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Mail merge software is a tool that allows users to create personalized documents, emails, labels, and other communications by merging a template with a data source, such as a spreadsheet or database. These applications simplify the process of merging a single template with a database, allowing users to send hundreds or thousands of emails quickly, each personalized to the recipient.
This capability is not just about efficiency; it's about making each recipient feel uniquely considered, which can dramatically improve engagement rates. In 2024, mail merge software has become an indispensable tool for businesses and individuals looking to send personalized emails in bulk.
The catch? Many only support Gmail users, and some don’t have CRM functionality, which means that you might end up having to invest in two separate products.
In this blog post, we'll explore the 10 best mail merge software options currently available, highlighting their key features, pros, and cons. Whether you're a small business owner, a marketing professional, or just someone looking to streamline your email communication, this list has something for everyone.
5 features to look out for in mail merge software
Selecting mail merge software with the following features in mind will enhance the efficiency of your email campaigns but also ensure that your communication is personalized and impactful. Below are five essential features to look out for.
1. Integration with CRM and data sources
A standalone mail merge tool is not enough. Integrating with CRM systems and various data sources allows for seamless synchronization of contacts and ensures that all customer interactions are tracked and utilized for personalized communication. This feature is crucial for maintaining up-to-date customer information and leveraging detailed insights for targeted email campaigns.
2. Full customization capabilities
Personalization is key these days, and should go beyond {first Name}. The ability to customize and personalize emails is essential in making each recipient feel valued and engaged. This feature goes beyond merely inserting a recipient's name; it involves tailoring content based on customer data, preferences, and behavior, significantly improving open and response rates.
3. Tracking and analytics
Know how to optimize your energy by analysing what’s going well, and what needs improving. Effective mail merge software should offer comprehensive tracking and analytics capabilities, enabling users to monitor open rates, click-through rates, and overall engagement. Understanding how recipients interact with your emails provides valuable insights for optimizing future campaigns and measuring success.
4. Deliverability and spam compliance
There’s no point in all that hard work if that lands you in someone’s spam folder. Ensuring high deliverability rates and compliance with spam regulations is fundamental. The right mail merge software should help manage sending limits, avoid spam filters, and adhere to email marketing best practices. This feature is vital for maintaining the integrity of your email campaigns and achieving successful outcomes.
5. Automation and workflow management
Stop doing things that take up too much time manually. Automation features streamline the process of sending out emails, scheduling follow-ups, and managing campaigns. Workflow management capabilities allow for the creation of complex, multi-step email sequences that operate based on recipient actions, saving time and enhancing the efficiency of your outreach efforts.
Top 10 best mail merge software in 2024
1. folk
folk combines advanced CRM capabilities with efficient mail merge features, providing you an all-in-one solution. It’s ideal for businesses looking to enhance their email campaigns with detailed customer insights.
Key features
- Mail merge: Compatible with both Gmail and Outlook. Get access to an email template library, track your email analytics and create sequences all from folk.
- Multi-business function support: Use folk to nurture relationships across sales, marketing, fundraising, investment, recruiting and more.
- folk X Chrome extension: Import search lists or individual profiles from LinkedIn, or anywhere on the web without having to leave the page.
Pros
- User-friendly interface: Thanks to its Notion-like interface, folk is intuitive and easy to use from day one.
- Full customization: folk’s contact pipeline management features can be fully customized so that it can mimic your internal sales cycle, fundraising pipeline, marketing campaign, recruitment process and more. You can also make use of custom fields and tagging.
- AI support and mail merge: ‘Magic Field’, folk’s AI feature helps you personalize emails to multiple recipients. Use it to create prompts, so that the AI knows exactly what information to use to help you add that personal touch.
- Analytics: Know exactly who’s opened, clicked and ignored your emails so that you can target the right people.
Cons
- Reporting is not available in folk yet, but it’s coming soon.
Price plans: folk has a generous free forever plan limited to 200 contacts. After that, a standard subscription is $18 per user, per month / a premium subscription is $29 per user, per month. There’s also a custom enterprise solution that gets you access to a dedicated point of contact and Slack channel.
2. NetHunt CRM
NetHunt is a CRM that lives in your Gmail. It transforms it into a CRM by providing sales automation and drip campaigns without leaving your inbox.
Key features
- Sales focus: NetHunt is a sales CRM for Google Workspace users. Allowing you to automate sales activities including data entry, email sequences and email linking.
- Gmail compatibility: fully integrates with Gmail, turning your inbox into a CRM platform.
- Automation: Customizable workflows with automation features.
Pros
- Email marketing: Allows you to send sales and marketing email campaigns directly from Gmail. Segments your database, and gives you the option to send via custom SMTP.
- Lead management: Finds leads via web form submissions, organizes them into an automated nurturing sequence.
Cons
- Relies on Google Workspace: You’ll need to have multiple subscriptions to use NetHunt, including Google Workspace access, so it can get expensive, fast.
