Mailchimp Pricing vs Competitors 2026: Cost Comparison
Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing tools, but its pricing has increased over the years. This guide compares Mailchimp's 2026 pricing with its main competitors to help you find the best value email marketing tool for your business.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
For more resources, see our Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign 2026 comparison and our best marketing tools for MENA 2026 guide.
Mailchimp Pricing 2026
According to Mailchimp's official pricing page:
| Plan |
Price |
Contacts |
Emails/month |
Key Features |
| Free |
$0 |
500 |
1,000 |
Basic templates, basic reporting, CRM |
| Essentials |
$13/mo |
500 |
6,000 |
A/B testing, 24/7 email support, custom branding |
| Standard |
$20/mo |
500 |
12,000 |
Advanced automation, retargeting ads, dynamic content |
| Premium |
$350/mo |
10,000 |
Unlimited |
Unlimited audiences, phone support, multivariate testing |
Important: Mailchimp prices increase as your contact list grows. At 2,500 contacts: Essentials ~$40/mo, Standard ~$65/mo. At 10,000 contacts: Essentials ~$100/mo, Standard ~$100/mo, Premium $350/mo.
Competitor Pricing Comparison
| Tool |
Starting Price |
Contacts |
Emails/month |
Best For |
| Mailchimp Free |
$0 |
500 |
1,000 |
Beginners |
| Mailchimp Essentials |
$13/mo |
500 |
6,000 |
Small businesses |
| Mailchimp Standard |
$20/mo |
500 |
12,000 |
Growing businesses |
| Mailchimp Premium |
$350/mo |
10,000 |
Unlimited |
Large businesses |
| ActiveCampaign Starter |
$49/mo |
1,000 |
Unlimited |
Automation |
| Klaviyo |
$45/mo |
1,000 |
15,000 |
E-commerce |
| Brevo Starter |
$25/mo |
Unlimited |
20,000 |
Large contact lists |
| ConvertKit Creator |
$25/mo |
1,000 |
Unlimited |
Creators |
| HubSpot Marketing Starter |
$20/mo |
1,000 |
5,000 |
All-in-one |
All prices verified as of July 2026.
Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign
Mailchimp Standard ($20/mo, 500 contacts):
- 12,000 emails/month
- Basic automation (customer journeys)
- A/B testing
- Retargeting ads
- Custom branding
ActiveCampaign Starter ($49/mo, 1,000 contacts):
- Unlimited emails
- Advanced automation (visual workflow builder, conditional logic, site tracking)
- Lead scoring
- CRM included
- SMS marketing
- Landing pages
Winner: ActiveCampaign for automation and unlimited emails. Mailchimp for lower entry price and ease of use.
Cost at scale: At 5,000 contacts, Mailchimp Standard costs ~$100/mo (12,000 emails) vs ActiveCampaign ~$79/mo (unlimited emails). ActiveCampaign becomes cheaper at larger contact lists.
Mailchimp vs Klaviyo
Mailchimp Standard ($20/mo, 500 contacts):
- 12,000 emails/month
- Basic e-commerce integration
- Product recommendations (basic)
- Abandoned cart emails
Klaviyo ($45/mo, 1,000 contacts):
- 15,000 emails/month
- Deep Shopify/WooCommerce integration
- Advanced product recommendations
- Revenue tracking per email
- SMS marketing included
- Predictive analytics
- Customer lifetime value segmentation
Winner: Klaviyo for e-commerce. Mailchimp for general email marketing.
Cost comparison: Klaviyo is more expensive at entry ($45 vs $20) but provides significantly more e-commerce value. If you run an online store, Klaviyo's revenue tracking and product recommendations typically generate 3-5x more revenue per email than Mailchimp.
Mailchimp vs Brevo
Mailchimp Standard ($20/mo, 500 contacts):
- 12,000 emails/month
- Charges per contact — costs increase with list size
Brevo Starter ($25/mo, unlimited contacts):
- 20,000 emails/month
- Charges per email volume, not contacts
- SMS marketing included
- Basic automation
- Landing pages
Winner: Brevo for large contact lists. Mailchimp for small lists and brand recognition.
Cost advantage: Brevo's biggest advantage is unlimited contacts. If you have 10,000 contacts, Mailchimp Premium costs $350/month. Brevo costs $25/month for 20,000 emails to those 10,000 contacts. That's a 14x cost difference.
Mailchimp vs ConvertKit
Mailchimp Standard ($20/mo, 500 contacts):
- 12,000 emails/month
- E-commerce features
- Ad retargeting
ConvertKit Creator ($25/mo, 1,000 contacts):
- Unlimited emails
- Tag-based subscriber segmentation
- Visual automation builder
- Landing pages and forms
- Digital product sales
- Creator-focused features
Winner: ConvertKit for creators and bloggers. Mailchimp for e-commerce and general marketing.
Cost comparison: ConvertKit includes 1,000 contacts (double Mailchimp's 500) with unlimited emails. For creators who sell digital products, ConvertKit's built-in sales features eliminate the need for separate tools.
