The most recognizable email marketing brand, easy to start with and broadly capable, with steeper pricing as your list grows.
Best for
Beginners and small senders who want a familiar interface. Cost scales sharply once your list grows past a few thousand contacts.
Every fee we track, grouped by where it applies.
Mailchimp is the default first email marketing platform for many US businesses. The interface is familiar, the template library is one of the largest in the category, and the free plan lets small senders trial the product on up to 500 contacts and 1,000 monthly sends.
The trade-off is cost as the list grows. Mailchimp bills for all contacts including unsubscribed ones, raised prices repeatedly since 2022, and cut the free plan from 2,000 to 500 contacts. SMS is a paid add-on on Essentials and above, sent to US mobiles natively. Many growing businesses comparison-shop alternatives once they pass a few thousand contacts.
Mailchimp was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Atlanta, USA.
Side-by-side with the closest alternatives by estimated cost.
Tier pricing based on 1,000 subscribers and 5,000 emails per month, using each free plan where it fits.
Mailchimp
$27/mo est.
Constant Contact
$35/mo est.
ActiveCampaign
$15/mo est.
Klaviyo
$45/mo est.
The same questions US merchants ask before signing up.
Mailchimp starts at $13/mo (Essentials) on the Essentials plan for a small contact list, and a free tier is also available. Pricing scales by total contact count, and Mailchimp bills for all contacts including unsubscribed ones, so lists that are not regularly cleaned can become expensive.
The free plan supports up to 500 contacts and includes basic campaign sending and the drag-and-drop email builder. Automation, A/B testing, scheduling, and custom templates require a paid plan. The free tier was cut from a much higher limit in prior years, so older guides may show outdated figures.
Yes. Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts toward your billed total. If you do not regularly archive or delete unsubscribed contacts, your bill rises even though those contacts no longer receive emails. This is one of the main cost complaints from long-term Mailchimp users.
Yes. Mailchimp offers SMS marketing to US mobile numbers as a paid add-on on the Essentials plan and above. SMS credits are billed separately from the email subscription.
Yes. Mailchimp provides one-click unsubscribe, sender identification, and a physical mailing address footer that help you meet US CAN-SPAM Act requirements for commercial email. You are still responsible for honoring opt-outs promptly and not using deceptive subject lines.
Klaviyo is the stronger choice for e-commerce, with a deeper Shopify integration, revenue attribution, and advanced automation on every paid plan. Mailchimp is more familiar and has a larger template library, but it bills for all contacts including unsubscribed ones. For a store, Klaviyo usually wins; for a general small business, Mailchimp is simpler. Compare both at your subscriber count in the table above.
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