- Clunky user experience:
- Incompatible with Outlook: Outlook users beware, this one isn’t for you. But folk is.
Price plans: On top of your Google Workspace subscription that becomes a must have, NetHunt has 5 plans to choose from. Basic starts from $24 per user, per month / Basic plus starts from $34 per user, per month / Business starts from $48 per user, per month / Business plus from $68 per user, per month / Advanced is $96 per user, per month. All on an annual subscription basis. There is a monthly payment option at a steeper price.
3. MailMeteor
MailMeteor is another mail merge solution for Gmail that allows you to send emails en masse.
Key features
- Full Gmail integration: Works in line with Google Workspace to allow you to add contacts to Google Sheets and send.
- Mail merge with attachments: Allows you to attach files such as PDF, Word or Excel to mail merge. Useful for sending payslips and invoices.
Pros
- Preview before you send: MailMeteor lets you preview email campaigns before sending and detects mistakes.
Cons
- Clunky user experience: Mail merge works directly with Google Sheets. Instead of creating contact lists directly in your CRM, you’ll be doubling your time with contact lists on Google Sheets to import into MailMeteor.
- Limited inbox compatibility: Outlook users, this isn’t for you. The focus here is purely on Gmail.
- Separate CRM required: Integrates with CRMs such as Salesforce and HubSpot. But not everyone can afford their steep price plans.
Price plans: Annual subscriptions start from $49.99 per user, per year for up to 15,000 emails per month / $240 per user, per year for up to 45,000 emails per month / $499.99 per user, per month for up to 60,000 emails per month. All on top of your Google Workspace subscription plans.
4. Klenty
Klenty offers a suite of sales automation tools, including mail merge, to help sales teams automate their outreach and follow-up processes. The tool features CRM integration and A/B testing.
Key features
- Multi-channel support: Supports LinkedIn outreach and mail outreach efforts. As well as calls, texts and WhatsApp.
- Sales automation: Sales workflow automation to help manage lists and follow-ups.
Pros
- Sales focus mail merge software: Comprehensive tool for sales teams suitable for both inbound and outbound efforts.
- Data prospecting: Works with Prospect IQ to provide a B2B prospecting data platform for users.
- Supports growing sales teams: Good for scaling up email outreach efforts.
Cons
- CRM integration requirement: Klenty excels when used in conjunction with a CRM, enhancing its capabilities rather than serving as a standalone mail merge solution. This necessitates additional investment in a compatible CRM platform, potentially increasing overall costs.
- User Experience Complexity: Klenty's reliance on external CRM integration for full functionality may lead to a less streamlined user experience. Users may find the need to navigate between Klenty and a CRM system cumbersome and time-consuming.
Price plans: Annual plans start from $50, per user, per month / If you need CRM integrations and plugins this starts at $70 per user, per month / for sales coaching this is $100 per user, per month. There’s also an enterprise option.
5. Streak
Streak is a CRM that integrates directly into your Gmail. providing a unique CRM and mail merge solution within your existing email interface, ideal for managing projects, sales, and customer support.
Key features
- Gmail focus: Integrates directly into your Gmail turning it into a robust CRM.
- Mail merge with tracking: Know when recipients open your email to plan when you need to follow up.
Pros
- User-friendly: Easy to use for those familiar with Gmail.
- Customizable: Pipelines can be customized for managing projects, sales and support.
Cons
- Limited to Gmail users: Not suitable for Outlook users.
Price plans: Streak offer a free forever plan limited to 50 mail merge / Pro plan starts at $49 per user, per month that gives you 1500 mail merge / Pro + is $69 per user, per month provides unlimited mail merge and access to automation and advanced reports / Enterprise starts at $129 per user, per month for data validation and custom roles.
6. Lemlist
Lemlist is a multichannel outreach tool that allows users to include personalized images and videos in their email campaigns.
Key features
- Mutli-channel prospecting: Supports outreach across email, LinkedIn and phone calls.
- Leads database: Provides a B2B database with over 450 million contacts.
Pros
- Email finder and verification: Saves time finding leads’ emails, offering 80% valid emails.
- A/B testing: Supports testing of subject lines, email content and send times.
Cons
- CRM integration requirement: Hard to keep up with last interactions and manage contact lists.
- User experience: Email design tool has a clunky interface that is hard to navigate.
Price plans: Lemlist’s plans are a little tricky to navigate as they look at how many emails each user sends. Annual plans start from $32 per user, per 1 email / $55 per user, per 3 emails / $79 per user, per 5 emails / $129 per user, per 15 emails.
7. Vocus
Vocus is a full-stack email outreach tool. It focuses on simplicity and powerful analytics, offering an easy-to-use email builder with customizable templates and automated follow-ups based on recipient actions.
Key features
- Gmail compatibility: Integrates with your Gmail and G Suite to track open rates, click through.
