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10 Best Mailchimp Alternatives (2026): Email Marketing Platforms Compared

Mailchimp built its reputation as the default email marketing platform for small businesses — 14 million users, 260+ templates, 300+ integrations, and a decade of brand recognition. For many businesses, it was the first tool they tried, and for years, it was easy to justify.

But Mailchimp has changed. The free plan has been cut repeatedly — now capped at just 250 contacts and 500 emails per month, with marketing automation removed entirely as of June 2025. Pricing has climbed with each plan restructuring. And critically, Mailchimp charges for all contacts, including unsubscribes — meaning list hygiene mistakes cost money. At 10,000 contacts, Mailchimp Standard runs $135/month. At 25,000 contacts, you’re at $270/month. For businesses that have grown with Mailchimp, the monthly invoice has grown with them in a way that no longer feels proportional to the value.

If you’re hitting these ceilings — or if you’re evaluating email platforms for the first time and Mailchimp feels overpriced — here are 10 alternatives we researched and ranked based on pricing, automation, free plan generosity, and overall value.


Quick Pick: Which Alternative Is Right for You?

Your SituationOur PickWhy
Want Mailchimp-level features at half the priceBrevoEmail-volume pricing, 100K free contacts, built-in CRM and SMS
Need cheap unlimited sends with great UXMailerLite$10/mo, unlimited sends, award-winning editor
Creator or blogger building an audienceKitFree for 10K subs, unlimited sends, built-in commerce
Need advanced automation workflowsActiveCampaign750+ templates, 135+ triggers, best-in-class automation
Running a Shopify or ecommerce storeKlaviyoDeep Shopify integration, predictive analytics, purchase-based flows
Want webinars and conversion funnels tooGetResponseBuilt-in webinar hosting, AI course creator, unlimited sends
Ecommerce store, budget-consciousOmnisendFree plan with automation, ecommerce flows, SMS included
Need excellent customer supportAWeber24/7 live chat; phone 8 AM–8 PM ET on all plans

At-a-Glance Comparison

ToolBest ForStarting PriceFree PlanAutomationG2 Rating
BrevoBudget multi-channel$9/mo (5K emails, 500 contacts)100K contacts, 300/dayBasic (full on Standard)4.5/5 (2,315)
MailerLiteBudget simplicity$10/mo (500 subs, unlimited)500 subs, 12K emails/moSingle-trigger on free4.6/5 (1,038)
KitCreators and bloggers$39/mo monthly / $33/mo annual (1K subs)10K subs, unlimited sendsVisual (1 workflow on free)4.4/5 (207)
ActiveCampaignAdvanced automation$15/mo annual / $19/mo monthly (1K contacts)No (14-day trial)750+ templates, 135+ triggers4.5/5 (13,922)
GetResponseWebinars and funnels$19/mo (1K contacts, unlimited sends)500 contacts, 2.5K emails/mo1 workflow on Starter4.3/5 (786)
AWeberCustomer support$15/mo (500 subs, 5K emails)500 subs, 3K emails/mo3 workflows on Lite4.2/5 (633)
KlaviyoEcommerce$20/mo (251–500 profiles, 5K emails)250 profiles, 500 emails/moAdvanced on all plans4.6/5 (1,071)
OmnisendEcommerce budget$16/mo (500 contacts)250 contacts, 500 emails/moPre-built ecommerce flows4.6/5 (935)
Constant ContactEvents and social marketing$12/mo (500 contacts, 5K emails)No (14-day trial)Basic on Standard4.1/5 (6,613)
MoosendBudget automation$9/mo (500 subs, unlimited sends)No free plan (30-day trial)Included on all paid plans4.7/5 (G2 limited)

For reference, Mailchimp Essentials costs $13/month for 500 contacts and 5,000 emails, Standard costs $20/month for 500 contacts and 6,000 emails, and the free plan covers 250 contacts, 500 emails/month with no automation. Mailchimp’s G2 rating is 4.3/5 (12,698 reviews).


