Mailchimp is the email tool that everyone has heard of and almost no power user actively recommends. The pricing model is contact-tiered, so list growth bumps you across bands even when your sending pattern is unchanged, and several features that used to be free moved behind paid plans after the Intuit acquisition.
Where alternatives win
MailerLite is the closest UX to Mailchimp at half the price, with the most generous free tier (1,000 subs, 12,000 sends/month) and free assisted migration on paid plans.
AWeber is the right pick for creators under 500 subscribers; the permanent free tier includes full automation and unlimited sends with no contact-band escalation as you grow.
Brevo prices on emails sent rather than subscribers held, which inverts the economics for any large but mostly idle list, and bundles SMS, transactional API, and a working CRM into the same plan.
ActiveCampaign is the upgrade path when you have outgrown Mailchimp's automation, not its price; multi-step conditional flows, native sales CRM, lead scoring, and predictive send time work in production at the SMB tier.
By Subrupt EditorialPublished Reviewed
Mailchimp built the small business email category. The free tier was generous, the editor was friendly, and the brand became synonymous with the job. That reputation is the reason most folks reading this started with Mailchimp in the first place. It is also why the bill creep feels personal when it happens.
MailerLite is the closest direct replacement at lower price. AWeber wins on permanent free tier and flat-priced paid plans. Brevo's per-send pricing is generous for large idle lists. ActiveCampaign is the upgrade when Mailchimp's automation runs out of room. GetResponse pulls webinars and landing pages into the same plan. Buttondown is the right shape if you write more than you market.
The cost flip happens fast. At 5,000 contacts on Mailchimp Standard you are paying about 75 dollars a month. MailerLite covers the same list for 32, AWeber for 29, Brevo for 18, and ActiveCampaign Plus for 99 (the only pick above Mailchimp at this size, and only because you are buying real automation depth). At 10,000 contacts the gap widens.
Quick map by your situation. Closest UX to Mailchimp at lower price: MailerLite. Under 500 subs and want to stay free forever: AWeber. List over 10,000 with low send rate: Brevo. Hit Mailchimp's automation ceiling: ActiveCampaign. Run paid webinars or courses: GetResponse. Write a weekly newsletter and want markdown: Buttondown.
Affiliate disclosure: Subrupt earns a commission when you switch to a service through our recommendation links. This never changes the price you pay. We only recommend services where there's a real cost or feature advantage for you, and our picks are based on the data on this page, not on which programs pay the most.
Quick pick by use case
If you only have thirty seconds, find your situation below and skip to that pick.
Markdown-first, paid newsletters built in, indie tool with no upsell pressure.
Skip these picks if: Stay with Mailchimp if your store depends on its e-commerce abandoned-cart, product-recommendation blocks, or a deeply-tuned Shopify integration; the rebuild cost will exceed first-year savings.
At a glance: Mailchimp alternatives
Quick comparison across pricing floor, best fit, and switching effort. Tap a row to jump to the full pick.
Free assisted migrationVendor handles the data move
✓
✗
✗
✓
Lead scoring
✗
✗
✓
✓
Inbox rate (Email Tool Tester 2024)
88%
82%
86%
84%
Cost at your volume
Approximate cost per pick at typical subscribers.
Pick
Solo (1k subs)1,000 subscribers
Growing (5k subs)5,000 subscribers
Scale (10k subs)10,000 subscribers
MailerLite
Free
$32/mo
$73/mo
AWeber
Free
$29/mo
$49/mo
Brevo
Free
$18/mo
$25/mo
ActiveCampaign
$15/mo
$99/mo
$174/mo
Modeled at 1 newsletter per week (about 4 sends per subscriber per month). Mailchimp Standard tier baseline for reference: ~$30/$75/$110 at the same list sizes. Pricing verified 2026-05-01 against vendor sites; annual-billing rates where applicable.
MailerLite's free tier is the most generous in this audited mainstream category: 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month, with the cleanest editor of the cheap tier.
The trade: Smaller integration ecosystem than Mailchimp and a 24-hour signup approval that can catch you off guard on a launch day. No webinar, SMS, or transactional API in the same plan.
The upside: The drag-and-drop editor loads faster than Mailchimp's, the automation builder reaches the conditional depth most readers will not exceed, and free assisted migration on paid plans takes the data move off your plate.
“We switched from MailChimp to MailerLite in 2018, and we never looked back.”
Strengths
+1,000 subscriber free tier with 12,000 monthly sends
+Drag and drop editor that loads faster than Mailchimp
+Landing pages and pop ups in the same plan
+Free assisted migration on paid tiers
Trade-offs
−Approval review on signup can take 24 hours
−No native webinar, SMS, or transactional API
−Smaller integration ecosystem than Mailchimp
Free tier
$0/mo for 1,000 subs, 12,000 sends
Growing Business
$10/mo (annual) entry, scales with subs
5k subs
~$32/mo on Growing Business
10k subs
~$73/mo on Growing Business
Pricing verified
2026-05-01
Migration steps
Sign up for MailerLite paid (Growing Business or higher) so the assisted migration is included.
Submit a migration request from MailerLite settings; their team handles the data move.
Review your subscribers, tags, and segments in MailerLite after import.
Recreate active automations in MailerLite's visual builder using their Mailchimp-equivalent triggers.
Test one campaign on a small segment, confirm rendering and deliverability, then cut over fully.
Not for: Skip MailerLite if you need a webinar tool, SMS, or transactional API in the same product; Brevo or ActiveCampaign cover those.
AWeber's free plan covers 500 subscribers with unlimited sends, full automation, landing pages, and forms. No credit card required to start.
The trade: Editor UI is functional but feels older than MailerLite or Kit, and the template library shows its age. No webinar, SMS, or transactional API in the same plan.
The upside: Paid tiers are flat-priced rather than contact-banded, so list growth does not silently bump you across pricing tiers. Founded 1998, AWeber has the deepest deliverability infrastructure in this list and 24/7 phone support staffed by actual email-marketing humans (Mailchimp removed phone support after the Intuit acquisition).
Strengths
+Permanent free tier for 500 subs with full automation
+Flat-priced paid plans with no contact-band escalation
+365-day affiliate cookie, longest in category
+24/7 phone support, US-based
Trade-offs
−Editor UI feels older than MailerLite or Kit
−Template library shows its age in places
−No webinar, SMS, or transactional API
Free tier
$0/mo for 500 subs, unlimited sends
Lite
$15/mo (annual) for unlimited subs up to plan tier
5k subs
~$29/mo on Lite tier
10k subs
~$49/mo on Lite tier
Pricing verified
2026-05-01
Migration steps
Export your Mailchimp audience as a CSV (Audience > View contacts > Export).
Sign up for AWeber free (no card required) and import the CSV.
Map your Mailchimp tags to AWeber tags (manual; AWeber does not auto-import them).
Rebuild your most active 1 to 3 automation flows in AWeber's Campaigns builder.
Run a sample broadcast to a small segment, verify deliverability, then cut over.
Not for: Skip AWeber if you depend on Mailchimp's e-commerce-specific abandoned-cart and product-recommendation features; AWeber's commerce surface is shallower.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) prices on emails sent rather than subscribers held, which inverts the economics for anyone with a large list and a moderate send pattern.
The trade: Editor is less polished than Mailchimp, tagging and segmentation feel less native, and some advanced features sit behind the Business plan.
The upside: SMS, transactional API, and a working CRM bundle into the same plan. For a 10,000-subscriber list sending one weekly newsletter (40,000 sends per month), Brevo's Business tier costs about $25 versus Mailchimp Standard's $110. Mailchimp charges separately for transactional via Mandrill or does not offer the surface at all.
Strengths
+Per-send pricing, generous on idle lists
+SMS and transactional API in one plan
+Native CRM with deal pipelines
+EU-based with GDPR-friendly defaults
Trade-offs
−Editor less polished than Mailchimp
−Tagging and segmentation feel less native
−Some advanced features behind Business plan
Free tier
$0/mo for unlimited contacts, 300 sends/day
Starter
$9/mo for 20,000 sends/mo
Business
$18/mo for 20k sends, scales with volume
10k subs (40k sends)
~$25/mo on Business tier
Pricing verified
2026-05-01
Migration steps
Sign up for Brevo free and request a Mailchimp import from the dashboard.
Brevo's tool pulls contacts, lists, and basic segments automatically.
Manually rebuild any complex automations in Brevo's flow builder.
Wire up Brevo's transactional SMTP relay to replace Mandrill or Postmark if you use one.
Verify deliverability on a test segment before cutting over the main list.
Not for: Skip Brevo if your real use is creator-first newsletters or paid newsletters; the marketing-CRM surface is overkill and Buttondown or Kit fit that shape better.
GetResponse bundles email, landing pages, marketing automation, and live or evergreen webinars into a single plan.
The trade: Editor is denser than Mailchimp, pricing scales with contact count, and you pay for many bundled tools you may not use.
