Choosing among Mailchimp alternatives is usually about cost structure, automation depth, and channel mix (email-only vs SMS and beyond). This comparison focuses on measurable differences—how platforms price, what they include at common tiers, and how they treat contacts, sends, and customer profiles.
What People Usually Mean by “Mailchimp Alternatives”
Most comparisons come down to whether you prefer pricing that follows email volume, pricing that follows list size, or pricing that follows stored customer profiles. The best fit tends to be the one where your typical month (contacts × sends) matches the platform’s billing unit, while keeping the right automation and reporting.
Table of Contents
Alternative Platforms Compared
This table uses decision-friendly signals rather than long descriptions: what each platform is known for, the typical billing unit, and whether it naturally supports ecommerce, SMS, or creator newsletters.
| Platform | Typical Fit | Common Billing Unit | Channel Mix | Automation Signal | Notes You Can Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | SMB marketing + transactional | Email volume (monthly sends) + add-ons | Email, SMS, WhatsApp, push, chat | Workflow automation | Often attractive when sends matter more than contacts |
| MailerLite | Newsletters + simple automation | Subscribers (list size) | Email (plus site forms/landing pages) | Visual automations | Strong for clean UI and creator workflows |
| Klaviyo | Ecommerce lifecycle + segmentation | Active profiles + email sends; SMS credits | Email + mobile messaging | Behavioral targeting | Built around profiles and store data |
| Omnisend | Ecommerce omnichannel | Contacts + plan tier; SMS credits | Email, SMS, push | Prebuilt ecommerce automations | Designed for store events and promotional cycles |
| Drip | Ecommerce personalization | List size + send volume | Email + onsite elements | Multi-workflow support | Pricing explicitly references list and volume |
| GetResponse | All-in-one marketing suite | List size (tiered plans) | Email + web/landing tools | Automation included by tier | Often evaluated for webinars and conversion tools |
| Constant Contact | SMB newsletters + events | Contacts (plan tiers) | Email + optional SMS | Automations by tier | Strong for simplicity and support |
| Mailjet | Sending + collaboration | Email volume (monthly sends) | Automation varies by plan | Useful when volume and team editing matter | |
| ActiveCampaign | CRM + automation-first | Contacts + tier | Email (plus CRM functions) | Advanced workflows | Common shortlist item for sales + marketing |
| Campaign Monitor | Brand-led email programs | Contacts and/or sends (plan style varies) | Automation features by plan | Often compared on templates and brand control | |
| Kit | Creators and newsletters | Subscribers (creator tiers) | Creator automations | Built for creator audiences and paid newsletters | |
| HubSpot | CRM-first marketing hub | Tiered bundles + contacts (by package) | Email + CRM ecosystem | Enterprise-grade options | Often assessed for CRM depth and governance |
How Email Marketing Platforms Differ
The most important differences are not cosmetic. They show up as billing math, data model, and activation channels. A platform can feel similar on day one, then behave very differently once you add automation, segmentation, and multiple audiences.
The Core Billing Units
- Contacts: cost tends to rise with list growth, even if sends stay flat.
- Email volume: cost tends to rise with campaigns and automations that send more.
- Profiles: cost reflects stored customer records and activity, not only subscribers.
- Add-ons: SMS credits, dedicated IPs, advanced reporting, or extra seats.
The Performance Metrics You Can Compare
These are standard metrics used across email tools. They help compare campaigns and automations without guessing.
- Delivery rate = delivered ÷ sent.
- Open rate = opens ÷ delivered.
- Click rate = clicks ÷ delivered.
- Click-to-open = clicks ÷ opens.
- Conversion rate = conversions ÷ clicks (or delivered, if defined that way).
- Unsubscribe and complaint rates = unsubscribes/complaints ÷ delivered.
Pricing Models and Budget Predictability
If your list grows faster than your sending, contact-based pricing can feel different from volume-based pricing. If you store many shoppers, visitors, and suppressed records, profile-based pricing can be the most honest reflection of data footprint.
A simple comparison method is to track contacts, emails sent, and automations in a typical month. Then map each platform’s unit to your reality. This keeps budget surprises lower and makes the shortlist more rational.
