Skip to content

Best Mailchimp Alternatives of 2026

Updated · 5 picks · live pricing · affiliate disclosure

The per-send migration alternative shipping unlimited contacts plus SMS plus transactional API in one bill.

BEST OVERALL7.0/10Save $48/yr

Brevo

The per-send migration alternative shipping unlimited contacts plus SMS plus transactional API in one bill.

Free forever unlimited contacts; no time limit

How it stacks up

  • Per-send $9-$18/mo

    vs $20 Mailchimp Standard per-contact

  • Free unlimited contacts

    vs $10 MailerLite SMB polish

  • SMS + transactional bundled

    vs $25 Kit Creator newsletters

#2
MailerLite6.0/10

From $10/mo

View
#3
Klaviyo5.1/10

From $20/mo

View

All picks at a glance

#PickBest forStartingFreeScore
1BrevoBest Mailchimp alternative for per-send pricing plus bundled stack$9.00/mo7.0/10
2MailerLiteBest Mailchimp alternative for SMB cost migration$10.00/mo6.0/10
3KlaviyoBest Mailchimp alternative for ecommerce revenue attribution$20.00/mo5.1/10
4KitBest Mailchimp alternative for creator paid newsletters$25.00/mo4.2/10
5ActiveCampaignBest Mailchimp alternative for automation depth migration$15.00/mo3.9/10

Quick pick by use case

If you only have thirty seconds, find your situation below and skip to that pick.

Compare all 5 picks

Free tierTop spec
#1Brevo7.0/10$18.00/moSave $48/yrPer-send $9-$18/mo
#2MailerLite6.0/10$20.00/mo$168.00/yrSave $24/yrFree 1,000 subs + 12,000 sends
#3Klaviyo5.1/10$35.00/mo$156/yr more$20 Email + $35 with SMS
#4Kit4.2/10$50.00/mo$500.00/yr$336/yr moreFree 10K subs unlimited sends
#5ActiveCampaign3.9/10$49.00/mo$324/yr moreStarter $15 + Plus $49
#1

Brevo

7.0/10Save $48/yr

Best Mailchimp alternative for per-send pricing plus bundled stack

The per-send migration alternative shipping unlimited contacts plus SMS plus transactional API in one bill.

PlanMonthlyWhat you get
FreeFreeUnlimited contacts with a 300-send-per-day cap, email templates, and the drag-and-drop editor
Starter$9.00/mo20,000 monthly sends with no daily send limit and basic analytics; the realistic entry tier
Business$18.00/moMarketing automation, A/B testing, send-time optimization, and multi-user access; the realistic-buyer tier
EnterpriseCustomSSO, tailored onboarding, and custom send volume for high-volume senders

Brevo is the right Mailchimp alternative when per-send pricing plus bundle math drive the choice. The wedge against Mailchimp is the bundle: Brevo ships email plus SMS plus transactional API plus a working sales CRM all on the same plan, while Mailchimp adds SMS as a paid add-on, transactional via Mandrill at extra cost, and has no native CRM. Per-send pricing flips economics for any list shape that mostly does not send. France-based with GDPR-friendly defaults.

The Free tier carries unlimited contacts plus three hundred daily sends plus the transactional API. Starter at nine dollars monthly removes the daily limit and covers twenty thousand monthly sends. Business at eighteen dollars monthly is the realistic-buyer tier adding marketing automation plus A/B testing plus send-time optimization. Enterprise is sales-priced for high-volume.

The trade-off is editor polish below Mailchimp on visual customization and shallower Shopify integration. For per-send plus bundle math: Brevo wins. For SMB editor polish: MailerLite. For creator workflow: Kit. For ecommerce revenue attribution: Klaviyo. For automation depth: ActiveCampaign.

