Email & CRM
The tools that own the customer relationship: email marketing, marketing automation, and CRMs that keep contacts, deals, and follow-ups in one place. Most pay recurring, so the right pick compounds.
Start here: comparisons
Reviews
GetResponse
GetResponse bundles email, automation, landing pages and webinars under one bill. Strong for a small business that wants one login - but the $19 price is a mirage and the contact-tier jumps bite.
Starter $19/mo, Marketer $59/mo, Creator $69/mo (all at 1,000 contacts, ~18% off annually). Real automation needs Marketer. Contact tiers jump hard: Marketer goes $139 to $299/mo crossing from 10k to 25k contacts
Kit
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) gives you 10,000 subscribers free, then bills per subscriber - including the dead weight. Great for creators building an audience, wrong for a sales team.
Free to 10,000 subscribers; Creator $39/mo ($33/mo annual); Pro $79/mo ($66/mo annual). Digital-product sales cost 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction