MailPoet vs FluentCRM vs DoubleScale: Newsletter Plugin, Email CRM or Full CRM?

MailPoet, FluentCRM and DoubleScale are all WordPress plugins that keep your contacts in your own database. That is where the similarity stops. MailPoet is a newsletter tool. FluentCRM is an email marketing CRM. DoubleScale, which we build, is a full CRM where email is one module alongside sales, booking and support.

So the real question is not “which is best?” but “how much of a CRM do you need?” Here is how to decide.

Full disclosure: we make DoubleScale. We have kept the two other tools’ strengths in, quoted every price from their own pricing pages, and listed the cases where DoubleScale is the wrong choice.

That is the lens for this MailPoet vs FluentCRM vs DoubleScale comparison.

In one line each

The three side by side

Round 1: Price as you grow

Yearly cost on monthly billing, 4 campaigns a month to the whole list. Vendor pricing pages, checked October 17, 2026. DoubleScale includes Amazon SES at $0.10 per 1,000 emails.

MailPoet Business$960

FluentCRM Pro + Amazon SES$177

DoubleScale Basic + Amazon SES$147

Four campaigns a month. FluentCRM and DoubleScale both pay Amazon SES about $0.10 per 1,000 emails.

FluentCRM and DoubleScale both escape per-subscriber pricing. MailPoet includes managed sending, which is worth paying for if you would rather not touch DNS records.

Round winnerFluentCRM and DoubleScale

Round 2: Contacts

MailPoet stores subscribers with lists, tags and engagement data. FluentCRM gives each contact a 360° profile with tags, lists, custom fields, email history and purchase data from integrated plugins. DoubleScale’s contact record goes further into the business: emails, SMS, WhatsApp and calls sit next to deals, proposals, invoices, bookings, tickets and projects, with contact owners and team sharing on Pro.

Round winnerDoubleScale for business context; FluentCRM for marketing data.

Round 3: Automation

On marketing automation, FluentCRM and DoubleScale are evenly matched. FluentCRM’s funnels react to form submissions, purchases, course enrolments and membership changes, with sequences, smart links and a mature action library. MailPoet sticks to welcome emails, post notifications and WooCommerce flows.

DoubleScale’s visual workflow builder (Pro) works the same way: triggers from WooCommerce, forms, LMS and membership plugins, email opens, link clicks and replies; actions that send emails, start sequences and update tags, lists and fields; delays and goals that end a workflow early. Conditions can be nested, so one workflow can check whether a contact has a tag, then whether they bought a product, and branch differently at each level.

On top of that, DoubleScale reacts to business events FluentCRM does not see: deal stage changes, proposals accepted, invoices paid, contracts signed, bookings made and tickets created.

Round winnerTie: FluentCRM and DoubleScale DoubleScale adds sales, booking and support events.

Round 4: Sales and service

Neither MailPoet nor FluentCRM includes sales pipelines, quotes or invoices; FluentCRM users usually add other plugins for that. DoubleScale’s free plugin already includes proposals, invoices with branded PDFs, bookings, a client portal and a helpdesk inbox. Pro adds pipelines and deals, contracts with e-signatures, recurring invoices, online payments, tasks and projects.

Round winnerDoubleScale

Round 5: Sending

MailPoet is the only one with a built-in sending service. FluentCRM and DoubleScale both send through providers you connect; DoubleScale lets you connect several, set a default and a fallback, and get an alert if delivery fails.

Round winnerMailPoet for ease.

Round 6: Sequences

FluentCRM has strong email sequences with delays and smart links. MailPoet’s closest equivalent is its automation emails. DoubleScale Pro has a visual sequence builder, separate from automations, so you can see the whole series and its delays at a glance.

Round winnerFluentCRM and DoubleScale

Round 7: Reports

FluentCRM reports campaign performance, funnel conversions and revenue from integrations. MailPoet reports engagement and WooCommerce revenue on paid plans. DoubleScale reports campaigns, automations and email delivery logs on free, and adds pipeline, revenue, invoice, cart and sales-rep reports on Pro.

Round winnerDoubleScale for business reports; FluentCRM for marketing funnels.

When DoubleScale is the wrong pick

• There is no built-in sending service. You connect your own provider (Amazon SES, Brevo, Mailgun, SendGrid, Postmark and more) and add its DNS records once.
• No A/B testing yet.
• We are new on WordPress.org, so there are fewer tutorials and community answers than for the big names.
• Automations that send email, sequences, automated campaigns, WooCommerce triggers, SMS and WhatsApp need a Pro plan (from $99 a year). The free automation builder handles tags, lists and contact updates.
• If email marketing is your whole job and you will never need sales or support tools, FluentCRM is the more focused, more established choice.

Choose by situation

Coming from FluentCRM? Follow our FluentCRM migration guide, or read the DoubleScale vs FluentCRM breakdown. For the two-way view, see MailPoet vs FluentCRM.

How we compared: prices were read on each vendor’s pricing page on October 17, 2026 (USD, monthly billing unless noted); the cost examples assume 4 campaigns a month to the whole list; DoubleScale screenshots are from DoubleScale 1.6 on a test site.

FAQ

What is the difference between FluentCRM and DoubleScale?

Both are WordPress CRMs priced per site with unlimited contacts. FluentCRM focuses on email marketing automation. DoubleScale adds sales pipelines, proposals, invoices, contracts, bookings, a helpdesk, projects, SMS and WhatsApp.

Is MailPoet a CRM?

No. MailPoet is a newsletter and WooCommerce email plugin. It stores subscribers but has no deals, pipelines or support tools.

Can I import FluentCRM contacts into DoubleScale?

Yes. DoubleScale’s free plugin includes a FluentCRM importer, plus CSV, WordPress users, WooCommerce and several other CRMs.

Which is cheapest for 10,000 contacts?

With Amazon SES and four campaigns a month: DoubleScale Basic about $147 a year, FluentCRM Pro about $177, MailPoet Business $960.

Is FluentCRM free?

Yes. The WordPress.org version includes unlimited contacts and campaigns. FluentCRM Pro costs $129 a year for one site and adds integrations and advanced automation.

Can DoubleScale replace FluentCRM and a separate invoicing plugin?

Yes. DoubleScale includes email marketing and automation, and its free plugin already includes proposals and invoices with branded PDFs; Pro adds online payments and recurring invoices.