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Best Cardly Alternatives: 12 Compared, With Free Options (2026)

Explore 12 alternatives to Cardly, vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

The top free Cardly alternatives, at a glance

Quick answer

Want the short version? The top Cardly alternatives are Zoho Campaigns, FreshMail and rasa.io. Zoho Campaigns leads with a SpotScore of 9.4 and a 4.46★ rating. See the full comparison of all 12 on score, rating, and price below.

If Cardly is holding you back on price, features, or usability, you have real options. These 12 email marketing software free alternatives are the strongest, ranked by SpotScore (real-user satisfaction and market presence combined), ratings, and pricing model. Our editors review each. Scan the table, then explore the detail for every pick.

ProductSpotScoreRatingPricingBest for
Zoho CampaignsTransform your emails into results.9.4★★★★☆ 4.46(1233)Freefrom $3/moteams of all sizes
FreshMailMaximize your email marketing potential with FreshMail.8.7★★★★☆ 4.2FreeFree Trial · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
rasa.ioElevate your email marketing game.8.5★★★★★ 4.93(83)Freefrom $29/moteams of all sizes
MxToolbox Delivery CenterMaximize your email success with expert insights.—★★★★☆ 4.33(20)FreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
Twilio SendGrid Email APIUnleash the power of reliable email communication.—★★★★☆ 4Freefrom $19.95 per monthteams of all sizes
MoosendBoost your business with Moosend's email marketing solution.8.8★★★★☆ 4.3FreeFreemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
EmailOctopusEffortlessly connect with customers through email marketing.8.6Not yet ratedFreeFreemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
GetResponseStreamline your email marketing and see results.9.8★★★★☆ 3.98(1543)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
ActiveCampaignStreamline your marketing efforts and see results.9.8★★★★★ 4.66(1887)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
Constant ContactUnleash the power of targeted email marketing.9.6Not yet ratedFreeFree Trial · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
PipedriveStreamline your sales process and close more deals.9.6★★★★★ 4.67(3388)FreeFree Trial · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
MailChimpConnecting businesses with their customers, effortlessly.9.5Not yet ratedFreeFreemium · Subscriptionteams of all sizes

9.4

SpotScore

Zoho Campaigns - Email Marketing Software

Zoho Campaigns

Transform your emails into results.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

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What is Zoho Campaigns?

Zoho Campaigns is an email marketing platform for small to mid-sized marketing teams that run campaigns, automated drip sequences, and list segmentation, particularly within the broader Zoho ecosystem. It integrates natively with Zoho CRM, allowing sales and marketing teams to align lead ...

Read more about Zoho Campaigns
Free TrialTry Free →

8.7

SpotScore

FreshMail

FreshMail

Maximize your email marketing potential with FreshMail.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.2

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What is FreshMail?

FreshMail is a cloud-based email marketing software that allows users to create, send and auto respond to personalized emails from the web. This online email marketing software also provides users with features such as custom fields, new segment builder, merge tags, click tracking, ...

Read more about FreshMail
Free Trial

8.5

SpotScore

rasa.io - Email Marketing Software

rasa.io

Elevate your email marketing game.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

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What is rasa.io?

Rasa is a bold and modern email marketing solution that has been developed from the ground up to meet the needs of both small and large businesses. It's layout and intuitive functionality are familiar and comfortable for beginners, but it's built using best-in-class technology that enables ...

Read more about rasa.io
Free Trial·

rasa.io offers custom pricing plan

MxToolbox Delivery Center - New SaaS Software

MxToolbox Delivery Center

Maximize your email success with expert insights.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is MxToolbox Delivery Center?

MxToolbox Delivery Center provides comprehensive services to help you understand your emails and email deliverability. Gain insight into email configuration and troubleshoot emergent problems to minimize emailing interruptions. Get the assurance that critical emails are reaching the recipients ...

Read more about MxToolbox Delivery Center
Free Trial·

MxToolbox Delivery Center offers custom pricing plan

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Twilio SendGrid Email API

Twilio SendGrid Email API

Unleash the power of reliable email communication.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.0

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What is Twilio SendGrid Email API?

Unlock the power of seamless email communication with the Twilio SendGrid Email API. With a strong reputation for unparalleled email deliverability, this platform provides a dependable foundation for building and monitoring your email solutions. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with dedicated ...

Read more about Twilio SendGrid Email API
Free TrialTry Free →·

Twilio SendGrid Email API offers custom pricing plan

8.8

SpotScore

Moosend

Moosend

RECOMMENDED

Boost your business with Moosend's email marketing solution.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

4.3

Add to compare

What is Moosend?

Moosend is a powerful Email Marketing Software for small businesses that's easy to use and affordable, with a robust feature set. With its user-friendly interface and newbie-friendly training, Moosend makes it easy to create and send professional email campaigns so you can reach out to new ...

Read more about Moosend

Moosend offers custom pricing plan

8.6

SpotScore

EmailOctopus

EmailOctopus

Recommended

Effortlessly connect with customers through email marketing.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Add to compare

What is EmailOctopus?

EmailOctopus is an affordable email marketing platform for small businesses and independent operators who want straightforward list management, A/B testing, and campaign sending without paying premium rates. It integrates with Stripe and PayPal for ecommerce-adjacent use cases and offers a ...

Read more about EmailOctopus

EmailOctopus offers custom pricing plan

9.8

SpotScore

GetResponse - Email Marketing Software

GetResponse

Streamline your email marketing and see results.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is GetResponse?

GetResponse is an online email response software that allows small businesses to create, track and send professional emails within a few clicks. With features like automatic drag-and-drop picture insertion, draft saving, ultra-fast click activation, HTML support, responsive design and more, ...