Pros

  • Per-send pricing flips economics for idle Mailchimp lists
  • SMS + transactional API + sales CRM in same plan
  • Free unlimited contacts (no subscriber cap)
  • France GDPR-friendly defaults out of the box
  • 86% inbox rate on Email Tool Tester benchmark

Cons

  • Editor polish below Mailchimp on visual customization
  • Shallower Shopify integration than Klaviyo
Per-send $9-$18/moFree unlimited contactsSMS + transactional bundledFree forever unlimited contacts; no time limit

Best for: Operators leaving Mailchimp because of per-contact pricing creep on large idle lists or because of separate SMS plus transactional bills.

Compliance
9
Automation
7
Editor
7
Value
10
Support
8
#2

MailerLite

6.0/10Save $24/yr

Best Mailchimp alternative for SMB cost migration

The SMB-cost migration pick shipping a polished editor at half the Mailchimp Standard tier with free assisted migration.

PlanMonthlyAnnualWhat you get
FreeFree1,000 subscribers and 12,000 monthly sends with drag-and-drop editor and signup forms; the most generous SMB free tier
Growing Business$10.00/mo$84.00/yrUnlimited monthly sends with auto-resend to non-openers and free assisted migration; the realistic-buyer tier for SMBs
Advanced$20.00/mo$168.00/yrCustom HTML editor, promotion popups, multiple automations per workflow, and Facebook integration
EnterpriseCustomCustomDedicated success manager with custom solutions and tailored onboarding for high-volume senders

MailerLite is the right Mailchimp alternative when SMB-cost migration drives the choice. The wedge against Mailchimp is structural: MailerLite Free covers two times the subscribers and twelve times the monthly sends, the Growing Business tier costs half the Mailchimp Standard tier, and the editor loads faster. Free assisted migration on every paid tier removes the data-move portion of the work from Mailchimp. Lithuania-based with eighty-eight percent Email Tool Tester inbox rate.

The Free tier covers one thousand subscribers and twelve thousand monthly sends with the drag-and-drop editor plus automation plus signup forms plus landing pages. Growing Business at ten dollars monthly unlocks unlimited monthly sends plus auto-resend to non-openers. Advanced at twenty dollars monthly unlocks custom HTML editing plus multi-trigger automations plus Facebook integration.

The trade-off is no SMS, no transactional API, and no native sales CRM (Brevo bundles all three; ActiveCampaign bundles automation plus CRM). For SMB-cost migration: MailerLite wins. For per-send plus SMS: Brevo. For creator workflow: Kit. For ecommerce revenue attribution: Klaviyo. For automation depth: ActiveCampaign.

Pros

  • Free 1,000 subscribers + 12,000 monthly sends (2x Mailchimp Free)
  • Growing Business $10/mo (half Mailchimp Standard $20)
  • Free assisted migration removes Mailchimp data-move work
  • Cleanest editor that loads faster than Mailchimp
  • 88% inbox rate on Email Tool Tester benchmark

Cons

  • No SMS, no transactional API, no native sales CRM
  • Smaller integration ecosystem than Mailchimp
Free 1,000 subs + 12,000 sendsGrowing Business $10/moFree assisted migrationFree forever 1,000 subs; 30-day paid trial

Best for: SMB Mailchimp users frustrated with per-contact pricing creep and post-Intuit feature gating who want a polished editor at half the cost.

Compliance
9
Automation
7
Editor
9
Value
10
Support
8
#3

Klaviyo

5.1/10$156/yr more

Best Mailchimp alternative for ecommerce revenue attribution

The ecommerce migration pick shipping native Shopify revenue per email plus predictive customer-lifetime-value.

PlanMonthlyWhat you get
FreeFree250 contacts with 500 monthly sends and 60 days of email support for small Shopify stores evaluating
Email$20.00/moEmail campaigns, automations, segmentation, A/B testing, and predictive analytics; the realistic-buyer tier
Email + SMS$35.00/moEmail plus SMS in the same plan with Customer Hub, mobile push, and advanced reporting

Klaviyo is the right Mailchimp alternative when ecommerce revenue attribution drives the choice. The wedge against Mailchimp is depth: Klaviyo surfaces revenue per email at the campaign level natively, while Mailchimp shows opens and clicks but ties revenue back via Shopify reports rather than campaign-level. Native abandoned-cart, browse-abandonment, post-purchase, and win-back flows ship as preconfigured templates. Predictive customer-lifetime-value modeling on every paid tier. Founded 2012 in Boston.