1. Brevo — Best Budget Alternative for Growing Lists

Best for: Businesses with large contact lists who want email, SMS, and CRM without paying per contact

Starting price: $9/month for 5,000 emails and 500 contacts (Starter plan); free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts

The single biggest problem with Mailchimp is its contact-based pricing. Every contact on your list — active, unsubscribed, or inactive — counts toward your billing limit. Brevo solves this completely. With Brevo, you pay for email volume, not contact count. The free plan stores 100,000 contacts. The paid Starter plan starts at $9/month for 5,000 emails — and at higher email volumes, Brevo scales at a fraction of Mailchimp’s cost.

At 10,000 contacts, Mailchimp Standard costs $135/month. With Brevo, if you send 20,000 emails per month to that list, you’d pay $65/month on the Standard plan — roughly half the price, with built-in SMS, CRM, and live chat widget included. For businesses with large lists and moderate send frequency, the savings are substantial.

Brevo’s feature set also matches or exceeds Mailchimp in key areas: unlimited contact storage on the free plan, built-in CRM on all plans, SMS marketing at pay-per-message rates, and a live chat widget. Mailchimp charges extra for SMS (US/UK only) and has no built-in CRM or live chat.

Where Mailchimp beats Brevo: template variety (260+ vs Brevo’s smaller selection), the number of integrations (300+), and the brand’s larger user community with more third-party tutorials. If you rely heavily on Mailchimp’s ecosystem, that matters.

For a full side-by-side breakdown, see our Brevo review and explore Brevo alternatives to see how it compares against the wider market.

Key advantages over Mailchimp:

Where Mailchimp still wins:


2. MailerLite — Best for Simplicity and Value

Best for: Small businesses and creators who want unlimited sends, great design tools, and the lowest possible monthly bill

Starting price: $10/month for 500 subscribers with unlimited email sends (Growing Business plan)

MailerLite consistently ranks as the best-value alternative to Mailchimp. At $10/month for 500 subscribers with unlimited sends, it costs $3/month less than Mailchimp Essentials — and you never worry about an email send cap. Mailchimp Essentials limits you to 5,000 emails/month for 500 contacts; MailerLite Growing Business has no cap.

The platform’s drag-and-drop editor has won multiple EmailToolTester awards for ease of use and design quality. If your complaint with Mailchimp is that the interface feels bloated or confusing, MailerLite’s clean, intuitive UI is a direct answer to that. You can build beautiful campaigns faster.

The free plan is competitive: 500 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month, single-trigger automation workflows, and A/B testing. Note that email templates are not included on the free tier — you get a plain editor until you upgrade. Mailchimp’s free plan has templates but no automation (removed June 2025) and caps at 250 contacts.

At scale, MailerLite stays affordable. At 5,000 subscribers, you pay $39/month on Growing Business — versus Mailchimp Standard at $100/month. That’s a compelling gap for businesses serious about controlling marketing costs. For a comparison with another budget champion, check out our Brevo vs MailerLite comparison.

Where MailerLite falls short: no SMS marketing, no CRM, no live chat widget, and only 140+ integrations versus Mailchimp’s 300+. MailerLite is a pure email marketing platform — powerful within that scope, but it won’t replace your CRM or multi-channel tools.

Key advantages over Mailchimp:

Where Mailchimp still wins:


3. Kit — Best for Creators and Newsletter Writers

Best for: Newsletter writers, podcasters, course creators, and solo creators who want simplicity with built-in monetization

Starting price: $39/month for 1,000 subscribers (Creator plan, monthly billing); $33/month billed annually. Free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited sends.

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) takes a fundamentally different approach from Mailchimp. Where Mailchimp tries to serve every business type with a broad feature set, Kit focuses exclusively on helping creators build and monetize an audience. The result is a simpler, more opinionated platform that does a few things extremely well.

The free plan is the headline: 10,000 subscribers with unlimited email broadcasts, 1 visual automation, 1 email sequence, unlimited landing pages and forms, and built-in digital product sales (3.5% + $0.30 transaction fee). Compare that to Mailchimp’s free plan — 250 contacts, 500 emails/month, no automation — and Kit’s free tier is in a completely different league for active newsletter writers.

The Creator Network is a genuine differentiator: it lets you cross-promote your newsletter with other creators in the Kit ecosystem, driving organic subscriber growth. No other platform on this list offers a built-in discovery and cross-promotion network. For how Kit compares head-to-head with Mailchimp, see our Kit vs Mailchimp comparison.