The upside: If you currently pay Mailchimp plus a separate landing page tool plus a separate webinar platform like WebinarJam or LiveStorm, the consolidation is where the savings live, not the per-subscriber cost difference. The Marketing Automation tier (about $59/mo) includes webinars for up to 100 attendees.
Strengths
+Native webinar tool, no third-party required
+Bundled landing pages, forms, and pop-ups
+120-day affiliate cookie
+Free plan up to 500 contacts
Trade-offs
−Editor is denser than Mailchimp
−Many bundled tools you may not use
−Pricing scales with contact count, not flat
Free tier
$0/mo for 500 contacts, 2,500 sends/mo
Email Marketing
$19/mo (annual: $15.58) for unlimited sends
Marketing Automation
$59/mo (annual: $47.25) with webinars
Ecommerce Marketing
$119/mo (annual: $95.16)
Pricing verified
2026-05-01
Migration steps
Pull contacts and tags from Mailchimp as CSV (Audience > View contacts > Export).
Open a GetResponse account and pick the tier matching your contact count and webinar needs.
Use Tools > Import & Export to load each CSV with field mapping.
Rebuild your top automation in the workflow builder, send a test broadcast, then redirect sign-up forms.
Not for: Skip GetResponse if you do not actually use the bundled webinars and landing pages; standalone email tools are cheaper for the same audience.
Buttondown is the indie newsletter platform: markdown first, paid subscriptions built in, no marketing funnel surface to scroll past.
The trade: No visual automation builder, smaller integration ecosystem, and no landing page builder bundled.
The upside: If your real Mailchimp use is sending a weekly email to a list rather than running an automation stack, Mailchimp is the wrong shape and Buttondown is the right one. Roughly a third of the price for the actual job, with paid newsletters and Stripe payouts wired in.
“I was paying $326/month for something that was difficult to tune to work how I wanted.”
Strengths
+Markdown-native authoring with live preview
+Paid newsletters and Stripe payouts built in
+Indie tool, no enterprise upsell pressure
+Onboarding migration help on paid tiers
Trade-offs
−No visual automation builder
−Smaller integration ecosystem than Mailchimp
−No landing page builder bundled
Free tier
$0/mo for 100 subs
Standard
$9/mo (annual: $8) for custom domains, automations
Professional
$29/mo (annual: $26) for paid newsletters via Stripe
Editor
Markdown native
Pricing verified
2026-05-01
Migration steps
Pull your Mailchimp subscribers as a tagged CSV (Audience > View contacts > Export).
Register a Buttondown account and verify the sending domain.
Upload the CSV; Buttondown auto-creates matching tags so segmentation survives.
Recreate any active sequences as drip campaigns, send a test broadcast, then point sign-up forms at Buttondown.
Not for: Skip Buttondown if you depend on visual automation builders or run a list with active sales funnels; Buttondown is shaped for writers, not marketers.
ActiveCampaign is not cheaper than Mailchimp at the entry tier. It is a meaningful upgrade in capability.
The trade: Steeper learning curve than Mailchimp, pricing scales aggressively above 5,000 contacts, and the editor is functional rather than pretty.
The upside: Multi-step conditional automations that actually branch, native sales CRM with deal pipelines, lead scoring, predictive send time, and event tracking that works in production. Use this when you have outgrown Mailchimp's automation, not its price. ActiveCampaign offers free assisted migration that includes rebuilding forms, templates, and automations.
“ActiveCampaign's inbox receive rates were way better. There were a bunch of factors that y'all were taking into account that other email providers just weren't.”
Strengths
+Most capable automation builder in the SMB tier
+Native sales CRM with deal pipelines included
+Free assisted migration that rebuilds automations for you
+Conditional content and dynamic personalization
Trade-offs
−Steeper learning curve than Mailchimp
−Pricing scales aggressively above 5,000 contacts
−Editor is functional but not Mailchimp-pretty
Starter
$15/mo (annual) for email + automation
Plus
$49/mo (annual) for landing pages + CRM + lead scoring
5k subs
~$99/mo on Plus tier
10k subs
~$174/mo on Plus tier
Pricing verified
2026-05-01
Migration steps
Request free migration from ActiveCampaign; they rebuild forms, templates, and automations for you.
Provide Mailchimp account access or export contacts and segments as CSV.
Sign up for the Plus tier if you need automation depth; Starter is too thin for most Mailchimp refugees.
Review the rebuilt automations with the migration team, run a test send, then cut over and redirect sign-up forms.