The Free tier covers two hundred fifty contacts and five hundred monthly sends. Email at twenty dollars monthly is the realistic-buyer entry with predictive analytics plus deep segmentation. Email plus SMS at thirty-five dollars monthly adds SMS in the same bill plus mobile push plus the Customer Hub. Pricing scales aggressively above five thousand subscribers.

The trade-off is steep per-contact pricing past five thousand subscribers (more aggressive than Mailchimp's creep) and a steeper learning curve than Mailchimp. For ecommerce revenue attribution: Klaviyo wins. For SMB editor polish: MailerLite. For per-send plus bundle: Brevo. For creator workflow: Kit. For automation depth: ActiveCampaign.

Pros

  • Native Shopify integration with revenue per email at campaign level
  • Predictive customer-lifetime-value modeling on every paid tier
  • Browse-abandonment + post-purchase flows preconfigured
  • Email plus SMS in one bill on Email + SMS plan
  • Transactional API included for receipts and triggered sends

Cons

  • Per-contact pricing scales aggressively past 5,000 subscribers
  • Steeper learning curve than Mailchimp
$20 Email + $35 with SMSFree 250 contactsShopify revenue attribution nativeFree 250 contacts indefinite; no money-back guarantee

Best for: Shopify or BigCommerce stores leaving Mailchimp because of shallow revenue attribution where Klaviyo lifetime-value math justifies the higher pricing.

Compliance
7
Automation
9
Editor
7
Value
7
Support
8
#4

Kit

4.2/10$336/yr more

Best Mailchimp alternative for creator paid newsletters

The creator migration pick shipping 10K free subscribers plus paid newsletters via Stripe with tag-based audiences.

PlanMonthlyAnnualWhat you get
NewsletterFree10,000 subscribers free with unlimited landing pages, broadcasts, and audience tagging; the largest creator free tier
Creator$25.00/mo$250.00/yrVisual automation builder with sequences, integrations, and free migration; the realistic-buyer tier for monetizing creators
Creator Pro$50.00/mo$500.00/yrNewsletter Referral System, subscriber scoring, advanced reporting, and Sparkloop integration for established creators

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the right Mailchimp alternative when creator workflow drives the choice. The wedge against Mailchimp is structural: Kit ships tag-based subscribers (not list-based) so a single subscriber can hold multiple tags for multi-offering segmentation, paid newsletters via Stripe with creator revenue split clear, and the Newsletter free tier covers ten thousand subscribers (twentyfold Mailchimp Free). Founded 2013 by Nathan Barry.

The Free Newsletter plan covers ten thousand subscribers with unlimited broadcasts plus audience tagging. Creator at twenty-five dollars monthly is the realistic-buyer tier adding the visual automation builder plus sequences plus integrations. Creator Pro at fifty dollars monthly unlocks the Newsletter Referral System plus subscriber scoring plus advanced reporting plus Sparkloop integration.

The trade-off is no SMS, no transactional API, no native sales CRM, and no Shopify revenue attribution depth. For creator paid newsletters: Kit wins. For SMB editor polish: MailerLite. For per-send plus bundle: Brevo. For ecommerce revenue attribution: Klaviyo. For automation depth: ActiveCampaign.

Pros

  • Free 10K subscribers (20x Mailchimp Free)
  • Tag-based subscribers simplify multi-offering segmentation
  • Paid newsletters via Stripe with creator revenue split clear
  • Newsletter Referral System ships on Creator Pro
  • Sparkloop integration on Creator Pro for cross-promotion

Cons

  • $25 Creator floor once you outgrow Newsletter free
  • No SMS, transactional API, or native sales CRM
Free 10K subs unlimited sendsCreator $25/mo + Pro $50/moTag-based audienceFree forever 10K subs; 14-day Creator trial

Best for: Creators with paid newsletters, courses, or sponsorships leaving Mailchimp because the list-based model does not fit tag-based audience workflow.

