Customer engagement can feel like a never-ending puzzle, especially when you’re trying to find the right tools to fit your business perfectly. Braze is a well-regarded platform in this space, but over time, I’ve come to realize that it’s not always the best fit for every brand. Whether you’re looking for something more intuitive, cost-effective, or better suited to your specific business needs, there are plenty of alternatives out there that can give you the flexibility and power to elevate your customer engagement. In this article, I’ll share my personal experiences and insights on 10 Braze alternatives that might just be the game-changer your brand needs.

1. ActiveCampaign

Overview: ActiveCampaign is a powerful platform that combines email marketing, automation, sales CRM, and messaging. It’s a versatile tool for creating personalized customer journeys, from lead nurturing to post-purchase engagement.

Why it’s a great Braze alternative: ActiveCampaign shines when it comes to email marketing automation and CRM integration. It offers advanced automation features that allow you to set up intricate workflows based on customer behavior, which is ideal for engaging customers at every stage of their lifecycle.

Personal Insight: Having used ActiveCampaign for a few campaigns, I can say that its email automation and segmentation features are exceptional. The ease of use is something I really appreciate, especially when you want to set up a campaign quickly without feeling overwhelmed by complexity.

2. HubSpot

Overview: HubSpot is one of the most well-known names in marketing automation and CRM. Its platform provides a wide range of tools for marketing, sales, and customer service.

Why it’s a great Braze alternative: HubSpot is known for its seamless integration of marketing and sales tools, which makes it a strong contender as a Braze alternative. The platform allows businesses to create personalized email campaigns, track customer interactions, and improve lead management. The best part? It’s highly customizable, allowing for deep segmentation and targeted messaging.

Personal Insight: I’ve found HubSpot to be incredibly user-friendly, especially for those new to marketing automation. The drag-and-drop editor makes creating personalized email campaigns a breeze, and the reporting tools give you insights into how well your engagement efforts are working.

3. SendGrid

Overview: SendGrid, primarily known for its email marketing capabilities, is another strong competitor in the customer engagement space. It allows businesses to send email newsletters, transactional emails, and automated campaigns.

Why it’s a great Braze alternative: SendGrid excels at email deliverability and analytics, which are crucial for ensuring your messages reach your audience. While it doesn’t have the extensive range of features that Braze does, it can be an excellent choice for businesses focusing primarily on email marketing.

Personal Insight: I’ve used SendGrid for transactional emails and email campaigns, and I’ve always been impressed with its reliability. The analytics tools give you a deep dive into open rates, click rates, and other metrics, which helps refine campaigns for better engagement.

4. CleverTap

Overview: CleverTap is a customer engagement and retention platform that offers mobile marketing, web push notifications, and in-app messaging. It focuses on creating personalized customer experiences through real-time data.

Why it’s a great Braze alternative: CleverTap offers similar features to Braze but with a more mobile-centric approach. It provides deep insights into customer behavior and segmentation, which allows businesses to target specific user groups with tailored campaigns.

Personal Insight: What I love about CleverTap is its ability to track user behavior in real-time, giving you actionable insights to engage your audience. If your business focuses heavily on mobile app marketing or has a large mobile user base, CleverTap is definitely a platform to consider.

5. Moosend

Overview: Moosend is an email marketing and automation tool with robust features for creating personalized campaigns. It allows businesses to build automation workflows, segment their audience, and track engagement metrics.

Why it’s a great Braze alternative: Moosend offers a simple, user-friendly interface for marketers who want to create effective campaigns without the complexity of larger platforms like Braze. It also has a more affordable pricing structure, making it a great choice for smaller businesses or startups.

Personal Insight: Moosend’s simplicity is one of its best features. It’s easy to navigate, and creating email campaigns feels intuitive. As a business owner, I appreciate tools that don’t require a steep learning curve, and Moosend certainly delivers in that regard.

6. PushEngage

Overview: PushEngage is a push notification platform that allows businesses to send personalized messages to their customers through web push notifications, which are a great tool for re-engagement.

Why it’s a great Braze alternative: While Braze offers push notifications, PushEngage specializes in this form of engagement, offering highly customizable features for sending targeted push messages. It’s a great option if you’re looking to reach your audience in real-time and improve engagement with minimal effort.

Personal Insight: Push notifications are an underutilized tool in customer engagement, and PushEngage makes it easy to integrate into your marketing efforts. I’ve seen firsthand how effective push notifications can be in keeping customers engaged, especially for time-sensitive promotions.

7. OneSignal

Overview: OneSignal is another push notification platform that specializes in sending web push notifications, mobile push notifications, and email messages.

Why it’s a great Braze alternative: OneSignal offers a suite of features for personalized messaging, including segmentation and automated triggers. Its easy-to-use interface and robust free plan make it an excellent option for businesses of all sizes.

Personal Insight: I’ve experimented with OneSignal for push notifications, and it’s straightforward and effective. The best part is the seamless integration with other platforms like WordPress and Shopify, which makes it perfect for eCommerce businesses looking to engage their customers without a steep learning curve.

8. Marketo Engage

Overview: Marketo Engage, an Adobe product, is a comprehensive marketing automation tool that offers a range of features for lead management, email campaigns, and customer engagement.

Why it’s a great Braze alternative: Marketo provides powerful analytics and segmentation tools, which enable businesses to engage customers with personalized messages. Its focus on B2B marketing makes it a strong choice for businesses that deal with complex sales processes.

Personal Insight: While Marketo is more complex than some other tools, its deep analytics and ability to segment based on a wide range of data points are what set it apart. If you’re running a B2B operation, Marketo offers a lot of flexibility for targeting and nurturing leads.

9. Customer.io

Overview: Customer.io is a data-driven email and messaging automation platform designed to help businesses send personalized messages to their customers based on actions and triggers.

Why it’s a great Braze alternative: Customer.io provides an easy way to automate personalized messaging based on customer behavior, similar to Braze. It’s a great tool for sending targeted emails, push notifications, and SMS messages.

Personal Insight: Customer.io’s powerful workflow builder and segmentation features make it easy to target customers at every stage of their journey. It’s perfect for businesses that want to send highly targeted messages without the complexity of other platforms.

10. Klaviyo

Overview: Klaviyo is an email marketing and automation platform designed specifically for eCommerce businesses. It integrates seamlessly with platforms like Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce to deliver personalized customer experiences.

Why it’s a great Braze alternative: For eCommerce businesses, Klaviyo is a game-changer. Its deep integration with shopping platforms allows you to target customers based on their shopping behaviors, purchase history, and browsing patterns.

Personal Insight: As an eCommerce-focused platform, Klaviyo is incredible for boosting customer engagement. I’ve used it to set up abandoned cart emails, product recommendations, and follow-up campaigns. It’s highly effective in driving sales and keeping customers engaged post-purchase.

Conclusion

While Braze is undoubtedly a powerful tool for customer engagement, there are several excellent alternatives available, each with its own strengths and features. Whether you’re looking for a platform with powerful email automation (like ActiveCampaign and Moosend), mobile-first capabilities (like CleverTap and PushEngage), or eCommerce-specific tools (like Klaviyo), there’s a solution for every business need.

When choosing a Braze alternative, consider your business goals, the complexity of your marketing needs, and your budget. Each platform offers unique features, so taking the time to explore these alternatives will ensure you find the one that best supports your customer engagement strategy.