Choosing between Klaviyo and Attentive is one of the most common decisions facing ecommerce brands that want to scale their retention marketing. Both platforms are well-regarded, but they serve different needs and have evolved in different directions. This guide breaks down exactly where each platform excels and where it falls short, so you can make an informed decision for your business.
We manage Klaviyo accounts for UK ecommerce brands across multiple verticals, and we have evaluated Attentive alongside Klaviyo for several clients. This comparison is based on hands-on experience with real accounts, not marketing materials.
Platform overview
Klaviyo launched in 2012 as an email marketing platform purpose-built for ecommerce. It has since expanded to include SMS, push notifications, and a customer data platform (CDP). Attentive launched in 2016 as an SMS-first marketing platform and later added email capabilities in 2023.
This heritage matters. Klaviyo's DNA is email marketing with a strong data layer. Attentive's DNA is SMS marketing with a focus on subscriber growth. Each platform reflects these origins in its feature set, user experience, and strategic direction.
| Dimension | Klaviyo | Attentive |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 | 2016 |
| Primary channel | Email + SMS | SMS (email added 2023) |
| Shopify integration depth | Native, deep | Good, not as deep |
| CDP functionality | Built-in since 2024 | Limited |
| UK market presence | Strong | Growing |
| Ideal for | Full-stack retention marketing | SMS-focused growth |
Email marketing features compared
Email is where Klaviyo has the clearest advantage. With over a decade of development, Klaviyo's email engine is mature, powerful, and deeply integrated with ecommerce data.
Template builder
Klaviyo offers a drag-and-drop email builder with ecommerce-specific blocks: product recommendations, dynamic product feeds, countdown timers, and review snippets. Templates can be saved, cloned, and version-controlled. The builder handles responsive design well, and you can inject custom HTML where needed.
Attentive's email builder, launched in 2023, is functional but less mature. It covers the basics — drag-and-drop, mobile preview, A/B testing — but lacks the depth of ecommerce-specific blocks that Klaviyo offers. For brands that rely heavily on dynamic product content in emails, this is a meaningful gap.
Flows and automation
Klaviyo's flow builder is one of the best in the industry. You can build complex multi-step automations with conditional splits based on customer behaviour, profile properties, predictive analytics, and custom events. Flows can span email and SMS within a single automation.
Attentive offers journey-based automations for SMS that are well-designed, but its email automation capabilities are still catching up to Klaviyo's. If you need sophisticated email flows — like a five-step post-purchase sequence with conditional splits based on product category, order value, and customer lifetime value — Klaviyo is the stronger choice.
Segmentation
Both platforms offer segment builders, but Klaviyo's is more powerful for email marketing. You can segment based on email engagement (opens, clicks, conversions), purchase history, predicted lifetime value, website behaviour, and custom events. Segments update in real time and can be used as flow triggers, campaign targets, and conditional split criteria.
For a deep dive on Klaviyo's segmentation, see our flow optimisation guide.
SMS marketing features compared
SMS is where the comparison gets more nuanced. Attentive built its reputation on SMS, and its subscriber acquisition tools are genuinely impressive.
Subscriber acquisition
Attentive's "two-tap" mobile signup experience is one of the best in the industry. It uses the native messaging app on the visitor's phone to capture SMS consent, which reduces friction compared to traditional form-based signups. This typically results in higher SMS opt-in rates.
Klaviyo's SMS signup forms work well but use a more traditional approach — visitors enter their phone number in a popup or embedded form. The conversion rate is generally lower than Attentive's two-tap method, though Klaviyo has been improving its mobile signup experience steadily throughout 2025 and 2026.
Two-way conversations
Both platforms support two-way SMS conversations, allowing customers to reply to messages and receive automated or manual responses. Attentive's conversational commerce features are more developed, with better support for complex reply handling and agent-assisted conversations.
Klaviyo's two-way SMS is functional for common use cases (order enquiries, simple replies) but less sophisticated for complex conversational flows. For most UK ecommerce brands, Klaviyo's two-way SMS covers the majority of real-world use cases.
Compliance and deliverability
Both platforms handle SMS compliance well, including opt-in/opt-out management, quiet hours, and carrier compliance. For UK brands, it is important to verify that your chosen platform supports UK phone numbers, understands PECR regulations, and can handle the nuances of UK SMS delivery.
Klaviyo supports UK SMS natively and handles GDPR and PECR requirements. Attentive also supports UK SMS but was historically more US-focused, so verify the latest UK capabilities before committing.
Pricing comparison
Pricing is one of the most important factors in this decision, and the two platforms structure their pricing differently.
