Here is a quick plan breakdown:

One real-world friction point worth noting: the Corporate plan is the only plan supporting more than 10,000 contacts and requires contacting Emma's sales team directly for a quote.

Core Features of Emma by Marigold

The software offers customizable templates, audience segmentation, automated workflows, and real-time analytics, enabling users to deliver targeted messages to specific groups and monitor campaign performance.

Drag-and-Drop Email Editor

Emma's drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to build appealing marketing emails. You can drag and drop different modules into the email pane and make edits directly. Emails are optimized for both desktop and mobile displays by default, which matters because a large portion of people read emails on their smartphones.

According to Optinmonster, 50% of people will delete an email if it isn't optimized for mobile, making out-of-the-box mobile responsiveness a practical requirement rather than a bonus.

Audience Segmentation

Emma's segmentation tool can target down to specifics like birthday, zip code, purchased items, and whether or not a subscriber opened your last email. Segmented groups are easily reachable, and you can create an unlimited number of segments for targeted campaigns.

This is widely considered Emma's strongest feature. Tight segmentation is directly tied to revenue: you can read more about how to make it work in our guide on email list segmentation strategies that boost ROI by 760%.

Automation Workflows

Automation workflows in Emma trigger emails in response to specific customer actions, such as welcoming new subscribers or re-engaging inactive users. This saves time while ensuring customers receive relevant, timely communications for nurturing relationships.

Based on website visits and recent purchases, Emma converts customer data into automated emails that are timely and highly relevant to each recipient.

According to industry data, automated emails generate 320% more revenue than non-automated emails, which makes this feature worth evaluating carefully before choosing any platform.

A/B Testing

The platform supports A/B testing to refine subject lines and content, empowering marketers to optimize strategies based on data-driven results. Emma also includes A/B content testing to help you identify the most effective content for each segment.

If you want to sharpen your subject line performance before running A/B tests, check our article on email subject line best practices that boost open rates by 27%.

Integrations

Emma integrates with various CRM and ecommerce platforms, supporting list management and personalized communication. Integration with popular CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, and social media channels ensures Emma works within a broader marketing ecosystem, keeping customer data synchronized and marketing efforts aligned across multiple touchpoints.

Emma connects with CRMs like Salesforce, though syncing complex custom fields or real-time data from niche tools can require workarounds. More plug-and-play e-commerce integrations beyond Shopify would improve the experience for some teams.

Dynamic Content and Personalization

Emma's dynamic content feature lets you send unique, personalized content to each subscriber from a single email. You can use different photos, color schemes, and text blocks to address various user demographics based on the data you have stored about them.

Personalization at this level directly affects results. For a practical breakdown of what personalization techniques move the needle, see our post on 7 email personalization techniques that boost conversions by 47%.

How to Set Up Emma: Getting Started

Setting up Emma is relatively straightforward. Here is the standard flow:

1. Request a demo via myemma.com{rel="nofollow"} to evaluate the platform before committing.
2. Choose a plan based on your contact list size and feature requirements.
3. Import your contacts using a CSV upload or connect via Emma's API or SFTP Connect for automated contact syncing.
4. Set up your brand identity by uploading logos, brand colors, and approved fonts inside the platform. Teams and Corporate plans allow style guides per subaccount.
5. Build your first template using the drag-and-drop editor or select from the template library.
6. Create your first automation by defining a trigger (e.g., a new subscriber joining a list) and the corresponding email sequence.
7. Configure your sending domain by completing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication. DMARC setup within Emma is fairly simple according to verified users.
8. Run a test send and confirm rendering across desktop and mobile before going live.

For organizations with diverse branding needs, Emma offers a Style Guide by Subaccount feature, which makes it possible to manage multiple brand identities within a single Emma account. This is particularly useful for franchise brands, agencies, and universities.

What Users Actually Say: Honest Pros and Cons

What works well

Widespread user sentiment highlights Emma's customer service as responsive, friendly, and quick to resolve issues. A significant portion of users appreciate the always-available phone support and knowledgeable staff for troubleshooting.

Deliverability is strong, particularly when used alongside supporting tools, and the platform is scalable, making it a good fit for both small teams and larger organizations.

Emma enables teams to set up different audience groups, monitor performance across multiple campaigns, schedule mailings in advance, and build automations that reduce manual work.

