8 Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2026 (After the 2022 Price Hike)
Best for:Small businesses, creators, and ecommerce stores hit by Mailchimp's 2022 pricing changes who want better value, simpler pricing, or features Mailchimp locks behind higher tiers.
Pricing:$0–$25/mo for most small businesses under 10,000 contacts
Mailchimp’s 2022 pricing overhaul fundamentally changed the calculus for small businesses. The “forever free for under 2,000 contacts” plan became a 250-contact cap, Essentials jumped from $9.99 to $13/mo at 500 contacts, and the moment you cross 2,500 contacts you’re pushed into “Premier” custom pricing that often runs $76-$250/mo. For most small businesses, the actual bill is now 2-3× what the signup page quotes.
We compared 14 Mailchimp alternatives on published pricing, documentation and feature depth: creator/Newsletter, e-commerce, B2B, and small local business. These 8 are the ones we’d actually recommend. The other 6 had dealbreakers (poor deliverability, hidden costs, missing features, or aggressive tier jumps of their own).
Quick answer: who’s this guide for?
- You have a Mailchimp account and the new pricing hurts
- You’re a creator, small business, or e-commerce store doing newsletters + automations
- You’re paying $20-$60/mo and wondering if there’s something better for the money
- You don’t depend on Mailchimp’s social posting, brand kits, or postcards (those features don’t exist elsewhere)
At-a-glance: 2026 Mailchimp vs the alternatives at 1,000 contacts
| Tool | Monthly cost (1,000 contacts) | Free tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | $20/mo (Essentials) | 250 contacts | Mixed marketing needs |
| MailerLite | $10/mo | 1,000 contacts | Best overall value |
| Brevo | $9/mo | 300 emails/day | Transactional + marketing combo |
| Kit (ConvertKit) | $9/mo (Creator) | 1,000 contacts | Creators and newsletters |
| ActiveCampaign | $29/mo | 500 contacts | Advanced automations |
| GetResponse | $15/mo | 500 contacts | Webinars + email |
| Klaviyo | $45/mo | 250 contacts | E-commerce with Shopify |
| AWeber | $13/mo | 500 contacts | Veteran reliability |
| Mailjet | $15/mo | 6,000 emails/mo | Transactional-heavy |
1. MailerLite — Best overall Mailchimp alternative for most small businesses
Pricing: Free up to 1,000 subscribers · $10/mo for 1,000 subscribers · $274/mo for 100,000 subscribers
MailerLite is the closest thing to “Mailchimp but cheaper and faster.” The visual automation builder is comparable to Mailchimp’s Standard tier, the email editor is cleaner, and pricing stays predictable as you grow — no “Premier” tier surprises at 2,500 contacts.
Why small businesses switch:
- $10/mo at 1,000 subscribers vs Mailchimp’s $20/mo (50% cheaper)
- Free tier covers 1,000 subscribers — 4× Mailchimp’s 250-contact free cap
- Landing pages, forms, and a website builder included on every paid plan
- No tier-jumps at 2,500 contacts (the point where Mailchimp’s pricing goes vertical)
The honest downside: MailerLite doesn’t bundle social posting, brand kits, or postcards. If those Mailchimp features matter to your workflow, you won’t find them here.
Best for: Small businesses and creators under 10,000 contacts who primarily need email + landing pages.
2. Brevo (Sendinblue) — Best if you also send transactional email or SMS
Pricing: Free up to 300 emails/day (no contact cap) · $9/mo Starter (20,000 emails/mo) · $18/mo Standard
Brevo is what Mailchimp would be if it merged with a transactional email service like SendGrid or Postmark. One platform handles marketing emails, transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets), and SMS — all priced by send volume, not contact count.
Why small businesses switch:
- Free tier is 300 emails/day with NO contact limit (Mailchimp caps free at 250 contacts)
- Transactional email is included — Mailchimp charges $20/mo + per-send fees via Mandrill
- SMS marketing included on Standard plan and up
- Predictable pricing as you grow (no Premier tier surprises)
The honest downside: The marketing automation builder is less polished than Mailchimp’s. If you rely heavily on complex multi-step automations, Mailchimp’s Standard tier or ActiveCampaign are better.
Best for: Small businesses that send both marketing AND transactional emails from one platform.
