Shopify Email vs Klaviyo: A Detailed Comparison for 2025

Figuring out how Shopify email is better than Klaviyo or vice versa??

We get it — it becomes difficult to choose when both options have the same things to offer. 

Both platforms promise to make email marketing easy, drive more sales, and keep your customers engaged. At first glance, they seem pretty similar. So, how do you decide which one’s right for you?

To help you with this confusion, we have prepared this detailed guide where we’ll show you the actual comparison of Shopify Email and Klaviyo.

We’re breaking down the key differences—features, pricing, automation, ease of use—so you don’t have to spend hours digging through comparison charts. By the end, you’ll know exactly which tool fits your business needs.

So, let’s get started!

Comparison: Shopify Email VS Klaviyo

Here’s a quick table to help you evaluate both: Shopify Email and Klaviyo, based on different parameters:

Feature	Shopify Email	Klaviyo
Ease of Use	✅ Simple, beginner-friendly	❌ More complex, requires learning
Integration with Shopify	✅ Built-in, seamless integration	✅ Deep integration but requires setup
Automation & Workflows	❌ Limited automation options	✅ Advanced automation, behavior-based triggers
Segmentation	❌ Basic segmentation	✅ Powerful segmentation with predictive analytics
A/B Testing	❌ No A/B testing for emails	✅ Full A/B testing capabilities
Pre-Built Templates	✅ Decent selection of templates	✅ Larger selection, highly customizable
Personalization	❌ Limited personalization	✅ Dynamic content, AI-driven recommendations
Deliverability	✅ Good but basic	✅ High deliverability with optimization tools
SMS & Multi-Channel	❌ No SMS, email-only	✅ SMS, social, push notifications
Analytics & Reporting	❌ Basic email performance tracking	✅ Advanced analytics, revenue attribution
Pricing	✅ Free up to 10,000 emails/month	❌ Higher cost, pricing scales

Note: I have aimed to provide an objective comparison based on publicly available information. This table provides a general overview. Features and pricing are subject to change. Refer to the official Shopify Email and Klaviyo websites for the most up-to-date information.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email is a built-in email marketing tool designed to keep things easy for Shopify store owners. You don’t need extra logins, separate dashboards, or complex setups—it’s all managed right inside your Shopify admin panel.

One of its biggest perks is the cost-effectiveness. Your first 10,000 emails per month are completely free, making it a fantastic choice for small businesses. Plus, Shopify Email’s AI-powered content generation can help you craft subject lines and email copy even if you don’t have a background in marketing.

Why Shopify Email stands out:

• Seamless Shopify integration to manage emails within your Shopify dashboard. 
• Free for up to 10,000 emails/month, making it great for budget-conscious stores. 
• AI-powered content generation helps with subject lines and email copy. 
• Drag-and-drop builder allows you to add products directly from your store to emails.
• Pre-built automation templates for basic workflows like welcome emails.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo takes email marketing to another level with data-driven automation, advanced segmentation, and multi-channel marketing. Yes, It operates as a separate platform, requiring a separate login, but that extra effort comes with powerful features.

One of Klaviyo’s biggest advantages is its deep customer insights. The platform syncs with Shopify (along with 350+ other integrations)—giving you a complete picture of your customers’ behavior. 

Whether it’s tracking abandoned carts, sending personalized product recommendations, or launching multi-step campaigns, Klaviyo makes sure your emails reach the right audience at the right time.

Why Klaviyo stands out:

• Advanced automation with multi-step workflows for cart recovery, VIP rewards, and restock alerts. 
• Powerful segmentation to target customers based on shopping behavior, purchase history, and engagement.
• Multi-channel marketing with email, SMS, and push notifications in one platform. 
• AI-powered optimization with smart send-time predictions and subject line recommendations.
• Comprehensive analytics with real-time revenue tracking and deep reporting.

At the end of the day, it’s all about matching the tool to your needs—whether that’s simplicity or sophistication.

Let’s break it down in the next section.

Also read: Shopify Email VS Mailchimp: Detailed Comparison 2025

Shopify Email & Klaviyo: Detailed Feature Comparison

To understand the clear difference between Shopify Email and Klaviyo, you need to know how each platform supports your email marketing strategy. While both tools help you send emails, automate workflows, and track performance, they cater to different business needs.

So let’s explore feature-wise and see how Shopify Email and Klaviyo measure up in the areas that matter most.

1—User interface and experience

Let’s talk about something that often gets overlooked in feature comparisons: how it feels to actually use the app. Because if an app makes you want to pull your hair out every time you open it, all the fancy features in the world won’t matter.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email keeps things refreshingly simple. Since it’s built right into your Shopify dashboard, there’s no extra login, and no switching between platforms. You get a clean, familiar interface that feels like an extension of your store. 

