Mailchimp alternatives: eight email tools set against its prices
On this page, 5 sections
The alternatives, cheapest paid plan first
| Tool | From | Includes | Free trial | Refund | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo Prices Review | $8.08/mo Starter | 5,000 emails, 500 contacts | Not listed | None | Yes |
| Constant Contact Prices Review | $10.20/mo Lite | Not listed | Yes | 30 days | None |
| MailerLite Prices Review | $10.80/mo Comfort | 5,000 emails, 500 contacts | 14 days | 30 days | Yes |
| AWeber Prices | $12.50/mo Lite | Not listed | 14 days | Not shown | None |
| ActiveCampaign Prices Review | $15/mo Starter | 10,000 emails, 1,000 contacts | 14 days | 30 days | None |
| GetResponse Prices | $15.58/mo Starter | Not listed | 14 days | None | None |
| Klaviyo Prices Review | $20 Email | 5,000 emails, 500 contacts | Not listed | None | Yes |
| Kit Prices | $33/mo Creator | 1,000 contacts | 14 days | None | Yes |
From and Includes are each tool's cheapest paid plan, on its cheaper billing. The other columns cover every plan.
Brevo
From $8.08 a month
- Emails
- 5,000
- Contacts
- 500
- Users
- Not listed
- Free trial
- Not listed
- Refund
- None
- Free plan
- Yes
Pay yearly and Brevo Starter costs $8.08 a month. Mailchimp Essentials costs $13 at its smallest tier. You get 500 contacts and 5,000 emails.
Monthly billing is $9. Brevo Free needs no card.
The catch is the contract. Brevo refunds no prepaid or unused fees. You cannot cancel before your term ends. Mailchimp gives annual buyers 60 days.
If you send 150,000 emails, Professional costs $499 a month. It includes 10 seats.
- Best if
- You want the lowest entry price and can commit to a term.
- Skip it if
- You need a refund after prepaying.
Constant Contact
From $10.20 a month
- Emails
- Not listed
- Contacts
- Not listed
- Users
- Not listed
- Free trial
- Yes
- Refund
- 30 days
- Free plan
- None
If you want an exit, Constant Contact Lite costs $10.20 a month billed annually. Mailchimp Essentials costs $13. Cancel within 30 days of signing up and the refund is full. Monthly Mailchimp plans get none.
Trustpilot rates Constant Contact 4.0 on 2,121 reviews, against Mailchimp's 2.5.
The catch is no free plan, so a small list pays from day one. Sends past your allowance cost $0.002 each, or $2 per 1,000. Standard is $29.75 and Premium is $68.
- Best if
- You want a plain refund rule and a rating near 4.
- Skip it if
- You rely on a free tier.
MailerLite
From $10.80 a month
- Emails
- 5,000
- Contacts
- 500
- Users
- 3 included
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Refund
- 30 days
- Free plan
- Yes
Paid yearly, MailerLite Comfort costs $10.80 a month. Monthly billing is $12, against $13 for Mailchimp Essentials. You get 3 seats and 5,000 emails for 500 subscribers.
You cancel yourself on the Plan and Billing page. Refunds run 30 days from your last payment. The free plan sends 2,500 emails to 250 subscribers.
The catch is overage. Pass your quota and MailerLite upgrades you to the next tier on its own. Power costs $25 a month.
- Best if
- You want a free start and a cancel button in your account.
- Skip it if
- An automatic tier upgrade on overage would surprise you.
AWeber
From $12.50 a month
- Emails
- Not listed
- Contacts
- Not listed
- Users
- 3 included
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Refund
- Not listed
- Free plan
- None
If you pay yearly, AWeber Lite costs $12.50 a month, or $15 monthly. Mailchimp Essentials is $13. You get 3 seats and a 14-day trial. Plus costs $30 monthly or $20 yearly.
The catch is no free plan. A list under 250 contacts pays here and pays nothing on Mailchimp Free. AWeber's pages give no refund window, so ask before you pay. Trustpilot gives it 4.3, on only 178 reviews.
- Best if
- You want a paid plan with a high rating.
- Skip it if
- You need refund terms in writing before you pay.
