Drip vs Privy
Choose Drip if your priority is ecommerce email automation with purchase-based segmentation; choose Privy if you want email and SMS marketing with flexible onsite signup tools. Both are available to buy and support campaigns, automations, popups, and major ecommerce platforms. The most consequential differences are SMS access and pricing: Privy includes 250 SMS credits with its starting email price, while Drip’s SMS is a separately billed early-access offering for eligible US customers.
Last updated October 31, 2026.
At a glance
| Dimension | Drip | Privy |
|---|---|---|
| SMS availability | Early access for eligible US paid customers; separate charge | 250 SMS credits included; additional credits available |
| Starting email price | From $39/month for up to 2,500 active people | From $30/month |
| Email billing basis | Active people and monthly email volume | Mailable contacts; unlimited email sends |
| Popups-only option | Not published | Displays-only plan from $24/month |
| Ecommerce platforms | Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, custom stores | Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix; displays on other platforms |
| Free trial | 14 days; no credit card required | 15 days; no credit card required |
| Onsite signup tools | Popups, sticky bars, teasers, quizzes | Popups, landing pages, forms, quizzes |
| Automation | Behavior-based workflows; 50-workflow account limit | Email and SMS workflows with conditional branching |
| Segmentation | Browsing, purchases, spend, and engagement | Purchase behavior, signup source, and engagement |
| Integrations | 90+ integrations, including major ecommerce platforms | Ecommerce, email, reviews, loyalty, and SMS integrations |
| Reporting | Email-attributed revenue and ecommerce dashboards | Email and SMS campaign and flow reporting |
| Support | Email and live chat, Monday through Friday | Email and live chat |
Scroll the table sideways to compare each row.
Which should you choose?
Choose Drip if
- Stores prioritizing purchase-based email segmentation
- Teams using Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce
- Marketers seeking prebuilt ecommerce workflows
- Teams wanting Drip’s AI-tool connector
Choose Privy if
- Stores wanting email and SMS from the start
- Teams needing a popups-and-displays-only plan
- Merchants pricing email by mailable contacts
- Wix stores seeking an email and SMS integration
The verdict
Pick Drip if you want to build email campaigns around browsing and purchase behavior, particularly if its store integrations and workflow templates match your needs. Pick Privy if you want to start email and SMS together, or if you need a separate popups-and-displays plan. Compare costs at your own list size: Drip bills based on active people and email volume, while Privy prices email by mailable contacts and offers additional SMS credits.
Drip vs Privy: common questions
- Is Drip or Privy the better fit for email and SMS marketing?
- Privy is the more straightforward starting point for email and SMS: its email plan starts at $30/month with 250 SMS credits included. Drip offers SMS separately from $39/month, but it is currently in early access for eligible US-based paid customers.
- How do Drip and Privy charge for email?
- Drip says its price depends on active people and monthly email volume; it publishes a starting price of $39/month for up to 2,500 active people. Privy starts at $30/month, charges by mailable contacts, and includes unlimited email sends.
- Can I try Drip and Privy before paying?
- Yes. Drip offers a 14-day trial and Privy offers a 15-day trial. Neither requires a credit card to start.
- Do Drip and Privy work with Shopify?
- Yes. Both publish Shopify integrations that use store activity to support targeted ecommerce marketing.
- Does either product offer a popups-only plan?
- Privy publishes a popups-and-displays-only plan starting at $24/month, priced by monthly page views. Drip includes onsite popups in its marketing platform but does not publish a separate popups-only plan.
- Can both products automate abandoned-cart messages?
- Yes. Drip and Privy both publish abandoned-cart automation templates. Privy supports email and SMS within workflows; Drip’s SMS workflow option currently requires early-access eligibility and a separate SMS subscription.
- Which is a better fit for a Wix store?
- Privy publishes a Wix integration for email and SMS marketing. Drip highlights Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and custom stores; check its setup requirements before choosing it for Wix.
- What support do Drip and Privy provide?
- Both publish email and live-chat support. Drip specifies that these channels are available Monday through Friday, including during its free trial.