Coaches need more than a basic email tool. Whether you’re a life coach, fitness coach, mindset mentor, business coach, or relationship trainer, your work depends on communication, structure, trust, and long-term guidance. That means your email platform must deliver more than marketing—it must support your teaching, your follow-ups, your client journey, and your transformation process. ConvertKit, Brevo, and Mailchimp are three popular platforms in the coaching world, but each one serves a completely different style of coach. This guide breaks down every critical detail so you can choose the tool that truly fits your coaching style and long-term goals.
Why Coaches Need the Right Email System
Coaches create transformation through clarity, content, reminders, accountability, and structured progress. So the right platform must help you:
- deliver lessons and teachings
- build automated learning paths
- segment beginners and advanced clients
- send program updates
- give accountability reminders
- host waitlist pages and onboarding forms
- manage client relationships
ConvertKit is loved by creators and education-style coaches.
Brevo is powerful for automation and CRM-backed coaching workflows.
Mailchimp is visually strong but often expensive and more advanced than most coaches need.
Feature Breakdown
1. Email Builder & Lesson Delivery
- ConvertKit: Simple editor perfect for long-form teaching, storytelling, and weekly coaching emails. Not focused on graphics—focused on message clarity.
- Brevo: Clean, easy editor ideal for structured lesson sequences paired with CRM steps.
- Mailchimp: Great-looking templates but often too “marketing heavy” for personal coaching content.
2. Automation for Coaching Programs
- ConvertKit: Excellent for content-based coaching. Visual flows for drip courses, progression tagging, and segmented lessons.
- Brevo: Strongest automation flexibility for small teams. Supports email + SMS + WhatsApp reminders, perfect for accountability or habit-based coaching.
- Mailchimp: Good but limited on lower plans; deeper automations require expensive upgrades.
3. CRM Needs for Coaches
- ConvertKit: No CRM. Only tags.
- Brevo: Full CRM included for free. Track coaching clients, follow-ups, touchpoints, and pipelines.
- Mailchimp: Light CRM, mostly usable for lists rather than relationship tracking.
4. Segmentation & Personalization
- ConvertKit: Tag-first system—perfect for segmenting coaching students by progress or module stage.
- Brevo: Advanced segmentation based on behavior, engagement, channel preference, and CRM attributes.
- Mailchimp: Segmentation is solid but expensive; many features locked behind premium tiers.
5. Landing Pages & Coaching Funnels
- ConvertKit: Great for lead magnets, coaching waitlists, and program opt-ins.
- Brevo: Good for simple coaching pages and form-based onboarding.
- Mailchimp: More design-heavy but sometimes slower and more complicated.
6. Multichannel Coaching Communication
- ConvertKit: Email only.
- Brevo: Email + SMS + WhatsApp—ideal for high-touch coaching follow-ups and reminders.
- Mailchimp: Email only unless extra integrations are used.
7. AI Features
- ConvertKit: Basic AI content support.
- Brevo: AI send-time optimization, AI segmentation, AI suggestions for content.
- Mailchimp: AI subject lines, predictive audience ratings, and AI suggestions.
8. Deliverability & Client Experience
- ConvertKit: Excellent deliverability for plain-text lesson emails.
- Brevo: High deliverability with transactional-grade infrastructure.
- Mailchimp: Good but can fluctuate for new accounts.
Use Cases
Best for Course-Based Coaches
ConvertKit is the clear winner. Lesson delivery feels natural, sequences are simple, and segmentation is perfect for modules.
Best for Coaches Requiring CRM Support
Brevo wins. Track client conversations, pipelines, stages, and follow-ups—all inside the same platform.
Best for Branded Coaching Newsletters
Mailchimp wins with great designs and brand-focused templates.
Best for Accountability Coaches
Brevo stands out because SMS + WhatsApp reminders significantly boost client commitment.
Best for Coaches Selling Courses & Digital Products
ConvertKit remains ideal because its tagging + content delivery system is unmatched.
Best for Multi-Client Coaching Agencies
Brevo makes management easy and keeps costs under control.
Pricing Table
| Plan | Brevo | ConvertKit | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | $9/month | $15/month | $13/month |
| Standard | $18/month | $29–$49/month | $26–$60/month |
| Advanced | $499/month | $119–$199/month | $350–$600+/month |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Pros & Cons
Brevo Pros
- Full CRM for coaching clients
- SMS + WhatsApp reminders
- Affordable automation
- Strong deliverability
Brevo Cons
- Basic templates
- Landing page tools are limited
ConvertKit Pros
- Perfect for content-based coaching
- Great tagging system
- Simple lesson delivery
ConvertKit Cons
- No CRM
- Expensive as you scale
Mailchimp Pros
- Strong design templates
- Broad marketing features
- Brand-friendly setup
Mailchimp Cons
- High pricing
- Complicated interface
- Automation limitations at low tiers
Final Verdict
Choose Brevo if you want automation + CRM + multichannel coaching reminders.
Choose ConvertKit if your coaching style is based on lessons, content drops, and structured sequences.
Choose Mailchimp if brand visuals matter more than automation depth.
Pick Brevo for structured coaching programs and CRM needs. Pick ConvertKit for content-heavy teaching and personal storytelling. Pick Mailchimp only if you want visually designed newsletters for brand identity.