Where it falls short

Emma lacks a custom dashboard for advanced analytics. Template customization also feels inefficient and inflexible for users who want precise design control.

There is no free tier, and entry-level pricing may be too high for small businesses. The automation features are fairly basic and do not include advanced triggers or branching logic. There is also no website builder, which some competitors do provide.

Emma focuses only on email marketing and often requires costly additional services to match the built-in functionality of broader competitors.

Who Should Use Emma (and Who Should Not)

Emma is a strong fit for:

• Multi-location brands that need centralized brand control with sub-account flexibility
• Mid-size marketing teams running regular campaigns to segmented lists
• Educational institutions and nonprofits with structured audience groups
• Teams migrating from Constant Contact that want deeper segmentation without a steep rebuild

Emma is a weaker fit for:

• Early-stage startups with tight budgets; the $99/month entry price with no free trial is a real barrier
• E-commerce brands that need deep native integrations with platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce built in
• Growth teams requiring advanced automation with multi-branch logic, lead scoring, or predictive send-time optimization
• Solo marketers who want a lightweight tool without annual contract lock-in

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Emma email marketing have a free plan?

No, Emma does not offer a free plan. There is also no free trial, though you can request a demo to test the platform before making a purchase decision. If a free plan is a firm requirement, alternatives like Mailchimp or MailerLite offer starting tiers at no cost.

What is the starting price for Emma by Marigold?

Pricing for Emma starts at $99 per month, beginning with the Emma Lite plan. Annual contracts are required to use the platform. Pricing scales with contact volume and feature access.

How does Emma handle email deliverability?

Deliverability is generally strong within Emma, particularly when used alongside proper authentication tools. Emma supports SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration, and users report that DMARC setup within the platform is relatively straightforward. As with any ESP, keeping your list clean and maintaining low bounce and complaint rates is critical to sustained inbox placement.

Is Emma by Marigold good for small businesses?

Emma's best features shine when you prioritize simplicity and solid customer support over deep customization or highly advanced automation. It is a dependable choice for straightforward email marketing campaigns that do not require complex integrations or extensive personalization. However, the entry-level pricing and annual contract requirement may be too high a barrier for small businesses with limited budgets or those still testing email as a channel.

Here is a quick plan breakdown:

One real-world friction point worth noting: the Corporate plan is the only plan supporting more than 10,000 contacts and requires contacting Emma's sales team directly for a quote.

Core Features of Emma by Marigold

The software offers customizable templates, audience segmentation, automated workflows, and real-time analytics, enabling users to deliver targeted messages to specific groups and monitor campaign performance.

Drag-and-Drop Email Editor

Emma's drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to build appealing marketing emails. You can drag and drop different modules into the email pane and make edits directly. Emails are optimized for both desktop and mobile displays by default, which matters because a large portion of people read emails on their smartphones.

According to Optinmonster, 50% of people will delete an email if it isn't optimized for mobile, making out-of-the-box mobile responsiveness a practical requirement rather than a bonus.

Audience Segmentation

Emma's segmentation tool can target down to specifics like birthday, zip code, purchased items, and whether or not a subscriber opened your last email. Segmented groups are easily reachable, and you can create an unlimited number of segments for targeted campaigns.

This is widely considered Emma's strongest feature. Tight segmentation is directly tied to revenue: you can read more about how to make it work in our guide on email list segmentation strategies that boost ROI by 760%.

Automation Workflows

Automation workflows in Emma trigger emails in response to specific customer actions, such as welcoming new subscribers or re-engaging inactive users. This saves time while ensuring customers receive relevant, timely communications for nurturing relationships.

Based on website visits and recent purchases, Emma converts customer data into automated emails that are timely and highly relevant to each recipient.

According to industry data, automated emails generate 320% more revenue than non-automated emails, which makes this feature worth evaluating carefully before choosing any platform.

A/B Testing

The platform supports A/B testing to refine subject lines and content, empowering marketers to optimize strategies based on data-driven results. Emma also includes A/B content testing to help you identify the most effective content for each segment.

If you want to sharpen your subject line performance before running A/B tests, check our article on email subject line best practices that boost open rates by 27%.

Integrations

Emma integrates with various CRM and ecommerce platforms, supporting list management and personalized communication. Integration with popular CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, and social media channels ensures Emma works within a broader marketing ecosystem, keeping customer data synchronized and marketing efforts aligned across multiple touchpoints.

