Former 3-Year User Gives Advice

Ortto (formerly Autopilot) is an all-in-one email marketing and customer journey platform that aims to keep things visual, simple, and powerful. It combines automation, analytics, email, and customer data into one tidy package — which is great in theory, but how well does it work in practice?

The platform has clearly evolved over the years. Long-time users still remember the old “Journeys” builder with love, while newer reviews praise the clean UI and ease of setup.

But there’s a recurring pattern we’ve spotted in reviews: while Ortto nails simplicity and speed, some users hit limitations with reporting, pricing, and support — especially as their usage scales.

So, is Ortto worth it in 2025? Let’s break it down.

With that out of the way, let’s jump into the full article.

Now, this is what we’ll cover. Feel free to click on any of the text in the table of contents below, and you’ll be redirected to that expanded section:

Ortto Screenshots (Dashboard)

Ortto Pricing: How Much Does it Cost?

Ortto’s pricing is clearly aimed at bigger companies with large budgets.

At $599/month for 10,000 contacts, even the entry-level plan costs more than what most tools charge at the enterprise level. And that’s without features like transactional emails — which are locked behind the $1,999/month Enterprise tier.

• There’s no in-between.
• No lower-tier plan for startups.
• No flexible scaling based on usage.

It’s a flat $599 minimum — and unless you’re already running serious revenue through email, it’s hard to justify that spend.

Take a look at their pricing page:

What makes it tougher is the 12-month contract on Enterprise.

You’re committing nearly $24,000 a year upfront. That’s a big leap if you’re just trying to test or gradually ramp up your automations.

If you’re looking for a better value alternative, Encharge does 90% of what Ortto offers: multi-step journeys, AI features, CRM syncing, Stripe automation, all starting at $79/month.

Pros & Cons of Ortto: My Experience

Ortto is clearly made for teams that already have scale — with engineers, marketers, and budgets to match. The platform has depth, but the price tag means you’ll only get your money’s worth if you actually use the full feature set regularly.

I have to say, I cannot stress the pricing enough.

If you’re running a small SaaS or ecommerce store, Ortto might be overkill. You’ll be paying enterprise rates even if you’re only using basic email flows.

Alternative: Encharge is a way more forgiving option if you still want visual automation, smart segmentation, and Stripe or HubSpot sync — but without the $599+ ceiling.

You can scale into advanced features as you grow, instead of being forced to start at the top.

Ortto works best when your business is past the “early stage” phase.

Think SaaS teams running product-led growth, B2B companies with long sales cycles, or revenue teams juggling CRM, ads, and email all in one place. If you’ve got data scattered across tools and need to track complex journeys — Ortto can make that headache go away.

But if your goal is to just welcome SaaS users, send re-engagement flows, and recover abandoned checkouts — you probably don’t need Ortto’s full machine. It’s overkill for lean teams or solopreneurs who just want to build automations that actually convert.

In that case, go for another app: Mailchimp, Encharge, or ActiveCampaign. Personally, the team and I have used Encharge when we need flexible automations, Stripe-based flows, trial tracking, and CRM syncing — without burning $599/month.

You’ll move faster and get more done without hiring someone just to manage the tool.

→ Check other Ortto competitors

How We Rate Ortto After 3 Years Of Use

Ortto Features: In-Depth Analysis of What You Get

1. Visual Journey Builder

Ortto’s Journey Builder lets you design customer workflows using a drag-and-drop interface. You can trigger actions based on behaviors (like visiting a page or opening an email), send multichannel messages (email, SMS, push), and branch the flow depending on user attributes or events.

It also includes predictive tools that suggest what actions to take next based on past data.

It’s designed to be the brain of your marketing — combining automation, segmentation, and messaging in one place.

If all you need is smart email flows and fast setup, there are simpler tools out there that don’t require a $599 commitment.

→ List of the cheapest email marketing software

2. Reporting & Dashboards

Ortto makes a big deal about its built-in reporting tools.

And to be fair, it’s one of their standout features.

You get customizable dashboards, prebuilt reports for campaigns and journeys, and even funnel views that help you track drop-offs across the customer lifecycle.

It feels more like a product analytics tool than just email stats — which is great if you know what you’re doing.

Ortto’s reporting system gives you serious flexibility if you know how to use it. It’s built more like a CRM with analytics than a traditional email tool.

But for smaller teams or people who want fast answers — this can feel like overkill.

If that’s you, check out a tool like Encharge. Alternatively, Brevo or MailerLite — both give you clean, actionable reports that don’t need a manual to understand.

3. Customer Data Platform

Unlike most email tools, Ortto acts like a mini data warehouse. You can unify customer data across multiple sources — website, product, CRM, ads — and build complex audiences using behavioral filters, events, and attributes.

It’s meant for teams that want full visibility and control over the customer journey.

But with that power comes complexity (and cost).

Ortto gives you real CDP muscle — but that also means you need a team that knows how to flex it. If your setup isn’t complex enough to need a full data warehouse approach, you’ll likely end up under-using what you’re paying for.

Tools like Encharge or Customer.io still give you advanced segmentation without the dev overhead — and might be a better fit if you’re scaling lean.

→ Read more about Customer.io: Pricing and Top Alternatives.

4. Playbooks

Playbooks in Ortto are ready-made automation flows.

Think of them like templates for lifecycle emails — onboarding sequences, upsells, win-backs, and more. Instead of building every flow from scratch, you can plug into a playbook, tweak the content, and launch fast.

It’s meant to speed things up for busy teams or marketers without deep automation experience.

But like most templates, they’re only useful if they fit your use case — otherwise, you’re still doing a lot of manual work.

If you’re just getting started with automations and want fast results, Playbooks help skip the guesswork. But they can feel limiting once you know what you’re doing.

Encharge and Kit (ex-ConvertKit) offer more flexibility with prebuilt flows that are easier to tweak for SaaS or content-based businesses. Good if you’re not trying to fit your business into a one-size-fits-all mold.

Conclusion: Is Ortto Worth it?

Ortto has some powerful features under the hood — from clean automation flows to deep data personalization. If you’re a larger team with complex needs and a budget to match, you’ll likely find its journey builder, CDP, and reporting tools useful.

That said, the pricing puts it out of reach for most small businesses. There’s no starter tier, and even the lowest plan starts at $599/month — a steep ask if you’re just looking for basic email automation or trying to grow gradually.

Some of Ortto’s tools also come with a learning curve, especially around reporting and CDP setup. You’ll get the most value if you already have technical support or dedicated marketing staff.

For teams looking for something simpler, more affordable, or easier to pick up without training, it may be worth exploring tools like Encharge or MailerLite.

Ortto Review FAQs

1. Does Ortto comply with GDPR?

Yes, Ortto complies with the GDPR. It provides features and documentation to help users stay compliant, including:

• GDPR settings inside the platform for managing consent and data privacy
• A GDPR addendum that customers can use for legal protection
• Data hosting in the EU, helping meet local storage laws
• Security protocols like 2FA, SSO, regular audits, and ISO/SOC2 compliance
• Clear data protection policies, outlining how personal data is handled under GDPR

Ortto also claims compliance with other standards like CCPA, HIPAA, and SOC2, making it suitable for privacy-focused teams.

2. Is Ortto legit and trustworthy?

Yes, Ortto is a legitimate marketing automation platform.

For instance, a user on G2 mentioned: “The platform is easy to use and has all the functions needed to create email campaigns for our company. Customer support was super helpful and responded within a few minutes” .

Pro Tip: Encharge guarantees a +90% deliverability rate.

Thank you so much for reading this,
David Ch
Head of Marketing at Encharge