The Best 10 Automation Tools Every Small Business Needs in 2025

Automation is the secret sauce for small business growth in 2025. Whether you're streamlining emails, taming social media, or managing client relations, the right set of marketing automation tools free or paid, can save time and scale your operations. Here's your expertly curated marketing automation tools list — from best email marketing tools to full-fledged CRM and marketing automation platforms.

1. HubSpot Marketing Hub

Overview: A comprehensive CRM, marketing, sales, and service platform that unifies all customer interactions in one place. Ideal for scaling inbound campaigns, HubSpot often tops the marketing automation tools list.

Pros: Easy to use, scalable, and offers a generous marketing automation tools free plan for starters.
Cons: Costs rise with contact growth; too many features can overwhelm beginners

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Example: An online vintage store notices abandoned carts piling up. Using HubSpot, they set up free email automation tools for product suggestion emails. Within a month, they recover hundreds of dollars in otherwise lost sales.

2. Zapier

Overview: A no-code connector for over 6,000 apps, perfect for automating workflows between platforms that lack native integrations. 

 Pros: Highly flexible with simple “if-this-then-that” automation.
Cons: Pricing increases with heavy use; complex flows can become messy.

Example: A consulting firm captures leads via a website form. Zapier instantly sends the data to their CRM, triggers a welcome email, and creates a follow-up task. What took hours before now happens in seconds.

3. Mailchimp

Overview: One of the best email marketing tools for small businesses, Mailchimp offers ready-made templates, triggers, and list management. It’s a favorite among those starting with free email automation tools.

 Pros: Drag-and-drop editor with ready-made customer journeys.
Cons: Limited advanced multi-channel options compared to competitors.

Example: A local bakery welcomes new subscribers with a discount coupon. On each customer’s birthday, Mailchimp sends a personalized greeting and offer. The result? More loyal, repeat customers.

4. ActiveCampaign

Overview: Combining CRM, email marketing, and automation, ActiveCampaign ranks high in the best CRM and marketing automation solutions. It’s built for precision targeting.

Pros: Visual workflow builder and predictive analytics.
Cons: Steep learning curve; some features may be overkill for beginners.

Example: A SaaS company tracks leads who download a whitepaper. ActiveCampaign automatically delivers personalized case studies and feature highlights. This personalized flow increases conversions by nearly a third.

5. Monday.com

Overview: A project management tool with built-in automation recipes, helping teams align tasks with campaigns. While not strictly an email platform, it complements the best tools for marketing automation.

Pros: Visual dashboards and flexible setup.
Cons: Not a dedicated marketing tool; pricing scales with team size.

Example: A marketing agency manages design approvals in Monday.com. Once a client approves a project, Slack notifications go out instantly. The system also triggers invoice creation without manual entry.

6. Zoho One

Overview: A suite of 45+ apps covering CRM, marketing, finance, and HR. It ranks among the most budget-friendly options in the marketing automation tools lineup.
 

Pros: Cost-effective and tightly integrated ecosystem.
Cons: Can be overwhelming; some interfaces feel outdated.

Example: A real estate agency gets a new lead through its website. Zoho logs the contact in CRM, alerts the right agent, and tracks every follow-up. The entire process runs without human intervention.

7. Brevo (Sendinblue)

Overview: Affordable automation for email, SMS, and chat, making it one of the top marketing automation tools free for small businesses.

Pros: High deliverability and a competitive free plan.
Cons: Less visual workflow builder; basic analytics.

Example: A boutique clothing store welcomes new subscribers with an email. If unopened after two days, an SMS with a discount is sent. This simple two-step automation boosts engagement and conversions.

8. Pipedrive

Overview: A sales-focused CRM with automation, often paired with the best marketing automation software for complete customer lifecycle management.

Pros: Visual pipelines and customizable workflows.
Cons: Limited marketing features compared to all-in-one tools.

Example: A startup tracks deals in Pipedrive. As soon as a deal enters a new stage, the system auto-schedules a follow-up call, ensuring no lead is missed and helping shorten the sales cycle.

9. Keap (Infusionsoft)

Overview: A premium CRM and marketing automation platform for service businesses, offering customizable campaigns and payment tools.
 

Pros: Customizable campaigns with built-in invoicing.
Cons: Expensive and has a steep learning curve.

Example: A business coach signs a new client. Keap instantly delivers contracts, intake forms, and welcome materials..This smooth onboarding leaves clients impressed and saves hours of admin work.

10. Omnisend

Overview: E-commerce-focused automation platform for email, SMS, and push campaigns. A must-have in any best email marketing tools list for online retailers.

Pros: Pre-built abandoned-cart and product recommendation flows.
Cons: Limited usefulness for service-based businesses.

Example: A jewelry shop sees customers abandoning carts. Omnisend sends a reminder email, then a follow-up SMS with a limited-time offer. The three-step sequence recovers dozens of lost sales weekly.

In a Nutshell

Whether you want lightweight free email automation tools like Mailchimp or all-in-one best tools for marketing automation like HubSpot, 2025 offers endless options to fit your business goals. Start small, automate what’s repetitive, and watch your productivity — and profits — soar.