EmailOctopus Alternative – BigMailer

Last Updated: Jan 21, 2025

BigMailer is a hosted solution that offers an option to send email via Amazon SES, just like EmailOctopus (and unlike self-hosted Sendy). There are many  similarities between these two providers, but there are some notable differences as well.

Both BigMailer and EmailOctopus use the same pricing model based on number of contacts (aka subscribers) stored on the platform, and flexible pricing tiers, unlike market leaders that have large tier jumps

So what are the major feature differences between BigMailer and EmailOctopus? Check out the comparison table below and read our detailed analysis that follows.

Campaigns Types

In addition to bulk and automation campaigns, BigMailer also supports transactional and RSS-to-email campaigns. This allows for centralizing all email marketing activities in a single platform with a unified customer view. Keeping customer data in sync and real-time is especially important for improving email deliverability, due to engagement stats that affect sender reputation – unsubscribes, bounces, and complaints.

Brand and User Access Management

BigMailer has built-in brand (aka sub-account) and user management which is ideal for large teams, digital marketing agencies, web development shops, and anyone managing multiple products or locations. You can manage unlimited brands and users or clients, with custom permission levels for each team member or client.

An account admin can also choose to share a template across all brands in the account, offering exceptional value and workflow improvement for agencies or franchises that need a template sharing option.

BigMailer also offers an option to white label BigMailer platform, offered on Agency and Enterprise plans.

Customizable Unsubscribe Page

BigMailer offers an option to customize an unsubscribe page and configure it as an email preference center with subscription preferences as an alternative to a single/global unsubscribe option. Offering unsubscribe preferences can help retain up to 20 % of the potential unsubscribes.

If a custom tracking domain is configured the unsubscribe page is also hosted on the same custom domain that is used for link tracking.

Detailed Campaign Engagement Reporting

BigMailer offers very granular campaign reporting, which helps marketers analyze campaign reporting beyond averages. After all, if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it, right? Using our engagement by domain report, you can reference open rates by mailbox provider to understand your inboxing. For example, if you see an open rate below 1% for Gmail, your campaign likely landed in Promotions tab.

Built-in Email Validation, Volume Throttling, and Suppression Lists

BigMailer offers built-in email validation that can be used during list import, in form data collection, and via APIs. This simplifies a workflow for marketers and is actually more affordable than most email verification providers.

While both BigMailer and EmailOctopus offer a drag-and-drop template editor and pre-made templates, in BigMailer you also have access to free stock image  search.

BigMailer offers volume throttling which is useful for high volume email senders, businesses that send hundreds of thousands of emails.

BigMailer allows use of suppression lists on campaigns, which are useful for sponsored or partner blasts when 3rd party opt-out lists are provided.

EmailOctopus accounts are limited to 500,000 subscribers on self-service, while BigMailer customers can add up to 10 million without going through support for limit increases and approvals.

Final Thoughts

High volume email senders and organizations managing email marketing for multiple businesses, like agencies or franchises, benefit from BigMailer platform features the most.

Have questions about some features or volume discount pricing? Reach out to us via chat or schedule a demo.

Ready to give BigMailer platform a try?