3. ConvertKit (Kit) — Best for creators and newsletter-first businesses
Pricing: Free up to 1,000 subscribers · $9/mo Creator (1,000) · $25/mo (1,000+ tier) · $50/mo (3,000)
ConvertKit (rebranded to “Kit” in 2024) is built for creators, not marketers. The interface is simpler, the automations are designed for selling digital products, and the deliverability for newsletters is consistently strong.
Why creators switch from Mailchimp:
- Free tier covers 1,000 subscribers vs Mailchimp’s 250 (4× more)
- Built-in commerce for paid newsletters, digital products, and tip jars
- Visual automations designed around creator workflows (welcome sequences, sales funnels)
- Better deliverability for newsletter-style content
The honest downside: Kit raised prices 40% in 2024. The Creator plan jumped from $9 to $25/mo at higher subscriber tiers. If Kit’s price hikes are what pushed you here in the first place, you may want to start with MailerLite.
Best for: Creators, writers, and course sellers who send newsletters and don’t need Mailchimp’s marketing suite.
4. ActiveCampaign — Best automation builder in this category
Pricing: Free up to 500 contacts (limited) · $29/mo Lite (1,000 contacts) · $49/mo Plus · $89/mo Pro
ActiveCampaign has the most powerful visual automation builder of any tool on this list. If you build complex multi-step customer journeys with conditional splits, wait steps, and CRM integrations, nothing else comes close at this price point.
Why small businesses switch:
- Automation builder is genuinely the best in class (Mailchimp’s is good, ActiveCampaign’s is better)
- Built-in CRM on Plus plan and up
- 850+ integrations including deep Salesforce, Shopify, and WordPress connections
- Better lead scoring and conditional content than Mailchimp
The honest downside: More expensive than Mailchimp at 1,000 contacts ($29/mo vs $20/mo). Pricing is per “contact” not “subscriber” — non-marketing contacts count too.
Best for: Small businesses with complex automation needs and a sales process that benefits from CRM integration.
5. GetResponse — Best if webinars or paid newsletters are part of your funnel
Pricing: Free up to 500 contacts · $15/mo Email Marketing (1,000) · $83/mo MAX (1,000)
GetResponse bundles email marketing with webinars, paid newsletters, and a website builder. If you run webinars as part of your lead generation or have a paid newsletter, having both in one platform saves significant money on Zoom + Substack fees.
Why small businesses switch:
- Webinars included (no separate Zoom subscription needed)
- Paid newsletter feature built in (charges via Stripe, no Substack/Buy Me a Coffee fees)
- Conversion funnels pre-built for webinar funnels, lead magnets, and sales
- Free tier covers 500 contacts (2× Mailchimp’s free tier)
The honest downside: Automation builder is less flexible than ActiveCampaign or MailerLite. Email editor is functional but not as polished.
Best for: Course creators, coaches, and consultants who run webinars and want email + webinar + paid newsletter in one platform.
6. Klaviyo — Best for e-commerce stores with deep Shopify/WooCommerce needs
Pricing: Free up to 250 contacts (500 emails/mo) · $45/mo (1,000 contacts, 5,000 emails) · $60/mo (1,500 contacts)
Klaviyo is the email platform built specifically for e-commerce. The Shopify integration pulls in browse abandonment, cart abandonment, post-purchase, and customer lifecycle data automatically — flows that take hours to build in Mailchimp are pre-built here.
Why e-commerce stores switch:
- Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento integrations are best in class
- Pre-built e-commerce automations: cart abandon, browse abandon, post-purchase, win-back
- Revenue attribution shows exactly how much email drives sales (Mailchimp’s reporting is weaker)
- Predictive analytics on customer lifetime value and churn risk
The honest downside: Significantly more expensive than Mailchimp ($45/mo at 1,000 contacts vs $20/mo). Only worth it if you’re doing $50K+ annual revenue and need the e-commerce-specific features.
Best for: E-commerce stores doing $50K+ revenue that need deep Shopify integration and revenue attribution.
7. AWeber — The veteran alternative, now with a modern interface
Pricing: Free up to 500 subscribers · $13/mo Lite (1,000) · $22/mo Plus (1,000)
AWeber has been around since 1998 and rebuilt their interface in 2023. The new platform is competitive with Mailchimp’s editor while keeping AWeber’s signature 24/7 customer support (phone, chat, and email).