ActiveCampaign
From $15 a month
- Emails
- 10,000
- Contacts
- 1,000
- Users
- 1 included
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Refund
- 30 days
- Free plan
- None
Billed yearly, ActiveCampaign Starter costs $15 a month. That buys 1,000 contacts and 10,000 emails. Mailchimp's $13 Essentials plan covers the 0-500 tier.
Plus costs $49, Pro $79 and Enterprise $145. Every plan has a 14-day trial and a 30-day money-back promise.
The catch is no free plan. At the send limit, sending stops until next month, so you get no surprise bill. Trustpilot shows 2.8 over 1,459 reviews, near Mailchimp's 2.5.
- Best if
- You want a hard send cap rather than overage bills.
- Skip it if
- A low Trustpilot rating worries you.
GetResponse
From $15.58 a month
- Emails
- Not listed
- Contacts
- Not listed
- Users
- Not listed
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Refund
- None
- Free plan
- None
Trustpilot rates GetResponse 4.2 on 1,046 reviews, against Mailchimp's 2.5.
Paid yearly, Starter costs $15.58 a month, or $19 monthly. Mailchimp Essentials costs $13. You get a 14-day trial. Marketer costs $59 and Creator $69 on monthly billing.
The catch is refunds. GetResponse issues none, even if you cancel right after a charge. Only a few listed exceptions apply. Mailchimp gives annual buyers 60 days.
Contacts over your list size cost $4 per started block of 1,000. There is no free plan.
- Best if
- You will pick a 12-month term for the lower price.
- Skip it if
- You want a refund after the first charge.
Klaviyo
From $20
- Emails
- 5,000
- Contacts
- 500
- Users
- Not listed
- Free trial
- Not listed
- Refund
- None
- Free plan
- Yes
You get 14 days' notice before a Klaviyo fee rise. Mailchimp's pricing can change without notice. Klaviyo Email costs $20 a month for 500 profiles and 5,000 emails. At the same $20, Mailchimp Standard sends 6,000.
The free plan sends 500 emails to 250 profiles. The catch is the terms. All fees are non-refundable, and plans upgrade on their own as usage grows. Check support before you commit: Trustpilot scores Klaviyo 1.6 on 374 reviews, and Mailchimp 2.5.
- Best if
- You want a free plan and accept usage-based upgrades.
- Skip it if
- You want refunds or a high rating.
Kit
From $33 a month
- Emails
- Not listed
- Contacts
- 1,000
- Users
- 2 included
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Refund
- None
- Free plan
- Yes
If you sell digital products, Kit takes 3.5% plus 30 cents a sale. That rate holds on Free, Creator and Pro. Trustpilot rates Kit 3.8, against Mailchimp's 2.5.
Kit Creator costs $33 a month yearly, or $39 monthly. It covers 1,000 subscribers and 2 seats. Pro is $66 yearly or $79 monthly. Both cost more than Mailchimp Standard at $20.
Kit Free has 1 seat. Every plan has a 14-day trial.
The catch is fees. Paid Recommendations earnings carry a 23.5% fee on Creator and Pro. Cancelling refunds nothing you paid.
- Best if
- You sell digital products or paid recommendations.
- Skip it if
- You only send newsletters on a tight budget.
How this list is built
A tool is here when email marketing is its main product.
The order is the lowest paid plan per month, cheapest first. Yearly billing counts at its monthly figure, and a tie goes to alphabetical order.
Who missed the list and why: HubSpot, GoHighLevel and Keap sell email inside a CRM
Three tools sell email as one feature of a bigger product. If you only send newsletters, you pay for a CRM you skip.
- HubSpot: Email sits inside Marketing Hub, one hub of a wider CRM platform. Marketing Hub Starter costs $7 a seat a month. Step up to Professional and you pay $800, or $3,600 for Enterprise. Beside it sit Sales, Service, Content and Data hubs. See HubSpot’s pricing.
- GoHighLevel: CRM comes first, and “Email + SMS Marketing” is one feature among many. Starter costs $97 a month, Unlimited $297 and Founder $497. Usage bills on top. See GoHighLevel’s pricing.
- Keap: CRM comes first here too, with email marketing beside its pipeline and phone line. Keap Platform is one plan at $320 a month with 2 seats. An annual contract adds a $299 fee to leave early. See Keap’s pricing.
