Small to mid-size stores that want email, SMS, and push in one platform without managing multiple apps
- Stores where simplicity and speed matter more than advanced data features
- Merchants who are new to email marketing and want to get results quickly without a steep learning curve
- Budget-conscious stores - Omnisend is 30-40% cheaper than Klaviyo at most contact tiers
- Stores that want web push notifications without adding another app to the stack
- Anyone who values 24/7 support on every plan, including free
Read our full Omnisend review for a deeper look.
Our recommendation
For the majority of Shopify stores - especially those under $50K/month in revenue or with fewer than 10,000 subscribers - Omnisend is the better choice. You get three marketing channels in one app, simpler setup, lower pricing, and solid automation that covers everything most stores need. The Built for Shopify badge and 4.8 rating across 2,941 reviews back that up.
Pick Klaviyo if you’ve outgrown simpler tools and your marketing strategy depends on deep segmentation, predictive analytics, and data-driven personalization. The extra cost and complexity are worth it when you’re at a scale where a 2% improvement in email conversion translates to meaningful revenue.
Start with whichever free plan fits your needs. Both give you 250 contacts and enough features to evaluate properly before spending anything. For more email marketing options, check our best marketing apps for Shopify roundup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Klaviyo or Omnisend better for a small Shopify store?
Omnisend is the better fit for most small stores. Both apps offer free plans for up to 250 contacts, but Omnisend's free tier includes web push notifications, 24/7 live chat support, and all automation workflows. Omnisend is also simpler to set up and use without prior email marketing experience. Klaviyo's free plan is also solid, but the platform has a steeper learning curve and the interface can feel overwhelming when you're just starting out.
Which is cheaper, Klaviyo or Omnisend?
Omnisend is cheaper at every contact tier. At 1,000 contacts, Omnisend Standard costs around $20/month versus Klaviyo at $30/month. At 10,000 contacts, Omnisend runs about $100/month while Klaviyo is around $150/month. At 50,000 contacts, both get expensive - $330+/month for Omnisend and $500+/month for Klaviyo. Omnisend also includes web push notifications for free on all plans, which would require a separate app with Klaviyo.
Can I switch from Klaviyo to Omnisend (or vice versa)?
Yes. Both platforms support importing subscriber lists with tags and segments. Omnisend offers a direct migration tool for Klaviyo users that transfers contacts, segments, and automation history. Moving from Omnisend to Klaviyo requires a manual export and import, but the process is straightforward. The main thing you'll lose in either direction is historical engagement data (open rates, click history) for individual contacts, which can't be transferred between platforms.
Do Klaviyo and Omnisend both work with Shopify's native checkout?
Yes. Both integrate with Shopify Checkout and sync customer data, order history, and cart activity in real time. Omnisend carries the Built for Shopify badge, which means it meets Shopify's highest standards for performance and integration. Klaviyo doesn't have this badge but still offers a deep Shopify integration with real-time event syncing. Both also integrate with Shopify Flow for custom automation triggers.
Which has better automation, Klaviyo or Omnisend?
Klaviyo has more powerful automation if you want deep conditional logic, predictive analytics, and AI-driven segmentation. Its flow builder supports more complex branching and data-driven splits. Omnisend has simpler but effective automation that covers all the essential workflows - abandoned cart, welcome series, browse abandonment, win-back - and lets you combine email, SMS, and push notifications in a single flow. For most stores, Omnisend's automation is more than enough. For stores doing advanced personalization at scale, Klaviyo's depth matters.