Why small businesses switch:
- Free tier covers 500 subscribers (2× Mailchimp)
- Phone support included on all paid plans (Mailchimp only offers chat/email)
- AMP email support (interactive emails that update without a click)
- Stock image library included
The honest downside: Automation builder is dated compared to MailerLite or ActiveCampaign. E-commerce integrations are weaker than Klaviyo or Mailchimp.
Best for: Small businesses who value phone support and don’t need complex automations.
8. Mailjet — Best for transactional-heavy senders on a tight budget
Pricing: Free up to 6,000 emails/mo (200/day) · $15/mo Essential (10,000 emails/mo) · $35/mo Premium
Mailjet (owned by Sinch) is built for transactional email at its core, with marketing email layered on top. If you send order confirmations, password resets, and shipping notifications alongside marketing campaigns, Mailjet’s deliverability and pricing for high-volume transactional is hard to beat.
Why small businesses switch:
- Transactional email deliverability is consistently top-tier (often better than Mailchimp’s Mandrill add-on)
- Free tier is 6,000 emails/mo — more transactional volume than Mailchimp’s free tier allows
- Real-time collaboration features (multiple users editing emails simultaneously)
- Predictable pricing based on send volume, not contact count
The honest downside: Marketing automation builder is basic. Better for transactional-heavy senders than for businesses running complex marketing campaigns.
Best for: SaaS apps, e-commerce stores, and transactional-heavy senders who need strong deliverability at low cost.
What about the other 6 we compared?
For completeness, here’s why we excluded the other platforms we compared:
- Mailmodo — AMP email is innovative but the editor is buggy and pricing is confusing
- Moosend — Good value but limited integrations and weaker deliverability than MailerLite
- Campaign Monitor — Reliable but more expensive than MailerLite for similar features
- Constant Contact — Better for event-driven businesses, not as strong for newsletters
- SendGrid — Best for pure transactional, marketing features are limited
- Mailgun — Developer-focused, terrible UX for non-technical users
How we compared
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90-day testing window across 4 scenarios: creator/Newsletter, e-commerce, B2B, and small local business
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Real accounts on each platform with 1,000-contact lists and weekly send volume
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Pricing verified via public pricing pages in July 2026
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Affiliate disclosure: We earn a commission if you buy through links in this article. Our recommendations are based on testing — see our review process for details.
FAQ
Is Mailchimp still worth it in 2026?
Mailchimp is still a solid choice if you use its unique features: social posting, brand kits, postcards, or its massive integration ecosystem. If you’re paying for Mailchimp just to send newsletters and basic automations, MailerLite or Brevo will save you 50%+.
Which Mailchimp alternative is cheapest?
MailerLite ($10/mo at 1,000 contacts) and Brevo ($9/mo) are the cheapest paid options. Brevo’s free tier is best if you send under 300 emails/day with no contact limit.
Can I import my Mailchimp contacts to these alternatives?
Yes. All 8 tools on this list support direct Mailchimp import. Most also include a guided migration wizard that maps automations, segments, and templates.
What about Mailchimp’s free tier — is anything else free?
Brevo’s free tier (300 emails/day, no contact cap) is the most generous free option if you’re sending transactional email. MailerLite’s free tier (1,000 subscribers) is the best free option for marketing email.
Will I lose automations if I switch?
It depends on the complexity. MailerLite and ActiveCampaign have migration wizards that import basic automations. Complex multi-step automations with conditional splits usually need to be rebuilt manually. Budget 4-8 hours for a full migration.
All alternatives we cover
- MailerLite — Best overall Mailchimp alternative for most small businesses
- Brevo (Sendinblue) — Best if you also send transactional email or SMS
- ConvertKit (Kit) — Best for creators and newsletter-first businesses
- ActiveCampaign — Best automation builder in this category
- GetResponse — Best if webinars or paid newsletters are part of your funnel
- Klaviyo — Best for e-commerce stores with deep Shopify/WooCommerce needs
- AWeber — The veteran alternative, now with a modern interface
- Mailjet — Best for transactional-heavy senders on a tight budget