You drag, drop, edit, and send—all without needing to figure out a whole new system. This makes it perfect for beginners or anyone who wants a simple, no-fuss email marketing solution.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo, on the other hand, is built for power users. It’s packed with advanced automation, segmentation, and data-driven insights—which is amazing if you want deep customization. But that extra power comes with a bit of a learning curve. 

You get a separate dashboard with deep customization, but that also means toggling between Shopify and Klaviyo to get things done.

It’s not that Klaviyo is hard to use, but with so many features, it takes time to fully master. That said, for businesses looking to run highly personalized and automated campaigns, Klaviyo’s complexity is a trade-off that often pays off in results.

Feature	Shopify Email	Klaviyo
Built into Shopify Dashboard	✅ Yes	❌ No
Easy to Use (Beginner-Friendly)	✅ Yes	❌ No
Advanced Automation & Segmentation	❌ No	✅ Yes
Deep Customization	❌ Limited	✅ Extensive
No Extra Logins	✅ Yes	❌ No

So, if you just want to send great-looking emails without a hassle, Shopify Email wins. If you’re willing to invest time in powerful marketing automation, Klaviyo takes the lead.

2—Email Design and Customization

Both Shopify Email and Klaviyo give you the ability to drag and drop elements, which means you don’t have to be a coding expert to get something that looks good. But like most things in life, the devil is in the details. 

Let’s break it down.

Shopify Email

The big plus here is seamless integration—you can quickly access your store’s catalog and drag products directly into emails. Plus, you get 71 pre-built templates that automatically match your store’s branding—your colors, name, and fonts—ready to go with just a click. 

The idea here is to make it easy for you to pop in content and hit send without spending hours tweaking every detail. For new store owners or those who just need straightforward email campaigns, this can be a real time-saver.

In fact, it’s all ready to go as soon as you open the editor, saving you time. 

With Shopify Email, dynamic products are mostly reserved for automated campaigns (like abandoned cart reminders), meaning if you want to show specific products to specific people in a regular campaign, you’re out of luck.

And speaking of AI, both platforms have AI-powered tools to generate email copy. Shopify Email uses AI to generate subject lines and content in multiple languages (English, German, French, etc.), which is great for international stores.

Klaviyo

On the flip side, Klaviyo offers a bit more flexibility when it comes to design. It provides both pre-built templates (over 250) and “basic layouts,” allowing you to design from scratch. If you’re looking for more creative control or need to fit your branding to a specific format, Klaviyo’s options let you dig in a little deeper. 

However, one drawback here is that you’ll have to manually add your brand elements (like logos and colors) to each new email, rather than having them automatically integrated like with Shopify Email. It’s a small extra step, but something to keep in mind — When it comes to dynamic product feeds, Klaviyo is the clear winner. 

You can show different products to different recipients, based on their behavior or segment, making your emails feel much more personalized. 

Plus, Klaviyo’s Subject Line Assistant comes with a twist—it can pull data from your past campaigns to give you personalized subject line recommendations based on what worked best. Just keep in mind that Klaviyo’s AI tools support English only.

Feature	Shopify Email	Klaviyo
Pre-built Templates	✅ 71 templates	✅ 250+ templates
Easy Setup & Editing	✅ Ready to go instantly	❌ Requires manual brand setup
Dynamic Product Feeds	❌ Limited to automated campaigns only	✅ Full control – personalize product recommendations
AI-Powered Subject Line Generator	✅ Supports multiple languages	✅ Analyzes past data for recommendations
AI-Generated Email Copy	✅ Supports multiple languages	❌ English only

Ultimately, your choice depends on whether you prefer simplicity and speed or advanced functionality and customization.

3—Automation Capabilities

Both Shopify Email and Klaviyo offer the ability to put your campaigns on autopilot. However, the depth and sophistication of their automation features are where things really start to diverge.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email comes with 15+ built-in automation templates, covering the essentials—abandoned cart reminders, welcome emails, and thank-you notes. However, most of these require an additional app “Shopify Flow”, so while you get the basics, you’ll need to step outside Shopify Email for full automation coverage. 

The process of setting up automation is straightforward, but there’s a bit of a workflow hiccup: when you create automation, you’re redirected to a different email editor to write the content, which can feel a bit clunky. 

It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s something to be aware of if you’re expecting a smooth, seamless experience.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo offers over 60 pre-built automation flows, including all the basics like abandoned carts and welcome emails, but also more advanced ones like replenishment reminders, sunset flows (to remove unengaged subscribers), and even birthday emails. These advanced flows give you a lot more control and flexibility over your marketing. 