Compliance
8
Automation
7
Editor
8
Value
7
Support
7
#5

ActiveCampaign

3.9/10$324/yr more

Best Mailchimp alternative for automation depth migration

The automation-depth migration pick for buyers whose Mailchimp Customer Journey hit the logic ceiling.

PlanMonthlyWhat you get
Starter$15.00/moEmail marketing, marketing automation, inline forms, and site tracking; the SMB entry into the ActiveCampaign stack
Plus$49.00/moLanding pages, lead and contact scoring, the Deals CRM, and conditional content; the realistic-buyer tier
Pro$79.00/moPredictive send time, split automations, site messaging, and attribution reporting for power-user automation
Enterprise$145.00/moSSO, custom mailserver domains, a dedicated rep, and HIPAA support for regulated industries

ActiveCampaign is the right Mailchimp alternative when automation depth drives the choice. The wedge against Mailchimp is depth: ActiveCampaign ships multi-step conditional flows that branch on subscriber attributes plus lead and contact scoring plus a native sales CRM with deal pipelines, all of which Mailchimp Customer Journey cannot match. Founded 2003 in Chicago.

Starter at fifteen dollars monthly covers basic email automation plus inline forms plus site tracking. Plus at forty-nine dollars monthly is the realistic-buyer tier where landing pages plus scoring plus conditional content plus the Deals CRM open up. Pro at seventy-nine dollars monthly adds predictive send-time optimization plus split automations plus attribution reporting. Enterprise at one hundred forty-five dollars adds SSO plus HIPAA support.

The trade-off is no free tier (honest about who the product is for) and editor polish below Mailchimp. For Mailchimp users whose automation needs hit the conditional-logic ceiling: ActiveCampaign wins. For SMB editor polish: MailerLite. For per-send plus bundle: Brevo. For creator workflow: Kit. For ecommerce revenue attribution: Klaviyo.

Pros

  • Most capable automation builder in the SMB tier
  • Native sales CRM with deal pipelines from Plus
  • Lead and contact scoring on Plus tier and above
  • Conditional content for dynamic personalization
  • Predictive send-time optimization on Pro tier

Cons

  • No free tier (Mailchimp Free covers 500 contacts)
  • Editor functional rather than polished against Mailchimp
Starter $15 + Plus $49Conditional flows + lead scoringNative sales CRM included14-day free trial, no card required

Best for: Operators leaving Mailchimp because Customer Journey automation hit the conditional-logic ceiling and they already pay for a separate sales CRM.

Compliance
7
Automation
9
Editor
6
Value
7
Support
9

How we picked

Each pick gets a transparent composite score from price, features, free-tier availability, and editor fit. Pricing flows from our live database, so when a vendor changes prices the score updates here too.

Composite weights: price 40%, features 30%, free tier 15%, fit 15%. Five picks subset to credible Mailchimp alternatives across SMB-cost, per-send, creator, ecommerce, and automation wedges. Mailchimp itself excluded as the alternative target. Buttondown and AWeber excluded to keep 5 picks focused on the strongest migration paths. See parent /best/email-marketing for the full lineup.

We don't claim "30,000 hours of testing." Our methodology is the formula above plus the editor's published verdict for each pick. Verifiable, auditable, and updated when the underlying data changes.

Why trust Subrupt

We're a subscription tracker first, a buying guide second. Every claim on this page is something you can check.