Mailchimp as a Baseline
Mailchimp is often treated as a baseline because it combines email marketing, automation, and a large ecosystem of integrations. Its Marketing plans are presented as Free, Essentials, Standard, and Premium on the official pricing page.✅Source
Automation, Segmentation, and Customer Data
Automation depth is the quickest way to separate a newsletter tool from a lifecycle platform. When a tool supports event tracking, you can segment by behavior (browse, add-to-cart, repeat purchase) rather than only by list membership.
What “Advanced Segmentation” Usually Means
- Boolean logic (AND/OR) across multiple attributes.
- Event conditions (performed X in the last Y days).
- Predictive fields or scoring (when offered).
- Suppression rules (quiet users, recent buyers, compliance segments).
Design Tools, Templates, and Landing Pages
Design matters in measurable ways: it changes time-to-publish, template consistency, and how quickly teams can run A/B tests. Some platforms emphasize drag-and-drop, others add brand controls, and some include landing pages directly in their paid tiers.
Ecommerce, SMS, and Multichannel Options
Not every email platform treats ecommerce as first-class. Ecommerce-led tools typically offer purchase events, catalog-aware personalization, and automations like browse abandonment. If SMS is part of your mix, the pricing model often shifts to credits or per-message rates.
Deliverability and Compliance Fundamentals
Deliverability is not a single feature. It is the outcome of authentication, list hygiene, and content reputation. One widely used standard is DMARC, which builds on SPF and DKIM and helps receivers decide what to do with messages that fail authentication.✅Source
Regulatory expectations vary by audience and region, but many senders also reference CAN-SPAM guidance for commercial messages, including clear identification and unsubscribe handling.✅Source
For privacy frameworks in the EU context, the European Commission maintains official information around data protection and the GDPR, which is relevant when you manage consent and data subject rights in marketing databases.✅Source
Reporting and Experimentation
Reporting is strongest when it connects campaign stats to business outcomes (orders, signups, pipeline). Many teams also watch mailbox-provider signals; Google’s Postmaster Tools documentation describes how senders can monitor their email traffic and reputation indicators for Gmail domains.✅Source
| Metric | Formula | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery rate | Delivered ÷ Sent | Shows list quality and bounce handling. |
| Open rate | Opens ÷ Delivered | Reflects subject line and audience relevance. |
| Click rate | Clicks ÷ Delivered | Measures creative and offer clarity. |
| Click-to-open | Clicks ÷ Opens | Separates subject success from content success. |
| Conversion rate | Conversions ÷ Clicks | Connects email to business results. |
| Complaint rate | Complaints ÷ Delivered | Key deliverability risk indicator. |
Platform Notes and Official Pages
Below are platform-by-platform notes that highlight pricing signals, included limits, and the kind of program each tool supports best. Each platform section includes one official pricing reference when specific numbers appear.
Brevo
Brevo is often evaluated when you want multi-channel options without forcing everything into contact-based billing. The pricing page shows a Free plan and notes that once sending is approved you can send up to 300 emails per day; paid tiers reference monthly email volumes such as 5,000 emails/month at Starter and higher tiers scaling to larger volumes.✅Source
- Billing signal Email volume is central; add-ons may apply for channels.
- Channels Email, SMS, and more are presented as part of the platform.
- Fit Teams that value automation plus messaging breadth.
MailerLite
MailerLite is a common pick when you want newsletter simplicity with real automation. The pricing page lists a free tier that includes up to 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails/month, which makes its entry point easy to quantify for smaller lists.✅Source
- Billing signal Usually tracks subscriber count.
- Strength Balanced editor and list management.
- Fit Newsletter-led marketing where speed and clarity matter.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo is widely compared in ecommerce because it emphasizes customer profiles and behavioral segmentation. On the pricing page, the Free plan is stated as not available above 250 active profiles, and the paid email tier is shown as starting at $45/month for 15,000 emails/month in the example shown.✅Source
- Billing signal Profiles and send volume shape the plan.
- Strength Deep segmentation and multi-channel options.
- Fit Stores that prioritize lifecycle flows and personalization.
Omnisend
Omnisend is positioned around email + SMS for ecommerce. Its pricing page shows a Pro plan example “starting from” $44 per month and also lists a free plan limit of 500 emails/month to up to 250 contacts in the FAQ section of the same page.✅Source
- Billing signal Tiers tied to contacts, with SMS credits.
