Research
Every product in a category is scored on the same six criteria. Affiliate links never change a score. How we rank →
Independent software rankings
Find software worth paying for.
We rank business software on the criteria that matter for each category, then show our work. No pay-to-rank placements.
49,400+product scorecards
189software categories
6weighted criteria per category
Top scored right now
Best Email & Marketing Automation for Small Businesses
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1
Klaviyo Marketing Automation Platformklaviyo.com
9.1
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2
Eloqua Marketing Automationoracle.com
8.9
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3
Emma Email Marketing Automationmyemma.com
8.9
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4
Keap: Small Business CRM & Automationkeap.com
8.8
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5
Mailchimp: Marketing Automationmailchimp.com
8.8
Why #1: Klaviyo scored highest on Integrations & Ecosystem Strength (9.7) and Market Credibility & Trust Signals (9.6).
Accounting & Finance
10 categories
AI, Automation & Machine Learning
10 categories
Business Intelligence & Analytics
14 categories
Cloud Storage, Backup & File Management
9 categories
CRM & Sales
15 categories
Customer Support & Success
11 categories
Cybersecurity, Privacy & Compliance
21 categories
Design, Creative & Media Production
14 categories
Ecommerce & Retail
8 categories
Field Service & Operations
9 categories
HR & People Management
14 categories
Marketing & Advertising
19 categories
Project Management & Productivity
35 categories
All categories
189 ranked lists
Rankings worth exploring
Scores are out of 10 and only comparable within a category. Every list is ordered by score alone.
How we rank software
The same six criteria for every product in a category. Weighted by what buyers in that category need.
01
Define the category and its criteria
Each category gets its own scoring criteria, weighted by what buyers in that category need. A payroll tool is not judged like a design tool.
02
Score every product against its competitors
We read documentation, pricing pages, security and integration details, then score each product on six weighted criteria. What we looked for and what we found is written down on every product.
03
Publish, then keep revisiting
Rankings are re-run as products change pricing, ship features, or lose ground to new entrants. Affiliate relationships never move a product up or down.
See it in practice
Why Klaviyo ranked #1 in Email & Marketing Automation for Small Businesses
- Market Credibility & Trust Signals 9.6 9.5 9.2
- Product Capability & Depth 9.4 9.2 8.7
- Security, Compliance & Data Protection 9.3 9.4 9.3
- Usability & Customer Experience 8.9 8.3 8.9
- Value, Pricing & Transparency 8.2 8.7 8.5
- Overall 9.1/10 8.9/10 8.9/10
Only criteria all three products were scored on are shown. Every product page lists what we looked for, what we found, and the sources. See the full ranking →
Who runs this
Albert Richer, founder · Memphis, TN
I built WhatAreTheBest because it was too hard to tell why one product outranked another on software review sites. I run the deep reviews on every category leader myself and audit every comparison before it publishes, and affiliate links never change a score.
Latest research
Original data studies and industry research from the WhatAreTheBest research team.
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