Emma connects with CRMs like Salesforce, though syncing complex custom fields or real-time data from niche tools can require workarounds. More plug-and-play e-commerce integrations beyond Shopify would improve the experience for some teams.

Dynamic Content and Personalization

Emma's dynamic content feature lets you send unique, personalized content to each subscriber from a single email. You can use different photos, color schemes, and text blocks to address various user demographics based on the data you have stored about them.

Personalization at this level directly affects results. For a practical breakdown of what personalization techniques move the needle, see our post on 7 email personalization techniques that boost conversions by 47%.

How to Set Up Emma: Getting Started

Setting up Emma is relatively straightforward. Here is the standard flow:

1. Request a demo via myemma.com{rel="nofollow"} to evaluate the platform before committing.
2. Choose a plan based on your contact list size and feature requirements.
3. Import your contacts using a CSV upload or connect via Emma's API or SFTP Connect for automated contact syncing.
4. Set up your brand identity by uploading logos, brand colors, and approved fonts inside the platform. Teams and Corporate plans allow style guides per subaccount.
5. Build your first template using the drag-and-drop editor or select from the template library.
6. Create your first automation by defining a trigger (e.g., a new subscriber joining a list) and the corresponding email sequence.
7. Configure your sending domain by completing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication. DMARC setup within Emma is fairly simple according to verified users.
8. Run a test send and confirm rendering across desktop and mobile before going live.

For organizations with diverse branding needs, Emma offers a Style Guide by Subaccount feature, which makes it possible to manage multiple brand identities within a single Emma account. This is particularly useful for franchise brands, agencies, and universities.

What Users Actually Say: Honest Pros and Cons

What works well

Widespread user sentiment highlights Emma's customer service as responsive, friendly, and quick to resolve issues. A significant portion of users appreciate the always-available phone support and knowledgeable staff for troubleshooting.

Deliverability is strong, particularly when used alongside supporting tools, and the platform is scalable, making it a good fit for both small teams and larger organizations.

Emma enables teams to set up different audience groups, monitor performance across multiple campaigns, schedule mailings in advance, and build automations that reduce manual work.

Where it falls short

Emma lacks a custom dashboard for advanced analytics. Template customization also feels inefficient and inflexible for users who want precise design control.

There is no free tier, and entry-level pricing may be too high for small businesses. The automation features are fairly basic and do not include advanced triggers or branching logic. There is also no website builder, which some competitors do provide.

Emma focuses only on email marketing and often requires costly additional services to match the built-in functionality of broader competitors.

Who Should Use Emma (and Who Should Not)

Emma is a strong fit for:

• Multi-location brands that need centralized brand control with sub-account flexibility
• Mid-size marketing teams running regular campaigns to segmented lists
• Educational institutions and nonprofits with structured audience groups
• Teams migrating from Constant Contact that want deeper segmentation without a steep rebuild

Emma is a weaker fit for:

• Early-stage startups with tight budgets; the $99/month entry price with no free trial is a real barrier
• E-commerce brands that need deep native integrations with platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce built in
• Growth teams requiring advanced automation with multi-branch logic, lead scoring, or predictive send-time optimization
• Solo marketers who want a lightweight tool without annual contract lock-in

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Emma email marketing have a free plan?

No, Emma does not offer a free plan. There is also no free trial, though you can request a demo to test the platform before making a purchase decision. If a free plan is a firm requirement, alternatives like Mailchimp or MailerLite offer starting tiers at no cost.

What is the starting price for Emma by Marigold?

Pricing for Emma starts at $99 per month, beginning with the Emma Lite plan. Annual contracts are required to use the platform. Pricing scales with contact volume and feature access.

How does Emma handle email deliverability?

Deliverability is generally strong within Emma, particularly when used alongside proper authentication tools. Emma supports SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration, and users report that DMARC setup within the platform is relatively straightforward. As with any ESP, keeping your list clean and maintaining low bounce and complaint rates is critical to sustained inbox placement.

Is Emma by Marigold good for small businesses?

Emma's best features shine when you prioritize simplicity and solid customer support over deep customization or highly advanced automation. It is a dependable choice for straightforward email marketing campaigns that do not require complex integrations or extensive personalization. However, the entry-level pricing and annual contract requirement may be too high a barrier for small businesses with limited budgets or those still testing email as a channel.