If you’re looking to create a truly personalized customer experience, Klaviyo’s flows are a great way to go.

A notable strength of Klaviyo is its use of predictive AI for marketing automation. This means you can send highly personalized emails, like replenishment reminders, at the exact moment each customer is most likely to make a purchase—based on their unique shopping habits. 

Feature	Shopify Email	Klaviyo
Built-in Automation Templates	15+ templates	60+ templates
Covers Basic Automations (Abandoned Cart, Welcome, Thank You Emails)	✅	✅
Advanced Automation (Replenishment, Sunset Flows, Birthday Emails)	❌	✅
Requires Additional App for Full Automation (Shopify Flow)	✅	❌
AI-Powered Predictive Automation	❌	✅
Seamless Workflow	❌ (editor redirection)	✅

If you’re after simple automation, Shopify Email works well. But for more sophisticated and AI-driven marketing, Klaviyo is the better choice.

4—Segmentation and Targeting

Segmentation boosts conversion automatically because it ensures that your emails reach the right people with the right message at the right time. 

Let’s see how these platforms take care of customer segmentation and targeting emails to the right segments.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email keeps segmentation right where you’d expect it—inside your Shopify dashboard under the Customers tab. This means you don’t have to jump between different tools just to find your audience. 

Instead of manually importing data or jumping through hoops, you can use Shopify’s built-in customer segments right from your dashboard. 

Apart from this, you can also create custom segments on your own. You just need to follow the steps and choose the parameters right. Plus, Shopify also verifies whether the segment is created correctly or not before you save the custom segment.

The best part with Shopify is for every segment you get a description (AI generated) that simply explains what those segments mean — That’s not available in Klaviyo!

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is the advanced option for those who want to take segmentation to a whole new level. 

You can create highly targeted segments using things like predicted lifetime value, purchase behavior, engagement tiers, and even location-based conditions. This makes it perfect for businesses looking to get granular with their targeting, such as:

• VIP customers who spend above a certain threshold
• Coupon-only shoppers who only buy when there’s a discount
• Churn risk predictions, so you can win back customers before they leave
• Cross-selling segments, helping you suggest products customers are most likely to buy next

The downside is setting up these segments can feel like you’re writing a thesis paper on customer data. 

Here’s an example of how you can create custom segments in Klaviyo:

Klaviyo uses more complex terms like boolean data types and dimensions, which may take a bit of time to figure out. But once you do, the potential is huge.

Feature	Shopify Email	Klaviyo
Built-in Customer Segments	✅ Predefined segments available in the dashboard	❌ Manual setup for custom segments
Custom Segmentation	✅ Can create custom segments with ease	✅ Highly customizable, with advanced targeting options
AI-Generated Segment Descriptions	✅ Provides AI-generated explanations for each segment	❌ No AI descriptions available
Advance Targeting	✅ Available, but basic	✅ Highly customizable targeting

In short, Shopify Email is best for those who want quick, pre-made segments, while Klaviyo is ideal if you’re willing to invest time into advanced targeting.

Must read: 8 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Shopify in 2025

5—Advanced Features

There’s a time when every business starts to grow or scale. At that time, you would need a tool that offers enough features to keep up with your expanding customer base, automate repetitive tasks, and maximize revenue opportunities.

Shopify Email

When it comes to advanced marketing features, Shopify Email has started to show its limitations. Features like A/B testing, SMS marketing, and CRM tools aren’t built-in. Instead, you’ll need to install third-party apps—which can mean additional costs and setup time.

For growing businesses that want basic email campaigns without complexity, Shopify Email is a solid choice. But you might find it a bit too restrictive if you need deeper customer insights, automation, or multi-channel marketing.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a full-fledged marketing powerhouse. It offers a deep level of automation, segmentation, and integration that Shopify Email simply doesn’t match.

For starters, Klaviyo has built-in A/B testing, meaning you can test different email versions without manually segmenting audiences. Plus, it provides clear, data-driven insights to help you choose the most effective campaign.

Klaviyo also includes a robust CRM that tracks customer interactions beyond just purchase history—browsing behavior, email engagement, and more—allowing you to create hyper-targeted campaigns.

Unlike Shopify Email, SMS marketing is fully integrated with Klaviyo. You can launch email and SMS campaigns from the same platform, ensuring a seamless customer experience.

Plus, when it comes to email sign-up forms, Klaviyo offers dynamic, customizable forms that can target specific customers based on location, device, or shopping behavior—no extra apps required.