Mailchimp vs HubSpot Marketing Hub
Mailchimp Standard ($20/mo, 500 contacts):
- 12,000 emails/month
- Email-focused marketing
HubSpot Marketing Hub Starter ($20/mo, 1,000 contacts):
- 5,000 emails/month
- CRM included
- Forms and pop-ups
- Ad retargeting
- Landing pages
- Social media management
Winner: HubSpot for all-in-one marketing. Mailchimp for email-focused campaigns with higher email volume.
Cost comparison: Same price ($20/mo) but different value. HubSpot gives CRM, forms, and social media but fewer emails (5,000 vs 12,000). Mailchimp gives more emails but less marketing features. See our HubSpot pricing breakdown 2026 for details.
Total Cost Calculator
- Mailchimp Free: $0 (1,000 emails)
- Mailchimp Essentials: $13/mo (6,000 emails)
- Brevo Free: $0 (300 emails/day = ~9,000/mo)
- ConvertKit Free: $0 (1,000 contacts, basic features)
- Cheapest: Brevo Free or Mailchimp Free ($0)
- Mailchimp Essentials: ~$40/mo (15,000 emails)
- Mailchimp Standard: ~$65/mo (30,000 emails)
- ActiveCampaign Starter: ~$59/mo (unlimited emails)
- Brevo Starter: $25/mo (20,000 emails, unlimited contacts)
- Klaviyo: ~$85/mo (2,500 contacts, 37,500 emails)
- Cheapest: Brevo Starter ($25/mo)
- Mailchimp Premium: $350/mo (unlimited emails)
- ActiveCampaign: ~$129/mo (unlimited emails)
- Brevo Business: $65/mo (50,000 emails, unlimited contacts)
- Klaviyo: ~$150/mo (10,000 contacts, 150,000 emails)
- Cheapest: Brevo Business ($65/mo)
Feature Comparison
| Feature |
Mailchimp |
ActiveCampaign |
Klaviyo |
Brevo |
ConvertKit |
| Free plan |
Yes (500) |
No |
No |
Yes (300/day) |
Yes (1,000) |
| Unlimited contacts |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Unlimited emails |
Premium only |
Yes |
No |
No (by volume) |
Yes (paid) |
| Advanced automation |
Standard+ |
Yes (best) |
Yes |
Basic |
Yes |
| E-commerce integration |
Basic |
Good |
Excellent |
Basic |
Limited |
| CRM included |
Basic |
Yes |
No |
Basic |
No |
| SMS marketing |
Add-on |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Landing pages |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| A/B testing |
Essentials+ |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Revenue tracking |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Email Marketing Automation Comparison
Automation is where the biggest differences between email marketing tools appear. Here's how each tool's automation capabilities compare:
Mailchimp Standard ($20/mo):
- Customer journeys (basic visual workflow)
- Up to 4 journey starting points
- Branching logic (if/then)
- Send time optimization
- Abandoned cart automation
- Product recommendations (basic)
- Limit: 200 emails per workflow on Standard
ActiveCampaign Starter ($49/mo):
- Visual automation builder (most advanced in industry)
- Unlimited workflow starting points
- Conditional logic with site tracking
- Lead scoring automation
- CRM automation (deal stages, task assignment)
- SMS automation
- Site and event tracking
- Split testing in automations
- Unlimited emails per workflow
Klaviyo ($45/mo):
- Flow builder (visual automation)
- E-commerce triggers (purchase, browse, abandoned cart)
- Product recommendations (dynamic)
- Predictive analytics in flows
- SMS + email combined flows
- Revenue tracking per flow
- Limit: Based on contact tier
Brevo Starter ($25/mo):
- Basic workflow automation
- Trigger emails
- Basic conditional logic
- SMS automation
- Limit: Basic automation on Starter, advanced on Business ($65/mo)
ConvertKit Creator ($25/mo):
- Visual automation builder
- Tag-based triggers
- Conditional content
- Link triggers
- Purchase-based automation
- Unlimited emails per workflow
Winner for automation: ActiveCampaign (most advanced), followed by Klaviyo (best for e-commerce), then ConvertKit (best for creators).
Email Deliverability Comparison
Deliverability — whether your emails reach the inbox or spam folder — is critical for email marketing ROI:
Mailchimp: Good deliverability with built-in authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Uses shared IP for lower plans, dedicated IP for Premium. Maintains compliance with anti-spam laws.
ActiveCampaign: Excellent deliverability with dedicated infrastructure. Includes deliverability consulting on higher plans. Strong anti-spam compliance.
Klaviyo: Good deliverability with e-commerce focus. Uses dedicated infrastructure. Provides deliverability analytics and recommendations.
Brevo: Good deliverability with dedicated IP on Business plan. Includes warmup guidance for new accounts.
ConvertKit: Good deliverability with creator-focused compliance. Automatically handles SPF/DKIM setup.
Winner: ActiveCampaign for best overall deliverability. All tools maintain good deliverability when best practices are followed.
Email Template and Design Comparison
Mailchimp: Drag-and-drop email builder with 100+ pre-designed templates. Content studio for images. Creative Assistant AI for template generation. Mobile-responsive by default.