For ecommerce or multi-channel marketing, Kit falls short: 15–20 text-focused templates (no rich design options), only 70+ integrations on paid plans, no SMS, no CRM, no landing page analytics beyond basic metrics. Kit is for creators, not general-purpose marketers.

Key advantages over Mailchimp:

Where Mailchimp still wins:


4. ActiveCampaign — Best for Advanced Automation

Best for: Marketing teams and growing businesses that need sophisticated, multi-step automation workflows with built-in CRM

Starting price: $15/month for 1,000 contacts (Starter plan, billed annually); $19/month billed monthly

Mailchimp’s multi-step Customer Journey Builder — its core automation feature — requires the Standard plan at $20/month. Even then, the automation depth is limited compared to what ActiveCampaign offers at comparable pricing. For businesses where automation is a priority, ActiveCampaign is the clear upgrade.

The Starter plan at $15/month (annual) gives you 750+ pre-built automation templates, 135+ triggers, a built-in CRM, and 250+ email templates. These are the same core automation capabilities available on every paid ActiveCampaign plan — you’re not locked out of automation on the entry tier. Mailchimp gates its best automation features behind Premium ($350/month).

ActiveCampaign earned a 4.5/5 on G2 with 13,922 reviews — the most-reviewed email platform on this list and nearly identical satisfaction at far greater scale than most competitors. For a direct comparison between budget-friendly options, see our Brevo vs ActiveCampaign comparison.

The trade-offs: no free plan (14-day trial only), email sends are capped at 10x your contact count (vs Mailchimp’s 12x on Standard), and the platform has a steeper learning curve than Mailchimp for new users. But if you’ve been frustrated by Mailchimp’s automation limitations, ActiveCampaign is the most direct answer.

Key advantages over Mailchimp:

Where Mailchimp still wins:


5. GetResponse — Best for Webinars and Funnels

Best for: Businesses that want email marketing bundled with webinar hosting, online course creation, and conversion funnels

Starting price: $19/month for 1,000 contacts, unlimited email sends (Starter plan)

GetResponse offers a unique value proposition: it bundles capabilities that would otherwise require separate tools. Built-in webinar hosting (up to 100 attendees on the Creator plan), an AI-powered online course builder, and pre-built conversion funnels make GetResponse a comprehensive marketing hub rather than just an email tool.

The Starter plan at $19/month includes unlimited email sends for 1,000 contacts. That’s a different pricing model from Mailchimp: at 1,000 contacts, Mailchimp Standard costs $20/month with a 12,000 email send cap. GetResponse Starter costs $19/month with unlimited sends. For frequent senders, that unlimited-send model becomes increasingly valuable.

Automation is a meaningful step up from Mailchimp at comparable price points. The Marketer plan ($59/month) unlocks unlimited automation workflows, advanced segmentation, and abandoned cart recovery. Mailchimp Standard’s Customer Journey Builder is more limited, and Mailchimp’s abandoned cart requires a Shopify or WooCommerce integration. For more detail on how GetResponse stacks up against one of the most popular Mailchimp alternatives, see our GetResponse vs Mailchimp comparison.

Key advantages over Mailchimp:

Where Mailchimp still wins:


6. AWeber — Best for Customer Support

Best for: Small businesses and solopreneurs who value responsive, always-available customer support and don’t want to navigate a knowledge base alone

Starting price: $15/month for 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails (Lite plan)

AWeber’s biggest differentiator is customer support: every plan — including the free tier — includes 24/7 live chat and email support, plus phone support from 8 AM to 8 PM ET. Mailchimp provides email support for the first 30 days on the free plan, then removes it. Paid Mailchimp plans offer chat and email, but phone support is Premium-only ($350/month). If you want to call someone when something breaks, AWeber is the only platform on this list that offers phone access below $350/month.

AWeber also has one of the largest template libraries at 600+, and the Smart Designer feature generates branded templates automatically by analyzing your website URL — a genuine time-saver for businesses without an in-house designer. The 750+ integrations also rival Mailchimp’s 300+.

