Klaviyo Review: Is It Worth the Price?

Klaviyo has become the default email marketing platform for ecommerce. But at prices that can reach thousands per month, is it actually worth it? We dug into the platform to find out.

What Klaviyo Does Well

The Shopify integration is genuinely excellent. Customer data flows seamlessly, segmentation based on purchase behavior is automatic, and the pre-built flows for abandoned carts, post-purchase sequences, and win-back campaigns actually work out of the box.

The predictive analytics are legitimately useful. Knowing which customers are likely to churn or which products someone is likely to buy next enables campaigns that feel personalized without being creepy.

The Problems

Price scales aggressively. Once you're past 10,000 contacts, you're paying enterprise prices for what's fundamentally an email tool. The SMS add-on is expensive and less capable than dedicated SMS platforms.

The template builder is frustrating. It looks modern but fights you on customization. Anything beyond their pre-built designs requires HTML knowledge or significant patience.

Who Should Use Klaviyo

Shopify stores doing $1M+ in revenue where email is a significant channel. The ROI math works because the automation genuinely drives incremental revenue. Below that threshold, cheaper alternatives like Mailchimp or Omnisend often make more sense.

Verdict

Klaviyo is excellent but expensive. If you're at the scale where email automation meaningfully impacts revenue, the price is justified. If you're smaller, you're paying for capabilities you won't fully use.