Not for: Skip ActiveCampaign if your list is under 1,000 and you do not need automation depth; the price step over MailerLite is hard to justify.
Paid plans from $15.00/mo
When to stay with Mailchimp
Stay with Mailchimp if your store leans on Mailchimp's e-commerce abandoned-cart automations, product-recommendation blocks, or a deeply-tuned Shopify integration; the rebuild cost will exceed first-year savings. The product is solid; the price is the issue, not the capability.
Mailchimp alternatives are scored on five things in order. Dominant use case fit. Migration cost including how many automations need to be rebuilt. Day-to-day editor quality. Pricing trajectory as the list grows, including contact-tier escalation. Integration coverage with the tools you are already paying for. Picks are ordered by user-fit, not by affiliate payout.
We test the free tier of every recommendation and at least one paid tier on a real list. The picks list is reviewed quarterly, and any time Mailchimp or an alternative ships a major pricing change we revisit the page within two weeks. Pricing in the Usage Cost Table was verified against each vendor's site on 2026-05-01.
Update history3 updates
Major revision to full Stage 2 schema. Structured verdict with deep-links to picks. Added quickVerdict, featureMatrix (8 dimensions), usageCosts (3 list sizes vs Mailchimp baseline), 3 sourced testimonials (MailerLite, Buttondown, ActiveCampaign), authorRating per pick. Reformatted rationales to trade/upside structure. Verified pricing for all 6 picks against vendor sites.
Added migration steps for AWeber, MailerLite, and Brevo picks. Added stay-with criteria.
Initial published version with 6 picks and 6 FAQs.
Frequently asked questions about Mailchimp alternatives
Why is Mailchimp so expensive now?
Pricing scales with audience size rather than send volume, and the bands jump quickly. Adding 500 to 1,500 contacts can move you up a tier even when your sending pattern is unchanged. Several previously free features (advanced automation, custom branding, A/B testing on lower tiers) were also moved behind paid plans after the Intuit acquisition.
Cheapest free alternative to Mailchimp?
MailerLite at 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 sends per month is the most generous overall. AWeber free covers 500 subscribers with unlimited sends and full automation. Brevo free has unlimited contacts with 300 sends per day. All three include automation features Mailchimp puts behind paid plans.
Easiest Mailchimp alternative to migrate to?
MailerLite has the closest UX to Mailchimp and offers free assisted migration on paid plans. ActiveCampaign also offers free migration that includes rebuilding your forms, templates, and automations for you. The data move (contacts, lists, templates) is straightforward in all picks. The bigger task is rebuilding any active automation flows and double-checking your segments.
Will my deliverability suffer if I switch?
Not appreciably for the tools listed here. Email Tool Tester's 2024 benchmark put MailerLite at 88%, Brevo at 86%, ActiveCampaign at 84%, AWeber at 82%, and Mailchimp at 80%. The much bigger deliverability factor is your list hygiene and engagement, which travels with you regardless of provider.
Should I switch if I am under 500 contacts?
Probably yes if you are paying anything. Mailchimp's free tier shrunk significantly in 2022 and the paid Standard tier kicks in fast. AWeber's free tier (500 subscribers with unlimited sends and full automation) or MailerLite's free tier (1,000 subscribers, 12,000 sends per month) likely covers what you actually need at zero cost.
Do these alternatives integrate with the tools I am using?
All major Mailchimp integration points (Shopify, WordPress, Stripe, Zapier, native eCommerce platforms) are covered by AWeber, MailerLite, Brevo, GetResponse, and ActiveCampaign. Coverage of niche or vertical-specific integrations varies. Check each tool's integration directory for the specific apps you depend on before committing.
Ready to switch?
Our top Mailchimp alternative: MailerLite
MailerLite is the closest UX to Mailchimp at half the price, with the most generous free tier (1,000 subs, 12,000 sends/month) and free assisted migration on paid plans.
The team behind subrupt.com. We track subscriptions, surface cheaper alternatives, and publish comparisons where the score formula is on the page so you can recompute it yourself. We do not claim 30,000 hours of testing. What we claim is live pricing from our database, a transparent composite score, and honest savings math against a category baseline.
Get notified of price drops for Mailchimp
We'll email you when Mailchimp or its alternatives lower their prices.
Track Mailchimp and find more savings
Add Mailchimp to your dashboard to monitor spending and discover even more alternatives.
AWeber
MailerLite
Brevo
Buttondown
GetResponse
ActiveCampaign