ActiveCampaign: Drag-and-drop builder with 100+ templates. Split content blocks. Dynamic content based on subscriber data. Mobile-responsive.
Klaviyo: Drag-and-drop builder with e-commerce-focused templates. Dynamic product blocks. Pre-built e-commerce templates (welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase).
Brevo: Drag-and-drop builder with 40+ templates. Mobile-responsive. Basic design tools.
ConvertKit: Text-focused email builder (designed for creators). Simple visual editor. Limited template selection (creators prefer personal, text-based emails).
Winner: Mailchimp for template variety and ease of use. Klaviyo for e-commerce templates. ConvertKit for creator-focused text emails.
Mailchimp hidden costs:
- Contact-based pricing — costs increase automatically as your list grows
- Add-ons — advanced features like multi-variate testing require Premium ($350/mo)
- Overages — exceeding email limits incurs additional charges
- Dedicated IP — $30+/month add-on for better deliverability
- Phone support — only available on Premium plan
ActiveCampaign hidden costs:
- Contact-based pricing — costs increase with list size
- Higher tiers needed for advanced features (Plus $79/mo, Professional $129/mo, Enterprise $279/mo)
- Onboarding fee — $250 for Professional and Enterprise plans
- SMS credits — separate purchase from email plan
Klaviyo hidden costs:
- Contact + email volume pricing — both affect cost
- SMS marketing — separate pricing from email
- Review add-on — $25+/month for product reviews
- Higher cost at scale compared to Brevo
Brevo hidden costs:
- Email volume pricing — exceeding monthly limit requires plan upgrade
- Advanced automation — requires Business plan ($65/mo) or higher
- Dedicated IP — add-on cost
- WhatsApp marketing — separate pricing
ConvertKit hidden costs:
- Subscriber-based pricing — costs increase with list size
- Limited e-commerce features — may need separate tools
- No A/B testing on Creator plan — requires Pro plan ($50/mo)
Cost Optimization Strategies
1. Use Brevo for large contact lists: Brevo charges by email volume, not contacts. A 50,000-contact list costs $65/month on Brevo vs $350+ on Mailchimp.
2. Clean your list monthly: Remove bounced, unsubscribed, and inactive contacts. This reduces costs on all contact-based tools (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo).
3. Use free plans strategically: Mailchimp free (500 contacts), Brevo free (300 emails/day), and ConvertKit free (1,000 contacts) cover basic needs.
4. Combine tools: Use Mailchimp free for email + HubSpot free for CRM. Or Brevo for email + ActiveCampaign for automation (if you can manage two tools).
5. Choose annual billing: Save 10-20% on most tools with annual billing.
6. Downgrade during slow periods: Most tools let you downgrade plans monthly. Reduce costs during seasonal slow periods.
7. Use double opt-in: Reduces fake signups and keeps your list clean, lowering costs on contact-based tools.
When to Choose Mailchimp
- You're a beginner starting with email marketing
- Your contact list is under 500 (free plan)
- You want an easy-to-use interface
- You need basic email campaigns, not advanced automation
- You want brand recognition and trust
- You need e-commerce features (basic)
When to Choose Competitors
- ActiveCampaign: You need advanced automation and CRM
- Klaviyo: You run an e-commerce store and need revenue tracking
- Brevo: You have a large contact list and want to pay by email volume
- ConvertKit: You're a creator selling digital products
- HubSpot: You want all-in-one marketing with CRM
Tips to Reduce Email Marketing Costs
- Clean your list regularly: Remove inactive subscribers to reduce contact-based pricing
- Use Brevo for large lists: Unlimited contacts means cost stays flat as list grows
- Start with free plans: Mailchimp, Brevo, and ConvertKit all have free plans
- Choose annual billing: Most tools offer 10-20% savings on annual plans
- Only pay for features you use: Don't buy Premium for features you don't need
- Use automation to increase revenue: Better automation = more revenue per email = higher ROI
- Combine free tools: Use Mailchimp free for email + HubSpot free for CRM
For more resources:
Final Verdict
Mailchimp is a solid email marketing tool with a generous free plan (500 contacts) and easy-to-use interface. However, its pricing increases steeply as your contact list grows, and competitors offer better value at scale.
Best value by use case:
- Beginners: Mailchimp Free ($0) or Brevo Free ($0)
- Small businesses: Mailchimp Essentials ($13/mo) or HubSpot Starter ($20/mo)
- Growing businesses: ActiveCampaign Starter ($49/mo) for automation
- E-commerce: Klaviyo ($45/mo) for revenue tracking and product recommendations
- Large contact lists: Brevo Starter ($25/mo) for unlimited contacts
- Creators: ConvertKit Creator ($25/mo) for digital product sales
Best value path: Start with Mailchimp or Brevo free → upgrade to Mailchimp Essentials or Brevo Starter when you need more emails → switch to ActiveCampaign for automation or Klaviyo for e-commerce when you need advanced features → switch to Brevo when your contact list exceeds 5,000 to save on contact-based pricing.
Always verify current pricing on official tool websites before subscribing.
