About Benchmark Email
Overview
Benchmark Email is email marketing software that lets you upload contacts, send an email, and track results. Curt and Denise Keller founded the company in 2004, and it has stayed self-funded and profitable.
Benchmark strips email marketing down to the essentials instead of bundling a sprawling marketing suite. Every feature appears in every plan, including the free one.
Key Benefits
- Build emails in a drag and drop editor, or paste and upload your own HTML.
- Segment contacts with lists, tags, search, and filters to target the right audience.
- Grow your subscriber list with drag and drop sign-up forms, popup forms, and hosted form pages.
- Watch engagement in a real-time contact activity feed backed by email reports and link activity.
- Get chat and email support from real people, with no support hidden behind exclusive plans.
- Start on a free plan that includes every feature, with 500 contacts and 2,500 sends per month.
How It Works
You import your contacts from a spreadsheet or another platform, then organize them into lists and tags. Next, you pick a template or blank layout, personalize it with merge fields, and send. After sending, you track opens, clicks, and engagement in real time.
Use Cases
- Small business owners send newsletters, promotions, and updates without email marketing expertise.
- Retail marketers send targeted promotional campaigns to segmented customer lists.
- Hospitality teams keep guests informed through simple email campaigns.
- Nonprofit teams grow supporter lists with embedded sign-up forms and popup forms.
- Financial services and manufacturing marketers send campaigns from designer or AI-generated HTML.
Why Choose This Product
Benchmark focuses on simplicity and human support rather than a broad marketing suite. The integration catalog is small, with Zapier and playable video embeds, so teams that need many native connectors will route most connections through Zapier or the API.
Benchmark Email Pros & Cons
- Free plan includes every feature
- Drag and drop builder plus HTML paste/upload
- Real-time contact activity feed
- Human chat and email support on all plans
- Self-funded company operating since 2004
- Free plan limited to 500 contacts and 2,500 sends
- Benchmark branding shows on Free plan emails and forms
- Few integrations; most connect via Zapier
- List verification not available on Free plan
Key Features
Drag & Drop Builder
Build emails with predefined content blocks, templates, blank layouts, or paste and upload your own HTML.
AI Assistant
Writes email copy and creates images inside the builder, with 150 AI credits per month on Free and 1,000 on Pro.
Lists and Tags
Organize contacts with lists, tags, custom fields, search, and filters for targeted sending.
Subscriber Forms
Design sign-up forms, popup forms, and hosted form pages with Google reCAPTCHA and automatic contact tagging.
Contact Activity Feed
Shows how contacts respond to campaigns in real time.
Reporting
Email reports, performance overview, link activity, and engagement timeline show what works.
Personalization
Merge fields add contact details to subject lines and email content, with customizable reply-to addresses.
Email Audit Checklist
Alerts you to missing links, absent alt text, and missing image URLs before you send.
Stock Image Library
Provides free images powered by Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay inside the builder.
Contact Import/Export
Import contacts from spreadsheets or other platforms and export your data at any time.
Benchmark Email Pricing
View full pricing →- 500 contacts
- 2,500 email sends per month
- 1 user
- 1 verified sending domain
- Chat and email support
- 1,000+ contacts
- Send up to 10x contact limit monthly
- 1 user included, additional users $15/mo
- Up to 10 verified sending domains
- Removable Benchmark branding
- List verification
- 100,000+ contacts
- Every feature in Pro
- Dedicated account management
- Monthly health checks
- Chat, email and phone support
| Feature | Free Free/mo | Pro $19/mo | Enterprise Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 contacts | |||
| 2,500 email sends per month | |||
| 1 user | |||
| 1 verified sending domain | |||
| Chat and email support | |||
| 1,000+ contacts | |||
| Send up to 10x contact limit monthly | |||
| 1 user included, additional users $15/mo | |||
| Up to 10 verified sending domains | |||
| Removable Benchmark branding | |||
| List verification | |||
| 100,000+ contacts | |||
| Every feature in Pro | |||
| Dedicated account management | |||
| Monthly health checks | |||
| Chat, email and phone support |
Pricing extracted from the product website and may change. Check the source for current details.
Frequently asked questions about Benchmark Email
Why should I choose Benchmark Email?
Benchmark strips email marketing down to what matters instead of becoming a bloated marketing suite. It is simple, and the team helps if you hit a snag.
Can I build an email with no design experience?
Yes. The platform includes a drag-and-drop builder, professionally designed templates, and pre-built layouts. If you already have HTML from a designer or AI tool, you can paste or upload it and send it as is.
Can I try Benchmark Email for free?
Yes. The free plan includes 500 contacts and up to 2,500 email sends per month, and all features are included, so nothing surprises you when you upgrade.
Can I track my email campaign performance?
Yes. Reporting surfaces core insights, including a real-time activity feed, email reports, link activity, and performance overview, to help you improve results over time.
Will my emails reach the inbox?
Benchmark says its sending infrastructure is built to reach inboxes rather than spam folders, and it handles the technical deliverability work for you.
What support does Benchmark offer?
Support comes from real people, not bots, and it is not hidden behind exclusive plans. Free and Pro include chat and email support; Enterprise adds phone support.