Pros
- User-friendly: Easy-to-use email builder with customizable templates.
- Automation: Automated follow-ups based on recipient actions.
- Analytics: Detailed analytics on email performance via CRM integration.
Cons
- Less known: This may affect support resources.
- CRM integration requirement: Can provide detailed reports through CRM integration, but will require you to invest in a separate product.
Price plans: Relatively affordable and provides a 30 day trial. Basic plan starts from $5 per month / Starter plan at $10 per month / Professional at $20 per month. If you’re after external SMTP support, that is on the Growth plan which is $80 per month.
8. Woodpecker
Woodpecker specializes in B2B communication. They provide cold email and follow-up automation with a strong emphasis on personalization and deliverability improvement.
Key features
- Learning tool: Support team and tutorials available for support and to learn about cold emailing.
- Verification: Real-time email list verification to keep sender reputation safe.
Pros
- Bounce shield: Prevents users from getting blocked by keeping an eye on the sending limits of email provider.
- User-friendly: Quick to setup email campaigns and onboard.
- Support features: Support team and tutorials readily available to help.
Cons
- CRM integration requirement: Will need to invest in a separate CRM to manage contacts and pipeline easier.
Price plans: Annual plan starts from $29 per month and is determined by number of contacted and stored prospects required.
9. Yet Another Mail Merge
Yamm, also known as ‘Yet another mail merge’ is an add-on for Gmail and Google Sheets.
Key features
- Gmail compatibility: Yamm is designed strictly for Gmail users.
- Mail merge: If your CRM does not already have a mail merge system, you can use Yamm and import contacts.
Pros
- Quick poll surveys: Create polls that recipients can answer from their inbox. Results are tracked via Google Sheets.
- Google form notifications: Find out when your form gets a response in real-time.
Cons
- User experience: Context switching between your inbox and Google Sheets make room for frustrations.
- Lack of contact management: You’ll have to use Google Sheets to segment contacts which can be time consuming.
Price plans: Follows an annual subscription requirement. For individual users there’s a free plan offering basic features for up to one user / $25 per year for up to one user that is on a personal Gmail account / $50 per year for those on a professional Google Workspace account. There is a separate price plan for teams. Distinguished between the number of users ranging from 5 users, 10, 25, and 100 respectively. And start from $150 per year going up to $2000 per year.
10. QuickMail
QuickMail is a mail merge tool built for agencies and demand generation purposes. Its main focus is delivering cold emails and helping you avoid your recipient’s spam folder.
Key features
- Free ‘auto-warmer’ plan: In collaboration with Mailflow, QuickMail offers a free feature to prevent your emails from landing in the spam folder. This is limited to 100 email addresses and up to 5 warmup emails per day.
- Targeted audience: Built with agencies and demand generation teams purposefully.
Pros
- High deliverability: Helps you send emails from several accounts to increase email send limit.
- Improve response rates: Improve response rates with high-level personalization and automation.
Cons
- User experience: While QuickMail has a clean design, new users may need some time to adjust to the platform.
- CRM integration requirement: While QuickMail seems like a robust tool, you will need to invest in a separate CRM to maximize its potential.
Price plans: Basic plan is $49 per month and allows you to send 30,000 emails monthly / Pro plan is $89 per month and gives you an integration to HubSpot or Pipedrive, or more through Zapier / Expert plan is $129 per month and provides analytics, AI and sub-campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is mail merge software?
Mail merge software is a tool that allows users to create personalized documents, emails, labels, and other communications by merging a template with a data source, such as a spreadsheet or database. This software automates the process of inserting personalized information, like names and addresses, into each individual document, making it efficient for sending bulk communications while maintaining a personal touch.
What are some common uses of mail merge software?
Common uses include sending newsletters, promotional emails, and personalized letters. Modern mail merge software often integrates with email services and customer relationship management (CRM) systems for enhanced functionality and ease of use.
What features should I look for in mail merge software?
When looking for mail merge software, look for the following features:
- Integration with CRM and data sources
- Full customization capabilities
- Tracking and analytics
- Deliverability and spam compliance
- Automation and workflow management
What makes folk’s mail merge software stand out?
folk’s mail merge software combines CRM capabilities with efficient mail merge features. folk’s multiple use cases across several business functions including sales and marketing makes it one of the best on the market. It’s compatibility with Outlook and Gmail helps folk stand out as a lot of CRM systems can only cater to one or the other.
Conclusion
Concluding our exploration of the top mail merge software options, it's clear that each tool offers unique features catering to diverse needs. However, a lot of them are only compatible with Gmail. folk's standout feature is its ability to seamlessly blend mail merge functions with a powerful CRM system, providing support to both Gmail and Outlook users with a holistic view of their email campaigns and their impact on customer relationships. This integration allows for more targeted and effective email communication, driven by detailed customer data and interactions without having to switch context constantly. Try folk today, free.
Discover folk - the CRM for people-powered businesses