Klaviyo pricing model
Klaviyo prices based on the number of active profiles in your account. Email sending is included in the base price (with generous limits), and SMS credits are purchased separately or bundled. This means you pay one platform fee that covers email and SMS. For a detailed breakdown, see our Klaviyo pricing guide.
| Active profiles | Email plan (approx.) | Email + SMS plan (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000–1,500 | £15/month | £30/month |
| 5,000–10,000 | £80–150/month | £100–180/month |
| 25,000–50,000 | £350–600/month | £400–700/month |
| 100,000+ | Custom pricing | Custom pricing |
Attentive pricing model
Attentive prices based on SMS message volume (number of messages sent per month) plus a platform fee. Email pricing is separate. Because Attentive does not publicly list its prices, you need to request a quote. Industry reports suggest Attentive's SMS pricing is competitive but the total cost can be higher when you add a separate email platform.
Total cost of ownership
For brands that need both email and SMS, Klaviyo is typically more cost-effective because everything is on one platform. You pay one subscription, manage one set of integrations, and train your team on one tool. If you use Attentive for SMS and a separate platform for email, you are paying two subscriptions, maintaining two integrations, and dealing with data synchronisation between platforms.
Integrations and ecosystem
Both platforms integrate with Shopify, but the depth of integration differs substantially.
Shopify integration
Klaviyo's Shopify integration is one of the deepest in the market. It syncs customer data, order history, product catalogues, and website behaviour in real time. Klaviyo integrates with Shopify Flow for custom automations, supports Shopify's native checkout extensibility, and can access Shopify's customer metafields.
Attentive's Shopify integration is solid for SMS-related use cases (cart abandonment triggers, order confirmations) but does not offer the same depth of data synchronisation for email marketing purposes. If you are running Shopify or Shopify Plus, this difference in integration depth matters.
Third-party integrations
Klaviyo has a larger integration ecosystem with over 350 pre-built integrations, including review platforms (Yotpo, Judge.me, Trustpilot), loyalty programmes (Loyalty Lion, Smile.io), subscription platforms (Recharge, Loop), and helpdesks (Gorgias, Zendesk).
Attentive's integration library is smaller but covers the essentials for SMS marketing. If you use niche ecommerce tools, verify that Attentive supports them before committing. For more on building an effective integration stack, see our ecommerce tech stack guide.
Reporting and analytics
Klaviyo's reporting is comprehensive. You get channel-level dashboards, flow performance reports, campaign analytics, revenue attribution, cohort analysis, and predictive analytics (expected date of next order, predicted lifetime value, churn risk).
Attentive's reporting is strong for SMS metrics — delivery rates, click rates, revenue per message, subscriber growth — but its email reporting is less developed. If you need a single pane of glass across email and SMS performance, Klaviyo provides a more complete picture.
Klaviyo's predictive analytics are a standout feature. The platform uses machine learning to predict customer behaviour, which you can use for segmentation and flow triggers. Attentive does not offer comparable predictive capabilities at the time of writing.
UK-specific considerations
For UK ecommerce brands, several factors tip the balance towards one platform or the other.
GDPR and PECR compliance
Klaviyo has robust GDPR compliance features, including consent management, data processing agreements, right-to-erasure tools, and UK/EU data residency options. Attentive also supports GDPR but its compliance tools were built primarily for US regulations (TCPA, CCPA) and later adapted for GDPR.
Currency and localisation
Klaviyo handles GBP natively in its pricing tables, revenue reports, and dynamic email content. Attentive supports GBP but some reporting may default to USD, which can be confusing for UK teams reviewing performance data.
UK SMS delivery
Klaviyo uses UK-local SMS routes and understands the UK carrier landscape. SMS deliverability in the UK is generally good on both platforms, but Klaviyo's longer UK presence means its delivery infrastructure is more proven for brands targeting UK consumers.
Support hours
Klaviyo offers support that covers UK business hours. Attentive's support is primarily US-based, which can mean slower response times for UK brands during their working day. This is a practical consideration if you need help during a live campaign send or a flow malfunction.
The verdict
For most UK ecommerce brands running on Shopify, Klaviyo is the stronger choice. It offers a more complete retention marketing platform with deeper Shopify integration, more mature email capabilities, built-in predictive analytics, and better UK-specific support.
Attentive is worth considering if SMS is your primary retention channel and you want the best possible SMS subscriber acquisition tools. However, most brands need both email and SMS, and running them on separate platforms adds cost and complexity that rarely justifies the marginal SMS advantage.
Choose Klaviyo if:
- You need a unified email and SMS platform
- Email is your primary retention channel
- You want deep Shopify integration and predictive analytics
- You are a UK brand and want local compliance and support
- You want to reduce your tech stack complexity
Choose Attentive if:
- SMS is your dominant retention channel by a significant margin
- You want best-in-class SMS subscriber acquisition
- You already have a mature email platform you do not want to change
- You have the budget and team capacity to manage two platforms
The retention marketing landscape is consolidating around platforms that handle both email and SMS effectively. Klaviyo's investment in becoming a full-stack retention platform — with email, SMS, push, and CDP — positions it well for brands that want simplicity and depth in a single tool.
If you are evaluating platforms or considering a migration, get in touch. We can help you assess your needs and make the right choice for your brand. See our Klaviyo email marketing services for more on how we work with brands on platform selection and implementation.