Stay with Mailchimp if your automations run past four steps
Essentials stops at 4 flow steps. Standard and Premium allow up to 200 flows. If your automations run long, count your flows before you switch.
Every paid plan lists 300+ integrations. Check your connected apps against the other tool’s list first. Premium adds unlimited users and phone support, where Standard gives you 5 seats.
Stay if your list is under 250 contacts and Free covers you. Stay if a campaign mid-move would put client work at risk.
Several of the 10 newest Trustpilot reviews complain about support or compliance flags. Standard and Essentials start with a 14-day free trial, so test support there. Read more in our Mailchimp review.
A paid monthly Mailchimp plan bills extra once you pass its limits
Go over your limits on a monthly plan and you pay extra. Free stops sending at its cap instead. Closing an annual plan means contacting sales.
A growing list can lift your bill without a plan change. Check your list size against the limits before you move. See Mailchimp’s pricing for each plan.
Start prices cover small lists, so price your own list first
Mailchimp’s $13 and $20 prices are for the smallest contact tier. A contacts selector sets your real price. ActiveCampaign’s and Kit’s figures cover 1,000 contacts. Constant Contact bases its price on contacts and sends.
Enter your own list size on each pricing page before you compare.
Start on a free Brevo or MailerLite plan before you pay anyone
Move to Brevo Starter or MailerLite Comfort when you outgrow them. Stay on Mailchimp if its flows run your business.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Mailchimp cost compared with its alternatives?
Mailchimp Essentials starts at $13 a month and Standard at $20, both for 0-500 contacts. Brevo starts at $8.08 on yearly billing, Constant Contact at $10.20 and MailerLite at $10.80.
Is there a free Mailchimp alternative?
Yes, Brevo, MailerLite, Klaviyo and Kit each have a free plan. Klaviyo Free covers 250 profiles, the same cap as Mailchimp's free plan. It allows 500 sends a month.
Can I get a refund if I leave Mailchimp or switch to another tool?
It depends on the tool. Brevo, GetResponse, Klaviyo and Kit refund nothing you prepaid, bar listed exceptions. You get 30 days on Constant Contact, MailerLite and ActiveCampaign. Mailchimp refunds annual plans only.
Will Mailchimp charge me extra when my list grows?
Yes, on a paid monthly plan. Pass your audience or email limit and Mailchimp adds charges for the prior billing cycle. The Free plan pauses sending instead of billing you.
Is Mailchimp worth leaving?
Leave if overage bills or the monthly no-refund rule worry you. On 2026-11-05 Trustpilot showed Mailchimp at 2.5 across 1,560 reviews. Of those, 1,032 were one-star.
Sources
Show all 34 sources
- Trustpilot, : Mailchimp rating of 2.5 from 1,560 reviews, with 1,032 one-star reviews
- Trustpilot, : Brevo rating of 3.8 from 7,252 reviews
- Trustpilot, : Constant Contact rating of 4.0 from 2,121 reviews
- Trustpilot, : MailerLite rating of 4.1 from 3,403 reviews
- Trustpilot, : AWeber rating of 4.3 from 178 reviews
- Trustpilot, : ActiveCampaign rating of 2.8 from 1,459 reviews
- Trustpilot, : GetResponse rating of 4.2 from 1,046 reviews
- Trustpilot, : Klaviyo rating of 1.6 from 374 reviews
- Trustpilot, : Kit rating of 3.8 from 166 reviews
- ActiveCampaign, : terms
- ActiveCampaign, : plan details and prices and terms
- AWeber, : plan details and prices and terms
- Brevo, : terms
- Brevo, : plan details and prices
- Constant Contact, : plan details and prices and terms
- GetResponse, : plan details and terms
- GetResponse, : plan details and prices and terms
- GoHighLevel, : plan details and prices and terms
- GoHighLevel, : terms
- HubSpot, : terms
- HubSpot, : plan details and prices
- HubSpot, : plan details and prices
- HubSpot, : plan details and prices
- Keap, : terms
- Keap, : plan details and prices and terms
- Kit, : plan details and prices and terms
- Kit, : terms
- Klaviyo, : terms
- Klaviyo, : plan details
- Klaviyo, : plan details and prices
- Mailchimp, : terms
- Mailchimp, : plan details and prices and terms
- MailerLite, : terms
- MailerLite, : plan details and prices and terms