Feature	Shopify Email	Klaviyo
Built-in A/B Testing	❌ No	✅ Yes
Predictive Analytics	❌ No	✅ Yes
SMS Campaigns	❌ No	✅ Yes
Push Notifications	❌ No	✅ Yes
Social Media Marketing Tools	❌ No	✅ Yes
Comparative Benchmark Reporting	❌ No	✅ Yes
Multi-Channel Marketing	❌ No	✅ Yes

If you want a simple plug-and-play email tool, Shopify Email is great. But if you’re serious about data-driven marketing, automation, and omnichannel messaging, Klaviyo is the clear winner.

6—Analytics and Reporting

If you’re sending emails, you want to know if they’re actually working. That means tracking open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and ideally, the whole customer journey.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email keeps things simple and store-focused. Since it’s built into Shopify, you get a straightforward dashboard that tracks open rates, click rates, and conversion data, right alongside your store’s order and sales metrics. 

There’s UTM tracking for third-party analytics tools, but the built-in reporting is mainly designed for quick campaign insights rather than deep marketing analysis.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo tracks everything—email performance, SMS engagement, form submissions, and even funnel drop-offs, and flow conversions. You can set up custom dashboards to slice and dice data however you want.

You get funnel analysis, form tracking, deliverability reports, and even performance metrics for SMS and email combined. Want to know which email domains give you the best open rates? Klaviyo tracks that too.

Feature	Shopify Email	Klaviyo
Tracks open rates, click rates, and conversion data	✅	✅
UTM tracking for third-party analytics	✅	✅
Built-in reporting for quick campaign insights	✅	❌
Deep marketing analysis	❌	✅
Tracks SMS engagement	❌	✅
Funnel analysis and tracking	❌	✅
Form tracking and submissions	❌	✅
Tracks email domains for open rates	❌	✅

In short, Shopify Email is great for simplicity and quick setup, while Klaviyo excels for businesses seeking more advanced, detailed reporting and segmentation.

7—Integration Capabilities

Here the the question isn’t just how many tools you can connect—it’s how smoothly they work together. So, it’s important to know how both options handle integrations and whether they fit into your existing workflow without adding unnecessary headaches.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email plays nice with Shopify—because, well, it’s part of Shopify. This deep native integration means you don’t have to mess around with API keys or third-party connectors. Your products, customers, and orders are already in sync.

However, Shopify Email doesn’t really integrate much beyond Shopify. If you’re looking to connect advanced CRM tools, ad platforms, or other marketing software, you might hit a wall. 

It’s built for Shopify store owners who want a straightforward, all-in-one solution—not a wide marketing tech stack.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo, on the other hand, is built for businesses that want data-driven marketing across multiple channels.

It syncs with over 350 apps — This means you’re not just sending emails—you’re creating a complete customer journey across multiple platforms.

For example, Klaviyo can pull in purchase history from Shopify, match it with customer behavior on your website, and then use that data to trigger hyper-targeted email or SMS campaigns.

Of course, more integrations mean more setup time. While Klaviyo’s depth is impressive, it’s best suited for those willing to invest time in configuring workflows for maximum impact.

Feature	Shopify Email	Klaviyo
Integrates with Shopify Store	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Third-Party Tool Integrations	❌ Limited	✅ 300+ integrations
CRM Integrations (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot)	❌ No	✅ Yes
Analytics Integrations (e.g., Google Analytics)	❌ Indirect	✅ Yes
Social Media Tool Integrations (e.g., Facebook Ads)	❌ Indirect	✅ Yes

If you just need basic email marketing within Shopify, Shopify Email keeps it simple. But if you want deep integrations and multi-channel marketing, Klaviyo wins.

8—Pricing Structures

Pricing is usually one of the first things you’ll want to figure out—especially if you’re running a small business with a tight budget. So, let’s break down the pricing for both Shopify Email and Klaviyo, and see which one makes sense for your needs.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email is included with your Shopify subscription, which is a huge win!

For most small businesses, the first 10,000 emails sends per month are completely free. That’s a solid deal, especially if you’re just starting out.

Beyond that, you pay based on usage:

• $1 per 1,000 emails (up to 300,000 emails/month)
• $0.65 per 1,000 emails (300,000–750,000 emails/month)
• $0.55 per 1,000 emails (750,000+ emails/month)

One more thing that’s worth noting—transactional emails (like order confirmations or shipping notifications) don’t count toward your send limits with Shopify Email. That’s a big deal for e-commerce stores where transactional emails can quickly pile up.

