Comparison
Attentive vs Klaviyo
Attentive SMS vs Klaviyo multi-channel CRM for Shopify in 2026 — pricing transparency, channel scope, and verdict by store stage. Verified May 2026.
Attentive
"AI-Powered SMS and Email Marketing Platform" — leader in conversational commerce.
Klaviyo
"AI Email Marketing & SMS | B2C CRM" — the autonomous B2C CRM that unifies email, SMS, RCS, WhatsApp and push.
Affiliate link. Pricing and terms are set by the vendor. details
On this page
At a glance
Attentive and Klaviyo solve a related but distinct problem. Attentive is a dedicated SMS specialist scaling into enterprise multi-platform (Shopify, Salesforce CC, Magento, BigCommerce); Klaviyo is a multi-channel B2C CRM with SMS bundled alongside email, WhatsApp, RCS, push, and voice, billed on active-profile count. The decision is not really "which is better at SMS" — both ship competent SMS — but "do you want SMS as a dedicated channel with its own platform, or as one channel of many in a unified customer profile." Klaviyo content-flags applied: $10K/mo Klaviyo One auto-trigger adds 20% to total spend (pricing-gotcha); 20% commission and 90-day cookie cited by third-party affiliate directories are not on the official Partner Program page — treat as "not publicly disclosed" rather than fact.
Quick stats
Starting price
Attentive
—
Klaviyo
$20/mo
Rating
Attentive
8.7/10
Klaviyo
8.4/10
Integrations
Attentive
6
Klaviyo
8
Channel scope (verified 2026-05-30)
Attentive
SMS / MMS / RCS only — no email, no WhatsApp in core product
Klaviyo
Email + SMS + WhatsApp + RCS + push + voice (multi-channel CRM)
Pricing transparency
Attentive
Not published; qualifying call required
Klaviyo
Email tier from $20/mo (Free $0 tier: 250 profiles + 150 SMS credits)
Affiliate program
Attentive
No public affiliate program
Klaviyo
Yes — tiered BASIC→ELITE, quarterly payouts (specific rates not publicly disclosed)
Pricing inflection point
Attentive
Enterprise tier custom-quoted; multi-store scales separately
Klaviyo
$10K/mo total spend triggers mandatory Klaviyo One (+20%); model 12-month projection
Pricing
Attentive
—/mo
- up to
- —
- Model
- custom
Tiers: No public tiers; modular packages: SMS & MMS Messaging, Text + Email, Text + Email + Push Pricing gotchas: Pricing hidden behind demo (no self-serve evaluation); contracts typically 6-12 months with $2K-$3K quarterly minimum spend. Free plan: No Verified 2026-05-30
Klaviyo
$20/mo
- up to
- —
- Model
- tiered
Tiers: Free $0 (250 active profiles, 500 emails/mo, 150 SMS credits); Email from $20/mo for 251-500 active profiles; scales with active-profile count up to ~$2,300/mo at 250K profiles Pricing gotchas: Billed on active profiles, not emails sent; Klaviyo One mandatory above ~$10K/mo (+20%). Free plan: Yes—250 profiles/500 emails/150 SMS credits Verified 2026-05-30
Attentive starts at /mo vs Klaviyo's $20/mo. Pricing models differ: Attentive is custom, Klaviyo is tiered.
Attentive: pricing not published on website; qualifying call required. Third-party sources suggest entry at ~$1k-$2k/mo for mid-market with custom enterprise tiers. Klaviyo: Free $0 (250 active profiles, 500 emails/mo, 150 SMS credits); Email from $20/mo for 251-500 profiles; scales by active-profile count up to ~$2,300/mo at 250K profiles. Above ~$10K/mo total spend, Klaviyo One enterprise becomes mandatory and adds 20% to total spend (per Klaviyo Help Center). Billing changed February 18, 2025 from emails sent to ACTIVE PROFILES.