The limitations: $15/month for 500 subscribers is more expensive than both Brevo ($9/month) and MailerLite ($10/month) at entry level. The automation is limited on the Lite plan (3 workflows only), and A/B testing requires the Plus plan at $30/month. For a direct comparison, read our AWeber vs GetResponse comparison.

Key advantages over Mailchimp:

Where Mailchimp still wins:


7. Klaviyo — Best for Ecommerce

Best for: Ecommerce businesses, especially Shopify stores, that need data-driven email and SMS marketing at scale

Starting price: $20/month for 251–500 active profiles and 5,000 emails (Email plan)

Klaviyo is built specifically for ecommerce, and every feature reflects that focus. Native Shopify integration (two-click setup, no third-party connector), predictive analytics for customer lifetime value and churn risk, product recommendations based on browse and purchase history, and 350+ integrations targeting the ecommerce ecosystem. If you run an online store, Klaviyo understands your customer data in ways Mailchimp doesn’t.

Mailchimp has Shopify and WooCommerce integrations, but they’re connector-based, not native — and Mailchimp’s segmentation is far less granular than Klaviyo’s behavior-based segmentation. Klaviyo’s automation flows for browse abandonment, price drop alerts, and post-purchase sequences pull live product data from your store. Mailchimp’s Customer Journey Builder doesn’t have this product data depth.

Klaviyo earned a 4.6/5 on G2 with 1,071 reviews, concentrated almost entirely among small-to-mid ecommerce operators. The free plan covers 250 active profiles with 500 emails/month and full access to all features — meaning you can test the platform’s full ecommerce intelligence before paying.

The main trade-off is price. Klaviyo scales significantly as profiles grow: at 10,001–15,000 profiles, you’re paying $200/month. No annual billing discount is available. For non-ecommerce businesses, Klaviyo is overkill.

Key advantages over Mailchimp:

Where Mailchimp still wins:


8. Omnisend — Best Ecommerce Alternative on a Budget

Best for: Ecommerce businesses that want Klaviyo-like features at a lower entry price, including SMS and automation on the free plan

Starting price: $16/month for 500 contacts (Standard plan); free plan includes 250 contacts and 500 emails/month

Omnisend sits in an interesting position: it’s an ecommerce-focused email and SMS platform with a free tier, landing it between Mailchimp (better templates, no ecommerce intelligence) and Klaviyo (deeper ecommerce integration, higher price). For Shopify stores that want cart abandonment flows, SMS, and web push without paying Klaviyo prices, Omnisend is a compelling option.

The free plan includes 250 contacts, 500 emails/month, 60 SMS/month, and 500 web push notifications per month — giving you a multi-channel free tier that Mailchimp doesn’t offer (Mailchimp’s free SMS requires an add-on). Pre-built automation for welcome emails, cart abandonment, order confirmation, and win-back sequences are available on all plans including free.

Omnisend earned a 4.6/5 on G2 with 935 reviews, with over 92% of reviewers being small businesses — a strong signal for the target market. The Standard plan at $16/month for 500 contacts is comparable to Mailchimp Essentials at $13/month, but Omnisend includes SMS credits and ecommerce-native automation that Mailchimp reserves for higher tiers.

The limitations: Omnisend’s template selection and design tools are less polished than Mailchimp’s, the integration ecosystem is narrower (primarily ecommerce-focused), and the platform is less suitable for non-ecommerce use cases like events or content marketing.

Key advantages over Mailchimp:

Where Mailchimp still wins:


9. Constant Contact — Best for Events and Local Businesses

Best for: Small businesses that run events, want social media marketing tools, and prefer an established platform with phone support

Starting price: $12/month for 500 contacts and 5,000 emails (Lite plan)

Constant Contact has been in the email marketing business since 1995, and its niche is event management and local business marketing. Event registration pages, RSVP tracking, ticket sales, and automated event reminders are built into the platform — capabilities Mailchimp doesn’t have natively. For businesses that regularly host in-person or virtual events (workshops, classes, community events), Constant Contact’s event tools are a genuine differentiator.

The social media marketing suite lets you create, schedule, and track posts across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter from within the platform. Hundreds of professionally designed templates and a beginner-friendly drag-and-drop editor round out the package. At $12/month for 500 contacts, it’s slightly cheaper than Mailchimp Essentials ($13/month).