By use case

Best free Mailchimp alternative

MailerLite

Read the full review →

Cheapest paid Mailchimp alternative

Brevo

Read the full review →

Best creator Mailchimp alternative

Kit

Read the full review →

Best ecommerce Mailchimp alternative

Klaviyo

Read the full review →

Best automation Mailchimp alternative

ActiveCampaign

Read the full review →

How to choose your Mailchimp Alternative

Why teams leave Mailchimp in 2026

Three patterns drive most Mailchimp exits. Per-contact pricing creep: an idle list of five thousand subscribers costs the same as one mailed weekly, and Mailchimp Standard pricing scales with audience size whether mailed or not. Post-Intuit feature gating: several previously-free features moved behind paid plans after Intuit acquired Mailchimp in 2021, including some custom-domain options and advanced segmentation. Automation ceiling: Customer Journey automation hits a conditional-logic ceiling that operators with multi-step branching needs cross within months. Most teams leave Mailchimp because of one of these three reasons rather than feature gaps. For full coverage including Mailchimp itself plus AWeber legacy free, see [our /best/email-marketing guide](/best/email-marketing).

Migration patterns from Mailchimp

Tag and contact data port cleanly between Mailchimp and every alternative on this list. Templates and signup forms need rebuilding because each platform uses incompatible block formats. Customer Journey automations are the real cost: the multi-step flows do not import as working flows into MailerLite, Brevo, Kit, Klaviyo, or ActiveCampaign. Free assisted migration is offered by MailerLite on paid plans, by Brevo for any account, and by Klaviyo for accounts above twenty dollars monthly Email tier. Plan a Mailchimp migration as four to eight hours of rebuild time for SMB workloads or two to four weeks for ecommerce or automation-heavy workloads with parallel running.

Cost math: which Mailchimp alternative saves the most

Mailchimp Standard at twenty dollars monthly covers five hundred contacts; the next band at one thousand contacts runs roughly twenty-six dollars monthly; five thousand contacts runs roughly seventy-five dollars. MailerLite Growing Business at ten dollars covers up to one thousand subscribers; the same five thousand contacts runs roughly thirty dollars on MailerLite Advanced. Brevo Business at eighteen dollars monthly covers twenty thousand monthly sends regardless of subscriber count; for a five-thousand-subscriber list mailed twice monthly that is ten thousand sends well within the cap. Klaviyo Email at twenty dollars covers five hundred contacts; five thousand contacts runs roughly one hundred dollars (more than Mailchimp at the same band). ActiveCampaign Plus at forty-nine dollars covers up to one thousand contacts. The cheapest path depends on list size and send frequency: SMB favors MailerLite; large idle lists favor Brevo.

Feature breadth versus Mailchimp baseline

Mailchimp Standard at twenty dollars monthly ships Customer Journey automation plus predicted demographics plus send-time optimization plus deepest mainstream Shopify integration plus 24/7 email support. The alternatives match or exceed on different axes. MailerLite matches on automation plus signup forms plus landing pages but lacks 24/7 support on Growing Business. Brevo exceeds on bundle (SMS plus transactional plus CRM) but matches on automation depth. Kit exceeds on creator-specific (paid newsletters plus tag-based audience) but lacks Shopify depth. Klaviyo exceeds on ecommerce revenue attribution but charges more per contact. ActiveCampaign exceeds on automation depth but lacks Mailchimp's polished editor. Pick based on which Mailchimp axis is the load-bearing reason for leaving rather than feature parity across the board.

Frequently asked questions

Why is MailerLite ranked above Brevo for Mailchimp alternatives?

Migration audience fit. Most Mailchimp exits are SMB teams frustrated with per-contact pricing creep plus post-Intuit feature gating, and MailerLite ships the cleanest editor at half the cost with free assisted migration that removes the data-move portion of the work. Brevo wins for operators leaving because of large idle lists or bundled SMS needs. For most SMB Mailchimp exits, MailerLite is the cleaner migration path.

Will my Mailchimp Customer Journey automations transfer to alternatives?

No. Customer Journey is Mailchimp-specific automation logic; the multi-step flows do not import as working flows into any alternative. Tags and contact data port cleanly. Templates need rebuilding by hand. Plan automations as the real migration cost: an SMB workload with 2-3 simple flows takes 4-8 hours to rebuild; an ecommerce or automation-heavy workload with 10+ flows takes 2-4 weeks of parallel running before cutover.

Can I run Mailchimp and an alternative in parallel during migration?