Features
Attentive
- AI Journeys — Automated 1:1 triggered messaging across SMS/email
- AI Pro (predictive analytics) — Predictive analytics and campaign optimization
- AI Grow (sign-up optimization) — Automated sign-up unit optimization to boost list growth
- AI Essentials — Baseline AI features included free with all plans
- Two-Tap Patented Signup — Patented two-tap mobile subscriber signup - higher conversion than competitors
- Attentive Signal (identity resolution) — Expand addressable audience beyond opt-ins via identity resolution
Klaviyo
- Predictive Analytics (CLV / Churn Risk / Next Order Date) — Predicts customer lifetime value, churn probability, and expected next purchase date per profile
- Klaviyo AI (generative content) — Generates subject lines, email copy, SMS copy, and form copy in brand voice
- Klaviyo Data Platform (Advanced KDP) — Customer data platform layer with advanced data ingestion, identity resolution and segmentation
- Customer Hub — Branded self-service customer portal showing orders, loyalty, recommendations
- Marketing Analytics — Cross-channel attribution and advanced marketing reporting
- Helpdesk / Customer Agent — Native helpdesk product with AI Customer Agent for ticket resolution
Shopify integration
Attentive
Deep native Shopify integration; Shopify App Store; Shopify Plus Technology Partner; native checkout opt-in extensions; deep purchase/order data sync
Klaviyo
Deep native Shopify integration; Shopify App Store; Built-for-Shopify; near real-time sync of customers, products, orders and events; native Customer Hub for Shopify storefronts; Klaviyo SMS supported; embedded forms and popups
Integrations
Only Attentive
- Movable Ink
- Shopify
- Shopify Plus
- Snowflake
Both
- Meta
Only Klaviyo
- Google Ads
- Segment
- Snapchat
- TikTok
Customer support
Support rating (aggregated from independent review platforms like G2, Capterra, Shopify App Store): Attentive 9.3/10, Klaviyo 8.4/10. This is an editorial composite of channel availability, response speed, and resolution quality — see the individual reviews below for specifics.
Pros & cons
Attentive
Pros
- Best-in-class managed/white-glove customer success
- Two-tap opt-in drives strong list growth
- Polished UX & journey builder
Cons
- Enterprise pricing minimums — not for small brands
- Revenue attribution transparency limited
- Many advanced features locked behind White Glove team rather than self-serve
Klaviyo
Pros
- Deep Shopify integration & flow builder
- Behavioral segmentation depth (9.0 G2 score)
- Predictive AI / CLV scoring
Cons
- Steep price scaling as contacts grow
- Support quality drops on lower tiers
- Reporting requires data exports for advanced analysis
When each one wins
Winner: Klaviyo
Shopify operator not yet running email at scale
Bundling SMS into a multi-channel CRM at $20/mo Email is cheaper than running Attentive ($1k-$2k/mo entry per third-party estimates) plus a separate email platform. Klaviyo Free tier includes 150 SMS credits — enough to test SMS-flow viability before committing. For brands building email + SMS together, Klaviyo is the default.
Winner: Attentive
$50K+/mo MRR with email already mature elsewhere, scaling SMS
When email is already running well on a different platform (perhaps a legacy Mailchimp or HubSpot deployment), adding Klaviyo SMS means re-engineering the email stack or running disconnected SMS. Attentive's dedicated SMS specialist position — including enterprise account management — fits this brownfield scenario better than a Klaviyo migration.
Winner: Attentive
Projecting growth past $10K/mo total marketing spend
Klaviyo One mandatory above $10K/mo total spend adds 20% — at $10K/mo this is $2,000/mo extra, compounding annually. For brands projecting clear growth past this threshold within 12 months, the bundled-CRM cost advantage Klaviyo had at entry inverts. Run the 12-month projection and compare against Attentive's custom-quoted enterprise pricing before committing.
Our verdict
For Shopify operators not yet running email at scale, Klaviyo wins by default — bundling SMS into a multi-channel CRM at $20/mo Email is cheaper than running two platforms in parallel. Above $50K/mo MRR with email already mature on a different platform and SMS becoming a real revenue channel, Attentive becomes evaluable on enterprise account-management and multi-platform infrastructure. The Klaviyo One $10K/mo threshold (mandatory above ~$10K/mo total spend, adds 20%) is the pricing inflection point — model your projected 12-month spend before committing. For the full Attentive pricing breakdown ($2-3K quarterly minimum, contract structure), see /pricing/attentive.
Similar tools worth comparing
Klaviyo
"AI Email Marketing & SMS | B2C CRM" — the autonomous B2C CRM that unifies email, SMS, RCS, WhatsApp and push.
Related comparisons
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