In practical terms — coworking spaces don’t need email software built for ecommerce stores or B2B SaaS pipelines. You need practical stuff: membership lead follow-up and tour-to-member conversion, desk and meeting room booking confirmations, community event promotion and member engagement campaigns, member retention and membership tier upgrades (hot desk, fixed desk, private office), waitlist and referral program management, and automated onboarding for new members.

I wrote this for independent coworking space operators, small coworking chains, and community-managed workspaces who’re comparing email tools before picking a platform.

Quick answer

If you want the short version:

  • Best overall for most coworking spaces: MailerLite
  • Best for deeper member onboarding and retention automation: ActiveCampaign
  • Best for email plus SMS for event and booking reminders: Brevo
  • Best known mainstream starting point: Mailchimp
  • Best for coworking spaces running digital community content or newsletters: ConvertKit

What coworking spaces should care about most

For coworking spaces, email marketing is mainly about converting tour inquiries and trial visitors into paid members, keeping active members engaged with community events and perks, upgrading members from hot desk to fixed desk or private office, communicating desk availability, closures, and pricing changes, and managing referral programs and member-led growth.

Here’s what I’d look at when comparing:

  • how easily you can capture leads from website inquiries, Google Business Profile, or walk-in sign-ups
  • whether the tool supports a tour-to-member follow-up sequence, member onboarding drip, and seasonal upgrade campaigns
  • how well it handles segmentation by membership tier (hot desk, fixed desk, private office), lead source, or engagement level
  • whether it’s simple enough for a small team or single operator to use without a dedicated marketing person
  • whether pricing stays reasonable as your member list grows across multiple locations

most coworking spaces get more value from consistent lead follow-up, member communication, and reasonable pricing than from advanced features they’ll never maintain.

Comparison table

ToolBest forPricing levelEase of useAutomation depthCoworking fit
MailerLitemost coworking spacesloweasymediumstrong
ActiveCampaigndeeper member lifecycle automationmidmediumstrongstrong
Brevoemail plus SMS for event and booking reminderslow to mideasymediumgood
Mailchimpfamiliar starting pointlow to mideasymediumdecent
ConvertKitcontent-led coworking communitiesmideasymediumgood

1. MailerLite

The stronger interpretation is MailerLite is often the best overall fit for coworking spaces. It’s affordable, easy to set up, and gives you enough functionality for lead capture, tour follow-up sequences, member newsletters, event promotions, and basic member retention campaigns.

Best for:

  • independent coworking space operators
  • small coworking chains with one or two locations
  • operators who want practical email without a steep learning curve

Strengths:

  • affordable pricing that scales reasonably with list growth
  • simple drag-and-drop editor, forms, and landing pages
  • good enough for tour follow-ups, event promotions, and monthly newsletters
  • easy to run without a dedicated marketing person

Weaknesses:

  • not the deepest option for advanced member segmentation by tier or engagement
  • some growing multi-location spaces may outgrow it later

2. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign makes sense if you care more about member onboarding automation, multi-step nurture for tour-to-member conversion, and segmenting members by membership tier, engagement, and lead source.

Best for:

  • growing coworking spaces and multi-location operators
  • spaces running tiered membership models (hot desk, fixed desk, private office)
  • teams that want stronger lead follow-up and member retention workflows

Strengths:

  • strong automation builder for multi-step workflows
  • useful tagging and segmentation by membership tier, engagement, and lead source
  • practical for tour-to-member sequences, new member onboarding, win-back for lapsed members, and upgrade campaigns
  • lead scoring for spotting potential private office or enterprise inquiries

Weaknesses:

  • heavier setup than simpler tools
  • more than many single-location coworking spaces need

3. Brevo

Brevo is a practical option if you want email plus SMS in one tool for event reminders, desk availability updates, and space announcements.

Best for:

  • spaces running frequent community events and workshops
  • operators sending desk availability alerts, closures, or pricing updates
  • coworking teams who want a simple all-in-one communication setup

Strengths:

  • useful email and SMS combination for event reminders and booking notifications
  • practical for one-off campaigns (open houses, member referral drives, seasonal promotions)
  • generally reasonable pricing

Weaknesses:

  • weaker automation for multi-step member lifecycle workflows
  • less familiar than Mailchimp for some operators

4. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is still a common starting point for coworking spaces — it’s familiar and quick to get going with.

Best for:

  • new coworking spaces starting their first email marketing
  • operators who want a known platform with minimum friction
  • spaces with simple newsletter and event announcement needs

Strengths:

  • familiar interface
  • easy starting point with templates for event promotions and newsletters
  • broad ecosystem and third-party integrations

Weaknesses:

  • can feel less cost-effective as the member list grows
  • weaker for deeper member segmentation and lifecycle automation

5. ConvertKit

ConvertKit is a good option if your coworking space also runs a digital community, publishes content about remote work and productivity, or uses email to build an audience beyond your physical space.

Best for:

  • coworking spaces with a strong content and newsletter component
  • community-led spaces building an audience around remote work and entrepreneurship
  • operators who want to run both membership communication and an external audience list

Strengths:

  • creator-friendly forms and landing pages
  • practical for newsletters, event registration sequences, and digital content
  • strong welcome sequences and subscriber tagging

Weaknesses:

  • less ideal for pure brick-and-mortar coworking without digital or content components
  • no lead scoring

Which tool should a coworking space choose?

Choose MailerLite if

  • you want the best balance of price and simplicity
  • your automation needs are basic to moderate
  • you run one or two locations and don’t want to overcomplicate your stack

Choose ActiveCampaign if

  • member onboarding and retention automation matter more to you
  • you want stronger segmentation by membership tier and engagement
  • your space is growing and adding locations or membership types

Choose Brevo if

  • you want email and SMS in one system
  • event reminders, desk availability updates, and open house promotions are a big part of your outreach
  • you want a practical alternative to Mailchimp

Choose Mailchimp if

  • you want a familiar brand and quick setup
  • your email needs are limited to newsletters and event announcements
  • you’re comfortable with pricing that rises as the list grows

Choose ConvertKit if

  • your coworking space also runs a remote work content brand or digital community
  • member communication is content-led and extends beyond your physical space

When should a coworking space switch tools?

You’re probably ready to switch if:

  • your current tool makes lead follow-up and member segmentation messy
  • you can’t easily run tour-to-member sequences and member upgrade campaigns
  • pricing keeps rising faster than the value you’re getting
  • you want email plus SMS or stronger automation for member lifecycle management

Final recommendation

For most coworking spaces, I’d say MailerLite is the safest starting point — it keeps cost low, setup simple, and covers lead capture, member communication, and event promotion really well.

If your business depends more on member onboarding automation and tiered membership segmentation, ActiveCampaign is usually the better upgrade path.

If you run frequent community events and want SMS alongside email, Brevo is the most practical choice.

If you also publish content for a remote work audience, ConvertKit is worth a close look.

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Sources and references

For the most accurate and up-to-date information, visit the official websites of the tools mentioned in this article:

External sources cited in this article are trusted industry authorities including official vendor documentation, verified user reviews, and independent software comparison platforms.

Choose this if

  • The page matches the decision you are making now.
  • The tool, pricing model, and workflow fit your business model.
  • You have checked current official pricing before buying.

Skip this if

  • You need a different business model, channel, or budget range.
  • The platform adds complexity your team will not use.
  • You are comparing only by starting price instead of total monthly cost.

Final verdict

Use the decision table, pricing notes, and related guides to narrow the shortlist. The best email marketing platform is the one that matches list size, automation depth, ecommerce needs, budget, and switching cost.