Yes; this is the standard pattern. Run both for 30-60 days with the alternative handling new flows and Mailchimp handling existing campaigns until parity is validated. Most teams cut over campaigns one at a time, validating deliverability and engagement on the new platform before fully removing Mailchimp. Cost during parallel running: Mailchimp pause + alternative paid tier; for SMB lists that is roughly $30-40 monthly during the migration window.

Will my deliverability suffer if I switch from Mailchimp?

Not appreciably for the alternatives on this list. Email Tool Tester benchmarks place MailerLite at 88% inbox rate, Brevo at 86%, Klaviyo at 85%, ActiveCampaign roughly at 83%, Mailchimp at 80%. Deliverability differences are real but small. The much bigger factor is your list hygiene and sender-reputation history, which travels with you regardless of provider. Warm up the new IP gradually if you're sending to large lists.

What about Moosend, Sender, EmailOctopus as Mailchimp alternatives?

Moosend (paid plans from $9/mo for unlimited campaigns), Sender (free 2.5K subs + 15K sends), and EmailOctopus (free 2.5K subs + 10K sends) are all credible Mailchimp alternatives that consistently appear in competitor lists. We exclude these from the catalog because the catalog focuses on credible mainstream picks; all three are credible alternatives for cost-anchored Mailchimp exits. We re-evaluate the lane every quarter as pricing shifts.

How does Klaviyo compare to Mailchimp for a smaller Shopify store under 1K subscribers?

Klaviyo Email at $20/mo for 500 contacts is the same price as Mailchimp Standard, with deeper revenue attribution and predictive analytics. The catch is that Klaviyo per-contact pricing scales more aggressively past 5K subscribers than Mailchimp. For Shopify stores under 1K subscribers, Klaviyo and Mailchimp are roughly cost-equivalent and the choice comes down to whether revenue attribution depth matters more than brand familiarity for agency support.

Is ActiveCampaign worth the higher price for Mailchimp exit?

Only when automation depth is the load-bearing reason for leaving. ActiveCampaign Plus at $49/mo covers 1K contacts which is 2.5x the Mailchimp Standard cost at the same band, justified by conditional flows + lead scoring + native sales CRM that Mailchimp Customer Journey cannot match. For Mailchimp exits driven by cost or per-contact pricing, MailerLite is the cleaner alternative. For Mailchimp exits driven by Customer Journey hitting a ceiling, ActiveCampaign is the upgrade.

Can I keep my Mailchimp domain authentication when migrating?

Yes for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records (these are DNS-level and decoupled from any specific email vendor). You'll add new SPF and DKIM records for the alternative vendor while keeping Mailchimp's records active during parallel running, then remove Mailchimp's records after cutover. Most alternatives provide the new DNS records during onboarding. Your domain authentication history travels with you because it's tied to the domain, not the vendor.

Will Kit handle my Mailchimp ecommerce flows?

Kit ships limited ecommerce integration designed for digital products, courses, and Stripe paid newsletters rather than Shopify abandoned-cart workflows. For SMB Shopify stores leaving Mailchimp, Kit is not the right migration target; default to Klaviyo or stay on Mailchimp. For creator-led businesses with digital products leaving Mailchimp, Kit is the cleaner alternative because tag-based audience fits creator workflow better.

Does Subrupt earn a commission on these Mailchimp alternatives?

On the paid-tier links across MailerLite, Brevo, Kit, Klaviyo, and ActiveCampaign where the affiliate programs route through. Composite scoring weights price 40%, features 30%, free tier 15%, fit 15%, none tuned by affiliate rate. The rationales lead with which-migration-reason-fits math rather than affiliate-friendly framing. The composite math is on the page so you can recompute the order yourself.

Subrupt Editorial

The team behind subrupt.com. We track subscriptions, surface cheaper alternatives, and publish buying guides 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.

Last reviewed

Citations

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.

Related buying guides

Track your subscriptions on Subrupt

Add the Mailchimp Alternative you pay for and see how much you'd save by switching.

Open dashboard

More buying guides

Independent rankings for the subscriptions worth paying for.

See all guides