The notable limitations: no free plan (only a 14-day trial), automation is restricted on the Lite plan (basic only; multi-step automation requires Standard at $35/month), and the G2 rating of 4.1/5 across 6,613 reviews — the lowest rating on this list — suggests persistent user frustration with the platform’s age and limitations.

Key advantages over Mailchimp:

Where Mailchimp still wins:


10. Moosend — Best Budget Option with Unlimited Sends

Best for: Budget-conscious businesses that want automation, unlimited sends, and simplicity without paying Mailchimp prices

Starting price: $9/month for 500 subscribers with unlimited email sends (Pro plan)

Moosend undercuts Mailchimp Essentials by $4/month and removes the email send cap entirely. At $9/month for 500 subscribers, you get unlimited sends, automation workflows, A/B testing, and a landing page builder — capabilities that Mailchimp gates behind its Standard plan at $20/month or higher. For small businesses that send frequently to smaller lists, Moosend’s unlimited send model is a compelling value proposition.

Automation is included and unrestricted on all paid plans. Welcome sequences, cart abandonment flows (with ecommerce integrations), and re-engagement campaigns are accessible from day one without a tier upgrade. Mailchimp’s multi-step automation requires Standard; its Customer Journey Builder is one of the most restrictive automation tools among major platforms.

The limitations are real: Moosend has no free plan (only a 30-day free trial), a smaller template library than Mailchimp, fewer integrations, and a much smaller user community. There’s no SMS, no CRM, no social posting. If you need those capabilities, look at Brevo or ActiveCampaign instead. But for pure email marketing at the lowest possible price, Moosend delivers.

Key advantages over Mailchimp:

Where Mailchimp still wins:


Who Should Stay with Mailchimp

Mailchimp has real strengths that still justify the price for some businesses:

For everyone else — especially businesses with growing lists paying Mailchimp’s contact-based pricing at scale — the alternatives above offer more value per dollar. Brevo and MailerLite are the strongest general-purpose replacements. Klaviyo or Omnisend are the right calls for ecommerce. Kit is the obvious choice for creators. ActiveCampaign is the answer if automation quality is your primary concern.



Last updated: March 2026. We regularly update this content — if something has changed, let us know.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free alternative to Mailchimp?

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) offers the most generous free plan with 10,000 subscribers and unlimited email sends. MailerLite Free supports 500 subscribers with 12,000 emails/month and includes automation. Brevo's free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts and allows 300 emails/day. Compared to Mailchimp's free plan — 250 contacts, 500 emails/month, zero automation since June 2025 — all three options are significantly more capable at no cost.

Why are people leaving Mailchimp?

The most common reasons users switch away from Mailchimp are: expensive contact-based pricing that scales steeply (unsubscribes still count toward your billing limit), a gutted free plan reduced to 250 contacts and no automation since 2025, limited automation on lower tiers (multi-step Customer Journey Builder requires Standard at $20/month), and no phone support on any plan below Premium ($350/month).

Which Mailchimp alternative is best for ecommerce?

Klaviyo is the top choice for ecommerce, with deep Shopify integration, predictive analytics (customer lifetime value, churn risk), purchase-based segmentation, and advanced automation flows. Omnisend is a strong second with a free plan, built-in SMS, and ecommerce-focused automation at a lower price point than Klaviyo.

What is the cheapest Mailchimp alternative?

Brevo Starter starts at $9/month for 5,000 emails and stores up to 500,000 contacts, making it dramatically cheaper than Mailchimp at scale. MailerLite Growing Business starts at $10/month for 500 subscribers with unlimited sends. Both undercut Mailchimp Essentials at $13/month for 500 contacts.

Is Brevo better than Mailchimp?

For most businesses, Brevo offers better value: email-volume pricing (not contact-based) means you can store 100,000 contacts for free, built-in SMS and CRM are included on all plans, and the entry price ($9/month) is lower than Mailchimp Essentials ($13/month). Mailchimp wins on template variety (260+), integrations (300+), and brand recognition. If your list is large and you send infrequently, Brevo's pricing advantage grows considerably.

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