- Strength Ecommerce-oriented automation patterns.
- Fit Teams seeking omnichannel without stitching tools together.
Drip
Drip is frequently compared for ecommerce because it emphasizes workflows and personalization. On its pricing page, Drip states that pricing is based on list size and send volume, and shows an example price of $39/month including unlimited email sends for 1–2,500 people in the plan selector view.✅Source
- Billing signal Explicitly ties to people and volume.
- Strength Multiple workflows and ecommerce-oriented insights.
- Fit Stores where personalization is central.
Mailjet
Mailjet is often evaluated when monthly send volume and team collaboration are central. The pricing page lists a free plan including up to 6,000 emails/month with a stated cap of 200 emails/day, and it shows a Premium tier example starting at $27/month for 15,000 emails per month.✅Source
- Billing signal Email volume is a clear driver.
- Strength Predictable volume tiers for sending programs.
- Fit Teams where send limits matter more than list size.
GetResponse
GetResponse is commonly compared as an all-in-one suite. In its pricing FAQ, GetResponse states that monthly plans are bracketed by list size, “starting at $19 per month for unlimited messages to 1,000 subscribers.”✅Source
- Billing signal List size tiers are explicit.
- Strength Broad toolkit beyond email for conversion flows.
- Fit Teams that prefer consolidation over multiple tools.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact is often shortlisted for small business email programs that value simplicity and support. On the official pricing page, the plan examples show Lite at $12/month, Standard at $35/month, and Premium at $80/month in the displayed tier cards, and the same page includes a stated 97% deliverability rate claim.✅Source
- Billing signal Tiers mapped to contacts and features.
- Strength Clear tier ladder for SMB usage.
- Fit Newsletter-first marketing with optional expansion.
Kit
Kit (the platform associated with ConvertKit’s creator ecosystem) is compared for creator newsletters and audience growth. On the pricing page, Kit displays a $0/month option labeled for newsletters and shows a creator plan example at $33/month, with plan positioning tied to creator needs and subscriber scale in the displayed tier layout.✅Source
- Billing signal Subscribers typically guide tier changes.
- Strength Creator-first workflow and newsletter operations.
- Fit Publications and creators prioritizing audience ownership.
ActiveCampaign, Campaign Monitor, and HubSpot
These tools commonly appear on the same shortlist, but they differ in emphasis. ActiveCampaign is frequently assessed for automation + CRM, Campaign Monitor for brand-led email programs, and HubSpot for CRM-first governance and broader marketing suites. They are strong candidates when the goal is system-level alignment rather than only sending campaigns.
- ActiveCampaign: often compared for workflow depth and sales alignment.
- Campaign Monitor: often compared for template control and brand consistency.
- HubSpot: often compared for suite coverage and CRM-centered reporting.
FAQ
Common Questions About Mailchimp Alternatives
Which pricing model is usually the most predictable?
It depends on what stays stable in your program. If subscriber count is stable but you run more campaigns, volume-based pricing can be easier to forecast. If sending is stable but the list grows, contact-based tiers can be clearer. If you store many customer records and rely on behavioral data, profile-based pricing often reflects the underlying workload more directly.
Do ecommerce-focused platforms always outperform general email tools?
Not always. Ecommerce-focused tools usually excel when store events and purchase behavior drive segmentation. General platforms can be very effective for newsletters, lead nurturing, and multi-audience communication, especially when integrations cover your stack.
Is “deliverability” mostly a platform feature or a sender behavior issue?
It is both. Platforms provide infrastructure, tooling, and guidance. Results depend heavily on authentication, list quality, and subscriber engagement. When evaluating alternatives, it helps to compare how each tool supports suppression, segmentation, and monitoring.
What is the cleanest way to compare platforms without bias?
Use a shared scoreboard: billing unit, automation depth, segmentation logic, channel mix, reporting, and governance. Then map each candidate to the same monthly reality (contacts, sends, and workflow complexity). This keeps the comparison grounded and reduces preference-based guessing.
Do I need SMS to justify switching from Mailchimp?
No. Some teams switch because they want deeper automation, different pricing alignment, or better fit for creators or ecommerce. SMS is one reason to compare platforms, but not the only reason.