In short, if your store is on the smaller side and you’re just getting started, Shopify Email is a fantastic, budget-friendly option that won’t break the bank as your business grows.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo also offers a free plan, which includes 500 email sends per month—perfect for those who want to try things out before committing. But once you go beyond that limit, you’ll have to choose between two paid plans: an email-only plan or an email + SMS plan.

The paid plans are a bit more complex. For example, if you have 3,000 subscribers and send 30,000 emails per month, you’ll be looking at around $70 per month. That can quickly scale up as your subscriber list grows. 

• Free Plan: For up to 250 contacts
• Paid Plans: Start at $20/month for up to 500 contacts, and go up from there depending on your number of subscribers.

Klaviyo includes transactional emails in your send limit, so if you’re running an e-commerce store, those order confirmations and shipping emails will count toward your total. This could push you closer to your send limit much faster.

Overall, Klaviyo is more expensive, but it’s designed for businesses that need advanced segmentation, automation, and multi-channel marketing. 

Feature	Shopify Email	Klaviyo
Free Plan	First 10,000 emails/month free	500 emails/month free
Paid Plans Start At	$1 per 1,000 emails (after free plan)	$20/month for up to 500 contacts
Transactional Emails Free	✅ Transactional emails don’t count	❌ Transactional emails count towards limit
Pricing Structure	Tiered pricing based on usage	Pricing based on subscribers and usage
Cost for 30,000 Emails/Month	$30 (for 30,000 emails)	~$70/month (for 30,000 emails with 3,000 subscribers)

If you’re just getting started, Shopify Email offers more affordable pricing, while Klaviyo is better suited for businesses looking to unlock advanced features and multi-channel capabilities.

9—User Reviews

It’s important to consider feedback from fellow Shopify merchants who have hands-on experience with these tools. Their insights can provide a clearer picture of what to expect.

That’s why we are focusing the reviews on Shopify App Store.

Shopify Email

Shopify Email has a commendable rating of 4.6/5 stars based on over 2K reviews.

Merchants praise Shopify Email for its seamless integration with the Shopify platform, which allows for easy access to customer and product data without the need to toggle between different platforms. 

Users also highlight its user-friendly interface, making it a great choice for beginners or smaller businesses that don’t require complex email marketing setups.

The major advantages users mention include:

• Easy-to-use interface with a familiar Shopify environment.
• Affordable pricing, especially for businesses just starting out.
• Effective basic automation tools that handle essential tasks.

However, some cons pointed out include:

• Limited templates and less flexibility compared to more advanced tools like Klaviyo.
• Basic reporting and analytics compared to the depth of insights offered by more advanced platforms.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo on the Shopify App Store has received over 3K reviews with an impressive 4.6/5 stars. users generally agree that Klaviyo is a powerful tool, particularly for businesses looking to scale. The platform is appreciated for its advanced segmentation, detailed reporting, and the ability to create highly personalized campaigns. 

Merchants have shared that they see a noticeable improvement in engagement and sales thanks to Klaviyo’s sophisticated automation features.

The major advantages users highlight are:

• Advanced segmentation and targeting based on user behavior.
• Multi-channel marketing, including SMS and push notifications.
• Powerful automation workflows that drive revenue.

Some cons that come up include:

• Higher cost, especially as you scale up your contact list.
• Steeper learning curve, which can be daunting for beginners or small businesses.

Both apps come highly recommended by Shopify merchants, so it ultimately depends on the level of sophistication and complexity you need for your email marketing.

Final Thoughts: Which One is Better?

Email marketing has always remained an essential strategy for e-commerce businesses. Shopify Email, which launched in 2019, is a rising contender, while Klaviyo has been an established leader, known for its advanced automation and personalization features.

So, does Klaviyo’s rich feature set and extensive integrations automatically make it the better choice?

Not necessarily. 

Overall, Shopify Email and Klaviyo depends on a few key factors:

• The size and scale of your business and email list.
• Your need for advanced segmentation and marketing automation.
• Whether you’re looking to integrate multiple channels like SMS and push notifications.

For example, if you’re a small business or just starting out, Shopify Email is an incredibly cost-effective solution, especially for those with smaller lists (up to 10,000 emails/month free!). It integrates effortlessly with your Shopify store and provides all the basics without complexity.

However, if you’re ready to scale, need advanced features like dynamic customer segmentation, or want multi-channel marketing options, Klaviyo might be worth the investment.

If you’re unsure, we’re here to help you navigate your options and create smarter, more effective email campaigns tailored to your goals. 

Let’s connect and chat about what’s best for you!

Need more resources???

• Email Automation with Dotdigital: Why and How?
• Top 32 Email Marketing Series for Ecommerce—With Examples!