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
Small List (500 contacts)
- 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)
Growing List (2,500 contacts)
- 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)
Large List (10,000 contacts)
- 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)