Flodesk vs Omnisend
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on a couple of things that matter more than the monthly price.
Flodesk
OmnisendWhich one, for whom
- Starting out with no budgetOmnisendOmnisend can run an automated welcome sequence on its free plan. Flodesk cannot, so a new subscriber hears nothing from you until you pay.Start free on Omnisend
- Worried about being locked inFlodeskFlodesk keeps your subscribers and automations when you cancel, rather than deleting them.See Flodesk pricing
Side by side
| Flodesk | Omnisend | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None | 250 subscribers |
| Free sends | None on the free plan | 500 emails/mo |
| Welcome sequence on free | No | Yes |
| Connects to Teachable | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Kajabi | Through Zapier | Not listed |
| Connects to Podia | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Thinkific | Not listed | Not listed |
| Paid from | $25/mo | $11.20/mo |
| The catch | Two catches. Their pricing table lists email sending on the free plan while their own FAQ says the free plan does not include it, so read the free plan as forms and landing pages only. And their pricing page currently serves two different plan line-ups from the same address, one with a cheaper Lite plan and one without, so check which one you are actually offered before you commit. | 500 free emails a month is roughly 2 sends to a 250-person list. |
| G2 score | 4.8 out of 5, from 302 reviews | 4.6 out of 5, from 1,246 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 4.9 out of 5, from 364 reviews | 4.4 out of 5, from 506 reviews |
Figures read off each vendor's own pricing page on 9 September 2026. Where a row says not published, that vendor does not state a price at that list size and we will not invent one.
The last two rows are other people's scores, not ours, read on 6 September 2026. Check them yourself:Flodesk on G2, Flodesk on Trustpilot, Omnisend on G2, Omnisend on Trustpilot.
Getting your list back out
FlodeskEasy to leave
Cancelling does not delete anything. Their help page answers it directly: your data remains safe and all your content will still be available. You drop to their free tier, which keeps your forms collecting subscribers but cannot send email, so the list is held rather than lost and stays frozen until you pay again. Source
OmnisendEasy to leave
Cancelling a paid plan does not delete anything by itself: their help centre says you drop to the free plan and your contacts, campaigns and reports "remain accessible in read-only mode." The real risk is inactivity rather than cancellation: an account with no login for several months can be treated as inactive and permanently deleted, and a deliberate account deletion is instant and irreversible. Export your list if you plan to leave the account untouched for a while. Source
Flodesk vs Omnisend, answered
- Is Flodesk or Omnisend better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. Omnisend if you are starting out with no budget. Flodesk if you are worried about being locked in.
- Which of Flodesk and Omnisend has the better free plan?
- Omnisend allows more free subscribers (250 against none). A bigger allowance is not automatically the better plan: check the welcome sequence row above, because that is where the two usually part company.
- Can I move from Flodesk to Omnisend later?
- Yes, and you should assume you will. Export your list before you cancel anything, and keep whatever marks who bought from you. We wrote the whole running order up separately.
Try either one
FlodeskThe best looking emails, but nothing free to send with
$25/mopaid plans start here. No free plan. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
See Flodesk pricingRead the full Flodesk breakdownOmnisendOnly if you also ship physical products
$11.20/mopaid plans start here. Free up to 250. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
Start free on OmnisendRead the full Omnisend breakdownMoving between them? Read the switching guide first, or answer 5 questions to check neither of these is the wrong shortlist.
Neither of these? See all 14, including which ones connect straight to Teachable, Kajabi, Podia or Thinkific, or compare what they cost as your list grows.