Read more about GetResponse
Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $15.58/Month when Billed Yearly, also offers free forever plan

9.8

SpotScore

ActiveCampaign - Marketing Automation Software

ActiveCampaign

Streamline your marketing efforts and see results.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is ActiveCampaign?

ActiveCampaign is the most powerful marketing automation tool designed to help you nail your next digital campaign. From nurture campaigns that convert new subscribers into long-term customers, to smart lead scoring that turns warm prospects into paying customers. It is the complete marketing ...

Read more about ActiveCampaign
Free Trial·

Starts from $15/Month when billed annually, ~1,000 contacts ($19/mo billed monthly)

9.6

SpotScore

Constant Contact

Constant Contact

Unleash the power of targeted email marketing.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is Constant Contact?

Constant Contact is a comprehensive email marketing platform that helps small businesses manage email marketing and social media promotions. With time-saving tools to help you find your customers and easily communicate with them, Constant Contact streamlines the way you communicate with your ...

Read more about Constant Contact
Free TrialTry Free →

9.6

SpotScore

Pipedrive - CRM Software

Pipedrive

Streamline your sales process and close more deals.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is Pipedrive?

Pipedrive is a user-friendly customer relationship management (CRM) software designed to help sales teams streamline their pipelines, manage leads efficiently, and close deals faster. Ideal for small to mid-sized businesses, agencies, and sales professionals, it offers intuitive tools for lead ...

Read more about Pipedrive
Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $14/user/month when monthly

9.5

SpotScore

MailChimp

MailChimp

Connecting businesses with their customers, effortlessly.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

Add to compare

watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is MailChimp?

MailChimp is a powerful marketing automation platform that helps thousands of businesses connect with their customers. From one-to-one email correspondence to mass email marketing, software is the easiest way for companies of all sizes to introduce themselves, send professional-looking emails, ...

Read more about MailChimp

Starts from $4.23/month when monthly, also offers free forever plan

Cardly vs its closest competitors

Across Email Marketing Software, 12 products compete directly with Cardly. The strongest overlap is with Zoho Campaigns, FreshMail and rasa.io. Each is compared against Cardly on rating, pricing and feature coverage below.

Sites and apps like Cardly

Searches for "sites like Cardly" and "apps like Cardly" land on the same set of options as "Cardly alternatives" — the 12 options below cover both, whether you want a like-for-like replacement or something lighter.

What earned each Cardly alternative its spot

Zoho Campaigns9.4Best for teams of all sizes

Interface is accessible to non-technical users managing social media.

Watch for: Lack of advanced tracking features for team activities could limit usage for larger teams or businesses with complex workflows.

FreshMail8.7Best for teams of all sizes

User-friendly interface

Watch for: Limited automation features

rasa.io8.5Best for teams of all sizes

Interface is straightforward, usable by people with varying technical backgrounds.

Watch for: Initial setup and testing can be time-intensive, though manageable with help from the customer support team.

MxToolbox Delivery CenterBest for teams of all sizes

Comprehensive email deliverability insights

Watch for: Limited to email services

Twilio SendGrid Email APIBest for teams of all sizes
Moosend8.8Best for teams of all sizes

Affordable pricing

Watch for: Limited advanced features

EmailOctopus8.6Best for teams of all sizes

User-friendly interface

Watch for: Limited advanced features

GetResponse9.8Best for teams of all sizes

Outstanding customer support with prompt and professional assistance during onboarding and troubleshooting.

Watch for: Inconsistent email deliverability, particularly to Gmail domains, often requiring technical setups like DKIM/DMARC.

ActiveCampaign9.8Best for teams of all sizes

Customer support is responsive, knowledgeable, and often goes beyond standard troubleshooting.

Watch for: New users face a learning curve that requires time to understand the platform's full feature set.

Constant Contact9.6Best for teams of all sizes

Marketing tools

Watch for: Limited customization options

Pipedrive9.6Best for teams of all sizes

Offers a cost-effective alternative to Salesforce, making it budget-friendly for smaller teams and businesses.

Watch for: Some users find the system complex initially, requiring proper guidance and support for efficient use.

MailChimp9.5Best for teams of all sizes

Strong inbox deliverability fundamentals and list compliance features help maintain high send reputation.

Watch for: While solid for campaign performance, its analytics lack the depth of standalone reporting or advanced BI dashboards.

Why teams look for a Cardly alternative

Most teams that replace Cardly do it to get past issues like these:

  • Limited design customization
  • Higher cost for larger volumes
  • Not suitable for bulk emails
  • Limited analytics features

Key things to look for in a Cardly alternative

Here's how these 12 email marketing software free alternatives stack up on the numbers: 12 offer a free tier; paid plans run $3–$29, with Zoho Campaigns the cheapest entry point; and rasa.io is the highest rated at 4.93★ across 83 reviews.

How we rank, in short.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

The top-rated alternatives to Cardly are rasa.io (4.9★), Pipedrive (4.7★), ActiveCampaign (4.7★). Compare all 12 alternatives side-by-side above.

When evaluating alternatives to Cardly, prioritize: Brand Overlay, Engagement Features, Automations, Alerts, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Cardly is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend narrowing to 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

How to narrow down your Cardly alternative

  • On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — Zoho Campaigns, FreshMail and rasa.io let you evaluate without paying upfront.
  • If real-user ratings matter most: rasa.io has the strongest star rating (4.93★) among the options with verified reviews.
  • Want the safest pick: Zoho Campaigns has the highest Spotsaas Score (9.4) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

Before you switch from Cardly

To replace Cardly smoothly, treat data first. Export it, confirm the new tool can import it, and check feature parity for the work you actually do. Pilot on a free tier before rolling out, and keep Cardly running until everything has moved over cleanly.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].