Mailchimp is a email marketing tool for Small businesses and Creators, offered as freemium ($13/mo). Founded in United States in 2001. Popular alternatives include Kit, beehiiv, Brevo.
About Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the most widely known email marketing platform, founded in 2001 in Atlanta by Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius and acquired by Intuit in 2021 for about 12 billion dollars. It grew by making email campaigns approachable for small businesses and now positions itself as a marketing platform with email, automation, SMS, landing pages, forms and a basic CRM.
The drag-and-drop editor and template library let non-marketers build campaigns quickly. Customer journeys automate welcome series, abandoned cart emails and post-purchase flows, and integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce and other stores feed product recommendations and revenue reporting. Higher plans add A/B and multivariate testing, send-time optimisation, predictive segments and advanced reporting, while Intuit Assist provides AI help with content and campaign creation. Pricing depends on contact count and sending limits: the free plan is now limited to 250 contacts, Essentials and Standard scale with list size, and Premium starts at 10,000 contacts with phone support.
Mailchimp fits small businesses and online stores that send a few campaigns a month and value ease of use and integrations. It has become expensive as lists grow, prices have risen several times, and unsubscribed contacts still count toward billing unless you archive them. Brevo and MailerLite offer similar features for less, Klaviyo is stronger for e-commerce segmentation, and Kit and beehiiv suit creators and newsletter publishers.
Key features of Mailchimp
- Drag-and-drop email builder with templates and brand kit
- Customer journeys (automation) with branching and triggers
- Audience segmentation, tags and predictive demographics
- Landing pages, signup forms, pop-ups and SMS marketing (US)
- Reporting with revenue attribution for connected stores
- Creative Assistant and generative AI for copy and images
Pros and cons
Pros
- Familiar, polished editor and huge template library
- Deep e-commerce integrations and revenue reporting
- Mature deliverability infrastructure
- Many agencies and freelancers already know it
Cons
- Contact-based pricing gets expensive fast; unsubscribed contacts can still count
- Free plan is now very limited
- Automation builder lags Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign
- Support quality varies by tier
Mailchimp pricing
Mailchimp uses a freemium model. A 14-day free trial is available.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 250 contacts, 1 audience |
| Essentials | $13 / mo | Starting price; 14-day free trial, 3 audiences |
| Standard | $20 / mo | 6,000 emails/mo; 14-day free trial, 5 audiences |
| Premium | $350 / mo | 150,000 emails/mo, advanced tools, priority support |
Source: mailchimp.com · checked on Oct 20, 2026
How Mailchimp compares in Email marketing
- Rank by votes
- #1 / 26
- Starting price
- $13
- Free alternatives
- 2
0 votes from members
33% below the category median ($20/mo)
Free or open-source tools in Email marketing
Mailchimp ranks #1 of 26 email marketing tools by community votes and is priced below most tools in the category.
Common use cases
- 1Small business newsletters and promotions
- 2E-commerce abandoned cart and post-purchase flows
- 3Event and nonprofit communications
- 4Agencies managing campaigns for several small clients
Best for
Small businesses and e-commerce stores that want an easy, well-integrated email tool and send a few campaigns a month.
Not ideal for
Newsletter creators (Kit, beehiiv), high-volume senders on a budget (Brevo), or SaaS lifecycle messaging (Customer.io, Loops).
Integrations
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Stripe
- Salesforce
- Canva
- Zapier
- WordPress
- Squarespace
Our take
Mailchimp is still a safe, easy choice for small businesses, but it is no longer the value leader. Compare total cost at your list size before committing; most growing lists are cheaper on Brevo or MailerLite with similar features.
FAQ
- What is Mailchimp?
- Mailchimp is a Email marketing tool: The best-known email marketing platform.
- How much does Mailchimp cost?
- Mailchimp uses a Freemium model; paid plans start at $13 per month.
- What are the best alternatives to Mailchimp?
- Community-listed alternatives to Mailchimp include Kit, beehiiv, Brevo, MailerLite.
- Does Mailchimp have a free trial?
- Yes, Mailchimp offers a 14-day free trial.
- What does Mailchimp integrate with?
- Mailchimp integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe, Salesforce, Canva, Zapier and more.
- Which platforms does Mailchimp support?
- Mailchimp is available on web, ios, android.
- Who is Mailchimp for?
- Small businesses and e-commerce stores that want an easy, well-integrated email tool and send a few campaigns a month.
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