Should you use Customer.io in 2025?

In my professional practice, I have used Customer.io primarily to manage automated email campaigns and push notifications. What impressed me was its flexibility and the depth of customization it offers. Its strength clearly lies in its advanced segmentation engine, which can precisely target users based on their actions.

Customer.io excels especially in contexts where you want to go beyond simply sending emails—it allows you to integrate complex behavioral data to trigger highly contextual and timely messages. This is particularly useful for SaaS or e-commerce products seeking to increase customer retention.

On the other hand, the platform can have a steep learning curve, especially for non-technical users, and the interface, which can be dense at times, requires some time to get used to. Prices can also quickly rise depending on the number of targeted users, which could discourage small organizations with limited budgets.

Customer.io may seem intimidating at first to a beginner, particularly due to its rich interface and the depth of functionality it offers. However, it provides guides, tutorials, and templates that make it easy to get started with simple workflows. For example, creating a basic automated email campaign is accessible even to users with little experience.

For beginners, the advantage is that they can progress at their own pace, exploring simple features first before moving on to advanced options such as behavioral segmentation or custom integrations via API. In short, Customer.io is a scalable platform that is well suited to gradual learning.

Customer.io offers pricing based primarily on the number of active user profiles and the features selected. The starter package generally starts at around $99/month, suitable for SMEs with moderate volumes.

This plan includes essential email, SMS, and push notification features, with access to segments, multichannel campaigns, and basic analytics. This plan is well-suited for startups and small marketing teams looking to automate standard scenarios.

Beyond that, higher-level plans offer advanced options such as priority support, more detailed analytics, and extended API integrations, tailored to medium and large businesses. The price of these plans can increase depending on the number of contacts and messages sent, hence the need to accurately estimate your usage.

The first key feature of Customer.io is its advanced segmentation. It allows you to create highly targeted user groups using complex criteria based on their behavior, attributes, or even custom events. This granularity is essential for sending relevant and contextual messages, thereby maximizing engagement.

The second major feature is multichannel automation. Customer.io not only allows you to send emails, but also SMS messages, push notifications, and even in-app messages. This versatility makes it possible to build consistent user journeys tailored to each customer's preferred channels.

Among the advanced features is the ability to trigger campaigns in real time based on specific events, which is crucial for retention or conversion scenarios. This dynamic automation capability allows for instant intervention based on user actions.

Another advanced feature is full API integration. Customer.io allows technical teams to connect their own systems, synchronize data, and adapt flows according to customized business logic, offering great strategic and technical freedom.